Manila Sights

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Rizal Park

The main tourist sites of Manila are located along Manila Bay.

• Intramuros - At the northern end of the Bay lies the remnants of the old walled Spanish settlement of Manila, Intramuros (Spanish for 'within the walls'). Intramuros contains some of the city's most interesting museums, ruins, and churches including the Manila Cathedral, the most important church in the country.

• Manila Hotel - Just outside Intramuros and on the edge of Manila Bay is the beautiful and historic Manila Hotel, a legacy of the American colonial era and the place where General Douglas MacArthur made his home before World War II.

• Rizal Park - Right outside the walled city is Rizal Park more widely known as the Luneta. The Luneta is the venue for the best museums of the city, bayside restaurants, an open-air theater featuring free classical music concerts, a planetarium, early morning jogging and tai chi enthusiasts, and the Manila Hotel. It is a popular meeting spot for family picnics and was the site of the execution of Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines.

• Nature and Wildlife - While there are few parks or sights of natural settings within Manila if you’re looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the city it may be worth visiting Paco Park just north of Ermita and Greenbelt Park in Makati. The Manila Zoo however is a sad sight, leaving much to be desired for the animals kept there, including a lone elephant with nothing more than a concrete floor and a caged orangutan without a single branch. Many of these animals in the wild roam over territories that measure hundreds of square kilometers, yet the entire Manila Zoo is only 0.055 square kilometres.

• Baywalk - South of the Luneta is the renovated Baywalk a linear park adjacent to Manila Bay. This promenade has now been all but shut down by a new mayor as at July 2007, most of the bars and restaurants are just empty shells.

• Malacañang Palace - Manila is the host of the official residence of the president of the Philippines. While heading your way here, you will see wonderful places. People can roam the garden afterward.

• Chinatown - Manila has one of the largest Chinatowns in the world, where one can find exotic Chinese goods and delicious cuisine.

• Churches - There are some various impressive Spanish-era Cathedrals that are more impressive than old Spanish Missions in California. Among the best churches of Manila are San Agustin Church, ; the all-steel San Sebastian Cathedral; and Las Pinas and its bamboo organ.

• Museums - Manila has seen a drastic improvement in its museum offerings with the recent renovation of old favorites such as the National Museum of the Filipino People and the Ayala Museum. Other must-see museums in the city are the Bahay Chinoy (Chinese House), Casa Manila, San Agustin Museum and the Museum of Filipino Political History, the "Museo Pambata" children's museum'.

• Plaza San Luis - A commercial complex consisting five house; Casa Manila, Casa Urdaneta, Casa Blanca, Los Hidalgos and El Hogar Filipino. Plaza San Luis showcases Filipino-Hispanic Architecture. Other than Souvenir shops there is a museum in Casa Manila.

• Mabini Shrine - Apolinario Mabini's former home. Mabini was a Lawyer and fought for Philippine Independence. During the American Occupation, this home became the first intellectual headquarters of the First Philippine Republic.

• Rizal Park - site of famous Rizal Monument, biggest public park in Metro Manila. During the Spanish Era, Filipino-Muslims take refuge in this place after the Spanish had occupied Intramuros.