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The heart of old Santiago, this pleasantly tree-filled space is a meeting-place for locals and a good spot for people-watching. You can hire a horse-drawn carriage for a tour of the surrounding streets, or buy a merengue CD.

The pastel-shaded Catedral Santiago Apóstol dates from the late 19th century, but its most eye-catching feature is its modern stained-glass windows. One of the country’s dictatorial presidents and local boy, Ulíses Heureaux (see Ulíses Heureaux (1845–1899)), lies here in a marble tomb.

Offering an unexpectedly exotic Moorish flavor, the Mudéjar-style private club testifies to the wealth of Santiago’s 1890s sugar barons. An ornate façade of arches and pillars conceals an opulent interior of carved wooden ceilings and a grand ballroom.

The buzzing urban thoroughfare of Santiago, this street is lined with department stores, hotels, and sidewalk vendors. At night, shoppers and office workers give way to those in search of entertainment in its many bars and restaurants.

A proud civic structure, formerly the town hall, this fine example of Victorian-era NeoClassical symmetry houses the city’s museum and art gallery.

A smaller equivalent of Santo Domingo’s cavernous covered market, the green and white structure dates from the 1940s.

The Monument to the Heroes boasts a 230-ft (70-m) pillar topped by an allegorical figure of Victory. The marble edifice was commissioned by Trujillo and contains murals by Vela Zanetti, inspired by Mexican Diego Rivera.

Santiago’s historic role as a cigar-producing center is presented in this former tobacco warehouse, with exhibition rooms. Visitors learn how the crop is grown and how cigars are rolled.

Another monumental folly, the modern marble-clad theater is the 1980s legacy of President Balaguer (see 1996: First Fair Elections), responsible also for Santo Domingo’s Columbus Lighthouse. Its huge auditorium stages occasional opera.

Very easily located in the northern suburb of Pueblo Nuevo, Bermúdez’s processing and bottling plant is happy to welcome visitors to inspect one of the country’s premier brands in the making. A free tour is usually concluded with a free cocktail.