The arcades
Over two storeys.
Martin Falbisoner — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Martin Falbisoner — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Phyrexian — CC BY-SA 4.0
The first fortified European palace built in the Americas, raised by Diego Colón, Christopher Columbus's son and governor of the island, between 1511 and 1514 on the edge of a bluff over the Ozama River. It is the only known residence of a member of the Columbus family in the New World. The palace is coral stone in a Gothic style with Renaissance touches, its two arcaded fronts rising over two storeys, one facing the broad square and the other the river. It fell into ruin within two centuries and stayed derelict until its 1957 restoration as a museum. Inside, rooms are furnished with sixteenth- and seventeenth-century European pieces: carved wooden chests, four-poster beds, paintings, tableware and musical instruments, showing the ruling family's life in that era. Its balconies give fine views over the river and the port. In front stretches the broad Plaza de España, lined with restaurants in old houses and running to the Atarazana gate and the royal warehouses. The Colonial City is busy and patrolled by tourist police; watch your belongings, use registered taxis or ride apps, and avoid walking alone late at night.
Over two storeys.
European pieces.
Out front.
Plaza de España, Colonial City, Santo Domingo
Museo de las Casas RealesThe oldest seat of Spanish power in the New World, a sixteenth-century stone bui2 minutes walk4.7
Fortaleza OzamaThe oldest European military building in the Americas, built by the Spanish betw6 minutes walk4.5
Colonial City of Santo DomingoThe capital's old heart and the oldest continuously inhabited European settlemen6 minutes walk
Santo Domingo Cathedral and Parque ColónThe oldest standing cathedral in the Americas, begun in 1504 and completed in 157 minutes walk4.9Diego Colón, Christopher Columbus's son and the island's governor, with his wife María de Toledo and their family.