Cebu City Have You Visited Yet?

Cebu City is one of the more bustling and popular cities within the Philippines.

It features several places that can teach you a thing or two about Cebuano culture and heritage.

Cebu is a very versatile city with great economic growth and development. In fact, it only gets better every year for this city, as new hotels, office buildings and restaurants are opened.

How to Get to Cebu City

There are a number of different ways to reach Cebu City.

You can book a flight to Mactan International Airport, which is around 20 to 30 minutes away from the city proper.

You can also take a ferry from any point of the Philippines to Cebu Pier.

Access is easy and will suit all budgets.

What to Do in Cebu City

Though the city is small compared to Manila, it never runs out of things to offer tourists, both local and international.

Here are a few:

  • Sinulog Festival
    Several streets in Cebu City are closed on the third Sunday of January to celebrate the Sinulog Festival.

    This is a dance festival in honor of their patron, Señor Santo Niño. Almost 100 participants from various schools and provinces all over the country and some from international destinations, would gear up with their most fabulous native costumes and dance to the Sinulog beat.

    During the evening, there are firework displays, followed by endless street partying until the wee hours of the morning.


  • Taoist Temple
    This is one of the oldest and most popular temples in Cebu. It contains several documents of Lao-Tse.

    Beside fortune reading, you can also climb its almost 100 steps, that lead to the temple itself. Once at the Taoist Temple you can light some joss sticks and pray to the Gods.

    One thing that you have to keep in mind, is you’re method of transport to the Taoist Temple. It is in the Beverly Hills area, which is, well hilly to say the least and you will need a vehicle that can get to the top.

    Public transport is not common up these steep streets.

  • Magellan's Cross
    This is the site where the first Christian Baptism in the Philippines took place.

  • Fort San Pedro
    This is Cebu’s version of Intramuros, only a lot smaller. Fort San Pedro is well worth a look.

  • Bascilica del Santo Nino
    This would have to be one of the oldest churches in the Philippines, being built in the 1500’s. Make sure you do not come during Sundays or Sinulog festivities, it will be jam packed with people.

  • Casa Gorordo Museum
    This used to be the home of Juan Gorordo, who served as the first Filipino bishop of Cebu City. It was later converted into a museum, a curator can take you to different rooms and levels of the home.

    A lot of Spanish-era items can be found all over the place; even the rooms have been well preserved. You can also find several paintings and the small courtyard that leads to the main street, of what is now called Pari-an. Casa Gorordo is also very near other interesting historical sites, such as the Cebu Heritage Monument; Ho Tong Hardware, which served as the convent of the first Jesuit and some of the oldest houses in the city.

  • Fuente Osmena
    Is a long busy street, which comes to life at night, with beautifully lit fountains.

  • Carbon Market
    Carbon Market is one huge street market, where you can buy just about anything extremely cheaply. If you are going to buy something this is the place to haggle, haggle, haggle, it is expected!

  • Cave Busay
    If you want some sense of adventure, you may want to go to Cave Busay. It features a tunnel nearly 300 meters long, where you and your entire family can walk through. The fresh water below the stalagmites is also a perfect place to cool off. For security measures, though, don’t forget to bring a flashlight and the right caving gear. Moreover, don’t proceed unless you have a professional guide with you.

    Some Tips about Cebu City

    Let’s be realistic here.

    Though Cebu City is truly dynamic and provides a good balance of work and play, there are still some things you have to be careful of.

    For one, traffic can be very heavy, especially during the early morning and late afternoons. At this time, students and employees are dashing into the streets, looking for public transport. It doesn’t help that some jeepney drivers can get rowdy sometimes and don’t follow traffic rules.

    A number of the streets, particularly those that are always crowded and well visited, are plagued with thieves. If you’re planning to visit or roam around, make sure that you have securely placed your belongings inside your bag. Better yet, don’t wear any jewelry when touring Cebu City.



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    Just another big city, only dirtier  
    The people have been corralled up into places called squatters areas, these people own no land and are allowed to live so close like sardines in a can, …

    Cebu City and the cost of a full time taxi 
    Basically, I was there one year ago. I stayed at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino. Security is great, I could have done without the late night entertainment, …

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