Santiago
Dominican Republic
Second City!
Santiago Dominican Republic...not to be confused with others of a similar name is a fine City. As you may have found, unless you searched the Internet for 'Santiago Dominican Republic', you receive many results for the Capital City of Chile, or even Santiago de Compostela in Spain, along with numerous references to a famous Architect by the name of Santiago...way before any web pages relevant to Santiago in the Dominican Republic appear! Christopher Columbus reputedly established the original 'Fortaleza' (fort or garrison) which he named Santiago, in 1495. This original settlement was apparently 'relocated' from its position on the banks of the River Yaque to the area of Jacagua in 1504, on the orders of Nicolas de Ovando who governed the Island after Columbus' departure.
The settlement of Santiago had been christened by the early Spanish settlers in remembrance of the historic city of Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia, in their homeland. However, the name of the Dominican city, when it was relocated, became Santiago de los Caballeros literally meaning 'Saint James of the Gentlemen' (sometimes heard referred to as Santiago do los 30 Caballeros..."Saint James of the 30
gentlemen"). This is in reference to the first census of 1514, which records the names of the thirty Spanish 'gentlemen' who formed the original community from which Santiago has since flourished.
The City at the Heart of the DR
Santiago in the Dominican Republic is the second largest city hosting a
population that is rapidly approaching the 1 million mark. As we have trawled the Internet, we have sometimes seen some disparaging remarks about Santiago, but we think the City actually has a lot to offer the visitor who approaches it with open eyes! Santiago Dominican Republic, is a major commercial centre in the DR, as opposed to a tourist focussed place. Even so there are numerous aspects of the City that those interested in Dominican culture will find of interest.
In Santiago you will find lively night life, great shopping centres,
numerous cultural activities and much more…So please don't leave Santiago, la Ciudad Corazón (The Heart City) of the Dominican Republic, without visiting:
Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración (Restoration's
Heroes' Monument)
Gran Teatro Cibao (Cibao Grand Theatre)
La Catedral de San Santiago (Saint James' Cathedral)
Museo del Tabaco (the Tobacco Museum)
Museo folklórico Tomás Morel (Tomas Morel's Folklore
Museum)
Ruinas del Viejo Santiago (Old Santiago Ruins)
Remember! Santiago also has its own, rapidly expanding,
international airport - Cibao International (airport code: STI)...
so you don't necessarily need to go to 'Las Americas' International Airport (SDQ)
near the Capital Santo Domingo, or Puerto Plata (POP) to get to the Cibao Region...The airport, and Santiago itself, also provide a good North/central starting point for tours to the North Coast, and Samana Peninsula.So be sure to check out what flight deals are on offer as air passenger networks increase their flight offerings to Cibao Int. in the near future!
We have heard people say that Santiago seems to offer few accommodation options...we will be adding suggestions for staying in and around the area soon, meanwhile if you need more information then please use
the contact form for Visiting the Dominican Republic website
. And do write and let us know about your own experiences of Santiago de los Caballeros via our review form. We would like to be able to pass on any tips or advice you may have to future visitors to our site.
Have a good trip to Santiago Dominican Republic...and beyond!
Esther
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