 | Santo Domingo Things To Do | Tips 11 - 20 of 180 |  |
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if you haven't gotten the hint yet, santo domingo is home to many of the western world's "firsts", and this one is no exception. the ruins of the 'monasterio de san francisco' were once the home to the regions first franciscan monastery. built in 1508, the friars lived here amongst 3 different chapels, but sadly, like alot of santo domingo, got ransacked and raided by mr drake! later on in the late 1800's the monastery became a mental alysum, and the evidence of this can still be seen in the remnants of chains that were used to hold the people in them. perched on top of a hill, the monastery is worth a look, and if your lucky, in the evenings it sometimes holds plays and other various performances. Leave a Comment Address: hostosDirections: on hostos, walk up the hill and you will see it on the top.
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the 'reloj del sol' is a sundial located just opposite the the royal house (casas del reales). it is said that the sundial was placed in the position so that the governors could just look out the window and see the time, without having to get out of the offices. today its a point of interest to us tourists who have never seen a sundial before... and guess what? i could tell the time on it! they really do work! duh ;-) Leave a Comment Address: las damas
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| | | | Old Town: overview | Tip Rating: | | | | |
The Old Town features the New World's first street (Calle Las Damas), fortress (Ozama fortress), sundial and Cathedral (Catedral Primada de América), among others, as well as many old churches, el Alcázar de Colón (Diego Columbus' house), el Museo de las Casas Reales (Museum of the Royal Houses), the Amber Museum, etc. Parts of the Old Town that aren't as known as these ones feature Ruinas del Monasterio de San Francisco (San Francisco Monastery ruins), the New World's first hospital (Ruinas de San Nicolás de Bari), Santa Barbara church and Fuerte de San José, among others. The Old Town is quite easy to walk around on by yourself as long as you have a good map so that you get to know what you're walking past by. There are guides that can walk you through the main sights and you can find them either at Parque Colón or at the entrance of some of the monuments. Having a guide can be of advantage because they can get you ahead of lines, if there are any, and to get an overview of the sights if you have reduced time. Before you get started, negotiate a rate and stick with it, but if the service was good then perhaps you can give them a little tip. To recharge your batteries grab a cup of coffee in one of the cafés or bistros in front of the Spanish Square for a fantastic view or buy water, juice, soda or even a beer and a light snack at the local convenience store or supermarket and sit on the steps by the Square and enjoy people watching. Read my individual tips on some of the sites. Address: Zona Colonial
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| | | | mausoleum to the founders of the DR | Tip Rating:  | | | | |
a somewhat plain, yet poignant reminder of how the DR came to be its own republic can be seen at the 'altar de la patria'. while not much to look at from the outside, inside you will find the statues of 3 of the DR's most important figures. they being: juan pablo duarte ramon matias mella francisco del rosario sanchez you can walk inside the mausoleum, and see the large statues of these men, sculpted from what looks like white marble. while there, i saw many locals going in and saying a prayer for them, which i guess means they are quite revered amongst the people! not too far away, clearly to be seen from the entrance, is the 'puerta del conde'. this was the scene of the heroics that created the first dominican republic, and it is here that the first flag was raised to celebrate the new country. this all happened in 1884. today, its the place to see one of those guards wearing their hot white uniforms (you didnt actually think i could keep a serious tone in my tips did you?) :-) Leave a Comment Directions: the very end of el conde
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on July 23, 2006
on June 14, 2004
on April 11, 2008
