If you like big cities you’ll enjoy exploring all the delights that Manila has to offer. Many who travel to Manila find this to be one of the most exciting cities in Asia.
Manila is an old city with a rich colonial and military history. It offers an intoxicating blend of cultures, a good supply of historic sites and places to visit . In Manila, you can eat, drink, shop 24 hours a day and mingle with the very friendly and hospitable locals.
Manila is home to over 12 million people and like most of the other major cities of this size, it too is overcrowded, suffers from appalling traffic jams and with extreme living conditions and way of life from one part to another.
Like many other large cosmopolitan cities, Manila too has enormous shopping malls, first class hotels, top restaurants and exclusive night life venues. You will find this mix in sparkling districts like Makati, Ortigas and Fort Bonifacio.
In this lively and diverse city, you’ll find an array of different tourist attractions to keep the days busy. Those keen on learning about the history of this wonderful place will find the selection of museums of great interest – particularly the National Museum of the Philippines where many of the important artefacts are displayed and the Metropolitan Museum of Manila.
If you feel the need to ‘get away’ for a day from Manila, then maybe head to the nearby beaches and resorts of Cavite. Excursions to Anilao are also popular, where scuba diving and snorkelling is often the order of the day. Less than an hour away, Antipolo City makes for a good day trip, being home to many excellent restaurants and superb panoramas of Metro Manila. San Fernando is just a little farther and famed for its December Lantern Festival, with both the towns of Taal and Tagaytay also being close by, along with Corregidor Island, which is steeped in military history
Manila is a fabulous gateway to the Philippines’ pristine beach resorts and we highly recommend stopping a few nights in this bustling city before spending some time relaxing, snorkelling and simply exploring the rest of the Philippines’ fabulous islands.
