Taino Bay’s great advantage over almost every other Caribbean cruise terminal is that a real city starts at its gate. Walk out of the port, cross the road and within ten to fifteen minutes you are in the historic centre of San Felipe de Puerto Plata — a grid of streets laid out in the 19th century, when tobacco exports made this the busiest port in the country and merchants from Europe built themselves wooden houses with verandas, fretwork and tall shuttered doors.
The city was founded by the Spanish at the start of the 16th century, abandoned on royal orders a hundred years later and resettled in the 18th. Most of what you see dates from after the War of Restoration of the 1860s, in which Puerto Plata’s General Gregorio Luperón was the hero. In recent years the centre has been repainted and spruced up for visitors: it is busy and a little commercial on ship days, but still a living Dominican town.
Top things to do at Puerto Plata Old Town
Parque Independencia and the gazebo
The central square — also simply called the Parque Central — is the heart of town: shady benches, shoeshine men and a two-storey Victorian-style glorieta (gazebo) in the middle. Around it stand the town hall, cafés and some of the best-kept Victorian façades.
San Felipe Apóstol cathedral
The twin-towered cathedral on the south side of the park is the city’s main church. The present building dates from the 20th century and is plain and cool inside, with stained glass and open doors on most days. Dress respectfully if a service is under way.
Umbrella Street (Calle de las Sombrillas)
A short pedestrian block just off the park, strung with hundreds of coloured umbrellas overhead. It takes two minutes to walk and twenty to photograph. Cafés and souvenir shops line both sides.
Paseo de Doña Blanca — the pink street
A narrow alley a couple of blocks from the park where everything — walls, benches, flowerpots, bicycles — is painted pink. It is named after Bianca Franceschini, an Italian immigrant who ran one of the city’s first hotels here. Go early for photographs without a queue.
Rum, chocolate, cigars and amber
The classic factory stops are the Brugal rum visitor centre on the eastern edge of town (the family has made rum in Puerto Plata since 1888) and the Del Oro chocolate factory. Both are a taxi ride away and are included in many city tours. In the centre itself you will find cigar rollers, coffee shops and the Amber Museum.
Casa Museo General Gregorio Luperón
The restored wooden house of Puerto Plata’s national hero, with rooms on his life and on the Restoration War. Small, well presented and a good dose of context for the statues and street names you see everywhere.
How to get to Puerto Plata Old Town
- On foot from Taino Bay: leave through the port gate and follow the signs and the flow of people towards the centre; Parque Independencia is roughly a kilometre away, 10–15 minutes at an easy pace. See the walking route in our port guide.
- From Amber Cove: the old town is around 15–20 minutes by taxi or shuttle; agree the fare first.
- From Playa Dorada: about 15 minutes by taxi.
- With a guide: a walking or city tour adds the stories and the factory visits — compare them on our tours page.
Insider tips
- Pavements are narrow, uneven and broken by high kerbs. Wear proper shoes and watch for motorbikes (motoconchos) at every corner.
- Shopkeepers and self-appointed "guides" can be persistent near the port. A friendly "no, gracias" and keeping walking works.
- Carry small US dollar notes or pesos; prices in the tourist streets are often quoted in dollars and change comes back in pesos.
- The streets heat up fast. Do the walk in the morning and retreat to the port pool or the Malecón breeze after lunch.
- On Sundays and public holidays many shops and museums close or shorten their hours.
Best tours for Puerto Plata Old Town
These top-rated experiences are the easiest way to see Puerto Plata Old Town:
Walking tour from US$36 Puerto Plata: Walking Tour of the Historic Old Town
Puerto Plata’s centre is compact and best seen on foot. This guided walk covers the main landmarks of the old town in four to five hours and costs less than any other tour here — a natural fit for Taino Bay passengers, whose ship docks a short walk from the historic centre.
- The most important landmarks of the old town on foot
- The city’s long history explained by a guide
- The lowest-priced guided tour on our list
City tour from US$52 Puerto Plata: City Tour with Rum and Chocolate Factories
A well-reviewed half-day introduction to the city: a guide takes you through Puerto Plata’s history and culture, stops at a rum factory and a chocolate factory, and finishes with the sea views from the 16th-century San Felipe fortress.
- Visit a rum factory and a chocolate factory
- Ocean views from the San Felipe fortress
- History and culture of Puerto Plata with a local guide
Bike tour from US$45 Puerto Plata: Electric Bicycle Tour with Guide and Helmet
A two-hour guided ride on electric bikes past the city’s landmarks, including Fort San Felipe and the Amber Museum. Ratings are decent rather than outstanding, but it is an inexpensive and breezy way to cover more ground than on foot.
- Easy guided ride on an electric bike
- Fort San Felipe and the Amber Museum
- Sea views along the way
