The cheapest and most frequent flights depart from gateway cities such as Miami and New York. Flights from the latter average about US$450-550. As there are no non-stop scheduled flights to the Dominican Republic from the UK, many British and Irish visitors to the Dominican Republic arrive on a charter flight as part of a package holiday, though you can also fly via the States or various stops in Europe; try Iberia Airlines for the least expensive deals. Visitors from Australia and New Zealand will need to travel first to the US or Europe and pick up onward connections from there. Most flights go into Santo Domingo, but some fly into Puerto Plata.

Options for arriving in the Dominican Republic by boat are mostly limited to hitting the country as one of the ports of call on a longer Caribbean cruise .

Otherwise, it is possible to arrive via ferry from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, on Ferias del Caribe (tel 809/688-4400, Puerto Rico tel 787/832-4800), but it's a long, uncomfortable overnight trip. Ferries depart Mayaguez three times a week; the cost is US$144 one-way, plus the US$10 entry tax and US$60 for a private cabin.