  Santo Domingo
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 485 Santo Domingo Tips.1005 Santo Domingo Photos.0 Santo Domingo Videos. Santo Domingo Pages by willy_wonka
Tips 1 - 2 of 2 Santo Domingo Transportation
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Transportation: airport hints and tips
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'Mode': TO
Category: Airplane
Getting TO/AROUND: getting to santo domingo is the easy part. delta flies from atlanta to the aeropuerto internacional las americas, and it only takes about 2 hours. so enjoy that trip, because the next one is not so pleasant!
when you walk outside of the airport it is CHAOS! there are no shuttle buses or cheap vans to take you into town, so you have taxi drivers trying to get your business. it is hot, the humidity hits you like a blanket, and here you are with your luggage having a bunch of spanish speaking men trying to take you to their car. a bit disconcerting for a young fool like me! anyway followed a guy, and it costs US$40 to get into the colonial zone, a half hour ride away. im like, erm, let me negotiate, and i tell him $30. there was NO room for negotiation. as he said, the fuel prices, the fuel prices. he gave it to me for $35 at the end, because i said i would walk. lol. by the journeys end, i felt so sad for him, and his life, that i paid him $40. sometimes you just feel like a cow if you screw people down too much. he had 5 mouths to feed dammit!
anyway after talking to others, local and tourists, it is definitely at least $40 for a taxi (i feared i had been ripped off, but all taxi drivers have a price listing on file).
so yeh, moral of the story. taxi is an only option from the airport, which is pretty crap, but thats the way it goes. have a good amount of US dollars on you for this purpose.
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Transportation: more taxis
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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: a city as chaotic and as mad as santo domingo is gonna cause grief for the tourist that doesnt speak spanish, and that was the case for me. (and a few germans i met!). the public transport system in SD is crazy. no set times, no order, no direction. traffic everywhere, chaotic mess. i would see locals pile into little minivans, 10 crammed into a car, knowing where they were going. i didnt want to risk that! buses crammed with people as well, old old buses that were about to fall apart.
by the end of it all, i became a taxi hopper. or a walker. the great thing is the colonial zone is easy to walk around. that isnt the problem. but to get out to see the sights like the faro colon, or the botanic gardens, you will be best to take a taxi. around US$10 for both of those options.
taxis can be found lining up at parque colon, or near plaza de la hispanidad. just look for the men standing around smoking and chatting all day. lol. at first i was a bit weary, being a young single girl, with these men driving, but they were all very professional and extremely kind. be warned though, they do not know english, so have where you want to go written down, or learn some basic spanish.
i ended up using the services of a very nice guy called eugenio. i organised my next day's pickup, and i decided to use him because he was kind, and was a bit of a negotiator (although once again my concience came into play and i would always pay him extra!) . he spoke a bit of english, italian and german.
he can be contacted on his cell, 809-395-0500, and he is a registered tourist guide of santo domingo, although he really just drives a taxi. haha
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 Comments for willy_wonka about Santo Domingo | | | | |
toonsarah Sat Feb 2, 2008 12:39 UTC
Like you before your visit I never knew there was so much history to the DR - until now! Great tips on some fascinating places, and excellent photos too - I love the fact that you've included B&W as well as colour :) | marielexoteria Mon Nov 5, 2007 09:05 UTC
I'm glad you enjoyed my hometown. Yes, I don't think any airport on DR has a shuttle service like at other "civilized" places. | JLBG Mon Oct 1, 2007 04:27 UTC
I understand that this place is the old world in the new world! Or may be the missing link between these two worlds! The hospital ruins are great, with nobody around! I did not know that DR was so special! Thanks! | bapak Wed Sep 5, 2007 08:01 UTC
Very helpful! Thanks a lot. |
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