Saturday

4. ­­Call It Brunch, 11 a.m.

Join the queue of people ordering from the servers chopping up chicken and deep-fried pork belly behind the counter at the longtime local favorite Villar Hermanos. Beans and rice (100 pesos), stewed beef (170 pesos), eggplant cooked with coconut milk (35 pesos): This is the place to try all the Dominican classics. The waiters, in bow ties, will bring your order to the table, and don’t forget the delectable tres leches cake topped with whipped cream (80 pesos).

5. ­­Zona Colonial, Noon

Travel in a private car repurposed as a public vehicle. Conchos lack both air-conditioning and seatbelts, but they’re the most fun, if reckless, way to get around. Flag one down on Avenida Independencia, pay the driver around 25 pesos and get out at Parque Independencia, the entrance to the gorgeous Zona Colonial, where the city’s oldest sights and trendiest shops sit side by side. Rent a teal bicycle (300 pesos per hour) from Zona Bici, and pedal your way to the Alcázar de Colón (100 pesos, audio guide included), the beautifully restored home of Diego Colón, son of Christopher Columbus. From here, cycle south to the Catedral Primada de América (40 pesos), with its mix of Gothic and Baroque styles and modern stained-glass windows. Finally, stop in at the Museo Memorial de La Resistancia Dominicana (150 pesos). The English audio guide provides basic information; the photos and documentation of the resistance and eventual overthrow of the 30-year dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo are riveting.

6. ­­Shopping Spree, 3:30 p.m.

New shops and cafes are rapidly making the Zona Colonial the coolest part of the city. First stop, La Alpargatería, a hip shoe shop where young artisans construct colorful, modern espadrilles. The store connects to a laid-back cafe with local art on the walls, plenty of nooks for lounging and a patio, where you can pause for a fresh mango juice (115 pesos) or coffee (60 pesos). Three blocks south on Calle Padre Bellini is Casa Alfarera, an artisanal ceramics shop. To the west lies Casa Quien, a modern art gallery and boutique that displays contemporary art from local and international artists and sells unusual prints, jewelry and housewares. If you cycle down El Conde, a lively pedestrian street, keep an eye out for one of the few remaining manhole covers stamped with “C. Trujillo” (“C” for “ciudad,” or city). These are a leftover from when the dictator renamed the city (and plenty of other things) after himself.

7. ­­Cold Cerveza, 6:30 p.m.

In the Dominican Republic there’s nowhere you can’t start a party. Stop into any colmado (these convenience stores sell everything from toilet paper to shots of rum, and you’ll find one on almost every street) that’s playing music. Pull up a plastic chair and ask the owner to “Dame una cerveza vestida de novia” (“Give me a beer dressed like a bride,” meaning a beer so cold it’s covered in frost). The one across the street from Casa Quien is convenient: Settle in with the locals and enjoy a convenient predinner drink.

8. ­­­Small Plates, Big Breeze, 7:30 p.m.

One of a crop of creative new restaurants in Santo Domingo, Lulú has a menu of small plates and cocktails in a chic building that sits on one of the Zona Colonial’s most picturesque squares (dinner for two, with drinks, around 3,000 pesos). Sit on the terrace for old-town atmosphere and warm breezes, inside at the bar for air-conditioning. The presentation of the food can be quirky (goat croquettes arrive in a kid’s size Converse All Star), but the service is excellent and the food, especially the tuna tacos stuffed with raw tuna and guacamole, and the octopus carpaccio, is very good.

9. ­­Late-Night Grooves, 9:30 p.m.

Stroll up Calle Hostos to Lucia 203, an atmospheric events space with a bar and open-air courtyard that hosts an enormous band on Thursday and Saturday nights. Live son and classic merengue tunes mean a dance floor bursting with energy. Test out your skills or order a glass of sangria (214 pesos) and grab a table with a view in the courtyard, where fans create a breeze.