5 years ago I moved in to a bigger city to the National Capital Region. If you’re from the province you would probably see in the television where the celebrities live and it is in Metro Manila. It is where you can find the hustle of the people and bustle of the traffic. If you come here these are my recommended places to definitely visit.
Truth be told most of the tourists coming to the Philippines do not stay long in Metro Manila once they arrived in Ninoy Aquino International Airport instead they head to the beaches located in islands of Palawan, Cebu or Bohol even as far as Siargao. Tourists have the impression that it is unsafe to roam around the Metro because they might get scammed or robbed which is true for most big cities, right? But under Duterte administration I can say from my personal point of view that criminalities have lessen and people feel safer than before. If you are a local or foreigner you should not miss to appreciate what we have here in Metro Manila and how we thrive to make things better.
There are a lot of options to get around. You have to take the public transportation like MRT, LRT1 or LRT2, jeepneys, busses, fx shuttle, shared ride such as Grab or Angkas. Taking the jeepney is the cheapest. Come and check my 5 recommended attractions here in Metro Manila.
1.) INTRAMUROS – The walled city for Filipino history
HOW TO GO HERE IN INTRAMUROS:
You can hop in UBE Express bus going to Robinsons Malate and from there you either walk, ride a taxi or Grab, jeepneys, there are also tricycles or “padyak bikes” offering a ride (if you want to experience those) for you to get in Intramuros Heritage Site. It is rich in history and you can enjoy activities by simply walking around or rent a Bamboo bike. There are cafes and souvenir shop called Silahis for cool artworks and Filipino craft.
You can have a quick sight seeing here if you have a long layover in NAIA airport. You can book a hotel in Malate area and visit Intramuros Heritage site. If you have spare 1-2 days you can stroll around the area of Intramuros as it is near the Luneta Park, National Museum, National Planetarium and Ocean Park. Head out to Robinsons Ermita Place to have variety of food choices and some shopping in Go Lokal Arts & Crafts Store. If you are a book lover I recommend you to check out Filipino authors in Solidaridad bookshop just outside in Robinsons Ermita Place along Padre Faura street.