Where to shop in Santo Domingo

Mercado Morelo is the main arts and crafts market of the city where you can find a huge diversity of traditional handmade goods as well as fresh fruits and vegetables. Browsing its colorful ambience is a true island experience that you won't soon forget.

Calle El Conde, a walking market area closed to traffic, is the oldest shopping sector in Santo Domingo.

Avenida Mella at Duarte is a good spot for discount shopping and soaking up a little local color. A flea market, Mercado de las Pulgas, operates on Sunday in the Centro de los Héroes and at the Mercado de Oportunidades, 27 de Febrero.

There are modern shopping malls such as Plaza Naco and the US style Unicentro shopping mall at the corner of Av 27 de Febrero and Av Abraham Lincoln; Plaza Caribe, at 27 de Febrero y Leopoldo Navarro, and the new Multicentro Churchill on Av Winston Churchill and Gustavo Mejía Ricart offering a variety of shops, restaurants and cafes as well as banks and offices.

Keep in mind when planning a shopping excursion; Dominicans enjoy the traditional Spanish siesta. Many stores and businesses close from 12:30 to 2:30 PM for a long lunch that is the main meal of the day.