DK Travel : Dominican Republic : Santiago

Santiago

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Santiago de los Caballeros (Santiago of the Gentlemen) is the Dominican Republic’s second city. From its founding in 1495 by the 30 Spanish noblemen (caballeros ), this busy metropolis has considered itself wealthier and harder-working than the capital. Set in the fertile Cibao Valley, Santiago has historically been the hub of the country’s agricultural riches, and its millionaire families largely owe their fortunes to the sugar and tobacco grown nearby. The city is calmer than Santo Domingo, but lively enough in Calle del Sol and around the landmark Monument to the Heroes.
Centro de Recreo is a private club and usually closed to visitors, but members might show you around if you’re properly dressed

Top 10 Sights

1. Parque Duarte

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.
2. Cathedral

2. Cathedral

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.
3. Centro de Recreo

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.
4. Calle del Sol

4. Calle del Sol

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.
5. Palacio Consistorial

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

6. Mercado Modelo

A smaller equivalent of Santo Domingo’s cavernous covered market, the green and white structure dates from the 1940s.
7. Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración

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.
8. Museo del Tabaco

8. Museo del Tabaco

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.
9. Gran Teatro del Cibao

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.
10. Bermúdez Rum Factory

10. Bermúdez Rum Factory

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.

Practical Information

Santiago’s most attractive cafés and restaurants are clustered around Calle del Sol. At weekends the surrounding area often becomes an open-air disco, with loud music. A working tobacco factory off the Av 27 de Febrero, the Aurora Tabacalera, can be visited on week days. Here you can see top-class Dominican cigars being rolled and sample the local exports. Palacio Consistorial: Open 9am–12pm, 2:30–6pm Tue–Fri; Free Museo del Tabaco: Open 9am–12pm, 2–5pm Tue–Fri; 9am–12pm Sat; Free Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración: Open 9am–12pm, 2–5pm Mon–Sat; Free Bermúdez Rum Factory: Open 9am–12pm, 2–5pm Mon–Fri; Free; By appointment