Puerto Plata City Tour: Rum, Chocolate & Fort San Felipe

Walk a fortress built to stop pirates, taste rum made here for over a century, and watch chocolate crafted from Dominican cacao.

A guided four-hour tour of Puerto Plata departing from Amber Cove cruise port, visiting the Macorix Rum House, a chocolate factory, the Fifi Jewelry Amber Museum, Fort San Felipe and the city's downtown landmarks. Your guide speaks English or Spanish, and the tour includes air-conditioned transport, bottled water and hotel or port drop-off. The fixed schedule and included transport mean you see multiple stops without arranging logistics between them.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Puerto Plata city highlights

• Visit Macorix Rum House museum
• Taste six types of rum
• Experience chocolate making at La Chocolatería
• Walk and take photos at Umbrella Street
• Explore Paseo Dona Blanca alleyway
• Visit Puerto Plata Central Park
• See Cathedral of St. Philip the Apostle
• Tour Monseñor cigar factory
• Discover Fifi Jewelry Amber Museum
• Shop at El Mercado de Joaquin
• Take photos at Puerto Plata photo sign
• Visit Fortaleza San Felipe fortress

The Experience

The tour leaves Amber Cove cruise port and heads into Puerto Plata's downtown, where the Macorix Rum House opens the day. This is a working museum of the Carrion family's rum operation, founded in 1899 in San Pedro de Macoris and moved to Puerto Plata over a century later. After walking through the production space, you taste six types of rum before moving on. The chocolate factory comes next—a guided stop where a local expert walks you through the journey from Dominican cacao bean to finished bar, with tastings of handcrafted chocolates and traditional drinks included.

The second half of the tour covers the city's landmarks and museums. Fort San Felipe, a 16th-century Spanish fortress that once defended the coast from pirates, sits on the waterfront and offers sweeping ocean views. The Fifi Jewelry Amber Museum holds one of the largest amber collections in the Dominican Republic, including a 40-centimeter lizard preserved inside a piece of resin—the kind of specimen that reportedly inspired Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park. You'll also stop at the Cathedral of St. Philip the Apostle, walk through the pink-painted Paseo Dona Blanca alley (a Victorian-style photo backdrop), and visit the Umbrella Street for coffee and pictures. The tour wraps at the Puerto Plata photo sign overlooking the Atlantic before returning you to the port or your hotel.

Transport is air-conditioned throughout, and bottled water is provided. Your guide is live and speaks either English or Spanish depending on the option you choose. The four-hour window keeps the pace steady without rushing between stops, and because pickup and drop-off are included, you don't need to arrange a separate ride back to the ship.

What’s included

• Air-conditioned transport from Amber Cove cruise port.
• a live guide in English or Spanish.
• entrance to the Macorix Rum House with six rum tastings.
• a guided chocolate workshop with tastings.
• entry to the Fifi Jewelry Amber Museum.
• visits to Fort San Felipe, the Cathedral of St. Philip the Apostle, Paseo Dona Blanca, the Umbrella Street and the Puerto Plata photo sign.
• bottled water throughout.
• and drop-off at your hotel or back at the port.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by Edwin Transfers Tours

Is this one for you?Book this if your ship docks at Amber Cove and you want four hours to visit four separate sites (rum factory, chocolate workshop, amber museum, fortress) without managing your own transportation between them.

Traveler reviews

4.75★★★★★★★★★★

704 verified traveler reviews

5 ★605

4 ★49

3 ★30

2 ★10

1 ★10

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What exactly do you do at the rum factory?

The Macorix Rum House is a historical museum where you walk through the production space of a rum operation that has been running since 1899. After the tour of the facility, you taste six different types of rum before leaving.

How much walking is involved in this tour?

The tour includes stops at multiple sites—the rum factory, chocolate workshop, amber museum, Fort San Felipe, cathedral, and downtown streets—but each stop is a short visit rather than a long hike. The pace is suitable for all physical fitness levels, and you spend most travel time in an air-conditioned vehicle.

Will I have time to shop or take photos at each stop?

Yes. Stops like Paseo Dona Blanca, the Umbrella Street and the Puerto Plata photo sign are specifically designed for photography, and El Mercado de Joaquin offers Dominican handmade goods and souvenirs. The four-hour schedule includes time at each location for photos and browsing.

What language does the guide speak?

Your guide speaks either English or Spanish depending on which option you select at checkout. Both are live guides who lead the tour in real time.

Can I be dropped off at my hotel instead of the cruise port?

Yes. Drop-off is included at either your hotel or back at the Amber Cove cruise port, depending on where you need to be at the end of the tour.

Is the chocolate tasting included, or do I pay extra?

The chocolate workshop is part of the tour itinerary, and tastings of handcrafted chocolates and traditional drinks are included. You can also purchase packaged chocolates to take home.