Train

Railways
total: 757 km
standard gauge: 375 km 1.435-m gauge (Central Romana Railroad)
narrow gauge: 142 km 0.762-m gauge (Dominican Republic Government Railway); 240 km operated by sugar companies in various gauges (0.558-m, 0.762-m, 1.067-m gauges) (1995)

Car

Highways
total: 12,600 km
paved: 6,224 km
unpaved: 6,376 km (1996 est.)

Car Rentals
Major car rental companies have airport, hotel and city locations. Do not cut corners when choosing your rental car service. Also take out the extra insurance plan that is available. If you suffer an accident that dents your car, for instance, the insurance will prevent delays or hassles. All you will have to do is visit the nearest police station and declare the accident. To do so, have the other party accompany you, or just take his name, insurance company, license number, cedula and car registration (license plate) number. A valid driver's license and major credit card is required to rent a car for up to 90 days. You must be at least 25 years old.

Driving is on the right hand side and the speed limit is 60 kph in the cities and up to 100 kph on the highways, unless otherwise indicated. Getting around the DR is easy on a network of highways that branch out from Santo Domingo, the capital city. Roads inside towns and cities may not be in perfect condition so watch for large holes and oversized speed bumps.

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Domestic travel times
Santo Domingo-Puerto Plata 3-1/2 hour
Santo Domingo-Santiago 1-1/2 hour
Santo Domingo-Jarabacoa 1-1/2 hour
Santo Domingo-Boca Chica 1/2 hour
Santo Domingo-Juan Dolio ¾ hour
Santo Domingo-Bayahibe 2-1/2 hour
Santo Domingo-La Romana 2 hours
Santo Domingo-Punta Cana 3-1/2 hours
Santo Domingo-Samana 3-1/2 hour
Puerto Plata-Samana 3-1/2 hour
Santo Domingo-Barahona 3 hours

The government is expanding several national highways. Once these are completed in summer 2001, commuting times to Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, La Romana, Juan Dolio and Bayahibe will be significantly reduced.

The Rough Guide to The Dominican Republic Map
(Rough Guide Country/Region Map) FOLDED MAP
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Taxis

Private taxis (see telephone numbers in Yellow Pages) are available 24 hours a day in Santo Domingo, Santiago and Puerto Plata. Hotel taxis are also available at the larger hotels around the clock. The companies will tell you what the rate should be, but for inter-city travel this will usually be about RD$50 per trip. Dominican taxis do not use fare meters. Instead, there are flat rates for each destination. Always confirm the rate with the driver prior to departing or you may be charged an inflated price.

Publicos
Publicos are regular cars that serve as multi-passenger taxis, found mainly in the large cities. They will charge you about RD$5.00 for a short route. If you stay on, they will charge you again. The publico drivers may pack two passengers in the front seat and four in the back, regardless of the size of the car.

Motoconchos
Motorcycle taxis are an inexpensive way to get to your destination fast, but they are also the most risky of transportation options.

Bus

Large metropolitan transport buses in Santo Domingo and Santiago cover the longer city routes for RD$3.00 fares.

Minibuses zip in and out of city neighborhoods and go from one town to another for a tenth of the cost of a taxi. Depending on the hour, the drivers may pack in twice as many people as the capacity of the vehicle.

Metro and Caribe Tours provide coach transportation service between Santo Domingo and major cities.

Bus Service in Santo Domingo

Auto-buses Metro
Operate from Ave.Winston Churchill and Hatuey, near Ave. 27 de Febrero and have buses to La Vega, Santiago, Puerto Plata, Nagua, Samana, Moca, San Francisco de Macorís, and Castillo. Tel.: 566 7127

Caribe Tours
Operates from Ave. 27 de Febrero at Leopoldo Navarro and have buses to the north: Puerto Plata, Santiago, Nagua, and Samana. South: Azua , Barahona and San Juan.

Terrabús
Operates from Ave. 27 de Febrero at Maximo Gomez-Plaza Criolla
have buses to Santiago and Puerto Plata.
- Also to Haiti: Port au Prince - daily - Tel: 472 1080
- La Covacha: Buses leave from Parque Enriquillo to San Pedro de Macorís.
- Expreso Macoris: To La Romana and Higuey. Tel: 687 2190

Small buses between most towns are efficient and inexpensive. In rural areas it can be easy to find a "guagua" (mini bus or pick-up truck).

Boat

Ports and harbors: Barahona, La Romana, Puerto Plata, San Pedro de Macoris, Santo Domingo

Airports

Ailines to Dominican Republic

More than 60 charter airlines fly to the airports of Santo Domingo, Puerto Plata and Punta Cana. Air Santo Domingo, a National airline, offers daily flights to the main airports of the country.

Dominican Republic Airport Information

The Dominican Republic is much larger than most Caribbean islands, the reason for which it claims several international airports to serve its territory. Given this fact, choosing a Dominican Republic airport should not be done haphazardly: flying into the wrong Dominican Republic airport could translate into a taxi ride of several hours depending on where you are staying.

The Dominican Republic airport most popular with travelers to the southeast region, from Santo Domingo to Punta Cana, is the Las Americas International Airport. As one of the island's major hubs and the main Dominican Republic airport serving the capital of Santo Domingo, Las Americas has recently undergone significant renovations to improve service. American Airlines offers nonstop service to this bustling Dominican Republic airport, as does Air Transat and US Airways. The Punta Cana International Airport is another option, though this Dominican Republic airport receives fewer direct flights from the United States. Busy Casa de Campo also has its own thoroughfare - La Romana/Casa de Campo International, one of the most creative of Dominican Republic airports designed to imitate an old sugar mill factory. The popular north coast is served by the Puerto Plata International Gregorio Luperon Airport. As the country is larger and geographically closer to the North American mainland, each Dominican Republic airport also serves as a gateway to the rest of the Caribbean.

For more Dominican Republic airport information, contact:

• Las Americas International Airport
  809-549-0450
• Puerto Plata International
  809-586-0107
• Punta Cana International
  809-668-4749
• La Romana/Casa de Campo International
  809-556-5565

Puerto Plata Airport

Puerto Plata Airport in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, is that Caribbean nation's second largest airport, after Las Americas International Airport in Punta Caucedo, Dominican Republic near Santo Domingo. Puerto Plata Airport is actually an international airport, although the airport's name doesn't carry the international tag. Its IATA Airport Code is POP.

Capable of handling planes of all sizes, Puerto Plata Airport has benefited from being in an area with many beaches, which are popular among charter airline passengers. The popularity of the city where it is located at has also drawn a number of regularly scheduled passenger airlines over the years.

February 6, 1996, was a sad day that airport personnel who worked there at that time will probably never be able to forget: A Boeing 737 of charter air company Birgenair, which had taken off this airport, crashed off the Puerto Plata coast, killing all 189 passengers on board. Every person in that plane was of the German nationality.

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