Sights Overview

Christopher Columbus first claimed the island for Spain on his first New World voyage in 1492 and wrecked his flagship, the Santa Maria, on its Atlantic shore on Christmas Eve; later, his brother Bartolomeo founded Santo Domingo de Guzman (1496), the first city in the New World. With some 300 examples of Spanish-colonial architecture, the Zona Colonial was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1990. A throbbing microcosm, there are 100 square blocks of history, very much alive more than five centuries later. Its trendy restaurants, art galleries, boutique hotels, and late-night clubs help make Santo Domingo a superb urban vacation destination.

Dominicans will extend a gracious welcome, saying, "This is your home!" and indeed are happy to share what they have, which is a physically beautiful island bathed by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the south. Among its most precious assets are 1,500 km (1,000 mi) of gorgeous beaches studded with coconut palms and sands ranging from pearl white to golden brown to volcanic black.