Question 1

Puerto Plata on Your Own

Accepted Answer

Puerto Plata's old town is the place for a day on your own: the fort on the Malecón seafront, the Victorian architecture downtown, and the cable car up Isabel de Torres if the summit is clear. Taino Bay is the closer of the two terminals to the city. The fort: The Fortaleza San Felipe, completed in 1577, stands on the Puntilla del Malecón and is now a museum of military objects from the 18th and 19th centuries. Downtown: Calle San Felipe, known as Umbrella Street, is free to walk and has shops and cafes, and the cathedral of San Felipe Apóstol is free to enter. Musicians play in the central park on Sundays. Up the mountain: The Teleférico cable car, opened in 1975, takes about eight minutes to climb and descend Isabel de Torres. At the top are a botanical garden and a smaller replica of Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer, and the summit is often in cloud. Money: Most merchants accept US dollars, but watch the exchange rate you are given. Bags and valuables: Thieves on motorcycles sometimes snatch bags and valuables from people on the street, so keep a firm hold of yours. Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own. Carry ID: Keep copies of your passport's photo page and entry stamp with you.

Question 2

Getting Around

Accepted Answer

Taxis are the simplest way around Puerto Plata on a port day, but many are in poor condition, so use an authorized airport or hotel taxi service, or book through a registered provider. Ride-hailing apps are also widely available. Guaguas, minivans that work as shared buses, stop almost anywhere on the main streets. The fare is low, but you may need to agree it with the driver. Motoconchos, motorcycle taxis whose drivers wear yellow vests, are often driven badly and do not always provide helmets. Drivers often ignore stop signs, and trucks overtake unsafely on bends, which is worth weighing before you hire a car or scooter for a single day.

Question 3

Where to Eat

Accepted Answer

The Dominican national dish is la bandera, rice and red beans with meat, and the most popular breakfast, tres golpes, is mangú, mashed green plantains, with fried cheese, salami and eggs. Tostones, fried plantains, and pork mofongo are popular too. Dominican cooking blends Spanish, African and Taíno traditions. Mangú traces back to fufu, a dish of West Africa. Many kinds of tropical fruit and seafood are eaten. Restaurant bills usually include a 10 percent service charge and tax, so read the total before you tip.

Question 4

Tipping in the Dominican Republic

Accepted Answer

Restaurants in the Dominican Republic add a 10 percent service charge to the bill, and it is customary to leave about another 10 percent for very good service. The currency is the Dominican peso, though most merchants also accept US dollars and euros. Menu prices usually do not include the service charge, and restaurant meals also carry tax. More generally, tipping is advisable for most services. If you pay in dollars or euros, check the exchange rate you are being given.

Question 5

Culture & Local Life

Accepted Answer

Puerto Plata's look comes from its rebuilding after 1863, when immigrants from France, Italy, Germany and England brought the Victorian style of decorated wooden houses. Amber, found in the Dominican Republic, has its own museum in the Villa Bentz. The Victorian style arrived after the War of Restoration and reached its height at the turn of the 20th century. The cast-iron lighthouse, El Faro, was built in 1879, and a restoration was completed in 2004. The Museo del Ámbar Dominicano, founded in 1982, is in the Villa Bentz, built in 1918 as a hotel. Some of its amber holds inclusions tens of millions of years old.

Question 6

First City and the Amber Coast

Accepted Answer

Puerto Plata was the main commercial port of Hispaniola in Spain's first years there, was emptied by royal order in 1605, and has been rebuilt more than once since. The fort is the only part of the 16th-century town still standing. Columbus, 1493: On his first voyage, in January 1493, Columbus named the mountain Monte de Plata, because its cloud-capped summit looked like silver, and the port took its name. Founding: Historians disagree on the year the town was founded, with dates from 1496 to 1506. Nicolás de Ovando recorded a port on the north coast around 1502. Pirates and the fort: By about 1555 the port had lost its importance and drew pirates. The Fortaleza San Felipe was built from 1564 to 1577 to defend it. Abandoned, 1605: Philip III had the town emptied and destroyed in 1605 to counter raids by English privateers and pirates, and the fort stood abandoned until 1736. Canary Islanders: About a hundred years later, farmers from the Canary Islands resettled the town. Quasi-War, 1800: US Marines landed in May 1800, spiked the fort's guns and captured a French privateer, the Sandwich. Haiti and the Republic: Haiti governed the city from 1822 to 1844, and with the republic's independence in 1844 its trade began to recover. Restoration War, 1863: The city was razed in 1863 and rebuilt from 1865, which is why so much of it is Victorian. The 20th century: US forces took the fort in 1916, at the start of an occupation that lasted until 1924. Under Rafael Trujillo the fort was a prison, and the husbands of the Mirabal sisters were jailed there. Cruise ports: Amber Cove opened in 2015 and Taino Bay in 2021. To learn more ashore: The Fortaleza San Felipe, on the Puntilla del Malecón, became a museum in 1965 and opened to the public in 1983.

Question 7

Traveling with Family

Accepted Answer

A family day in Puerto Plata can pair a ride with a fort: the cable car up Isabel de Torres, with gardens at the top, and the Fortaleza San Felipe by the sea. Ocean World, an adventure park on the beach at Cofresí, makes a longer outing. Younger children: The Teleférico's cabins have glass walls, and the climb and descent take about eight minutes. School age: The fort's museum displays military objects from the 18th and 19th centuries. Teenagers: The Damajagua waterfalls, inland near Imbert on the road toward Santiago, have 27 levels, and you choose how many to do. Adventure operators here may not meet the safety standards you expect, so check before you book and make sure your insurance covers the activity. On the beach: Lifeguards may not be on duty, and the sea can be dangerous, especially in the hurricane season from June to November.

Question 8

Beaches

Accepted Answer

The beaches around Puerto Plata include La Poza del Castillo, Long Beach, Cofresí, Costámbar, Marapicá, Playa Dorada, Maimón and Bergantín. Playa Dorada and Costa Dorada, east of the city, are the main resort areas. Ocean World, an adventure park, is on the beach at Cofresí. Lifeguards may not be present, and rescue equipment may be missing. The sea can be dangerous, especially in the hurricane season from June to November, so follow local warnings about sea conditions. Water-sports operators may not meet the safety standards you expect, so check before you book.

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

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