Mid-Range Travel Guide: Santo Domingo
The sweet spot of travel - comfortable accommodations, varied dining, and quality experiences without breaking the bank
Daily Budget: 6500-14700 Dominican pesos ($113-256) per day
Complete breakdown of costs for mid-range travel in Santo Domingo
Accommodation
3000-7000 Dominican pesos ($52-122) per night
Private rooms with air conditioning in colonial-era boutique hotels within the Zona Colonial, where you hear the clatter of horse-drawn carriages on the street below. Or modern, mid-tier hotels in Gazcue offering pools and quiet patios, a short cab ride from the historic center.
Browse mid-range accommodation →Food & Dining
1800-3500 Dominican pesos ($31-61) per day
Sitting down for a long lunch at a restaurant on Calle El Conde, the sound of clinking glasses and sizzling platters of chivo liniero arriving at the table. Evening dinners in the Piantini district where the flavors are inventive, the décor is sleek, and the wine pours freely. A mix of sit-down spots and the better market stalls.
Transportation
500-1200 Dominican pesos ($9-21) per day
A blend of Ubers for convenience, in the less walkable modern districts, and the occasional concho for the real feel. Walking where it makes sense. Hail a cab after a long day exploring the Fortaleza Ozama.
Activities
1200-3000 Dominican pesos ($21-52) per day
Guided tours through the dimly lit tunnels of the Museo de las Casas Reales, a boat trip on the muddy, slow-moving Ozama River, tickets to a performance at the Teatro Nacional, and perhaps a day trip to the nearby Tres Ojos park to feel the cool damp air of the limestone caves.
Currency: $ Dominican Peso (DOP); US dollars are widely accepted in tourist areas, but you'll get better value paying in local currency for daily expenses.
Money-Saving Tips
Eat at the small, steaming food counters inside Mercado Nuevo instead of the sit-down places on Calle El Conde; a plate of the day with meat, rice, and beans typically costs half as much.
Use the concho system for trips along major avenues; it's a fraction of the cost of a taxi and you'll hear the latest bachata hits blaring from the radio.
Focus your visit on the dense Zona Colonial. You can walk to nearly all the major historical sites, museums, and plazas, eliminating daily transport costs.
Book your accommodation a few blocks inland from the Malecón. The water views command a premium. But the breeze and the sounds of the city are just as present.
Visit outside the winter months. Accommodation prices, in the colonial boutique hotels, can be twenty to thirty percent lower.
Buy your bottled water and snacks from a colmado, the ubiquitous corner store, rather than from your hotel minibar, where prices are often triple.
Common Budget Mistakes to Avoid
Taking taxis everywhere without negotiating a price first or using a rideshare app. Fares from the airport or tourist zones can be two to three times the local rate.
Eating every meal in the high-visibility restaurants of the Zona Colonial. Walking just a few blocks into the surrounding neighborhoods reveals local spots with similar quality for much less.
Changing money at the airport or your hotel. The exchange rate offered there tends to be noticeably worse than at a bank or authorized exchange house in the city.
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