Dominican Republic Travel Guide

The Dominican Republic allows citizens of virtually every country in the Western Hemisphere to enter without a visa for up to 30 days (Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela are notable exceptions). Also visa-exempt are citizens of any of the European Union / European Economic Area member states, Australia, Bahrain, Hong Kong SAR, Israel, Japan, Macao SAR, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe. See Entry Requirements. The 30 day visa waiver can be extended once fo…

The currency of the Dominican Republic is the Dominican peso denoted by the symbol "$" or "RD$" (ISO code: DOP). Wikivoyage uses "RD$" for clarity. Coins in the Dominican Republic are issued in denominations of RD$1, RD$5 (yellow ring with silver center), RD$10 (silver ring with yellow center) and RD$25. Banknotes in the Dominican Republic are issued in denominations of RD$50, RD$100, RD$200, RD$500, RD$1,000 and RD$2,000.

Options for getting around the country include bus service, 'gua-guas' (pronounced "Gwa-Gwas": small battered vans or trucks that serve as a collective taxi running fixed routes that are very cheap but can also be very overloaded), domestic air flights and charter air service. There is a rail system operating only in the city of Santo Domingo. Most towns and cities have regularly scheduled bus service, if not by one of the big bus companies, then by gua-gua. The bus lines are most often simple, independently run operations, usually only connecting two cities within a region (Southwest, East, N…

The official language of the Dominican Republic is Spanish. You will find some Spanish-English bilingual locals especially in Santo Domingo and tourist areas. If you speak some Spanish, most Dominicans will try hard to meet you half way and communicate. If you have a problem, you can probably find someone who speaks sufficient English (or probably French and possibly German, Italian or Russian) to help you out. Dominicans are quite friendly and will be quite helpful if you are polite and respect…

The Dominican Republic is generally a safe country. Although the major cities of Santo Domingo and Santiago have experienced the growth of a thriving middle class, construction booms and reached a high level of cosmopolitanism, the Dominican Republic remains a developing country and poverty is still rampant in many areas, so you need to take common sense precautions:

Malaria can be a rare issue around rainforests if travelers don't take protective measures such as repellents against mosquito bites. No cases have been reported over the past 8 years within the tourist areas. Be sure to consult with a physician before departure.

By phone

Telephone numbers in the Dominican Republic use area code +1 (809) with +1 (829) and +1 (849) as overlay codes. Telecommunications in the Dominican Republic use the North American Numbering Plan country code, 1, followed by the area code as in the US and Canada.

Dominicans are kind and peaceful people. Attempts at speaking Spanish are a good sign of respect for the local people. Be polite, show respect, and do your best to speak the language, and you will be treated with kindness.