For travelers, backpackers and province-based tourists, Manila is often just thought of as a stopover between flights on the way to another destination. The big city can be overwhelming with the heavy traffic and crowded streets. It’s often seen as gritty and chaotic, especially if you visit the areas of Quiapo and Divisoria.
I often take the tourist sights in Manila for granted because I live here. But if I were a first-time tourist in the Philippines or if I had to take around foreign tourists, balikbayans, expats or province-based friends, what would I do and where would I go?
NOTE: This list features mainly things do in the Old Manila / Pasay area which are geographically near the airport and some areas in Makati & Taguig, which you can reach by MRT. I’ve also tried to zero in on the unique and fun activities that are distinctly Filipino or representative of the local culture in Manila or the most popular attractions you can only find here.
For those who want to explore Manila and beyond, guided tours to all the Philippines’ must-visit destinations like Bohol, El Nido, Siquijor, and more offer a smooth experience through the country’s breathtaking landscapes.
Intramuros is the oldest district and historic core in Manila, Philippines. It’s the only district of Manila where old Spanish-era influences are still plentiful. Top tourist spots here include Fort Santiago, a well-maintained park, the Baroque San Agustin Church and Manila Cathedral. Visitors can walk around Intramuros or ride a kalesa (horse-drawn carriage).
BOOK A GUIDED WALKING TOUR HERE
A unique way to go around the historic walled city of Manila is by bamboo bicycle with Bambike Ecotours. The bicycles with bamboo frames are handmade by Gawad Kalinga villagers, a social enterprise in the Philippines. Tourists can cover more ground than if on a walking tour and it provides a more active way to get around compared traveling around by motorized transport.
International tourists who want the services of a knowledgeable guide and a background on the history of each destination can avail of the Intramuros Experience, a 2.5 hour long tour to visit 10 key sites (P1,200 per person). The price is inclusive of bike & helmet rental, bottled water and entrance fees. Tour schedule: 10:00 am – 12:30 pm and 3:00 pm – 5:30 pm.
The Express Tour is a 1 hour tour where you can choose your own adventure for P600 per person per hour. If you want to explore on your own without a guide, you can simply rent bikes for P100 per Bambike per hour. For inquiries, contact Bambike Intramuros. Plaza San Luis Complex, Real St. cor. General Luna St. Intramuros, Manila. Open 9 am to 6 pm. Contact: 5258289.
Be sure to stop by the San Agustin Church of Manila, one of four Philippine churches constructed during the Spanish colonial period designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, under the collective title Baroque Churches of the Philippines. It was named a National Historical Landmark by the Philippine government in 1976.
BOOK YOUR INTAMUROS BAMBIKE TOUR HERE
2. Spend the day exploring museums
If you’re into history and culture, there are a lot of museums, both traditional and modern around Metro Manila that you can visit depending on your interests. In the old Manila area, this includes the three National Museums, Casa Manila, San Agustin Church Museum, Museo ni Jose Rizal-Fort Santiago, Bahay Tsinoy and more.
One of the most popular museums you can visit for free is the National Museum of Natural History in Rizal Park, which offers several galleries featuring the country’s rich biodiversity. The “Tree of Life” elevator, its central feature, is an attraction on its own. This museum also contains the skeleton and remains of Lolong, the world’s largest saltwater crocodile ever captured (length: 6.17 meters; weight: 1,075 kilograms).
Makati and BGC also have a number of notable museums including Ayala Museum, Metropolitan Museum, Yuchengco Museum, The Mind Museum and more.
3. Experience iconic landmarks and food in one space
Food Wanderer x Lakbay Museo is an interactive museum in Ayala Malls Manila Bay that will appeal to international tourists. This museum gives visitors a chance to walk through replicas of iconic landmarks found around the country, taste samples of regional cuisine, see rare handwoven textiles, and take part in traditional folk dances.
The museum gives visitors a chance to travel across the Philippines and learn more about its rich history and culture in just under two hours. It also features one of the largest collections of food replicas, focusing of regional specialties and native delicacies of the Philippines.
4. Go liquor-tasting on craft spirits
If you like drinking and are looking for something unique to do after the regular tourist circuit in Intramuros, how about going alcohol tasting at a Liquor Museum? Destileria Limtaco, the oldest and largest distillery in the Philippines founded in 1852, opened their liquor-themed museum in Intramuros in February 2018.
The museum offers optional liquor tasting of their brews and craft spirits after guided tours. They have their own line of craft spirits including sugarcane wine, mango rum, premium lambanog or coconut vodka, and coffee liqueur highlighting local flavors and ingredients.
5. Chow down on local specialties
The most famous traditional Filipino dishes that first-timers should try are Adobo (usually chicken or pork cooked in soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic), Sinigang (Filipino soup or stew seasoned with tamarind), Sisig (grilled pork face, ears, brains, snout, cheeks, and chicken liver etc.) and Kare-Kare (Oxtail stew).
Most typical street food (a wide variety of inexpensive cuisine that you can buy from vendors or peddlers on the streets) can be a bit of a shock to foreigners. The most popular Pinoy street food includes fish balls, kwek-kwek, kikiam, adidas, taho, sorbetes (ice cream), and the infamous balut (duck embryo).
For a more upscale dining experience where you can get street food platters, try Locavore Kitchen & Drinks, which serves great Filipino comfort food made fun and creative (like Sizzling Sinigang and Oyster Sisig!) Locavore originally started in Kapitolyo, Pasig but now has four branches including one in Mall of Asia complex in Pasay City.
Another great place to get Filipino food is Manam, which has various branches in malls and a good flagship branch in Ayala Triangle Gardens.
Sampaguita (Jasminum sambac) is the national flower of the Philippines. It’s a very sweet smelling tropical flower which vendors usually sell in garlands or necklaces to serve as air fresheners for cars or to hang in religious statues. If you’re in the Intramuros/Manila area, you can pass by Ilustrado restaurant to try their unique version of Sampaguita Ice Cream.
Seaside Dampa, where you can pick out fresh seafood from a market stall and have them cook it for you are also popular with tourists looking for a different kind of dining experience. The Seaside Dampa in Macapagal is a good option for those based in hotels in the Manila area.
Halo-halo is one of the most popular Filipino desserts with mixtures of shaved ice and evaporated milk added various ingredients, including boiled sweet beans, coconut, sago, gulaman (agar jelly), tubers and fruits.
6. Hunt for street art
Street art or public art is a big part of urban culture. Unlike art you find in museums, this kind of media staged in the streets, walkways and buildings makes art more accessible to the public. One of the best places to see big scale public art in Manila is Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig, where international and local artists painted large murals on buildings as part of the Art BGC Festival.
READ MORE: Art in the City: Murals in BGC
DIY walking tours around BGC are FREE. For guided tours, go to the Alveo Showroom on Bonifacio High Street, where walking tours will depart daily at 5:30PM.
You can also spot lots of interesting street art made by local graffiti artists in Manila around the Intramuros area.
READ MORE: 5 Places to Spot Street Art in the Metro (ALBUM: Biking x Street Art)
“Ang Bakunawa at Minokawa” by Ang Gerilya on Gen. Luna Street corner Anda Street, Intramuros features Philippine mythological creatures. The Bakunawa is a giant sea serpent that swallows the moon causing an eclipse. The Minokawa is a giant bird from the dragon family that swallows the sun.
7. Go food-tripping around Binondo
“Wok your way” around Binondo, the oldest Chinatown in the world, established in 1594. Binondo is a well-known cultural and foodie haven in Manila where you can find over 100 + restos from authentic hole-in-the-wall haunts to upscale family-style buffet Chinese dining.
Old Manila Walks offers guided food tours around Binondo called the Big Binondo Food Wok, which allows guests to eat their way around the most intimate alleys of Binondo, Manila’s historic Chinatown. My top 5 recommendations in Binondo are:
- Dong Bei Dumplings (kuchay and pork dumplings, deep-fried scallion cakes, tofu Burger, xiao long bao)
- New Po-Heng Lumpia House (lumpia)
- Sincerity Cafe & Restaurant (fried chicken, oyster cake)
- Cafe Mezzanine (Kiampong, stir-fried tofu, wintermelon tea)
- Eng Bee Tin Chinese Deli (take-out goodies, crispy mikiron)
BOOK THE BIG BINONDO FOOD WOK TOUR HERE
READ MORE: Food Trip: Binondo
8. Go bargain-hunting
Bargain hunters and shopaholics might want to check out the various weekend markets, bazaars, thrift stores and antique shops around the city. Popular places for shopping include Quiapo, Divisoria, Greenhills, Bangkal, Tiendesitas, Dapitan Arcade & the Salcedo Weekend Market.
Quiapo is referred to as the “Old Downtown of Manila.” It’s home to the Quiapo Church, where the feast of the Black Nazarene is held with millions of people attending annually.
Quiapo has also made a name for itself as a place for marketplace for bargain hunting. It can get pretty crowded around Quiapo though, which might be a culture shock for foreign tourists.
You can get your fortune told from traditional fortune-tellers right outside the Quiapo church. You can also find vendors selling anting-antings (or amulets) which are believed to fight evil spirits. The charms are believed to bring luck to individuals’ lives, from curing all sorts of illnesses to adding financial blessings.
For vintage furniture, thrifted clothes, vinyl, secondhand books and more, check out the community market in the First United Building in Escolta.
9. Visit malls and casinos
If you’re really into shopping, you can visit the SM Mall of Asia or MOA, a shopping complex in the Bay City, Pasay area that’s considered one of the largest shopping malls in the world. At the back of MOA, you can find the MOA Eye, a 55 meter (180 feet) tall Ferris wheel that offers a 360 degree view of the SM Mall of Asia and surrounding areas of Pasay City.
There are a lot of casinos relatively near the airport including Resorts World Manila, City of Dreams and Okada Resort Manila, the largest ultra-luxury integrated casino resort in the Entertainment City.
One of the top draws in Okada is The Fountain, currently the biggest multi-colored dancing fountain in the world which rivals other spectacular fountains in Dubai and Las Vegas. Fountain shows, which run every hour are free for the public to watch. The Fountain is open from Monday to Sunday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
For leisure travelers looking for a party vibe, the Cove Manila, an indoor beach club by day and a club destination by night, offers an upscale party hub and is currently the most glamorous party destination in Manila.
10. Sample the local beer
The most popular mainstream beers in the Philippines, available in most restaurants and bars everywhere include San Miguel Pale Pilsen, San Miguel Light and Red Horse. You can find these almost anywhere in the country. These are often paired with pulutan (bar chow) favorites like sisig, crispy pata, chicharon or chicken skin.
But aside from the commercial beers, the craft beer culture is booming in Manila, with lots of small microbreweries around the country producing small batches of craft beer. More widely available craft beer brands you can find in bars and restaurants include Engkanto, Crazy Carabao and Boondocks. If you’re in the old Manila area, Fred’s Revolucion in Escolta offers a good spot for drinks.
If you have time to spare, hunt down Elias Wicked Ales and Spirits in Santa Mesa Heights in Quezon City, which is about a 20-minute drive from the Intramuros area. They also have a new branch located in Alabang for those basing in the south.
READ MORE: Craft Beers in the Philippines
However, the best place to drink and enjoy nightlife in Metro Manila is Poblacion, the oldest district in Makati. There are a number of popular spots and bars here including El Chupacabra (cheap beer and street tacos), Agimat at Ugat (mythology inspired cocktails), Dr. Wine (classy rooftop bar), and The Spirits Library, to name a few.
READ MORE: Craft Beer Bars in Manila
For a wide selection from different brewers and a space that’s distinctly Filipino with a modern flair, Alamat Filipino Pub + Deli in Poblacion specializes in reinvented Pinoy street food paired with local craft beer and Pinoy cocktails.
The bar, serves traditional Filipino food like Kare-Kare and Tokwa’t Baboy in skewers and a wide range of artisanal sausages including sisig, bopis, dinuguan and adobo and salted egg sausages.
NOTE: This article was originally written in 2018 and updated in 2024 to reflect new establishments.
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