Six kilometres east of town, Aeropuerto Internacional Luperón (tel 809/586-1992), usually referred to as Puerto Plata Airport, is the main northern entry point into the country. There is a Banco de Reservas currency exchange (Mon-Fri 8.30am-6.30pm) within the strip of shops lining the front of the airport, alongside a number of car rental offices. While most of the more expensive hotels have shuttle buses, any of the motoconchos can take you into town for RD$20, and there are plenty of taxis to take you to points further out. Arriving by bus is another option; the city is a major junction point for Caribe Tours (tel 809/586-4544) and Metro (tel 809/586-6062), whose vehicles arrive here from the south (via Santo Domingo and Santiago) and the east (via Samaná).

Central Puerto Plata is compact enough to make walking your best option. If you want to go to Playa Dorada or Costambar, you may want to take one of the ubiquitous motoconchos , which should cost RD$20 (RD$10 within town). Cheaper but far slower are the public buses shuttling between Playa Dorada and the parque central. The price is RD$3 but it can take up to 45 minutes to get from one side of town to the other. Taxis are relatively expensive (RD$60 to Playa Dorada), but are the fastest mode of transport and far safer than motoconchos .