Santo Domingo

Day Trips

Touch down in Santo Domingo and settle into your charming guesthouse. Savor a steaming cup of Cuban coffee while meeting your local host. Take a leisurely stroll to absorb the colorful colonial architecture.

Join a guided walking tour through the town’s plaza and historic church. Explore a small museum showcasing local art and artifacts. Pause for a refreshing fruit smoothie at a shaded café.

Watch the sun dip below the tiled rooftops from a rooftop terrace. Enjoy a hearty dinner of ropa vieja and congrí at a family-run paladar. End the night with live salsa beats drifting through the streets.

Begin at the 18th–century church, admiring its Baroque altar and bell tower. Wander cobblestone lanes lined with pastel facades and wrought-iron balconies. Chat with artisans selling hand-painted ceramics.

Visit the local archives to learn about Santo Domingo’s founding and colonial past. Sample street-vendor arepas and fresh coconut water by the town square. Explore nearby plazas where time seems to stand still.

Dine in a restored colonial mansion turned restaurant, feasting on fresh seafood ceviche. Sip a mojito under a canopy of fairy lights. Join an informal poetry reading in the courtyard.

Drive into the surrounding hills to tour a family-run coffee finca. Learn about bean cultivation from seedling to roast. Pick ripe cherries alongside local workers.

Enjoy a picnic lunch beneath shade trees, sampling freshly brewed plantation coffee. Hike through terraced fields and tropical undergrowth. Photograph hummingbirds flitting among coffee blossoms.

Return to town for a home-cooked dinner featuring seasonal vegetables. Taste a glass of rum aged in oak barrels at a nearby distillery. Swap stories with your hosts over guitar tunes.

Set off early for a guided trek to a hidden waterfall deep in the mountains. Wade through verdant jungle trails alive with birdcalls. Reach the cascade in time to watch morning light sparkle on the falls.

Cool off with a swim in the natural pool beneath the waterfall. Enjoy a riverside lunch of fresh fish and plantains. Relax on smooth rocks as the water gushes around you.

Return to Santo Domingo and freshen up at your accommodation. Indulge in a light dinner of yuca frita and mojo garlic sauce. Unwind with a traditional Cuban trova guitar performance.

Board a 4x4 for a scenic drive up the Sierra terrain. Trek along narrow ridgelines offering panoramic valley views. Spot wild orchids and endemic bird species.

Break for a rustic lunch at a mountain hamlet, sampling local goat cheese. Explore nearby tobacco fields where farmers still roll leaves by hand. Chat with villagers about daily life in the highlands.

Descend to town and rest sore muscles with a restorative herbal tea. Dine at a garden café serving slow-cooked beans and fresh yucca. End the night with stargazing on a rooftop lounge.

Visit a local artist’s workshop to watch painters create vibrant murals. Try your hand at mixing pigments from natural minerals. Sketch scenes of everyday Cuban life.

Tour a gallery featuring contemporary Santo Domingo painters and sculptors. Discuss Afro-Cuban symbolism with a knowledgeable guide. Grab a light lunch at a bohemian café known for its home-baked empanadas.

Attend a pottery-making demonstration in a colonial courtyard. Sample artisanal rum cocktails infused with citrus zest. Soak in the mellow rhythms of a live jazz trio.

Head to the bustling market to shop for fresh produce, spices, and seafood. Learn local bargaining etiquette as you select ingredients. Enjoy freshly baked pan cubano and guava jam.

Join a hands-on cooking class in a private kitchen. Prepare signature dishes like ropa vieja and arroz con pollo under a chef’s guidance. Taste your creations paired with locally grown herbs.

Feast on a family-style dinner with new friends at the cooking school. Sample a flight of premium Cuban rums. Dance off your meal to lively son Cubano music.

Visit a community music school where children learn percussion and guitar. Participate in a drumming workshop led by a master timbalero. Learn basic rhythms of rumba and salsa.

Share lunch with students and teachers, enjoying fresh tropical fruit desserts. Observe a choir rehearsal performing traditional Cuban spirituals. Contribute to a community art project on a mural wall.

Attend a neighborhood fiesta with live conga lines and folkloric dancers. Indulge in street-food treats like grilled corn and churros. Join locals in dancing until the stars fill the sky.

Travel to a secluded Caribbean beach about an hour away. Sink toes into powdery white sand and swim in aquamarine waters. Observe shorebirds and shells along the tideline.

Sprawl under a palapa and enjoy a seaside lunch of grilled lobster and tropical salad. Snorkel among coral outcrops teeming with colorful fish. Take a siesta to the sound of gentle waves.

Return to Santo Domingo for a casual dinner of fresh ceviche. Toast to the day with chilled piña coladas at a beachfront bar. End the night with a moonlit beach walk.

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast of sweet plantains and fluffy tortillas. Reflect on the week’s adventures while packing souvenirs. Wander the plaza for last-minute memento shopping.

Host a farewell lunch at your favorite paladar, revisiting your favorite dishes. Exchange contact information with new friends and guides. Relax in a hammock, sipping your final Cuban coffee.

Gather for a festive farewell party with live band and traditional dancers. Feast on a multi-course banquet highlighting local flavors. Dance and toast under lantern-lit trees as the trip concludes.