Spend a morning away from your sun lounger and discover the real Puerto Plata! Once a hub for pirates and explorers, the area holds rich culture and history, and you’ll love discovering it with us. We’ll explore the market, visit a gallery and the local museum, learn a little about voodoo, stroll through a local neighborhood and enjoy a freshly prepared traditional lunch with a local family. If you’re looking to immerse yourself in local culture and get a better understanding of the island and its people, this is the tour for you!
One of the best ways to get to know any city is to visit its most popular market. So that’s what we’ll do first on your tour of Puerto Plata. This colourful and noisy place proudly displays the best of Dominican traditions. Here we’ll learn about the exotic fruits and vegetables that grow on the island, the traditional seasonings that are used by locals to give flavour to their dishes and about the raw tobacco that’s been cultivated here for centuries.
Next up, we’ll admire the island’s handicraft credentials at a traditional gallery and you will see jewellery crafted from our national stone, Larimar, which is unique to the Dominican Republic. This is a great stop for a spot of authentic souvenir shopping should you wish to indulge yourself.
We will then move on to discover the religions of our country with a visit to a popular local church. We’ll discuss the continuing practice of the voodoo religion, as well as other religions that were imported from Europe centuries ago.
Next, we’ll get off the tourist trail and take a stroll amongst the locals to explore hidden alleys that hide the true spirit and lifestyle of Puerto Plata. As we walk, you’ll see the local cemetery where many important people have been buried since its inception in 1800. You’ll also see the traditional barbershops, street food stalls that locals love and, in the old market neighbourhood, you’ll learn many unique things about Puerto Plata from your local, expert guide.
We’ll eat a chulito, a deliciously savoury fried treat made with yucca (cassava) that locals just love and you will too!
From here we’ll walk to the historical district, learning about the Victorian-style houses that dot the streets and admiring the typically Caribbean buildings with their bright colours — very Instagram-worthy!
Then we’ll enjoy a refreshing artisanal ice cream at the main square with the pigeons, underneath the beautiful Victorian gazebo symbol of our fair city.
From here we are going to visit the Gregorio Luperon Museum, where you will learn about the everyday lives of the families who lived here 200 years ago, from the point of view of one of our national heroes and former presidents.
After working up an appetite exploring the city and learning about local life in Puerto Plata, we’ll end our tour on a tasty high, with a mouth-watering lunch of traditional local dishes at the home of a local family. Here you will try some specialities of the island, get to know a local family and reflect on everything you have learned during your action-packed morning.
You have definitely earned the right to lounge on your sun lounger this afternoon but if you do want to continue your exploration of the area, don’t forget to ask your local guide for tips on what else there is to see, do and eat in Puerto Plata.
Note that the food samples may vary from tour to tour depending on what is available that day
Pick Up: We can also provide pick-up for an additional fee from Playa Dorada, Costambar and Puerto Plata city hotels. Please contact us after booking for rates.
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Great & Wonderful Tour! My husband and I took three of these tours. Trikke, First of Santo Damingo, & Walking tour w/Jose and Rainer... read moreMy husband and I took three of these tours. Trikke, First of Santo Damingo, & Walking tour w/Jose and Rainer and we were glad we did. They both made each tour very informative and personable. We highly recommend all of their tours you won't regret it!!! read less
City of Firsts Tour Jose from Urban Adventures is the ideal guide, knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. As a solo traveller - there were four... read moreJose from Urban Adventures is the ideal guide, knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. As a solo traveller - there were four of is the tour - this was a great way to discover more of Santo Domingo than I could have done alone in half a day. Apart from the three eyes park (well worth the tour price on its own) it really is a whistlestop tour but whets your appetite to explore some of those sights further. The slightly offbeat theme holds the whole thing together and if you want a tour of Santo Domingo this is definitely to be recommended. read less
Soana Island Had a wonderful private trip to Saona Island. Jose was a wonderful guide. Great swimming and snorkeling away from the... read moreHad a wonderful private trip to Saona Island. Jose was a wonderful guide. Great swimming and snorkeling away from the crowds, and a great lunch of the beach at Saona. Highly recommended. read less
Insider look at Santo Domingo for travelers This was an excellent overview of the colonial quarter, Chinatown and the markets, which lasted 4 hours. I really enjoyed... read moreThis was an excellent overview of the colonial quarter, Chinatown and the markets, which lasted 4 hours. I really enjoyed the markets and to see some of the historic structures of the city. Rainer was waiting for us at the prescribed location and wore a T-shirt inscribed with the logo of the tour company which was very important for finding him, as this area of Santo Domingo is crawling with would-be tour guides who are trying to hustle business and might charge you a second time if you make a mistake. I also appreciated there was a second rep of the company to stay behind and to head off any trouble as some of these areas could be a little sketchy. Rainer's English was very good, although I occasionally had to interpret a world for my wife who does not speak Spanish. I wish that the history presented were a little less official propaganda and freer to wrestle with the true challenges in this very economically challenged area. A final highlight was trying many different fruits, bakery items, coffee and even a beer at the end. read less
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