Highways
total: 12,600 km
paved: 6,224 km
unpaved: 6,376 km (1996 est.)

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Domestic travel times
Santo Domingo-Puerto Plata 3-1/2 hour
Santo Domingo-Santiago 1-1/2 hour
Santo Domingo-Jarabacoa 1-1/2 hour
Santo Domingo-Boca Chica 1/2 hour
Santo Domingo-Juan Dolio ¾ hour
Santo Domingo-Bayahibe 2-1/2 hour
Santo Domingo-La Romana 2 hours
Santo Domingo-Punta Cana 3-1/2 hours
Santo Domingo-Samana 3-1/2 hour
Puerto Plata-Samana 3-1/2 hour
Santo Domingo-Barahona 3 hours

The government is expanding several national highways. Once these are completed in summer 2001, commuting times to Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, La Romana, Juan Dolio and Bayahibe will be significantly reduced.

Private taxis (see telephone numbers in Yellow Pages) are available 24 hours a day in Santo Domingo, Santiago and Puerto Plata. Hotel taxis are also available at the larger hotels around the clock. The companies will tell you what the rate should be, but for inter-city travel this will usually be about RD$50 per trip. Dominican taxis do not use fare meters. Instead, there are flat rates for each destination. Always confirm the rate with the driver prior to departing or you may be charged an inflated price.

Publicos
Publicos are regular cars that serve as multi-passenger taxis, found mainly in the large cities. They will charge you about RD$5.00 for a short route. If you stay on, they will charge you again. The publico drivers may pack two passengers in the front seat and four in the back, regardless of the size of the car.

Motoconchos
Motorcycle taxis are an inexpensive way to get to your destination fast, but they are also the most risky of transportation options.

Metro and Caribe Tours provide coach transportation service between Santo Domingo and major cities.

More than 60 charter airlines fly to the airports of Santo Domingo, Puerto Plata and Punta Cana. Air Santo Domingo, a National airline, offers daily flights to the main airports of the country.

The Dominican Republic is much larger than most Caribbean islands, the reason for which it claims several international airports to serve its territory. Given this fact, choosing a Dominican Republic airport should not be done haphazardly: flying into the wrong Dominican Republic airport could translate into a taxi ride of several hours depending on where you are staying.

The Dominican Republic airport most popular with travelers to the southeast region, from Santo Domingo to Punta Cana, is the Las Americas International Airport. As one of the island's major hubs and the main Dominican Republic airport serving the capital of Santo Domingo, Las Americas has recently undergone significant renovations to improve service. American Airlines offers nonstop service to this bustling Dominican Republic airport, as does Air Transat and US Airways. The Punta Cana International Airport is another option, though this Dominican Republic airport receives fewer direct flights from the United States. Busy Casa de Campo also has its own thoroughfare - La Romana/Casa de Campo International, one of the most creative of Dominican Republic airports designed to imitate an old sugar mill factory. The popular north coast is served by the Puerto Plata International Gregorio Luperon Airport. As the country is larger and geographically closer to the North American mainland, each Dominican Republic airport also serves as a gateway to the rest of the Caribbean.

For more Dominican Republic airport information, contact:

• Las Americas International Airport
  809-549-0450
• Puerto Plata International
  809-586-0107
• Punta Cana International
  809-668-4749
• La Romana/Casa de Campo International
  809-556-5565

Capable of handling planes of all sizes, Puerto Plata Airport has benefited from being in an area with many beaches, which are popular among charter airline passengers. The popularity of the city where it is located at has also drawn a number of regularly scheduled passenger airlines over the years.

February 6, 1996, was a sad day that airport personnel who worked there at that time will probably never be able to forget: A Boeing 737 of charter air company Birgenair, which had taken off this airport, crashed off the Puerto Plata coast, killing all 189 passengers on board. Every person in that plane was of the German nationality.