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Santo Domingo Airport Mini Guide
Where is it?
Santo Domingo is the capital and largest town of the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean. It's main airport – Las Americas International, is where almost all foreign visitors arrive, with it's second terminal only completed in 2006. It is around 15km to the east of town along one of the country's main highways – the DR3. It currently handles around 1.3 million passengers a year.
Things to Know About the Airport
It is the usual custom when arriving in the Dominican Republic for your photograph to be taken, this is then offered to you at a cost of around $10 before departing for your return flight – It may be a money making exercise, but a nice gesture none the less and a lasting memento of your holiday.
As you collect your luggage you'll see lots of porters eager to help you with it – if you need help then fine, but don't feel obliged to use them, you do have to pay for this service after all, just keep walking with a pleasant “no thank you” or “no gracias” and you'll have no problem.
Tourist Card And Departure Tax
Tourists are required to purchase a “tourist card” after going through passport control, one half of this is returned to you and must be produced on your departure. This card again is at a cost of $10, so make sure you don't lose the return part or you'll have to pay again! There is also a compulsory departure tax of $20 when leaving the country, so unless you know that your tour operator has included this in the cost of your holiday (some do, some don't), then make sure you keep enough money for the airport.
Other Things to Know
The cost of petrol is quite expensive in the Dominican Republic, so this is something to bear in mind when hiring your car, as being the largest Caribbean nation after Cuba, you could end up doing quite a lot of miles exploring!
If you're driving at night keep an eye out for cyclists and pedestrians as many of the roads in the this part of the world are unlit and also for the wild dogs which can roam areas of Santo Domingo. If you keep to the main areas and roads though, you shouldn't have a problem and can make the most of your visit by seeing as much of the area as possible.