To Santo Domingo From Punta Cana By Bus With Bavaro Express

If you are staying in Punta Cana, you may be interested in visiting Santo Domingo, the first and oldest city built in America by Europeans. the best way is by bus taking the Bávaro Express (Expreso Bávaro). This bus leaves from the Bávaro Bus Terminal, at the corner of Friusa on Avenida Estados Unidos 809-552-1678.

The departure times are:

7:00 am (first bus)

9am

11am

13:00

15:00

16:00 (last bus)

You can also board at the Verón stop in Plaza Colonial 809-455-1473. In this case, the pick-up time is 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 right in front of the bus stop, same story in Santo Domingo for the way back. The journey is around 3h40m depending on traffic.

**PLEASE NOTE that very often when entering the city the driver or other men ask who is going to visit the Zona Colonial (Colonial Zone). This is a trick for tourists. They say that the bus does not go through the Colonial Zone and that the only way to get there is by taking a taxi. That is not true because the bus actually goes to the Colonial Zone. The only reason they do it is because they just want to make some extra money. So they try to let you down earlier and push you to take a taxi (bus and taxi drivers have a deal in this regard) with the excuse that that part of the city is very dangerous. In case this happens DO NOT GET OFF and stay on the bus until you reach the neighboring Chinatown which is very close to the Colonial Zone and is safe**.

Upon entering Santo Domingo, the driver is flexible to drop off passengers. The normal stops are in front of the Darío Contreras Hospital on the east side of Santo Domingo, the corner of Calle Josefa Brea and 27 de Febrero and the last stop in Juan Sánchez Ramírez, leaving Máximo Gómez.

How to get to Bavaro from Santo Domingo

The bus picks up just off Avenida Máximo Gómez at Juan Sánchez Ramírez #31 809-682-9670 half a block from Supermercado Nacional. Departure times are the same as in Bavaria. 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 Bávaro bus arrives in Bávaro, it is no longer an express bus. From the bus’s first stop in Verón to its last stop in Friusa, the driver will drop passengers off wherever he wants.

Note:

The Bávaro Express 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 to take local buses to Higüey and transfer from there.