Ultimate Guide to Cebu City DIY Walking Tour
WHAT'S IN THIS GUIDE?
Traveling to Cebu for the first time? This detailed and curated travel guide will make it easy for you to navigate your way inside, save money, and maximize your time.
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How to Get to Cebu
✓ By Airplane
– The fastest way to reach Cebu is by plane.
– Cebu is an international destination with flights from Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea.
– Arrival is at at the Mactan International Airport almost daily.
✓ By Sea
There are daily ferries to and from Cebu, Manila, Bohol, Negros, Leyte, Butuan, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Ozamis, Iligan and etc.
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Pre- Travel Tips
✓ When is the best time to visit Cebu?
✓ Travel Must Haves
When is the Best Time to Visit Cebu?
Anytime of the year.
Travel Must-Haves
✓ Google Map App – A life-saver for me because without it, I might get lost.
✓ Google Translate – Super powerful app. Translate anything.
✓ Sunscreen – Protect yourself from sunburn or much worse – Cancer.
✓ Pocket Wifi or Sim Card – The convenient of searching anything is a go-to. Please don’t forget this baby. It is a life-saver for me though.
Cebu City DIY Walking Tour
There are fourteen (14) heritage stops in Cebu City from Fort San Pedro to Museo Sugbo, as shown in the map, are the very representation of these old fortifications which can be covered in half to a whole day tour depending on your pace.
1st STOP : FORT SAN PEDRO
Exact Location: A. Pigafetta Street, Cebu City, 6000
- Description: Fuerza de San Pedro or most commonly called Cebu Fort San Pedro, is a military defense structure that was built in 1565 during the Spanish era. The fort was originally made of wood and built after the arrival of Spanish explorer Miguel López de Legazpi. (He came 4 years after Magellan).
- Entrance fee: PHP 30 (SGD$ 0.75 ,US$ 0.6, € 0.5)
- Operating Hours: Everyday, 8:00 a.m.-08:00 p.m.
2nd stop: PLAZA INDEPENDENCIA
Exact Location: A. Pigafetta Street, Cebu City, 6000
- Description: Plaza Independencia is one of the most significant sites in the history of Cebu. It is a symbol of independence and freedom from all the conquerors that tried to take over the island of Cebu.
- Entrance fee: FREE
- Operating Hours: Everyday 08:00 AM – 05:00 PM
3rd stop: MALACAÑANG SA SUGBO
Exact Location: A. Pigafetta Street, Cebu City, 6000
- Description: The Malacañang sa Sugbo, which is also referred to as Malacañang of the South, is the official residence of the President of the Philippines in the whole Visayas and named after the presidential house in Manila, Malacañang Palace.
- Entrance Fee: FREE
4th stop: MAGELLAN’S CROSS
Exact Location: Osmeña Blvd, Cebu City, Cebu (At the back of Sto. Nino Cebu)
- Description: Magellan’s Cross was planted by the explorers in 1521 as ordered by Ferdinand Magellan to mark the start of Christianity in the Philippines. To preserve its form, the cross is encased in a bigger wooden cross and housed in an octagonal kiosk which has a ceiling decorated with murals that depict Cebu’s conversion to Christianity.
- Entrance fee: FREE
- Operating Hours: Everyday, 8:00 a.m- 6:00 p.m
Read more: How to Get to Magellan’s Cross
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5th stop: BASILICA MINORE DEL SANTO NIÑO DE CEBU
Exact Location: Osmeña Blvd, Cebu City, Cebu (Fron of Magellan’s Cross)
- Description: The Basilica was founded in 1565 which keeps the oldest image of Sto. Niño (the child Jesus Christ) that was presented by Ferdinand Magellan to Queen Juana, the chief consort of Rajah Humabon, during her christening on April 14, 1521. Over the years, the image has acquired an increasing number of devotees which are now accommodated at the pilgrim center at the same compound. The devotion to the child Jesus is mostly celebrated during the Sinulog festival which happens every 3rd Sunday of January.
- Entrance fee (for the museum): PHP 30.00 (SGD$ 0.75 ,US$ 0.6, € 0.5)
- Operating Hours (for the museum): Mondays to Sundays (except Wednesdays), 9:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m & 1:00 p.m.– 5:00 p.m.
- Note: Cameras are not allowed inside the museum.
Read more: How to Get to Basilica del Sto. Nino Cebu
6th stop: CEBU METROPOLITAN CATHEDRAL
Exact Location: Legazpi St. corner P. Burgos St, Cebu City, Cebu
- Description: The Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral is the ecclesiastical seat of the metropolitan archdiocese of Cebu. It is under the titulage of St. Vitalis, whose feast day on April 28 coincides with the very same day that the image of the Sto. Niño de Cebu, currently kept at a basilica nearby, was found almost 450 years ago, and the elevation of Cebu to an archdiocese.
- Entrance Fee: FREE
7th stop: CEBU CATHEDRAL MUSEUM
Exact Location: F. Urdaneta St. corner P. Burgos St., Cebu City, Cebu
- Description: The Archdiocesan Museum of Cebu or simply the Cebu Cathedral Museum is situated right across the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral. It houses numerous religious artifacts from the Spanish period. The museum opened in November 2006 and is managed by the Archdiocesan Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church.
- Entrance fee: PHP 50 (SGD$ 1.25 ,US$ 1, € 0.84) for locals, PHP100 (SGD$ 2.50, US$ 2, € 1.7) for foreigner
- Operating Hours: Tuesdays to Saturdays, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
8th Stop: RAJAH HUMABON MONUMENT
Exact Location: P. Burgos St., Cebu City, Cebu
- Description: The monument honors Rajah Humabon, the first Filipino chieftain to have been converted to Christianity by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521. He was baptized and given the name Don Carlos.
- Entrance Fee: FREE
9th stop: COLON STREET OBELISK
Exact Location: Colon St, Cebu City, Cebu
- Description: The obelisk marks the start of Colon Street, the oldest street in the Philippines established in 1565 by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. Colon is derived from Cristobal Colon, the Spanish name of the explorer known in English as Christopher Columbus.
- Entrance Fee: FREE
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10th stop: HERITAGE OF CEBU MONUMENT
Exact Location: Lopez Jaena, Parian, Cebu City
- Description: The Heritage of Cebu Monument is a tableau of sculptures made of concrete, bronze, brass and steel showing scenes about events and structures related to the history of Cebu. The construction of the monument began in July 1997 and it was finished in December 2000.
- Entrance Fee: FREE
11th stop: JESUIT HOUSE OF 1730
Exact Location: 26 Zulueta St, Cebu City, Cebu
- Description: The Jesuit House of 1730 or Museo De Parian is possibly one of the oldest houses in the country and was built centuries ago, supposedly during the same century when Yap-Sandiego was constructed. Considering many artifacts in the Museo De Parian, it was assumed that the house was built in the 1730s. But recently, historians and architects collected some evidence which supports the fact that Museo De Parian was built way before 1730s; although the exact year it was built is still not clear.
- Entrance Fee: PHP100 (SGD$ 2.50, US$ 2, € 1.7)
- Operating Hours: Mondays to Saturdays, 8:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
12th stop: YAP-SAN DIEGO ANCESTRAL HOUSE
Exact Location: Lopez Jaena, Parian, Cebu City
- Description: During the 1880’s, Maria Florida Yap, the eldest daughter of Don Juan and Doña Maria, married Don Mariano Sandiego who was that time the Cabeza de Barangay of Parian. The house has surpassed a couple of generations. In 2008, the ancestral house was turned over under the care of Val Sandiego and his wife, Ofelia. Val Sandiego, one of Cebu’s famous choreographers, heritage icon and art collector, is the great great grandson of Doña Maria Yap-Sandiego. It is a historic residence constructed in the 17th-century featuring hand-carved furniture, art & a garden.
- Entrance fee: PHP100 (SGD$ 2.50, US$ 2, € 1.7)
- Operating Hours: Everyday, 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
13th stop: CASA GORORDO MUSEUM
Exact Location: Lopez Jaena, Parian, Cebu City
- Description: The Casa Gorordo Museum was originally a two-storey house built in the mid-19th century in the historic Parian district of Cebu City. Built in the 1850s, this former residence of Juan Gorordo offers guided tours, a cafe & a gift shop.
- Entrance fee: PHP120 (SGD$ 3, US$ 2.4, € 2)
- Operating Hours: Everyday, 10:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m.
14th stop: MUSEO SUGBO
Exact Location: M. J. Cuenco Ave, Cebu City
- Description: The last stop of the heritage walk, Museo Sugbo was once a Spanish jailhouse which now serves as a museum for artifacts that were accidentally excavated in 2006 at Plaza Independencia when a tunnel was being constructed. Museo Sugbo is also the Cebu Provincial Museum located in the former Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, four blocks from Plaza Independencia.
- Entrance fee: PHP 30 (SGD$ 0.75 ,US$ 0.6, € 0.5) for locals, PHP 75 (SGD$ 1.88 ,US$ 1.5, € 1.25) for foreigners
- Operating Hours: Mondays to Saturdays, 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
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TIPS, NOTES AND REMINDERS
1.Study Your Location
Every location is unique and so are the rules while trekking on it. Carry a map with you all the time so that you know exactly where you are so that you can find your way back.
2.Medical Kit
Stuff your bag with all the necessary medicines and medical tools.
3.Emergency Contacts
Remember “Prevention is better than cure.” This is just a precautionary step. I genuinely do not want to see you in any trouble at all
4.Please Inform
“Leaving a simple text to your family or trusted friends.” If something unfortunate happens, your loved one’s will find you.
5.Plenty Of Essentials
Carry at least 3 liters of water and plenty of nutrition bars. They are light and filling till the time you find any other source.
DID YOU ENJOY THIS POST? PIN IT FOR LATER!!!
Have you ever been to the places I’ve listed above? Go and try them yourself!
Always remember to “Develop your One Days to Day Ones!“
XOXO,
