While Dominican Republic condos are often associated with sun and sand, they are also close to the rich cultural history of this former Spanish colony. Here are a few cultural sites that can be found nowhere else in the Caribbean.

Catedral Primada de America (First Cathedral of America)

Completed by the middle of the 16th century (about 150 years after Columbus arrived in the Americas), this cathedral is the oldest in the Western Hemisphere, and contains Gothic and late Renaissance influences – something that can be seen nowhere else in the Caribbean. When Christopher Columbus died, this was his final resting place, until his body was moved at a later date.

Plaza De la Cultura

This large park in Santo Domingo is home to many of the city’s museums and art galleries, as well as the National Library, and is probably the most famous part of the entire city. The plaza also features cinemas and theatres, and there is a dress code (no short, bare feet or bare arms) for most of the national buildings.

Museo de Ambar Dominicano (Amber Museum of Puerto Plata)

The Dominican Republic is famous for its amber (the nationally designated gem of the country) and this museum, located in Parque Central (the center of the City of Puerto Plata) is a great place to experience it. The museum itself is house in a building more than one hundred years old, built by the Bentz family, wealthy merchants.

Mount Isabel de Torres

The most fantastic views in the Dominican Republic can be found from the top of this mountain. Accessible by cable car, the mountain is notable for the large statue of Christ that overlooks and protects the city below, Puerto Plata, itself a city home to beautiful colonial buildings.

Altos de Chavon
Constructed by Charles Bluhdorn, a set designer for Universal Studios, this weird and wonderful replica of a Spanish village that was completed in the early 1980s. A must-see during any visit to the Dominican Republic, this attraction features art galleries and an archaeological museum.

Real estate in the Dominican Republic is about more than powdery-white sand and the best scuba diving in the region. The culture of this ancient country makes the real estate market more attractive.