Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

The largest city in the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo is a vibrant and exciting urban metropolis to explore. As with most countries in the region, Santo Domingo is the economic, political and cultural hub of the country. This city like most other Caribbean capitals also has numerous sights and sounds to discover. Nicknamed the city of many firsts, in Santo Domingo you can find the first hospital in the Americas, the first paved road, the first two-story home, and the first university. Here you can also find the oldest European fortress, the oldest monastery and the oldest church still in use in the region.

The Zona Colonial is also home to a number of churches, the most important of which is the Catedral Primada de America, the oldest cathedral in the Americas. Also found here is the Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes, which has a pulpit that is supported by a serpent demon. Also located within the Zona Colonial is the Fortaleza Ozama, the oldest colonial fortress in the region as well as the ruins of the first hospital built in the Americas, the Hospital San Nicolas de Bari. Built in 1503, the hospital was destroyed by a hurricane in 1911. Here you can also find the first monastery in the New World, the Monasterio de San Francisco.Around the Zona Colonial you can find the Faro a Colon or the Columbus lighthouse, which is definitely worth seeing. This lighthouse is supposed to be the resting place of the bones of Christopher Columbus, a fact that is disputed by both Italy and Spain. The National Botanical Gardens offers a wonderful reprieve in the city with its many beautiful plants and trees. The Museum of the Dominican Man and the Museum of Modern Art are also worth touring outside the Zona Colonial.