Biyahilo - Tourist Attractions

Baguio City,also called the “City of Pines”, is home to many tourist spots and is a weekend getaway of those living in Metro Manila. It is also known as the “Summer Capital of the Philippines” because of its cool climate, fresh, green and peaceful environment. This makes it a favorite tourist destination especially for those who would like to relax and stay away from the excessive heat of the lowlands and also a favorite venue of seminars and conferences.

Famous Tourist Sights and Destinations

Burnham Park

Burnham Park is the very heart of Baguio City. It contains all the amenities of a traditional green park, mature trees, flower beds, a small lake, walking paths, open fields and facilities for bike riding and paddle boats.

Camp John Hay

Used to be an American military recreational camp during World War II, Camp John Hay is now a popular destination for people who wish to see the pine forests in the city. The place also boasts a sprawling country club with a full 18-hole golf course as well as many trendy restaurants and a nice hotel.

This place remains a “must visit” for tourists.

Mines View

Mines View is a popular tourist attraction where tourists can shop, explore and view the scenery.

Any visit to Mines View Park would not be complete without a stop at the Good Shepherd Convent where you can buy jam, brittle and other goodies. They also have a very nice view deck with the vista of the mountains of the Cordillera range as a backdrop for photos.

Wright Park

Directly across The Mansion is Wright Park that features the much photo-graphed Baguio landmark, the “Pool of Pines”.

Tall pine trees and decorative street lights line both sides of the access road beside the pool. There are times that you will find at the park some Igorots dressed in their native attire and regalia who are willing to pose for a photograph … of course, for a fee. Native handicrafts are also sold at the Mansion end of the park by a few Igorot peddlers. From the park circle is a walkway which leads to a wide stairway made of stones that descend to an area where ponies are rented out.

Botanical Garden

Also known as the Igorot Village, it showcases the native houses of the different Cordillera tribes. Tourists can usually take pictures with the Igorot tribesmen dressed in their traditional costume. It is also the home of the Baguio Arts Guild.

Botanical Garden is named such because it is tasked with growing pine seedlings and other flora and fauna for the constant “greening” of Baguio

Lourdes Grotto

The grotto is a favorite pilgrimage site during Holy Week most especially during Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Access to the top of the grotto could be made by climbing the 252 steps or by driving a light vehicle through a winding, narrow and steep asphalt-paved road. Devotees who go up to the grotto to pray usually light up a candle at an altar below the image. There are also vendors at the shrine who are willing to light up a candle for you and say a prayer for whatever personal intentions you might have.

Baguio Cathedral

Rising above the city skyline, Baguio Cathedral with its tall, pastel-colored, twin towers stands on a hill overlooking Session Road. It is one of the more familiar and most visited landmarks of Baguio. This beautiful structure has twin spires and is the most photographed structure in the city. From Session Road it is accessible by pedestrians who ascend a long concrete stairway of more than a hundred steps. Visitors and churchgoers who would rather avoid the difficult climb drive vehicles through an access road which passes behind the nearby post office building.

The cathedral was consecrated in 1936.

Panagbenga Festival

Panagbenga is month-long annual flower festival held in Baguio. The term Panagbenga a Kankanaey term that means “a season of blossoming, a time for flowering”. It was created as a tribute as a tribute to the city’s flowers and as a way to rise up from the devastation of the 1990 earthquake that devastated the city. Held every February, Panagbenga showcases street dancing, presented by dancers clad in flower-inspired costumes, that is inspired by the Bendian, an Ibaloi dance of celebration that came from the Cordillera region. One of the main attractions is the parade of floats decorated with flowers.

The festival has been very popular among locals that the City is jam packed with tourists from all over the Philippines leading to and after the festival. Hotels are fully booked and reservations have to be made months before the event.

Things to Do

Sight-seeing, Horseback Riding, Golf, Bars & Discos, Live Music, Ukay-Ukay (Second Hand Clothing), Picnics, Skating Rink, Biking, Mini-Golf, Internet Cafes, Video Arcades, Shopping for Fresh Produce

Popularity: 7% [?]

The City of Vigan is a 5th class city and the capital of Ilocos Sur. It is a World Heritage Site in that it is the most intact example of a Spanish colonial town in Asia, and is well-known for its cobblestone streets and a unique architecture that fuses Asian building design and construction with European colonial architecture and planning.

When visiting the town make sure you sample the local longganisa (pork sausage), bagnet (air-dried, deep-fried pork), bibingka (rice cake) and the empanadas at the Plaza Salcedo. You can take a tour around town on a horse-drawn calesa. Vigan is also famous for antique (both authentic and faux) furnitures and handwoven textile.

Here are some of the historical places to visit in Vigan:

Burgos House
The ancestral house of Padre Jose Burgos, along Crisologo Street, has been turned into a national museum.

It showcases an excellent collection of archeological and ethnographic treasures, antiques, dioramas of local historical events, and photographs of Ilocano heroes and achievers. On its uppper floor, you will find a priceless collection of 14 Esteban Villanueva canvasses depicting the 1807 Basi Revolt.

Calle Crisologo

Calle Crisologo is one of the main tourist attractions in the city of Vigan. A fairly well-preserved cobblestone street, a few hundred meters in length, and lined with many old buildings (that are intact, restored or in disrepair), it certainly takes one back a century or more to Vigan at its peak. Houses characterized by high ceilings, meter-thick stone walls, balconies, tiled roofs and ornate iron grillwork. These houses are still in use today as residences of the original builders’ descendants. Some have opened their homes to the public as museums and inns, while others transformed their ground floors into boutiques where you can buy gift items, antiques, fine antique reproductions, and Vigan furniture at reasonable prices.

Crisologo Museum

Crisologo Museum in Delos Reyes Street is dedicated to one of its most colorful political families.

Several decades of feuding between rival clans and their private armies of hired guns turned Ilocos Sur into a political powder keg, especially come election time.

The museum houses the Crisologo family’s memorabilia, a rich collection of historical artifacts, antique statues of saints, antique furniture, and various ethnological pieces.

St. Paul’s Cathedral

The majestic St. Paul’s Cathedral (also called Vigan Cathedral) was built along the distinct “Earthquake Baroque” style of the Ilocos region and features Neo-Gothic and pseudo Romanesque motifs. Most of the original features of the church interior are still intact. The Cathedral has twelve altars, three naves, and a choir loft. Above the main doorway is an alcove that depicts the coversion of St. Paul. Other elements such as the Fu Dogs and the moldings on its facade and the brass communion rails give hints of the Chinese influence in the church’s designs and architecture.

The first Vigan Cathedral was ordered and built in 1574 by Juan de Salcedo. Another version of the church was again constructed in 1641. The present baroque-style building was constructed in 1790 and completed in 1800. Its bell tower is located stands separately in Plaza Burgos, 10 meters south of the cathedral.

Plaza Burgos

The other major plaza of historic Vigan, Plaza Burgos is flanked by the the cathedral and the old “seminario” (which burned down in 1968). Its ambiance and the presence of kiosks offering local delicacies make Plaza Burgos a favorite promenade for local folks and visitors alike. It is a landmark tribute to the Vigan martyr priest, Father Jose P. Burgos. On the east end of the Plaza is the newly renovated, large stage where important events are held. The Plaza has an adequate and attractive lighting system, clean surroundings and mini Children’s Park. At the northwestern portion stands the century-old Bell Tower of Vigan Cathedral. The plaza’s special attraction are the “empanada” stands which are situated at its premises in the afternoon up to late evening.

Plaza Salcedo

Plaza Salcedo, named after Vigan’s conqueror Don Juan de Salcedo, is situated right at the center of Vigan Ilocos Sur. It is an elevated elliptical plaza, and among the most beautiful in the Philippines. It features the 17th century Juan de Salcedo Monument, the oldest one of its kind in Northern Luzon.

It was here in Plaza Salcedo where Gabriela Silang, a revolutionary hero, was executed by public hanging in 1763.

Palacio de Arzobispado

Completed in1783, the Arzobizpado is the official residence of the Archbishop of Nueva Segovia. The only surviving 18th century Arzobizpado in the country, the palace served as the headquarters of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo in 1898 and the invading American forces under Col. James Parker in 1899. Its Museo Nueva Segovia showcases ecclesiastical artifacts, antique portraits of bishops, a throne room, archdiocesan archives and other religious paraphernalia gathered from various colonial churches all over Ilocos Sur.

Popularity: 18% [?]