Puerto Plata
An Atlantic port on the north coast of the Dominican Republic, with a sixteenth-century fortress on the point, a cable car up the mountain behind the town and an airport fifteen minutes from the beach hotels.
- Arrival
- Gregorio Luperón International · POP
- To the town
- About 15 minutes by car
- Private jets
- FBO with its own lounges at POP, open 24 hours
- Best time
- June to August
The city
A fortress, a mountain and the Atlantic.
Puerto Plata, the largest city on the northern seaboard, faces the open Atlantic. The San Felipe fortress, built in the sixteenth century and now a museum, watches the sea from the edge of town; inland, the old centre gathers round Independence Square and the cathedral of St Philip, with the Amber Museum close by, and the Malecón runs along the shore. Above it all, a cable car climbs Mount Isabel de Torres.
East of town lie the hotels of Playa Dorada. Farther along the coast, boats leave for snorkelling at Cayo Arena, and inland the twenty-seven waterfalls of Damajagua make for a more energetic day.
- San Felipe Fortress A fortress of the sixteenth century on the edge of town, now a museum, looking straight out over the Atlantic.
- Mount Isabel de Torres The mountain behind the town, reached by cable car, with wide views over the rooftops and the ocean.
- Damajagua A run of twenty-seven waterfalls inland, the tourism board’s choice for a day of adventure.
Arriving
Open all night, a private lounge inside.
Gregorio Luperón International, east of the town, is about fifteen minutes by car from the centre and from Playa Dorada. Its single runway is 3,081 metres long, and the airport and tower never close.
- Punta Cana 45 min
- Miami 1 h 55
- Washington 3 h 15
- San Francisco 7 h 15 long-range jet
- London 9 h 15 long-range jet
When to go
June to August.
Afternoons run from 28 °C in winter to 32 °C in summer, with a sea of 26 to 29 °C. On this Atlantic coast the heaviest rain falls from November to January, at well over two hundred millimetres in the last two months of the year. June to August are the driest stretch.
- 28° J 148 26°
- 28° F 122 26°
- 29° M 122 26°
- 30° A 167 26°
- 31° M 167 27°
- 32° J 88 27°
- 32° J 62 28°
- 32° A 80 28°
- 32° S 107 29°
- 32° O 152 29°
- 29° N 241 28°
- 28° D 246 27°
Where to stay
On Playa Dorada, and on the cliffs to the east.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
Where to dine
Where to book on the north coast.
No MICHELIN Guide covers the Dominican Republic. These are a Latin America’s 50 Best restaurant in Sosúa and a Fodor’s Choice at Playa Dorada.
- Aguají Latin America’s 50 Best 2025, No. 88 Dominican tasting menu The Ocean Club, Sosúa, east along the coast
- Lucía Fodor’s Choice Caribbean fusion $$$ Casa Colonial, Playa Dorada, about 6 km east
Elsewhere in Dominican Republic
More reasons to come.
- Punta Cana An airport of its own, beside the long eastern beaches.
- Casa de Campo Golf, a marina and polo, with La Romana airport next door.
- Santo Domingo The first European city of the Americas, its colonial zone listed by UNESCO.
- Samaná A green peninsula and its bay, where humpback whales calve in winter.
Flying to Puerto Plata?
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A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.