Dominican Republic

Venture beyond this Caribbean nation's rightly famous white sand beaches and you’ll discover the historic heart of the New World. Santo Domingo, the first permanent European settlement in the Americas, was established soon after Christopher Columbus landed here in 1492. Today, the Unesco-protected relics of Spanish rule in the capital sit sun-baked and proud amid the chaotic throb of traffic, the sound of merengue music and the chatter of men playing dominoes in the street. Occupying more than half the island of Hispaniola, with Haiti to the west, the Dominican Republic has become the most visited destination in the Caribbean. Home to lush tropical forests, pristine waterfalls and soaring mountains, there are so many things to do in the Dominican Republic and so much to discover beyond the resorts that occupy the east coast.  Done something on this list and loved it? Share it with the hashtag #TimeOutDoList and tag @TimeOutEverywhere. Find out more about how Time Out selects the very best things to do all over the world.