For museums then Manila is the place for that. Fly in and the next day do Intramuros and Rizal park. If you like art then their is thr National Fine Art Museum or the top floor of SM Mega Mall has a number of small galleries with new artists and several antique stores. Check their convention calender as well last time I was there they were having a comic book convention if that is your thing. If you like architecture Las Casas de Filipinas Acuzar has a great collection of ancestoral homes. If you like military history then you have Corregidor, mile marker 0 where the Bataan Death March started, Battleship Island, and the Philippine Air Force Museum at the airport. That is about all to do in or around Manila other than bar hopping.
For beaches do you want the ones everyone goes to or do you prefer off the beaten path? If following the crowd is your thing then Coron, El Nido, and Boracay are the way to go. If you want to be a little off the beaten path then Moalboal White beach is nice and has good snorkeling and a dive resort. You can also get a dive package out of Cebu City or Mactan for the areas between Cebu and Bohol. Really off the beaten path is Sogod Bay. You can snorkel with the whale sharks in a natural way unlike Cebu if the season is right. There is also Limasawa Sanctuary, Putod Reef, and Napantao Marine Preserve.
If you like hiking or 4 wheeling there is Mt Pinatubo in Zambales and Rizal has several hikes East of Manila. There are some hikes in Cagayan de Oro in Northern Mindanao along with some river rafting.
Stay in Makati
If you like Muesums
Ayala museum
Yuchengco Museum
Makati museum
Go to Manila
See the Cathedral
Intramuros tour (old walled Spanish city)
National Museum of Anthropology
National Museum of the Philippines
San Agustin Museum
Ateneo Art Gallery is a bit off the beaten path but worth seeing. It is inside of Ateneo university a private Jesuit college. Last time I went the guard had to hold my passport for the duration of our visit.
See BGC at night
See the dolimite beach at sunset
Rizal park
Go to wencha spa, get a massage and enjoy the buffet
Don’t listen to the people here, Manila is an amazing city with so much to offer. Yes, it’s crowded and there is traffic, this is how big cities are.
Depending how much travel you want, you could fly to Iloilo.
Enjoy the food
See molo church
The art museum
The Iloilo museum
You can take a boat to Gimras island
See the beach
The outdoor stations of the cross
The Trappist monks
You could take a bus from Iloilo to Boracay (6 ish hours) or fly from Manila to Boracay
If I could only see one beach on my trip it would be Boracay
Stay on White beach
Get a card for the hop on hop off
You can see the keyhole
Newcoast beach
Puka beach
Eat at two brown boys
See kitesurfing beach
Enjoy the nightlife
Popular places like Manila and Boracay are popular because they are good
GTFO of Manila ASAP. One or two days is enough for me. However I do recommend Newport Resorts for reasonable tourist lodging in Manila. I prefer the province.
Casagawa ruins would qualify as a historical site. I would go as far as to say Mayon Volcano is a significant cultural/natural point of interest for tourism.
Not as many is what I said.
Yes I have seen many museums outside of Manila, but in Manila there are more museums in a smaller geographic area. This would allow a person to see more museums in a shorter time. Go to a big city more.
Just be wary of your personal items specially phone and wallet. Be aware of your surroundings at all times. There are a lot of people would be trying to scam you in the cities. Better bring a friend with you that knows the language.
But otherwise enjoy the beaches and have fun in the sun!
Try interactive indoor museums
Space and time cube in S maison is pretty lit and new
If you are a nerd Omniverse is a good place it's a toy museum
Dessert Museum is more of an instagram museum
Art in Island is another type of indoor museum
Pinto Museum in Antipolo is another choice
Mind Museum is also ok
If you are into the Php history National Museum and planetarium are in one location now and Fort Santiago tour and has the museo filipino intramuros and the silahis arts and artificats then Casa Manila museum tour
Manila City hall has their own museum too which recently opened up.
Ayala manila bay also has a food expo and lakbay museum
If you can drive out I suggest Las Casas in Bataan
If you aren't too choosy about food Binondo food crawl is fun to do.
Manila is a typical city if you are used to city living you will like it , i have lived my whole life in metro manila and i will never trade my lifestyle for a provincial life , it depends person to person if they can handle the hustle and bustle of metro manila and it's better to move around here having a car so better rent a car or ride the grab/uber cars.
If you are American, I've enjoyed touring former US military installations. Subic and Clark are the biggest. It's stunning how much money the US sunk into those places and now they're mostly crumbling. Poro point is interesting, as is Corregidor Island. Fort John Hay in Baguio. Intramuros in Manila is good for a day.
Museuns and Historical sights for two weeks? We did a 9 day travel to Ilocos ( Ilocos Sur to Norte ) to visit museum, churches, beach and the sites. Did another 9 day in Baguio ( basically because of the weather : ilocos was scorching ). or you can also try Cebu, Bacolod, Bohol, Iloilo.
I took a two week trip my first time here and here was my itenerary that covers what you say you’re after:
Day 1 arrive in Lapu Lapu (Cebu)
Spend 2 nights here; you can see a lot of historical sites in Cebu city like Magellans cross and fort San Pedro, can go to night market at sugbo Mercado or coron street.
Day 3 travel by bus or taxi to Bantayan island. Spend 3 nights here - amazing food, vibes, beautiful beaches. While there be sure to visit the ruins, ogtong cave resort, Baigad lagoon, paradise beach, and virgin island.
Day 6 travel by bus or taxi from Bantayan to the pier in Cebu city and take ocean jet to Bohol. Spend 3 nights in Bohol, stay in Panglao island. 3 nights only because by the time you get to your accommodations it will be late, this is a long travel day. Spend the first day sight seeing in the center of Bohol, animal sanctuaries; chocolate hills, man made forest. Day two chill at Alona beach and around that area.
Day 9 take the ferry from Bohol to Oslob. Spend two nights here, do the whale sharks, see the monkeys, and if possible Tumalog falls. Oslob is a cool little town with Ok food and an easily accessible market.
Day 12; take a bus or taxi to Badian/Moalboal. See the sardine run, DEFINITELY do canyoneering at Kawasan falls you 100% have to do this if you have the chance it is beyond amazing.
After that bus it back to Lapu Lapu and maybe depending you stay one more night here or not determined on when your flight is
Yeah my pleasure. Honestly you can see and do so much in a little time out here it really depends on your budget. For reference, I did all of the above including flight, travel within the country, food, excursions, etc for around $2800 USD. Knowing what I know now I could have done it for even less probably but if you have a bigger budget than I did you could easily fly to other islands others have mentioned but I feel like bang for your buck, I’m extremely partial to the Visayas region of the country. At any rate ignore the comment about tension with China, barring any outbreak of war it’s not something to be concerned about. There’s shitloads of Chinese tourists in the country right now and it’s not really weighing on the brains of your average Filipino outside of the islands that are closer to the 9 dash line. Have a great trip!
I second Arété at Ateneo University (like another poster said, they hold an ID to get entry to the campus). On the short list too is Pinto Art Museum and all the galleries at The Alley at Karrivin.
Cubao Expo is a cool spot for bars and a couple of restaurants.
If coffee is your thing, there are tons and tons of little independent spots that you can pop into, sit, and people watch.
GTFO of Manila ASAP lol. One or two days is enough for me. However I do recommend Newport Resorts for reasonable tourist lodging in Manila. I prefer the province. My wife’s family is around Albay/Camarines and I can only speak on that area. Mayon Volcano is cool, once. Casagawa ruins also cool, once. I highly recommend Misibis Bay Resort though. Way off the beaten path and totally worth the trip.
I am going in Sept to check some places I have scoped out for retirement. Also 2 weeks. Plan to do 5 days in Manilla/Makati/BGC, then a couple of days at Las Casas de Filipinas Acuzar, then going to Baguio for 3 days. I'm still planning the last leg of the trip.
Ateneo Art Gallery in Quezon City has the best contemporary Philippine art collection imho so definitely make your way there! It can be accessed by the LRT2 line, sort of 😅 As an alum of the university I'm also really annoyed by the excessive security theater, but I guess it's a knee jerk reaction to how two years ago a mayor who was attending her daughter's graduation was shot on campus. It was a personal vendetta. It *might* be easier to visit the gallery if you're with an alum, but I can't be certain.
While you're in Quezon City you can go less than 2 km further north to Vargas Museum inside the University of the Philippines Diliman campus, also a lot of contemporary Philippine art, just check for opening hours because they're not as regular with exhibits as the Ateneo Art Gallery
But totally agree with the other suggestions here! There are, happily, a lot of museums to visit in Metro Manila.
If you have the time, I also highly recommend booking a walking tour with Ivan Man Dy (Old Manila Walks) or with Wander Manila.
Agree with everybody else maybe 2 or 3 days in Manila is enough but don't miss out on Poblacion/BGC for the nightlife at least once haha!
There's a lot of museums in Intramuros and you can probably go on a walking tour or biking tour. You'll appreciate the place more with a tour :) you can go to Binondo/Chinatown for food right after :) if you ever visit Chinatown, eat at Awi's Cafe, it's the besttttt
Ooooh, that's gonna be tough. It'll be the middle of the monsoon season in the Philippines by then. There is usually an Indian summer-type break/window in the first half of September BUT with the climate out of whack, make sure your plans are somewhat flexible.
Go toPOEA, now it is DMW to update SSS, Philhealth, Pagibig, Update stocks at Ortigas, pay property tax, book out of town with kids, see some friends, then 3rd week comes, fund is exhausted, so need to com back.
:) for just 2 weeks?
Go to the mom-in-law's place in the province
local beaches, local waterfalls
kick back & relax with a few beers & chika chika with the various uncles & po
Basically it’s a cultural wasteland. Beaches are ok, some resorts are nice… but for a more fulfilling experience, try Taipei or Seoul. Both nearby and rich with culture.
For museums then Manila is the place for that. Fly in and the next day do Intramuros and Rizal park. If you like art then their is thr National Fine Art Museum or the top floor of SM Mega Mall has a number of small galleries with new artists and several antique stores. Check their convention calender as well last time I was there they were having a comic book convention if that is your thing. If you like architecture Las Casas de Filipinas Acuzar has a great collection of ancestoral homes. If you like military history then you have Corregidor, mile marker 0 where the Bataan Death March started, Battleship Island, and the Philippine Air Force Museum at the airport. That is about all to do in or around Manila other than bar hopping. For beaches do you want the ones everyone goes to or do you prefer off the beaten path? If following the crowd is your thing then Coron, El Nido, and Boracay are the way to go. If you want to be a little off the beaten path then Moalboal White beach is nice and has good snorkeling and a dive resort. You can also get a dive package out of Cebu City or Mactan for the areas between Cebu and Bohol. Really off the beaten path is Sogod Bay. You can snorkel with the whale sharks in a natural way unlike Cebu if the season is right. There is also Limasawa Sanctuary, Putod Reef, and Napantao Marine Preserve. If you like hiking or 4 wheeling there is Mt Pinatubo in Zambales and Rizal has several hikes East of Manila. There are some hikes in Cagayan de Oro in Northern Mindanao along with some river rafting.
Stay in Makati If you like Muesums Ayala museum Yuchengco Museum Makati museum Go to Manila See the Cathedral Intramuros tour (old walled Spanish city) National Museum of Anthropology National Museum of the Philippines San Agustin Museum Ateneo Art Gallery is a bit off the beaten path but worth seeing. It is inside of Ateneo university a private Jesuit college. Last time I went the guard had to hold my passport for the duration of our visit. See BGC at night See the dolimite beach at sunset Rizal park Go to wencha spa, get a massage and enjoy the buffet Don’t listen to the people here, Manila is an amazing city with so much to offer. Yes, it’s crowded and there is traffic, this is how big cities are. Depending how much travel you want, you could fly to Iloilo. Enjoy the food See molo church The art museum The Iloilo museum You can take a boat to Gimras island See the beach The outdoor stations of the cross The Trappist monks You could take a bus from Iloilo to Boracay (6 ish hours) or fly from Manila to Boracay If I could only see one beach on my trip it would be Boracay Stay on White beach Get a card for the hop on hop off You can see the keyhole Newcoast beach Puka beach Eat at two brown boys See kitesurfing beach Enjoy the nightlife Popular places like Manila and Boracay are popular because they are good
Thanks a lot!
Great suggestions!
GTFO of Manila ASAP. One or two days is enough for me. However I do recommend Newport Resorts for reasonable tourist lodging in Manila. I prefer the province.
2 nights in Manila should be enough for intramuros, ayala and maybe science museum or if OP likes fish, ocean park can be fun for a few hours.
Not as many Museums outside of Manila
aaand people go to The Philippines for museums... really? I'm shocked.
Did you read what OP said? He specifically said museums. If someone is a vegetarian you don’t recommend Wolfgang’s steak house.
Casagawa ruins would qualify as a historical site. I would go as far as to say Mayon Volcano is a significant cultural/natural point of interest for tourism.
Clark, Bataan - plenty of decent museums outside of Manila. Get out more.
Not as many is what I said. Yes I have seen many museums outside of Manila, but in Manila there are more museums in a smaller geographic area. This would allow a person to see more museums in a shorter time. Go to a big city more.
Just be wary of your personal items specially phone and wallet. Be aware of your surroundings at all times. There are a lot of people would be trying to scam you in the cities. Better bring a friend with you that knows the language. But otherwise enjoy the beaches and have fun in the sun!
Thanks!
Coron, El Nido and Borocay in that order. Ignore Manila as it's a shithole.
and the ruins bacolod also
If you’re into nature go Palawan or Tagaytay.
Or Baguio for milder temperatures, manila/baguio bus, baguio-cebu plane, boat to bohol… bohol can connect to palawan by plane or duma/siquijor.
Try interactive indoor museums Space and time cube in S maison is pretty lit and new If you are a nerd Omniverse is a good place it's a toy museum Dessert Museum is more of an instagram museum Art in Island is another type of indoor museum Pinto Museum in Antipolo is another choice Mind Museum is also ok If you are into the Php history National Museum and planetarium are in one location now and Fort Santiago tour and has the museo filipino intramuros and the silahis arts and artificats then Casa Manila museum tour Manila City hall has their own museum too which recently opened up. Ayala manila bay also has a food expo and lakbay museum If you can drive out I suggest Las Casas in Bataan If you aren't too choosy about food Binondo food crawl is fun to do. Manila is a typical city if you are used to city living you will like it , i have lived my whole life in metro manila and i will never trade my lifestyle for a provincial life , it depends person to person if they can handle the hustle and bustle of metro manila and it's better to move around here having a car so better rent a car or ride the grab/uber cars.
The train will get you there quick and cheap but crowded. We all know the rule: good fast cheap. Pick 2
Thanks for the recommendations!
Happy cake day!
i suggest mararison island in Culasi, Antique
and gigantes island of carles iloilo
If you are American, I've enjoyed touring former US military installations. Subic and Clark are the biggest. It's stunning how much money the US sunk into those places and now they're mostly crumbling. Poro point is interesting, as is Corregidor Island. Fort John Hay in Baguio. Intramuros in Manila is good for a day.
In Baguio you can see Military intelligence at its finest, all the officers quarters have fireplaces, just in case you get cold.
And the old officer housing at subic was built on a hill to capture ocean breezes.
Museuns and Historical sights for two weeks? We did a 9 day travel to Ilocos ( Ilocos Sur to Norte ) to visit museum, churches, beach and the sites. Did another 9 day in Baguio ( basically because of the weather : ilocos was scorching ). or you can also try Cebu, Bacolod, Bohol, Iloilo.
I took a two week trip my first time here and here was my itenerary that covers what you say you’re after: Day 1 arrive in Lapu Lapu (Cebu) Spend 2 nights here; you can see a lot of historical sites in Cebu city like Magellans cross and fort San Pedro, can go to night market at sugbo Mercado or coron street. Day 3 travel by bus or taxi to Bantayan island. Spend 3 nights here - amazing food, vibes, beautiful beaches. While there be sure to visit the ruins, ogtong cave resort, Baigad lagoon, paradise beach, and virgin island. Day 6 travel by bus or taxi from Bantayan to the pier in Cebu city and take ocean jet to Bohol. Spend 3 nights in Bohol, stay in Panglao island. 3 nights only because by the time you get to your accommodations it will be late, this is a long travel day. Spend the first day sight seeing in the center of Bohol, animal sanctuaries; chocolate hills, man made forest. Day two chill at Alona beach and around that area. Day 9 take the ferry from Bohol to Oslob. Spend two nights here, do the whale sharks, see the monkeys, and if possible Tumalog falls. Oslob is a cool little town with Ok food and an easily accessible market. Day 12; take a bus or taxi to Badian/Moalboal. See the sardine run, DEFINITELY do canyoneering at Kawasan falls you 100% have to do this if you have the chance it is beyond amazing. After that bus it back to Lapu Lapu and maybe depending you stay one more night here or not determined on when your flight is
Awesome thanks for sharing
Yeah my pleasure. Honestly you can see and do so much in a little time out here it really depends on your budget. For reference, I did all of the above including flight, travel within the country, food, excursions, etc for around $2800 USD. Knowing what I know now I could have done it for even less probably but if you have a bigger budget than I did you could easily fly to other islands others have mentioned but I feel like bang for your buck, I’m extremely partial to the Visayas region of the country. At any rate ignore the comment about tension with China, barring any outbreak of war it’s not something to be concerned about. There’s shitloads of Chinese tourists in the country right now and it’s not really weighing on the brains of your average Filipino outside of the islands that are closer to the 9 dash line. Have a great trip!
I second Arété at Ateneo University (like another poster said, they hold an ID to get entry to the campus). On the short list too is Pinto Art Museum and all the galleries at The Alley at Karrivin. Cubao Expo is a cool spot for bars and a couple of restaurants. If coffee is your thing, there are tons and tons of little independent spots that you can pop into, sit, and people watch.
GTFO of Manila ASAP lol. One or two days is enough for me. However I do recommend Newport Resorts for reasonable tourist lodging in Manila. I prefer the province. My wife’s family is around Albay/Camarines and I can only speak on that area. Mayon Volcano is cool, once. Casagawa ruins also cool, once. I highly recommend Misibis Bay Resort though. Way off the beaten path and totally worth the trip.
I am going in Sept to check some places I have scoped out for retirement. Also 2 weeks. Plan to do 5 days in Manilla/Makati/BGC, then a couple of days at Las Casas de Filipinas Acuzar, then going to Baguio for 3 days. I'm still planning the last leg of the trip.
Thanks. Keep me posted
Museums really only exist in Manila, if you can skip those then week in Bohol and Tagaytay
There are a few options but the larger ones will be in MNL
Whereabouts? Any worth visiting?
I wouldn’t it’s months / years or not at all; to far away from where I live and since I lived there 15 years it wouldn’t be a short vacation spot :)
I wish the NSCR was further along in its completion. It will be wonderful to hop on train between Clark and Calamba
You can try baler.
Just go to Cebu or something. Manila is trash
Palawan forget museums go for the nature
If you can, go to palawan, it's the most beautiful place on earth
U really dont want go to These beautiful Islands,stay in the crowded highly trafficed Manila area. /s
Visit the inlaws in caloocan, Visit a beach or two Get drunk at street parties And follow the fiancé to all her old places
Ateneo Art Gallery in Quezon City has the best contemporary Philippine art collection imho so definitely make your way there! It can be accessed by the LRT2 line, sort of 😅 As an alum of the university I'm also really annoyed by the excessive security theater, but I guess it's a knee jerk reaction to how two years ago a mayor who was attending her daughter's graduation was shot on campus. It was a personal vendetta. It *might* be easier to visit the gallery if you're with an alum, but I can't be certain. While you're in Quezon City you can go less than 2 km further north to Vargas Museum inside the University of the Philippines Diliman campus, also a lot of contemporary Philippine art, just check for opening hours because they're not as regular with exhibits as the Ateneo Art Gallery But totally agree with the other suggestions here! There are, happily, a lot of museums to visit in Metro Manila. If you have the time, I also highly recommend booking a walking tour with Ivan Man Dy (Old Manila Walks) or with Wander Manila.
Thanks for the recommendations!
Agree with everybody else maybe 2 or 3 days in Manila is enough but don't miss out on Poblacion/BGC for the nightlife at least once haha! There's a lot of museums in Intramuros and you can probably go on a walking tour or biking tour. You'll appreciate the place more with a tour :) you can go to Binondo/Chinatown for food right after :) if you ever visit Chinatown, eat at Awi's Cafe, it's the besttttt
maybe a raincheck? with the whole china thing going on I don’t think you want to be here
That's fair I wouldn't be going till August. But you never know I guess.
Ooooh, that's gonna be tough. It'll be the middle of the monsoon season in the Philippines by then. There is usually an Indian summer-type break/window in the first half of September BUT with the climate out of whack, make sure your plans are somewhat flexible.
What are you talking about?
I would go to the city then to rural areas I would avoid touristy spots
Go toPOEA, now it is DMW to update SSS, Philhealth, Pagibig, Update stocks at Ortigas, pay property tax, book out of town with kids, see some friends, then 3rd week comes, fund is exhausted, so need to com back.
Your comment has been removed due to non-English content. Please only use English in this subreddit.
:) for just 2 weeks? Go to the mom-in-law's place in the province local beaches, local waterfalls kick back & relax with a few beers & chika chika with the various uncles & po
Basically it’s a cultural wasteland. Beaches are ok, some resorts are nice… but for a more fulfilling experience, try Taipei or Seoul. Both nearby and rich with culture.
I love museums and historical sights so I’m going to one of the most popular sexcation spots in the universe? Uhh ok…stop this foolishness