I went to The Dominican Republic in January 2024 to kickstart my solo female travel journey around The Caribbean and Central America, mainly because it was cheaper for me to fly there than to head straight from Barbados to Colombia. But I’m so glad I stopped over, as I was pleasantly surprised.

My loose plan was to stay in the capital Santo Domingo for a couple of nights, and then take a 4-5 hour bus East to Punta Cana, the beach area to relax and chill out a little. Here are my top tips for solo female travellers if you’re looking to take the plunge and head to the Dominican Republic.

Santo Domingo

Stay at Island Life Hostel. There aren’t many hostels in Santo Domingo as it’s not a typical backpacker destination, having said this, the Island Life hostel was so social and full of amazingly interesting and chatty travelers. Dorm rooms are pretty standard and showers are similar, there’s a basic free breakfast and the location is on one of the main streets in the Zona Colonial.

Walk around the town (in the day). It’s a beautiful city in the Zona Colonial which is a very historic part of the city. There are plenty of ruins, parks, and statues to check out and see whilst wandering the streets

Head to the Museo del Ron. The rum museum is handily located near the above mentioned hostel and can be an educational place in the day, and a lively, fun bar at night. Definitely worth checking out!

If you like empanadas, you’ll want to try out Mix Empanadas on Conde. They’re good value for money, and with an extensive menu, you won’t go far wrong.

Los Tres Ojos. A short taxi ride (Uber) out of the city and you can get to Los Tres Ojos Park and cenotes. Well worth a visit, these beautiful caves make for a great day trip and it’s pretty cheap to get into the park too. Sadly, you cannot swim there though.

Punta Cana

It’s pretty easy to make your way east of the island to the famous area of Punta Cana. It’s about a 4-hour bus ride from the bus terminal in the centre of Santo Domingo (there’s air conditioning, don’t worry!). I spent 5 days walking to the beach and taking in the scenery. One thing I will say is that Punta Cana is not a ‘backpacker’ place, it has much more of a resort/hotel vibe meaning quite a few places blare loud music at all hours for groups of tourists looking to party.

If you’re looking to just chill on a beach, it’s got plenty of beach available, I would walk about 30 minutes north of the main beach to seek a quieter experience. Given the tourism factor in this area, expect higher prices when you dine out (I ended up cooking meals for myself in my small hostel).

Check out my Google Maps list for all of my favourite places - this includes sites, food, drink, and more.