Parque Colón

Santo Domingo


Beside the Catedral Primada de América, this historic park contains several trees and a large statue of Admiral Columbus himself. It’s the meeting place for residents and is alive with tourists, townsfolk, hawkers, guides, shoeshine boys, tourist police and thousands of pigeons. The corner of Calle El Conde and Arzobispo Meriño is the premier people-watching corner in the Zona Colonial.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Santo Domingo attractions

1. Catedral Primada de América

0.03 MILES

The first stone of this cathedral, the oldest standing in the Western hemisphere, was set in 1514 by Diego Columbus, son of the great explorer (the ashes…

2. Larimar Museum

0.07 MILES

Thorough exhibits on larimar – a rare, light-blue mineral found only in the remote southwestern mountains of the Dominican Republic – have signage in…

3. Casa de Francia

0.09 MILES

This was originally the residence of Hernán Cortés, conqueror of the Aztecs in present-day central Mexico. It was in this building that Cortés is believed…

4. Las Damas

0.09 MILES

Running north–south in front of Fortaleza Ozama is the first paved street in the Americas. Laid in 1502, the street acquired its name from the wife of…

5. Iglesia de Santa Clara

0.1 MILES

Home to the first nunnery in the New World, built in 1552. Years after being sacked by Drake and his men (who apparently hated all things Catholic), it…

6. Fortaleza Ozama

0.11 MILES

This is the New World's oldest colonial military edifice. The site, at the meeting of the Río Ozama and Caribbean, was selected by Fray Nicolás de Ovando…

7. Museo Casa de Tostado

0.11 MILES

This museum is located in the Casa de Tostado – the beautifully restored, 16th-century home of writer Francisco Tostado. It's interesting as much for the…

8. Plaza de María de Toledo

0.11 MILES

Named in honor of Diego Columbus’ wife, this plaza connecting Las Damas and Isabel la Católica features two arches that were once part of the Jesuits’…

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