The Zona Colonial is where most visitors spend most of their time, and rightly so — the Catedral Santa María la Menor, the Fortaleza Ozama, the Alcázar de Colón, and Calle de las Damas are all within easy walking distance of each other. The Museo de las Casas Reales is the best historical museum in the colonial district; the Museo Memorial de la Resistencia Dominicana is the most affecting.
Beyond the colonial core, the Jardín Botánico Nacional — over 200 hectares with 300 species of orchid and a Japanese Garden — is one of the finest botanical gardens in the Caribbean. Los Tres Ojos is a system of underground limestone lakes east of the river, genuinely spectacular and unlike anything else near the city. The Parque Mirador del Sur runs along the southern cliffs for 8 km and is the city's main outdoor space for joggers, cyclists, and sea views.
Scuba diving at La Caleta Underwater National Park offers two shipwrecks and abundant reef fish 30 minutes from the city. A game at the Estadio Quisqueya during the Dominican winter baseball season (October–January) is one of the most authentic experiences in Santo Domingo.