The tower
River views.
Mariordo (Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz) — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Phyrexian — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mariordo (Mario Durán & German Valverde) — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Phyrexian — CC BY-SA 4.0
The oldest European military building in the Americas, built by the Spanish between 1502 and 1508 at the entrance to the Colonial City on the bank of the Ozama River to guard the river mouth and the port. It is part of the Colonial City World Heritage Site. Its centrepiece is the Tower of Homage, a massive square stone tower with crenellated parapets. Visitors climb a narrow inner stair to its roof, where the Dominican flag flies and a wide view opens over the river, the port and the old city's rooftops. Around the tower lies a broad lawn with old powder stores, walls and cannon, and at the entrance stands a statue of Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo, the Spanish chronicler who commanded the fortress and wrote the first general history of the Indies within its walls. The fortress stayed in military use for centuries, served as a prison at times, and is now a landmark. Go in the morning before the heat builds, as the lawn has no shade. 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.
River views.
Cannon and stores.
At the gate.
Calle Las Damas, Colonial City, Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo Cathedral and Parque ColónThe oldest standing cathedral in the Americas, begun in 1504 and completed in 153 minutes walk4.9
Museo de las Casas RealesThe oldest seat of Spanish power in the New World, a sixteenth-century stone bui4 minutes walk4.7
Alcázar de ColónThe first fortified European palace built in the Americas, raised by Diego Colón6 minutes walk4.5
Colonial City of Santo DomingoThe capital's old heart and the oldest continuously inhabited European settlemen7 minutes walkYes, by a narrow inner stair to the roof, with wide views over the river and the old city.