To Santo Domingo From Punta Cana by Bus With Bavaro Express
If you are staying in Punta Cana you might be interested in visiting Santo Domingo, the first and oldest city built in America by Europeans. the best way is by bus taking the Bavaro Express (Expreso Bavaro). This bus leaves from Bavaro Bus Station, around the Friusa intersection on the Avenida Estados Unidos 809-552-1678.
Departure times are:
7:00 am (first bus)
9:00 am
11:00 am
1 pm
3 pm
4 pm (last bus)
You may also board at the Veron stop along Plaza Colonial 809-455-1473. In this case the pick-up times are usually half an hour after the original departure time. The price of the ticket is 400 RD$ one-way for both adults and children and there is no discount if you buy the return ticket. You can buy the tickets at the office just in front of the bus stop, same story in Santo Domingo for the way-back. The trip is around 3h40m depending on the traffic.
**BE AWARE that very often entering the city the driver or other men ask who’s going to visit the Colonial Zone (Zona Colonial). This is a trick for the tourists. They say that the bus doesn’t pass for the Colonial Zone and the only way to reach it is taking a cab. That’s not true because the bus actually goes to the Colonial Zone. The only reason they do it is because they just want to get some extra money. So they try to let you get off before and push you to get a taxi (bus and taxi drivers have a deal in this sense) with the excuse that that part of the city is very dangerous. In case this happens DON’T GET OFF and stay on the bus till it arrives at the Chinatown neighbor that is very close to the Colonial Zone and it’s safe**.
Upon entering Santo Domingo, the driver is flexible with letting passengers off. The normal stops are in front of the Dario Contreras Hospital on Santo Domingo’s east side, the corner of Calle Josefa Brea & 27 de Febrero and the last stop on Juan Sanchez Ramirez, off of Maximo Gomez.
Getting to Bavaro from Santo Domingo
The bus is picked up just off the Avenida Maximo Gomez on Juan Sanchez Ramirez #31 809-682-9670 just about a half a block from the Supermercado Nacional. Departure times are the same as in Bavaro. Before leaving the city, the bus will make one more stop at El Parque Enriquillo on Avenida Duarte. Tickets can also be purchased at this location.
Once the Expreso Bavaro bus reaches Bavaro, it is no longer an express bus. From the bus’s first stop at Veron, to its last stop at Friusa, the driver will let passengers off wherever they please.
Note:
The Expreso Bavaro is currently the only express transportation between Santo Domingo and Punta Cana. The only other option to travel to Santo Domingo and other western destinations is by taking local buses to Higuey and transferring from there.
