On vacation in Santo Domingo and you wish to explore the beautiful beaches of Punta Cana? Then read here what options you have to get there. Our Guest reader Angelo Vero also tells you about his experiences and which options he recommends, or not.
There are so many options to travel from one city to another
Those traveling to the Dominican Republic have a choice of two main airports: Las Americas Airport In Santo Domingo or Punta Cana International. Depending of where you're coming from, you can also land in Santiago or Puerto Plata. But the two biggest airports are the first two. Of course, a trip to the Dominican Republic is only truly complete if you have visited both cities at least once.
Santo Domingo has the best any big city has to offer when it comes to food, nightlife, shopping and sightseeing attractions. Punta Cana on the other hand is a resort environment with beautiful beaches, bars and water sports.
However, traveling in the Dominican Republic is much more expansive than, say, traveling in Belgium or Europe. Those who still want to travel from one city to the other can choose from 4 options:
Request an Uber / Taxi
Taking a cab or an Uber is probably the fastest way to get to Punta Cana, except when you're driving yourself. However, it is also the most expensive way to travel. A single trip from Santo Domingo to Punta Cana will cost you about 4000 pesos (about €75) with Uber and with a cab you will spend about between RD$ 6500 and RD$ 8500 (€120 - €150).
Personally, I would only consider this option as a last resort. We did this several years ago because we had no choice. Our flight would no longer depart from Santo Domingo and we needed to get to Punta Cana very quickly.
Look for Car rental
You can also choose to take your own car to Punta Cana. Driving between Santo Domingo and Punta Cana is not that bad. If you choose to rent a car you have to take into account the cost of rent and a deposit. The shorter the period you rent the car, the more expensive it actually is.
I recommend Kayak to rent a car. For a small car you should count on between €30 and €40 per day and you have to pay a €1000 deposit. Renting a car is only interesting if you plan to stay in Punta Cana for a longer period and use the car a lot.
Have your own car
If you have your own car, then of course you don't have to take the cost of renting into account. Then you just fill up as you normally do (the prices of fuel or gas are not so bad here). Another advantage of traveling by car is the fact that you are not tied to a schedule. You can choose when to leave.
Hop on a bus
To be honest, this option "scared" me the most at the beginning, because I thought it would be very unsafe to take a bus with all these strange people. Now it turns out that I have to completely revise my opinion. To my great surprise, I am quite a fan of taking a bus from Santo Domingo to Punta Cana. The biggest reason is mainly budget. For a single bus ride you have to plunk down RD$400, which is about €7-8.
Besides the low cost, it is also very easy to take the bus. You reserve a spot via the Expreso Punta Cana their whatsapp (+18292222711) and arrive at the appointed hour. You buy your ticket on the spot and can get on the bus afterwards.
To travel to Punta Cana, I always choose Expreso Punta Cana. The stop is at Parque Enriquillo. Buses run between 07:00 and 18:00 from Santo Domingo to Punta Cana. Return trips can be made between 05.30 and 16.00 from Punta Cana to Santo Domingo. You should count about 2.5 travel time to the first stop at Blue Mall Punta Cana.
We hope this article has inspired you to consider visiting Punta Cana when traveling to the Dominican Republic. And if you need inspiration about where to stay, eat or book your excursions, you can visit the page that tells you all about Punta Cana. Enjoy!
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