Historical Tours in Dominican Republic, 11 Ways

1.Half Day Dominican Republic Cultural Tour : Small Group

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,862 reviews · from $60Our pick

Leave Punta Cana’s resort zone for Higüey, a ranch, the Basilica, a local market, Anamuya River, a coffee and cocoa farm, a cigar workshop, and Macao Beach. Guides such as Robinson, Franklin, Tito, and Wester lead the day, which often runs 7 to 8 hours despite the advertised 5-hour length.

“Tito was an awesome tour guide. He was friendly, punctual, and very informative. I would definitely recommend this if you have the time. There are a lot of stop so be prepared to get in and out of the car.”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Higuey Expedition Cultural & Historic Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 518 reviews · 270 minutes - 1 day · from $32

Travel from Punta Cana to Higüey with guides such as Teo or Danilo, visiting the Basilica, rural markets, a countryside home, coffee and cocoa farms, a tobacco workshop, and Macao Beach. Choose a half-day cultural trip, a full-day small-group van tour, an open-truck safari, or a walking option with river swimming.

“Hello, our excursion went very well. The guide Danielo was fantastic, and what's more, he speaks excellent French, which is a real plus. He explained the country's history clearly and showed us its authentic side.”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.History and Culture Tour with River Swim

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 275 reviews · 5 hours · from $31

Spend about five hours seeing a more local side of the Dominican Republic with a guide such as Robinson, Francisco, Wester, or Franklin. Visit a countryside home, taste coffee and cocoa, explore Higüey, eat beside the Anamuya River, see cigars made, and finish at Macao Beach. Transport, timing, and stops vary by option.

“Our visit was amazing, I really had a good day :) Robinso who was our tour guide is super nice, good vibes and funny. He made sure everyone was comfortable and pleased. He explained each activity and took pictures of everyone. I came alone to the activity and immediately I was comfortable. As a shy and quiet person I had a great time with Robinso and even made friends with others who booked the activity. Thank you Robinso for this great day. No bla-bla-bla no mickey mouse 😂😊 only real! So if you are looking to discover the Dominican Republic culture, food, country side you’ve got here the best tour…”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Historical Santo Domingo Day Trip from Punta Cana

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 176 reviews · from $95

Travel from Punta Cana to Santo Domingo with an art historian guide such as Sandro, Reynaldo, or Isaac. Visit Las Damas Street, the Alcazar de Colon, the cathedral, Three Eyes National Park, and Colonial City. Hotel transport, monument admission, headsets, and a Dominican buffet lunch are included, but expect a long day and multilingual guiding.

“It was a good tour. I am glad that I took it but its not just a must do. It really was something that you could have walked around or driven around with a rental car and done yourself. But we were not in santo domingo we were in punta cana so we needed a tour guide or so we though.”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Colonial Zone: Historical Tour with a visit to the Columbus Lighthouse and Tres Ojos Park

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 157 reviews · 2 - 9 hours · from $5Best value

See Santo Domingo’s first street, cathedral, forts, and colonial homes, then visit Los Tres Ojos caves and the Columbus Lighthouse museum. Guides including Medina, Fernando, and José Miguel Medina lead in English or Spanish. Transport, attraction tickets, water, and mamajuana are included, with pickup from many Punta Cana and Bávaro hotels.

“Walking through the Colonial Zone felt like traveling back in time. The streets, buildings, and stories made the history of Santo Domingo come alive. A very enjoyable and informative experience.”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Full Day Santo Domingo City Tour: History of the Caribbean From Punta Cana

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 78 reviews · from $64

Travel from Punta Cana to Santo Domingo for a full-day look at the Three Eyes caves, Columbus Lighthouse, Alcázar de Colón, the first cathedral in the Americas, and the Colonial Zone. Guides such as Victor Andres, Miguel, Mike, and Leo lead the city tour. Lunch and hotel pickup are included, but allow up to 11 or 12 hours.

“This tour was nothing short of amazing. It was about a 2.5 hour drive from Punta Cana and our driver didn’t say two words there or back (probably didn’t speak English) but our tour guide was great! He was full of energy and very knowleRead more”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Discover Santo Domingo: Colonial History, Monuments & Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 73 reviews · 11 hours · from $81

Spend 11 hours traveling from Punta Cana to Santo Domingo with an English or Spanish-speaking guide. Visit the Three Eyes caves, Columbus Lighthouse, Colonial Zone, Diego Columbus Palace, National Pantheon, and First Cathedral of the New World. Hotel transport, admission, and a typical Dominican buffet lunch are included, though shopping stops and waiting can lengthen the day.

“Buen tour, buen guía. El almuerzo no me gusto mucho, pero bien en relacion al precio del tour. La excursion en sí buena, a ratos un poco tediosa por los tiempos de espera, pero en general buen tour, recomendable”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.Half-Day Historic and Cultural Highlights Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 70 reviews · 3h 30m · from $45

Spend 210 minutes exploring Puerto Plata with an English-speaking guide such as Aribel, Yeury, or Junior. Visit Umbrella Street, Pink Street, Central Park, San Felipe Cathedral, Macorix rum museum, a cigar factory, chocolate and coffee stops, amber and larimar displays, and San Felipe Fortress. Air-conditioned transport, tastings, water, and hotel or cruise-port pickup are included.

“The tour was great! We had a group of 17 ranging in age from 11-80 and everyone had a great time. The guides were friendly, knowledgeable and all around amazing. I 100% recommend this tour!”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.Full day Historical Tour with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 46 reviews · 4 hours · from $75

You’ll tour Santo Domingo with a Spanish or English-speaking guide, visiting the Three Eyes caves, Faro a Colón, the Presidential Palace, and Colonial Zone museums. Expect a local lunch, souvenir shopping, hotel pickup, and about four hours on the move. Guides have included Chala, Victor, Francisco, Andrés, and Pascual.

“Il tour è stato bellissimo! Sia Francisco che l'autista sono stati gentilissimi e disponibili. È stato un'ottima guida e lo consiglio vivamente!!”

Check availability →Read our full review

10.Historical City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 42 reviews · 4 hours · from $105

Spend four hours with a private guide walking Santo Domingo’s Colonial Zone, including the cathedral, Ozama Fortress, Pantheon, Las Damas Street, museums, and early colonial landmarks. Guides such as José, Luis, Samuel, and Mr. Gomez are available in English, Spanish, or German. Pickup is included within the Old City.

“It was a pleasure! Our guide Jose was very friendly, professional and experienced! Thank you very much!”

Check availability →Read our full review

11.City tour through the historic old town

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 34 reviews · 4 - 5 hours · from $40

Spend four to five hours walking Puerto Plata with a guide from German-Dominican company Mr. Puerto Plata. Visit the Macorix House of Rum, La Chocolatería, San Felipe Cathedral, a cigar factory, and Fort San Felipe, with rum and chocolate tastings included. The tour meets near Taino Bay and accepts up to 10 people.

“We had really a huge problem to find the guide (who wanted to communicate only by Whatsapp we do both not have). The description of his outfit that should help us to recognize him was totally wrong. Even none of the local guides at the meeting point was more clever looking at the tour voucher then us. I was already quite nervous when he finally came. But, after this initial chaos, everything continued OK. We saw all interesting things in Puerto Plata (is not so much), he even managed to show me the interior of the cathedral that was officially closed for visitors due to the Christmass preparations. The visit…”

Check availability →Read our full review