North Coast

We’ve compiled the best of the best in North Coast - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.

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  • 1. Playa Grande

    This dramatic mile-long stretch is widely considered to be one of the top beaches in the world. Many a photo shoot has been staged at this picture-perfect beach with off-white sands and turquoise water. Just east of the famous golf course of the same name, Playa Grande's drama comes from craggy cliffs dropping into the crystalline sea. Shade can be found in the palm trees that thicken into Parque Nacional Cabo Francés Viejo, a jungle preserve south of the beach. Vendors sell from cutesy, brightly painted Victorian-style huts and have relocated to one end of the beach, where a large parking area was constructed. Security is present, and there are clean restrooms. Surfboards, paddleboards, and boogie boards are for rent—although the surf can swell, it can also be smooth. Two luxury resorts can be found nearby: the Playa Grande Beach Club, just behind the beach and screened by a palm-frond fence, as well as the newer Amanera. Amenities: food and drink; toilets. Best for: surfing; swimming; walking.

    Carretera Río San Juan–Cabrera, Km 12, Dominican Republic

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free
  • 2. Casa del Arte de Sosúa

    Arts/Performance Venue

    The new cultural center of Sosúa, inaugurated with much celebration by Mayor Llana in 2013, continues to "grow up." Open to the public and free of charge, the ground-floor gallery has rotating exhibitions that primarily feature work by Sosúa and Dominican artists, such as Teddy Tejada. Music and dance lessons, from violin to ballet, are offered to local children on the second floor, as are other culturally minded activities, including photography workshops.

    Pedro Clisante , across from the casino, Sosúa, Puerto Plata, 57000, Dominican Republic

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free
  • 3. Casa del Arte de Sosúa

    Sosúa's cultural center is open to the public and free of charge. The ground-floor gallery has rotating exhibitions that primarily feature work by Sosúa and Dominican artists, such as Teddy Tejada. Music and dance lessons, from violin to ballet, are offered to local children on the second floor, as are other culturally minded activities, including photography workshops.

    Pedro Clisante, 57000, Dominican Republic
    809-571--2442-No phone

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free, Closed Sun.
  • 4. Casa Museo General Gregorio Luperón

    A long time in the making, this modest wood-frame house is where Puerto Plata's famous son, General Gregorio Luperón, spent his last years. Known for his courage and patriotic love of his homeland, he led the Dominican revolution against Spain, ending the island's foreign occupation in 1865. The museum's mission is to expose the life and ideals of this national hero to visitors both foreign and domestic. It has been accomplished with quality cultural displays depicting the various stages of Luperón's life, enhanced with signposting in both Spanish and English. The home is a slice of 19th-century life and an emblem of the city's rich history.

    Calle 12 de Julio 54, Puerto Plata, Puerto Plata, 57000, Dominican Republic
    809-261–8661

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: $5, Closed Sun.
  • 5. El Saltadero

    Body Of Water/Waterfall

    Past the towns of Abreu and El Bretón, just west of the entrance to Cabrera, this 50-foot cascade empties into the icy pool at the bottom. You're likely to encounter local kids who jump down the falls into the pool for tips. You can scoot down the embankment to swim in it, too, but proceed with caution. The moss makes the rocks slippery.

    Cabrera, María Trinidad Sánchez, Dominican Republic
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  • 6. El Saltadero

    Past the towns of Abreu and El Bretón, just west of the entrance to Cabrera, this 50-foot cascade empties into the icy pool at the bottom. You're likely to encounter local kids who jump down the falls into the pool for tips. You can scoot down the embankment to swim in it, too, but proceed with caution. The moss makes the rocks slippery.

    Calle hacia el Saltadero, Dominican Republic
  • 7. Fortaleza San Felipe

    The only remaining vestige of the colonial era in Puerto Plata was built in the mid-16th century to defend the city against pirates bent on pillaging the growing wealth from its shipping port. In 1605 the fort was dismantled, and it was rebuilt in 1739. It has a moat and a small museum with some historical artifacts. The thick walls and interior moat made it ideal as a prison, which is exactly how the fort was used. Kids will enjoy the opportunity to run around and explore. The centuries-old view of the bay is excellent, and a grassy knoll provides a pleasant place to sit. The fort is included on most city tours; a self-guided tour will take about 15 minutes. A restored lighthouse is adjacent, and is included in the entry fee for the fort.

    At eastern end of Av. Circunvalación, 57000, Dominican Republic
    No phone

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: $5
  • 8. Kite Beach

    Named for all the kitesurfing that goes on here, Kite Beach is therefore fairly hazardous for those who just want to swim. On the sand you'll see instructors teaching new students how to work the lines that hold the colorful "kite." Experienced kiters are like poetry in motion, and it's mesmerizing to watch them. It is windy most of the year, but September through the beginning of December tend to have the lightest wind days. Kite Beach passes a sandy peninsula at its east end and becomes Playa Cabarete. There are restaurants and bars on the beach for "fuel." Amenities: food and drink; toilets; water sports. Best for: partiers; kitesurfing; stand-up paddleboarding

    Sosúa–Cabarete Rd., 57000, Dominican Republic
  • 9. Kite Beach

    Beach

    Named for all the kitesurfing that goes on here, Kite Beach is therefore fairly hazardous for those who just want to swim. On the sand you'll see instructors teaching new students how to work the lines that hold the wind foil—the colorful "kite." Experienced kiters are like poetry in motion, and it's mesmerizing to watch them. The windy month of March is prime time. Kite Beach passes a sandy peninsula at its east end and becomes Playa Cabarete. There are restaurants and bars on the beach for "fuel." Amenities: food and drink; toilets; water sports. Best for: partiers; surfing; kitesurfing; windsurfing.

    Sosúa–Cabarete Rd., , 1.2 miles (2 km) west of town, Cabarete, Puerto Plata, 57000, Dominican Republic
  • 10. Laguna Dudú

    This memorable natural wonder is a small complex of three natural features a few miles west of Cabrera. It has recently evolved and has been made more like a park. A zipline has been installed, and you can jump off a cliff into one of the deep swimming holes, where a lifeguard is usually on duty below. The lagoon offers cold, clean water that you can swim in. Nearby is a natural cave you can explore (bring your own flashlight). Then, across the way take stairs down into a spring that flows inside a cave; adventurous types swim into the mouth. A restaurant serves a small menu and cold drinks, and there are toilets and even a shower.

    La Entrada, María Trinidad Sánchez, Dominican Republic

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: RD$100
  • 11. Laguna Gri Gri

    In the town of Río San Juan is this river-fed estuary leading to the ocean. Greeting you at the water is a picturesque collection of fishing boats. You can hire a boat from a cooperative for a 60-minute trip down a mangrove outlet that teems with tropical seabirds. Graceful egrets, crabs scrambling up the mangroves and beautiful tiny fish playing in the sunlight dappled fresh water are all part of the waterscape. Once in the ocean, the boats follow the shore until reaching tiny Cueva de las Golondrinas, which is named for the swallows that flitter about. You can then swim to a series of virgin beaches. Bring snorkeling gear if you have it. Price varies by group size, call ahead. Laguna Gri Gri (or Gri Gri Lagoon) has prominent signage throughout the town of Río San Juan, which is on the north coast highway before you arrive in Cabrera. Make sure to call in advance, for on some days if the sea is rough they won't go out.

    Dominican Republic
    809-589–2277-Laguna Gris Gris boat cooperative

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: RD$1,500 for boat rentals for two
  • 12. Museo de Ámbar Dominicano

    In an opulent, galleried mansion, restored to its former Victorian glamour, the museum displays and sells the Dominican Republic's national stone: semiprecious, translucent amber. Amber is essentially prehistoric hardened tree sap, and Dominican amber is considered the best in the world. Many pieces are fascinating for what they have trapped inside, and the small second-floor museum contains a piece with a lizard reported to be 50 million years old, give or take a few millennia. The museum's English text is informative. Shops on the museum's first floor sell authentic, albeit rather expensive, amber, souvenirs, and ceramics.

    Calle Duarte 61, 57000, Dominican Republic
    809-734--2599-museum

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: RD$120, Closed Sun.
  • 13. Museo Judío Sosúa

    While Sosúa is not known for its sights, this museum stands as one of the exceptions, chronicling the immigration and settlement of Jewish refugees in the 1940s. The adjacent small wooden synagogue is the wedding spot for many Jewish couples from abroad. Hours can be irregular, but chances are good that someone will be at the museum to let you in if you get there early in the day. You can try phoning the accommodating Hotel Casa Valeria nearby to confirm if the museum is open.

    Calle Dr. Rosen at David Stern, Sosúa, Puerto Plata, 57000, Dominican Republic
    809-571–3565-Hotel Casa Valeria

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: RD$75
  • 14. Ocean World Adventure Park

    This multimillion-dollar aquatic park in Cofresí has marine and wildlife interactive programs, including dolphin and sea lion shows and encounters, a double-dolphin swim, a tropical reef aquarium, stingrays, shark tanks, an aviary, a rain forest, and a new pirates pool for kids. You must make advance reservations if you want to participate in one of the swims or encounters; children must be at least six years old and accompanied by an adult. The exhilarating (though expensive) double-dolphin swim will produce lifelong memories. If you are brave enough for the (nurse) shark encounter, you will feed them and touch them in the shark cove; the stingray encounter is also included. A photo lab and video service can capture the moment, but there is an extra charge. If you're staying at nearby Lifestyle resorts, or hotels in Puerto Plata, transfers are free. If in Sosúa or Cabarete, transfers are $10 per person; hotels should have the tour schedules. There’s a private beach, showers, and a locker room on-site.

    Calle Principal 3, 57000, Dominican Republic
    809-291–1000

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: From $69
  • 15. Orchid Bay Beach

    Orchid Bay Beach is the large public beach within Orchid Bay Estates. It's seldom used by anyone but the residents of Orchid Bay villas, but there is a public road just to the left of the "Orchid Bay" sign. Very picturesque, it's swimmable in a couple of choice locations. The beach is named for the wild orchids that grow on the cliffs and drop to the sea, and almond trees growing in the sand emit a lovely aroma. This is the good life. Amenities: none. Best for: solitude; swimming; walking.

    Carretera Río San Juan, Km 17, Dominican Republic
  • 16. Parque Nacional Isabel de Torres

    Southwest of Puerto Plata, Mount Isabel de Torres soars 2,600 feet above sea level and is notable for its huge statue of Christ. Up there also are botanical gardens that, despite efforts, still are not memorable. If you go independently, you can choose to hire a knowledgeable English-speaking guide. A cable car takes you to the top for a spectacular view. The cars usually wait until filled to capacity before going up—which can make them crowded. You should visit in the morning, preferably by 9 am; by afternoon, the cloud cover rolls in, and you can see practically nothing. That said, some visitors consider this the highlight of a city tour and take dozens of aerial photos from the cable car, which runs continuously until 4:45 pm. The vendors are particularly tenacious here.

    Av. Manolo Tavárez Justo, 57000, Dominican Republic
    809-970–0501

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Cable car RD$250
  • 17. Playa Cabarete

    This is the main business district of Cabarete. If you follow the coastal road east from Playa Dorada, you can't miss it. The beach, which has strong waves after a calm entrance, and ideal, steady wind (from 15 to 20 knots), is an integral part of the international kitesurfing circuit. Segments of this long beach are strips of sand punctuated only by palm trees. The regeneration of Cabarete Beach was a massive engineering project that made the beach some 115 feet wider, adding an infusion of white sand. In the most commercial area, restaurants and bars are back-to-back, spilling onto the sand. The informal scene is young and fun, with expats and tourists from everywhere. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; toilets; water sports. Best for: partiers; swimming; windsurfing; kitesurfing.

    Sosúa–Cabarete Rd., Cabarete, Puerto Plata, 57000, Dominican Republic
  • 18. Playa Caletón

    This small, 500-foot-long beach about 2 miles (3 km) east of Río San Juan has virtually no waves in its shallow water. Its clear, protected water and nearby caves make it superb for snorkeling (though the caves shouldn't be entered for safety reasons). The beach is off-white and protected by rocky cliffs. It's a good family beach for just playing around in the water. Look for the whimsical human-head statues in the cliffs overlooking the water that give the area an Easter Island feel. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: snorkeling; swimming; walking.

    Carretera Río San Juan–Cabrera, Km 1, Río San Juan, Dominican Republic
  • 19. Playa Cofresí

    This long stretch of golden sand is good for swimming, and a bit of wave action provides an opportunity for surfing. Locals mainly use the public area, particularly on Sunday. To the immediate north are Ocean World and its marina. To the south, a five-minute walk in the sand, is a semiprivate beach for the Cofresí Palm Beach resort. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: surfing; swimming; walking.

    Calle Principal, 57000, Dominican Republic
  • 20. Playa Diamante

    Playa Diamante is an estuary, formed where an underground river delivers freshwater into the ocean bubbling up through the clayish sand. The result is a shallow, protected area with virtually no currents, making it the perfect beach for families with children. The protected inlet points toward the southeast, so there are no waves. A striking beach, Playa Diamante is broad and shallow for up to 200 feet into the ocean. A narrow, paved road off the highway makes for easy access. Vendors rent beach chairs and sell beer and some food. Amenities: food and drink; water sports. Best for: solitude; swimming; walking.

    Carretera Cabrera-Nagua Km 7, Dominican Republic

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