Coron Town
This island, only a 20-minute bangka ride from Coron town, has an imposing, mysterious skyline that wouldn鈥檛 be out of place in a King Kong film. Flying鈥
Must-see attractions in Philippines
Vigan
The Mestizo District, or Kasanglayan ('where the Chinese live'), is a grid of streets hemmed in between Plaza Burgos and Liberation Blvd and bisected by鈥
Bohol
In Canapnapan, a barangay of Corella, you can see saucer-eyed tarsiers in the wild at the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary. Over 100 of these territorial鈥
Manila
Guarding the entrance to the Pasig River is Intramuros' premier tourist attraction: Fort Santiago. Within the fort grounds is an oasis of lovely manicured鈥
Basilica Minore del Santo Ni帽o
Cebu City
Cebu's holiest church houses a revered Flemish statuette of the Christ child (Santo Ni帽o) that dates to Magellan's time. The church is no stranger to鈥
Manila
The San Agustin Church was the only building left intact after the destruction of Intramuros in WWII. Built between 1587 and 1606, it is the oldest church鈥
Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary
Cebu
Just 20 minutes from Mactan by public bangka, Olango Island is home to this important wildlife reserve. Taking in 1030 hectares of sand flats and鈥
El Nido
For an easy day trip out of El Nido, head north by tricycle or motorbike to this incredible, golden-hued, 3km-long beach. Development has arrived in鈥
Manila
This fantastic museum in Antipolo, in the hills just east of Metro Manila, showcases some of the Philippines' best contemporary artists. There are six鈥
Manila
As in life, so it is in death for Manila鈥檚 wealthy Chinese citizens, who are buried with every modern convenience in the huge Chinese Cemetery. It's far鈥
Manila
This gleaming museum features four floors of superbly curated exhibits on Filipino culture, art and history. At the heart of the collection is a brilliant鈥
Manila
The 'Met' is a world-class gallery tracing the evolution of Filipino art from the early 20th century to the present. Virtually all great Filipino painters鈥
Boracay
With its glorious, powdered-sugar sand, White Beach is the centre of the action in Boracay and the only sight most visitors ever see. Beach locations are鈥
Cebu City
This excellent museum comprises several galleries in a sturdy old coral-stone building that was Cebu's provincial jail from 1870 to 2004. Rooms are鈥
National Museum of Anthropology
Manila
Within a resplendent neoclassical building, this superb museum houses a vast and varied collection, including the skullcap of the Philippines鈥 earliest鈥
El Nido
This incredibly beautiful, jungle-backed, stretch of golden sand toward the northern tip of mainland Palawan is the centre of El Nido's surfing community鈥
Eastern Visayas
This idyllic, slender island with its crescent-shaped white-sand beach and turquoise water has excellent snorkelling and some of the best scuba diving鈥
Palawan
San Vicente's signature attraction is a real beauty. It actually consists of three beaches 鈥 Long Beach 1, 2 and 3 鈥 which combined yield about 14km of鈥
Manila
A must for Imelda Marcos junkies is the Marikina Shoe Museum. There's the footwear of various Filipino luminaries on display here, but it's Imelda鈥檚 shoes鈥
Manila
This beautiful reproduction of a Spanish colonial house offers a window into the opulent lifestyle of the gentry in the 19th century. Imelda Marcos had it鈥
Manila
A poignant and peaceful spot, this sprawling war cemetery on a grassy, beautifully manicured plot is the resting place of 17,206 soldiers killed in battle鈥
Malapascua Island
This glorious stretch of pale sand occupies almost the entire southern part of the island. It's lined with hotels, restaurants, dive shops and massage鈥
Manila
Fronted by a 46m flagpole and guarded by sentries in full regalia, the Rizal Monument contains national hero Jos茅 Rizal鈥檚 mortal remains and stands as a鈥
Mindanao
At the southeastern end of town near the waterfront is this solid and squat building, partially restored to maintain its historic character. Inside is a鈥
Leyte
Tranquil Limasawa Island, a place of historical and religious significance, is well worth a visit. The island has around 6000 inhabitants and five tiny鈥
Manila
This famous organ, designated a national culture treasure, was built between 1816 and 1824 in the St Joseph Parish Church of Las Pi帽as on the southern鈥
North Luzon
The most accessible part of the area's immense 25km limestone cave complex is the seven-chambered Callao Cave. The cave is reached by 184 slippery steps鈥
Malumpati Spring & Bugang River
Panay
One of the most striking natural features in western Visayas, the astonishing Malumpati Spring and Bugang River emerges from nowhere in the midst of the鈥
Baguio
This superb museum dedicated to the life, times and work of artist Benedicto Reyes Cabrera (BenCab) is as fascinating as the man himself. The gallery is a鈥
Palawan
This is a series of three falls cascading into fresh pools 27km north of Taytay. There's a fun little 4m cliff jump at the second falls, which are less鈥
Manila
The building where Jos茅 Rizal was incarcerated has been turned into a shrine-museum dedicated to his life. There's a re-creation of his cell block, the鈥
North Luzon
Nineteen kilometres southwest of Laoag is North Luzon鈥檚 most famous church. Unesco World Heritage鈥搇isted Paoay Church was built in classic earthquake鈥
Baguio
This campus museum is run by Isekias 'Ike' Picpican, one of the country鈥檚 foremost authorities on the history and culture of the Cordillera people. You鈥
Eastern Visayas
Ulan-Ulan means rain in the local dialect and these 25m-high falls, surrounded by dense tropical forest, are some of the most spectacular in Biliran. A鈥
Davao
An excellent museum with two floors of well-designed galleries exploring the complex patchwork of indigenous tribal groups, religions and ethnicities of鈥
Davao
An unconventional setting for a fine-art gallery, paintings by artist Kublai Millan fill the walls of this large space. Take an elevator to the 4th or 5th鈥
Panay
Navalas has the only heritage church on the island 鈥 quaint Spanish-era Navales Church (1880) is made of coral blocks blackened by the years. The much鈥
Manila
Standing as a beacon of serenity among its bawdy surrounds, this Taoist temple is both peaceful and beautiful, and worth popping into for a look.
Manila
Still widely known as 'Luneta' (its name until the 1950s), Manila鈥檚 iconic central park is spread out over some 60 hectares of open lawns, ornamental鈥
Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park
Sabang
At 8km in length, Sabang's famous underground river is one of the longest navigable river-traversed caves in the world and draws scores of tourists. Trips鈥
