Traveling to the Dominican Republic from the United States

Traveling to the DR

Airlines

• JetBlue flies from Boston Logan and New York’s JFK to Santiago (STI).
  • JetBlue planes leaving from Boston always layover in JFK before flying to Santiago.
  • JFK to Santiago is a direct flight.
  
  
• American Airlines flies from Boston and JFK to STI, as well. Direct flights from JFK can be found, though many layover in Miami.


• Continental occasionally has flights leaving from Providence that connect to Santiago-bound flights in Newark.

Getting to the airport:

• If you do not have a ride to the airport and don't want to spend a fortune parking your car in Boston or NYC, here are some options:
• Boston Logan: Ride the MBTA from the Providence train station to Boston South Station. Take the Silver Line to your terminal.
• Boston Logan: Ride the Peter Pan bus from Providence downtown (Kennedy Plaza) straight to Logan Airport.
• New York (JFK): Park your car at one of the Amtrak stations (i.e. the Kingstown station is free) and take the train (about $70) to New York. Catch the LIRR (Long Island Railroad) to JFK airport (for instructions on this, see "Commuter Rail" below).
• New York (JFK): Ride the Peter Pan bus from Providence downtown (Kennedy Plaza) to Port Authority in NYC.


• From Port Authority to JFK:
  1. Bus:
     From the PA Bus Terminal, you can take the New York Airport Services, which is a express airport bus, to JFK Airport. The one way fare is $13 per person ($39 for 3 people) and the trip take about 30 minutes (2 hours if you're taking the bus during the evening rush).
  2. Subway:
     From the PA Bus Terminal, you can take the Queens-bound (northbound) "E" train (Blue Line on the subway map) to Sutphin Blvd-JFK/Jamaica Station, where a connection can be made to the JFK Airtrain. The one way fare on the subway is $2.25 per person ($6.75 for 3 people) and the fare on the Airtrain is $5 ($15 for 3 people). You can purchase a $21.75 pay per ride (regular) MetroCard at the Port Authority subway station for use on both the subway and the Airtrain. The entrance the subway is located inside the bus terminal, just follow the directional signs that say "Subway" Once you get to Sutphin Blvd/Jamaica Station and you exit the subway, just follow the directional signs to the Airtrain. There is a bank of elevators which will take you from the mezzanine level to a pedestrian overpass overlooking the platforms of the Long Island Railroad.
  3. Commuter rail:
     From the PA Bus Terminal, you can take the Queens-bound (northbound) "A", "C" or "C" trains (Blue Line) to 34th Street-Penn Station, where a connection can be made to the Long Island Railroad. Once at Penn Station, take any eastbound train (except the Port Washington Branch) from Penn Station to Jamaica Station. Once at Jamaica Station, transfer upstairs to the JFK Airtrain, which will take you from the Jamaica Station to the airport terminals. The fare on the subway and the Airtrain is the same as stated in Option 2. However, the fare on the LIRR from Penn Station to Jamaica will cost you $7.75 per person ($23.25 for 3 people). It is recommend that you purchase your LIRR train ticket before board, because fare are higher on board.
• Caveat: While it seems that luggage arrives safely, it is always a good idea to take essentials in a carry on bag.
• If you find a cheaper ticket to Santo Domingo, there are plenty of buses (Caribe Tours and Metro Tours) that take you from Santo Domingo to Santiago.

Upon arrival:

• When you arrive in Santiago, you will need to buy a tourist card (US $10). You can locate the person selling the tourist cards to your left as you approach customs. If you try to go through customs sans tourist card they will send you back to the tourist card station to buy one.
• When you exit the airport, there will be a crowd of people waiting to greet arriving passengers. If someone is meeting you, this is where they will find you. If you are taking a cab, ask the driver in advance what the charge will be. In August 2010 the fare from the airport to the apartment was RD $550 or US $20. The taxi drivers accept your American dollars.
• Apt Address: Calle Proyecto 4 Apartamentos Gilsa A-3, Reparto Oquet. This is 4-5 blocks away from the hospital (Cabral y Baez) - near the corner Sabana Larga and Ave. 27 de Febrero. If arriving in a cab, tell the taxista that the barrio is Reparto Oquet, and the calle is calle 4 (or Proyecto 4 – the street signs are different at each end). Calle 4 is only about 2 blocks long and there is only one apartment building on it.

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