Getting Around the Dominican Republic

Long-distance coaches

The scheduled coach services between the main cities are the comfortable end of Dominican transport: assigned seats, air conditioning, a fixed timetable and a fixed fare. For Santo Domingo to Puerto Plata or Santiago, this is the sensible default and it is inexpensive by the standards of anywhere a visitor is likely to be coming from.

Book ahead in the busy season. Turn up early regardless.

Guaguas

The guagua is the shared minibus that actually connects the country, and it goes to places no timetable mentions. It leaves when it is full rather than when a clock says so, it stops whenever somebody waves, and it is the cheapest way to move.

It is also cramped, hot and unhurried. Take it for the experience and for short hops. Do not take it when you have a flight to catch.

The Santo Domingo metro

The capital has a metro, and inside its reach it is clean, cheap and far faster than the traffic above it. It does not go everywhere a visitor wants to go, but where it goes it is the best option in the city by a distance.

⚠ Motoconchos

Motorcycle taxis are everywhere, they are the fastest way through traffic, and this guide does not recommend them. Helmets are frequently not offered, the roads are shared with drivers who are not expecting a passenger on the back of a small motorcycle, and the consequence of the common minor accident is not minor when you are the pillion.

If you take one anyway, agree the fare first, insist on a helmet, and do not take one at night or after a drink.

Driving yourself

Renting a car buys you the interior, which is the part of the country most visitors never see, and it buys you the ability to leave when you want to. It also puts you on roads where overtaking habits, unlit obstacles and motorcycles moving between lanes are all normal.

• Avoid driving between towns after dark. This is the single most useful rule.
• Keep doors locked and bags out of sight in traffic.
• Take the full insurance. The excess on a cheap policy is where the saving disappears.

Sources

• UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Dominican Republic safety and security: the record that the crime rate is high, that incidents range from opportunistic bag snatching and pickpocketing to violent crime and carjacking, that bank card cloning and identity theft are a risk, and that assaults against foreigners have occurred including at beach resorts. Accessed 18 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Dominican Republic travel advice: the index to the entry, safety and health pages this cluster draws on. Accessed 18 September 2026.