Santo Domingo is the largest, most animated, cosmopolitan and people-friendly city in the Caribbean and Central America. Avoid peak hour traffic, and you are in a metropolis that has it all. The Colonial City in ‪Santo Domingo‬ is the perfect place for an alfresco meal surrounded by hundreds of years of history.

SANTO DOMINGO NIGHTLIFE

Some of its architecture can be stunning. The city lit up at night is gorgeous in both historic and modern areas. The lighting of the Colonial City takes you back to the 16th century, but in the city centerit is 21st century all the way.

Most nightspots are located in on Winston Churchill, Gustavo Mejía Ricart, Abraham Lincoln, Roberto Pastoriza, Sarasota or Rómulo Betancourt, Venezuela, on the Malecón, and the many streets of the Colonial City. Many are open-air terraces and bars for people watching and easy socializing. Big hotels have their music spots, such as L’Azotea at the Dominican Fiesta, Las Palmas at the Hotel Santo Domingo or Merengue Bar at the Jaragua.

For Latin music dancing, Lucia 203 and Onno’s are popular in the Colonial City. Serious dancers are drawn to the Avenida Venezuela. In the city, upscale discos boast that they play the same music that is being heard at the top nightspots abroad.

Acclaimed performers are booked all year for the Teatro Nacional or Bellas Artes halls. However, more casual theaters are located in the Colonial City such as Hard Rock Café facing Columbus Park and Casa de Teatro, the off-Broadway hang out in Santo Domingo, where the next Juan Luis Guerra will perform first. The small Guloya and Las Máscaras theaters stage comedy, drama and other plays all year long at their Colonial City address.

Dating back to the 16th century, the Ruinas de San Francisco, the first monastery in the Americas, is today famous for the live Bonyé musical entertainment that attracts hundreds of people at sunset on Sundays. Hostos St. between Emiliano Tejera & Restauración streets.

Plaza de España is the magical large plaza fronting the Alcazar de Colón. Restaurants and bars line the top of the steps overlooking the Alcazar. On Fridays and Saturdays watch folklore shows sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism.

Compared to US and European cinemas, movie theaters are a bargain in Santo Domingo. Those located at the new malls feature the latest technology.