4 Days in the Dominican Republic: A Santo Domingo & Punta Cana Itinerary

Santo Domingo → Punta Cana, Dominican Republic | June 2026

Playa Macao | GoPetranelle

Quick Trip Details
Route: Santo Domingo → Punta Cana
Trip Length: 4 days
Travel Style: Solo travel
Transportation: Bus, Uber and taxis
Stay: Crowne Plaza Santo Domingo → HM Bávaro Beach
Must-Do: Playa Macao
Why Go: History, beaches and a little adventure

When most people think about the Dominican Republic, Punta Cana usually comes to mind first. White sand beaches and all-inclusive resorts, but with only four days, I split my time between Santo Domingo, the oldest continuously inhabited European city in the Americas and Punta Cana, the country’s most popular beach destination. It was the perfect balance.

Day 1: Arriving in Santo Domingo

My flight from JFK landed in Santo Domingo around 9:30 a.m. Since I knew I would be arriving well before check-in I packed my swimsuit in my backpack so it would be easy to grab at the hotel.

I stayed at the Crowne Plaza Santo Domingo. Since my room was not ready I left my carry-on with the front desk and headed up to the rooftop. The hotel has a rooftop pool, a jacuzzi and a bar with views overlooking the Caribbean sea. I grabbed some breakfast, changed into my swimsuit and settled in by the pool.

Honestly, it was a pretty great way to start the trip.

Around 11 a.m. I went back downstairs to see if my room was ready and luckily it was. I went up, unpacked a few things and took a nap. While I was sleeping the front desk called to let me know they had realized I was an IHG member and were upgrading my room.

So naturally I had to jump out of bed, got dressed, repack everything I had just unpacked and switch rooms. The new room had a better view though so I was not complaining.

View from Crowne Plaza Santo Domingo | GoPetranelle

After getting settled I took a few pictures from my balcony and then called an Uber to head into the Zona Colonial. My original plan was to explore Santo Domingo on my own with a self-guided walking tour using my phone.

That plan lasted about fifteen minutes.

Check out my walking tour post for more details on the images below

An Unexpected Walking Tour of Santo Domingo

I started at Parque Colón, the main square in the historic center and went inside the cathedral. While I was there I met a local tour guide who started chatting with me. He was in the middle of a walking tour with two other people and since he spoke English we ended up talking.

He invited me to join the group. I paid a small fee in cash and because I was paying in person we were also able to negotiate the price. We ended up talking about a day tour for the following day too. Similar tours I had found online were around $80 but I negotiated mine down to roughly half of that. Sometimes the best travel plans are the ones you never actually planned.

I joined the group and continued exploring the historic center with them. The next stop was a small chocolate shop where we learned a little about how cocoa and chocolate are made. It was more of a tiny workshop and store than a traditional factory but they sold chocolate, soap, cocoa butter and other products made from cacao.

From there we visited the ruins of Hospital San Nicolás de Bari, considered the first hospital built in the Americas. There is not much left of the original building today but walking through the ruins while hearing the history behind them was still great. We also saw the site of the first university in the Americas.

By around 5 p.m. we stopped for dinner at Mugado where I ordered chicharrón with mashed potatoes. After we continued walking through the Colonial Zone before stopping at a souvenir shop. The other people in the group got to sample some of the local drinks while I mostly enjoyed browsing and taking everything in.

Eventually the tour came to an end and I took a taxi back to my hotel.

Day 2: Exploring More of Santo Domingo

I got up bright and early on day two because I had already arranged a full-day tour with the guide I met the day before. I was now in my upgraded room on the club floor at Crowne Plaza Santo Domingo.

Around 8:30 a.m. I went downstairs for breakfast. I am not a fan of buffet breakfasts so I ordered à la carte instead. I picked exactly what I wanted, paid for it and then got ready for the tour. We spent the day visiting different sites around Santo Domingo. We also had some local mangoes along the way and they were amazing.

I have a separate post about this $80 Santo Domingo day tour that goes into the full itinerary and all the places we visited. If you want the details on each stop, read my full Santo Domingo day tour guide here.

Once the tour was over I decided to have a little adventure of my own. I took an Uber Moto to a shopping mall. We were weaving through traffic and the driver was quite young so I definitely held on a little tighter than usual. After walking around the mall and getting a feel for the shopping scene I headed back to the hotel. I packed my bags and went to bed early because I had an early bus to catch the next morning.

Day 3: Taking the Bus to Punta Cana

I woke up early on day three, grabbed my bags and headed downstairs for a quick breakfast. I ordered à la carte again, this time just coffee and fruit. I was trying to catch the 9:30 a.m. Expreso Punta Cana bus so I made sure to get to the bus station around 8:30.

Unfortunately, the 9:30 bus was already sold out and ended up getting a ticket for the 10:30 bus instead. It was not a big deal since the bus was on time and I had nowhere else I needed to be that morning.

The ride to Punta Cana took about three hours and there was not much traffic. I sat upstairs towards the front of the bus and settled in for the ride. There was even a little entertainment along the way. A woman got on with a bird in a cage and eventually took the bird out and let it sit on her shoulder. She even let some of the other passengers pet it. It was such a random little moment but it made the bus ride more memorable.

I have a separate post that goes into much more detail about taking the bus from Santo Domingo to Punta Cana including where to catch it, what to expect and how I figured out where to get off. Read my complete Santo Domingo to Punta Cana bus guide here.

I arrived in Punta Cana around 2:30 p.m. and got off near a money exchange shop. There is not really a big sign telling you where to get off so I had shown the bus attendant my hotel before we left Santo Domingo. Luckily I also met someone who worked near my hotel and he was getting off at the same stop. He was able to tell the driver in Spanish where we needed to get off which made things much easier.

From there it was less than a 10-minute walk to HM Bávaro Beach.

Checking Into HM Bávaro Beach

Checking Into HM Bávaro Beach. HM Bávaro Beach is an adults-only hotel and the rooms are on the smaller side. Honestly, if you are staying here you will probably spend most of your time outside anyway.

When I arrived I was given a welcome drink made with fresh juice which was really good. After checking into my room I headed down to the beach to relax.

And then I saw the sargassum.

There was so much of it that getting into the water was basically impossible. I was honestly shocked by how thick it was. Instead of letting it ruin my afternoon I grabbed a beach chair, listened to music, eat and took some pictures.

Later I met up with a friend and we spent some time hanging out, went to the supermarket and relaxed around the beach area. That evening we went to King Lobster Restaurant & Bar for dinner. The lobster was fresh and had been caught that day. We had lobster with rice, beans and salad along with passion fruit juice which is my favorite flavor. The restaurant sits higher up along the beach next to the hotel so we also had a really nice view while we ate.

One thing I noticed right away was how quiet Punta Cana felt. There was plenty of space on the beach and it did not feel crowded at all. I was told that I had come during the low season and that during the high tourist season it can be so busy that finding an open beach chair is difficult.

Honestly, I think I picked a great time to visit. I have a full HM Bávaro Beach hotel review where I go into more detail about the rooms, pools, beach and overall experience at the hotel.

Later that night I went across the street to Whala Bávaro which is operated by the same company as HM Bávaro Beach. Whala is a much larger family-oriented resort and they had an evening event happening that night. There was a stage performance followed by a comedy show so I stayed for that and grabbed a bite from the buffet before heading back to HM Bávaro to call it a night.

First Impressions of Punta Cana

The difference between Santo Domingo and Punta Cana was noticeable as soon as I got off the bus. I started seeing resort signs, tour companies and advertisements everywhere. Punta Cana felt much more touristy and more expensive than Santo Domingo and the whole pace felt slower.

After two busy days of walking tours, museums and exploring the city I was more than ready for a change of pace. Punta Cana was exactly that.

Day 4: A Slow Morning Before Heading Back

Day four was checkout day, so I got up around 8 a.m. and headed to the rooftop for breakfast at HM Bávaro Beach. Both the restaurant and pool are on the rooftop which meant I had a nice view of the ocean while I ate. After breakfast I sat around for a bit and enjoyed the morning before heading out.

Before checking out I decided to visit Playa Macao. I took an Uber about 30 minutes from Punta Cana to get there and I am so glad I did. Playa Macao was completely different from the beach near my hotel. The water was pristine and there was no sargassum anywhere. There was one resort being built but otherwise the beach was mostly locals and people coming in from nearby buggy and off-road tours.

It was peaceful, beautiful and exactly what I had been hoping to find after seeing all that sargassum at the hotel.

Around 10:30 a.m. I headed back to HM Bávaro because I still needed to check out. I got back around 11:00, took a quick shower, changed and grabbed a quick bite before heading out.

I then made my way back toward Santo Domingo by bus. Instead of going all the way back into the city I got off near Las Américas International Airport and stayed nearby for the night. Since my flight the next morning was early I did not want to deal with a long drive from Punta Cana or risk missing my flight. The next morning I left for the airport around 7:30 a.m. It was only about a 13-minute ride since I had stayed so close to the airport.

It was a short trip but I managed to experience two very different sides of the Dominican Republic. Santo Domingo gave me history, culture and plenty of unexpected moments while Punta Cana gave me the beach time I was looking for.

And honestly, I would do the trip the same way again.

Why I Skipped an Early Morning Departure From Punta Cana

My flight home was at 7:00 a.m. Rather than wake up in the middle of the night and travel from Punta Cana to Santo Domingo, I took the bus back the evening before and stayed near Las Américas International Airport.

It almost didn’t happen. I went to another bus company first and found out their 4:00 p.m. bus was sold out. I quickly headed to Expreso Punta Cana and managed to get one of the last seats on the bus leaving at the same time. After the ride back I stayed near the airport, got a full night’s sleep and had a much easier morning before my flight.

If you have an early flight out of Santo Domingo, I highly recommend doing the same. Just get to the bus station early because those weekend buses can fill up quickly. Here documented the entire journey in my Punta Cana to Santo Domingo Airport by Bus guide including where to catch the bus and where to get off.

So, Would I Do It Again?

Absolutely.

Four days was not nearly enough to see everything the Dominican Republic has to offer but splitting my time between Santo Domingo and Punta Cana gave me a little bit of everything I wanted from this trip. I got history and culture in Santo Domingo then beaches and relaxation in Punta Cana.

I also liked that I was able to do the trip without renting a car. Between buses, Ubers and figuring things out as I went I was able to get around without spending a fortune on private transportation. If I did this trip again I would keep the same basic itinerary. I would probably give myself more time in Santo Domingo and definitely make another trip to Playa Macao.

The Dominican Republic surprised me. I went expecting Punta Cana to be the highlight but Santo Domingo ended up being just as memorable. There is so much more to the Dominican Republic than the resort experience.