If you’re looking for the best things to do in Puerto Plata, this guide is packed with my personal favorites — from must-see attractions in the city to hidden gems in the jungle. Whether you’re arriving by cruise through Amber Cove or planning a longer trip, Puerto Plata is full of culture, adventure, and breathtaking beauty.
The Dominican Republic has been on my bucket list for a while now. My mom, who traveled a lot, always told me that the beaches there were some of the best she’d ever seen. She had a timeshare and only used it to go do the Dominican Republic (don’t worry, she found a great timeshare cancellation service) anyway, I digress. The biggest reason I’d always wanted to go was more personal, though. I have really good friends who are from the Dominican Republic and I couldn’t wait to experience their island for myself.
From the first moment I laid eyes on the Dominican shore as we arrived to Amber Cove, I could feel this island’s magic. Even on an overcast day, the deep greens of the lush forest and the turquoise color of the water were bright and full of energy. We only had a couple of days to explore Puerto Plata, and we wanted to make the best of our time there. Instead of booking a cruise line shore excursion, we decided to strike out on our own with the help of a local tour company.
For two days, we explored Puerto Plata using a combination of group tours and private tours. Our fantastic private guide and driver gave us an insider’s look into the area, and we quickly fell in love with the Dominican Republic — and with its people.
Explore the Best Puerto Plata Attractions
Puerto Plata has some gorgeous beaches, but there is so much more to see. From the historic city center and the amazing views from the cable car to kite surfing, waterfall andvetures and hidden gems. If you’re planning a visit or stopping at Puerto plate on a cruise, these are our top things to do in Puerto Plata as well as our recommendations for the best Puerto Plata excursions.
1. Tour the City of Puerto Plata: Must-See Attractions
Puerto Plata is full of history, color, and charm — and if you only have one day, exploring the city itself is one of the top Puerto Plata attractions you shouldn’t miss. From mountaintop views to quiet plazas, this was one of the parts of our trip where we really connected with the culture and energy of the Dominican Republic.
Here are some of our favorite things to do in the city:
Ride the Puerto Plata Cable Car to the Top of Isabel de Torres Mountain
Climbing over 2,500 feet up to the top of the Isabel de Torres mountain in the Puerto Plata Teleférico is not to be missed. From the cable car, you’ll enjoy breathtaking views of the city of Puerto Plata, the ocean, and the lush forested mountains.
At the top of the mountain, we wandered through tropical gardens filled with flowers and admired the impressive Cristo Redentor statue. It felt peaceful and majestic up there — if you have the time, you could easily spend a whole morning exploring.
If you’re short on time, a shore excursion that includes this is a great option — check out the Explore Puerto Plata’s Best & Cable Car – Shore Excursion.
Explore the Fascinating Amber Museum
I’m a bit of a science geek, and I’ve always been fascinated by amber — especially how it can preserve plants, insects, and other creatures for millions of years. The Amber Museum may be small, but it has some truly fantastic specimens, including a tiny lizard trapped inside amber. We also found out that the amber used in the Jurassic Park movies came from this very museum!
This is also a great spot to pick up local souvenirs. The gift shop has beautiful amber and larimar jewelry — larimar being a rare blue stone found only in the Dominican Republic.
Visit the Historic San Felipe Fortress
The San Felipe Fortress, built in the 1500s, sits on a small hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and is just a few minutes from the historic center. Commissioned by King Felipe II of Spain, it was once used to protect the area from pirates.
Inside, you can check out military artifacts from the 18th and 19th centuries. We did a self-guided tour using the headphones they rent at the entrance, which was simple and informative. The views from outside the fort are beautiful, and the malecón nearby is perfect for a stroll.
Take a Stroll Through the Parque Central and Puerto Plata Cathedral
The Parque Central is the heart of Puerto Plata, and it’s surrounded by colorful Victorian architecture that gives the area a unique charm. We spent some time just people-watching, feeding the pigeons, and taking in the relaxed pace of the city. It’s a great place to pause, especially if you’re visiting Puerto Plata from a cruise and want a feel for everyday life.
Just off the square is the cathedral, which is simple but beautiful, and worth stepping into for a quiet moment.
Puerto Plata Market
We made a quick stop at the market, which was buzzing with energy. There were stalls with fresh produce, local crafts, handmade souvenirs, and everyday essentials — the kind of slightly chaotic, colorful place I love walking through. Even if you’re not shopping, it’s a great way to connect with the local vibe.
Kaffe Restaurant
A few blocks from the square, Kaffe Restaurant was one of our favorite food stops. Set inside a beautiful colonial house, the tables outside sit under a tree-covered patio that feels shady and peaceful. The food was fresh, local, and flavorful — we had a long, relaxed lunch here and highly recommend it.
Want to see the highlights without worrying about planning it all yourself? The Puerto Plata City Tour gives you a great overview and hits most of these stops in one go.
2. Feed your sense of adventure at los 27 Charcos de Damajagua.
The Charcos de Damajagua (or the Damajagua waterfalls) are a series of 27 cascades that fall into 27 small pools and it’s one of the most gorgeous and fun places I’ve ever been to. First you hike through a beautiful lush forest. Once you get to the river you start coming down through the cascades and pools sliding, jumping down, swimming and wading along the small river gorge.
The guides help you through and tell you exactly what to do. This was an exciting and fun activity with truly breathtaking views. I feel that the photos and video I took does not do this place justice.
This museum houses 18th and 19th century military artifacts and you can do a self-guided tour renting headphones at the entrance. The area around the fortress is beautiful so give yourself enough time so you can walk along the malecón and take it all in.
5. Stroll Puerto Plata’s historical center.
Beautiful Victorian architecture lines the Parque Central where you can people watch, fee the pigeons and visit the cathedral. The Parque Central is a great place to just relax and get into the slow-paced mood of the Dominican Republic.
From here it’s a short walk to the Amber Museum and the malecón. Just a couple of blocks away you can have lunch or dinner at the Kaffe restaurant, a beautiful colonial house with tables out on a tree covered patio: highly recommended!
6. Ride horses on the beach.
I love horses and riding on the beach has always been one of my favorite things to do. Feeling the wind in your hair as you gallop splashing in the waves is an exhilarating experience. I loved that there are several beaches in Puerto Plata where you can ride. We rode at Cabarete beach where you can rent the horses in one of the beachfront hotels.
7. Swim among stalactites and stalagmites at the Cabarete Caves.
The Cabarete caves are a system of caves. You can explore three them and even swim in a couple of them. Although they are small and some of them are hard to go down into this is a great adventure and a lot of fun.
I loved the short hike to get to the different caves and the guide was wonderful, showing us all sorts of different plants and explaining about their history and medicinal attributes.
You can also take a boat tour along the freshwater lagoon and horseback ride on the trails.
8. Relax on Puerto Plata’s beautiful beaches.
Puerto Plata has some truly fantastic beaches. Everyone agreed that Playa Sousa is the best beach in the area, although we did not have time to visit it.
We really enjoyed Alicia beach, a small and quiet beach and a beautiful spot to enjoy the sunset. We also visited Cabarete beach which was beautiful but quite windy. We can’t wait to go back with more time so that we can really take advantage of the Puerto Plata’s beautiful beaches and relax!
9. Get a taste for traditional flavors and fusion Dominican cuisine at Green Jack’s.
Located at Blue Jack Tar hotel in Playa Dorada, Green Jack Tar restaurant offers a great variety of foods from authentic Dominican dishes to original creations from chef Breidy Vasquez that combine Caribbean and international flavors in original and creative ways. Make sure to try their amazing sancocho, their citibía fried ravioles (yuca empanadas) and the chillo (deboned whole fried fresh fish).
We started off with a traditional sancocho; this Dominican meat stew is a local staple and one of those dishes that everyone makes in their own way. Made with different meats, plantains, yuca, and potatoes the Green Jack’s version made with chicken, longaniza and beef was hearty and bursting with flavor. We follow it with a Dominican moussaka and the fried chillo (whole local fresh fish deboned and fried). For dessert, we had a delicious plantain cheesecake.
10. Learn to kite surf at Cabarete beach.
One of the 10 best kitesurfing beaches in the world, Cabarete beach is the perfect location to practice this exciting sport or to learn if you are interested. The Eastern Trade Winds provide strong and consistent wind all year round and this combined with warm water and a sandy bottom, with only a few spots of reef in the inner bay that are quite easy to avoid making the Cabarete beach the ideal spot to practice kite surfing or windsurfing whether you are new to the sport or an expert. Sailing conditions in the mornings are ideal for beginners or children, as the water tends to be flat and the winds light.
I was truly blown away by the beauty of Puerto Plata and the northern part of the Dominican Republic, but my favorite part of our trip was getting to know so many amazing people. Because we were traveling at our own pace and because we had the advantage of knowing the language we had the opportunity to talk to so many people and were infected by the Puerto Platense’s positive energy and love for their country. Everyone we met was so excited about the return of cruise lines to their town and so welcoming. When we first docked in Amber Cove aboard Fathom’s inaugural cruise the mood was electrifying and festive and the mood continued to be cheerful during the whole time where there. We really felt like we where being welcomed with open arms and I can not wait to go back to the Dominican Republic!
If you are visiting Puerto Plata be sure to check out the Discover Puerto Plata website, filled with useful information and events. You can also follow Discover Puerto Plata on Facebook.
Paula studied architecture and now makes a living as a freelance writer,traveler and amateur photographer.She started her writing & publishing career as the editor of Bebé y Mamá, the first parenting magazine in Guatemala.She is the founder of www.GrowingUpBilingual.com and www.365thingsswfl.com and writes articles in Spanish and English for both magazines and the web on travel,food and bicultural and bilingual parenting .
When she is not on a plane or road trip she likes to create recipes inspired in the flavors of her native Guatemala.
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Que maravilloso lugar, y como siempre unas fotografías hermosas!! Gracias por compartir tu viaje! Espero ir pronto a conocer 😀
Que lindo lo pasaron con ese hermoso paisaje, Tengo que decirle a mi esposo que planeemos vacaciones al RD!
what a great list! those caves are calling my name
I love all of these activities and sites but the cascades are absolutely breathtaking. I imagine the water is so refreshing and warm too!
My country has some much to offer. I am so glad you finally made it there and that you loved it. I must visit Los Charcos!
So many great things to see and do. I’d love to ride a horse on the beach. That’s on my bucket list.
Quedé prendada de las fotos y todas las aventuras que pudiste hacer en República Dominicana. Me encantar y se parece tanto a Puerto Rico.
Hi,
Puerto Plata and the surroundings are very nice. Beautiful beaches and the Samana Peninsula is not far.
Que hermoso lugar, y que bien la pasaron, muchas gracias por las recomendaciones, tengo que visitar Republica Dominicana! Saludos!
I’m so glad you got to do so much during your time in Puerto Plata. It is a very special town that truly shows the mixed heritage of Dominican culture. You have to go to Samaná next. 😉
For some reason my comment doesn’t show up… Anyway, I am glad that you had such a wonderful time in our beautiful country.