The First Cathedral of the Americas

Santo Domingo was the first permanent European city in the Americas, and its cathedral, begun in 1512 and finished around 1540, is the oldest on the continent, a heavy Gothic building with a Renaissance limestone facade and vaulted side chapels that has stood through hurricanes, earthquakes and Drake's sacking of the city. It sits on Parque Colón at the centre of the Zona Colonial, itself a World Heritage Site of the first street grid, first hospital, first monastery and first university in the Americas, laid out in coral limestone that glows in low sun. The Alcázar de Colón, built for Columbus's son, stands at the top of Calle Las Damas, the oldest paved street on the continent, and the quarter comes alive in the evening.

What you actually see

• The cathedral - the oldest in the Americas, with its Renaissance facade.
• Calle Las Damas - the oldest paved street on the continent.
• The Alcázar de Colón - the palace built for Columbus's son, now a museum.
• The evening in the plazas - the quarter's cafés and music after dark.

When to go

November to April is the drier, cooler season; Santo Domingo is hot and humid in summer. The Zona Colonial is best in the late afternoon and evening when the stone warms in colour and the plazas fill. Modest dress is required inside the cathedral.

Honest expectations

The Zona Colonial is small and can be walked in a morning, but the surrounding city is large, busy and requires ordinary urban caution, particularly after dark outside the tourist quarter. Persistent street vendors and unofficial guides work the plazas. Some monuments have kept irregular hours or been closed for restoration.

Nearby

The Three Eyes caves are on the eastern edge of the city; Boca Chica's beach is half an hour east.