Beside the Catedral Primada de América, this historic park contains several trees and a large statue of Admiral Columbus himself. It’s the meeting place for residents and is alive with tourists, townsfolk, hawkers, guides, shoeshine boys, tourist police and thousands of pigeons. The corner of Calle El Conde and Arzobispo Meriño is the premier people-watching corner in the Zona Colonial.
Parque Colón
Santo Domingo
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.03 MILES
The first stone of this cathedral, the oldest standing in the Western hemisphere, was set in 1514 by Diego Columbus, son of the great explorer (the ashes…
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0.3 MILES
Designed in the Gothic-Mudéjar transitional style, this was the early-16th-century residence of Columbus’ son, Diego, and his wife, Doña María de Toledo…
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Museo Memorial de la Resistencia Dominicana
0.26 MILES
For those interested in the details of one of the darkest periods of Dominican history, this austere memorial honors Dominicans who fought against the…
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Reserva Antropológica Cuevas del Pomier
17.12 MILES
Visiting this reserve is like reading a history book written in stone. There are 57 limestone caves in the area 10km north of San Cristóbal, five of which…
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4.17 MILES
A long tree-filled corridor atop an enormous limestone ridge, this park is riddled with caves, some as big as airplane hangars. One of the caves has been…
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This is the New World's oldest colonial military edifice. The site, at the meeting of the Río Ozama and Caribbean, was selected by Fray Nicolás de Ovando…
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Built in the Renaissance style during the 16th century, this building was the longtime seat of Spanish authority for the Caribbean region, housing the…
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16.2 MILES
San Cristóbal's strangest sight, currently used as the National Penitentiary School, was built on Trujillo’s orders for himself and his family in 1947 (at…
Nearby Santo Domingo attractions
1. Catedral Primada de América
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The first stone of this cathedral, the oldest standing in the Western hemisphere, was set in 1514 by Diego Columbus, son of the great explorer (the ashes…
0.07 MILES
Thorough exhibits on larimar – a rare, light-blue mineral found only in the remote southwestern mountains of the Dominican Republic – have signage in…
0.09 MILES
This was originally the residence of Hernán Cortés, conqueror of the Aztecs in present-day central Mexico. It was in this building that Cortés is believed…
0.09 MILES
Running north–south in front of Fortaleza Ozama is the first paved street in the Americas. Laid in 1502, the street acquired its name from the wife of…
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Home to the first nunnery in the New World, built in 1552. Years after being sacked by Drake and his men (who apparently hated all things Catholic), it…
0.11 MILES
This is the New World's oldest colonial military edifice. The site, at the meeting of the Río Ozama and Caribbean, was selected by Fray Nicolás de Ovando…
0.11 MILES
This museum is located in the Casa de Tostado – the beautifully restored, 16th-century home of writer Francisco Tostado. It's interesting as much for the…
0.11 MILES
Named in honor of Diego Columbus’ wife, this plaza connecting Las Damas and Isabel la Católica features two arches that were once part of the Jesuits’…