A travel & adventure blog by Kara Santos
Looking for a new museum to visit in Quezon City? Check out Bahay Modernismo, a house museum devoted to Philippine modern heritage inside Quezon Memorial Circle. This unique space offers a glimpse into mid-20th-century Filipino life and architecture.
When I’m not traveling, I like eating out and trying different restaurants in the city. One of my self-imposed personal side quests is to visit and dine in the oldest restaurants in Metro Manila that are still operating today. It just felt like a fun thing to do since a lot of older establishments are overlooked compared to the trendy new spots.
Below are just some of the oldest food establishments established in Metro Manila, including the oldest restaurants and oldest bakeries (some of which have cafes) where you can dine or buy food in Metro Manila. For the purposes of this list, I limited it to establishments that are more than 50 years old and the ones where I have personally eaten or visited.
Continue reading “Oldest restaurants and bakeries in Metro Manila”The Pasig River Ferry Service (PRFS) is currently the only water-based transportation in Metro Manila that plies the length of the Pasig River and parts of the Marikina River. As of January 2025, the alternative transport option remains FREE to ride for all passengers. The ferry, similar to a water bus, cruises along Pasig River from Pinagbuhatan in Pasig City to Escolta in Manila City.
If you’re looking for a different mode of transport for urban exploration, this commuter ferry has stations in Pasig, Mandaluyong, Makati, and Manila. While work needs to be done along the riverbanks in many areas, the ferry offers a glimpse of local life and offers a view of notable landmarks from a tourist’s perspective.
Continue reading “GUIDE: 2025 Pasig River Ferry Service route map, schedules, timetable & landmarks”If you use public transportation in Metro Manila, you probably already own a beep card. These stored value cards can be used to pay fare in Metro Manila’s 3 elevated railways – the LRT, LRT-2, MRT-3, point-to-point (P2P) buses, modern PUVs and Cebu ferries.
Going cashless saves you the hassle of lining up every time to get a ticket and saves you a bit on fare compared to using single-journey tickets. These cards can also be used to pay for transactions in some convenience stores and LRT-1 stalls.
Continue reading “Where to buy limited edition Beep cards with Philippine designs”Intramuros is one of the top tourist destinations in Manila for good reason. The Old Walled City is the premiere destination for any first-time tourists in transit to Manila and the go-to destination for entertaining balikbayans who might be home for the holidays. There have been a lot of improvements to the area in recent months like the Pasig River Esplanade, new museums like Centro de Turismo Intramuros and new cafes in Intramuros, which might interest the general public.
With the traffic and limited parking in the area, driving a private vehicle and finding a place to park here can feel like a chore. If you plan to revisit Intramuros but are unsure of how to get there and around, here’s a guide to help you out.
Continue reading “How to get to and around Intramuros, Manila”If you’re looking for something new to do in Metro Manila aside from visiting malls, why not explore museums? Whether you’re on a museum date with friends or exploring solo, there are many notable museums around Metro Manila worth your time. Some of these are completely free to visit.
Here’s a reference list of museums in Metro Manila for those who want to learn more about history, culture, or appreciate art. I’ve included their location, business hours and entrance fees if any.
Continue reading “Metro Manila Museum Guide | Locations, hours, fees & discounted ticket booking”For travelers, backpackers and province-based tourists, Manila is often just thought of as a stopover between flights on the way to another destination. The big city can be overwhelming with the heavy traffic and crowded streets. It’s often seen as gritty and chaotic, especially if you visit the areas of Quiapo and Divisoria.
I often take the tourist sights in Manila for granted because I live here. But if I were a first-time tourist in the Philippines or if I had to take around foreign tourists, balikbayans, expats or province-based friends, what would I do and where would I go?
Compared to many other cities around the world, Metro Manila is not a bike-friendly destination. The city itself, with the urban sprawl, horrible traffic, and lack of safe and secure bicycle lanes, makes it pretty scary to explore on two wheels. Sure, you can find many areas for urban biking in the city but chances are, these spots are difficult to get to or you’ll be exposed to the polluted city most of the time.
Looking for fun indoor activities for the whole family this holiday season? Or maybe you’ve been tasked to organize your barkada reunion, entertain balikbayan relatives, or come up with suggestions for team-building office parties. In case you’re looking for an alternative to holding a formal dinner event, eating out at a restaurant, or hosting a party at home, mall-based attractions can provide hassle-free entertainment for guests of any age.
International tourists and locals looking for a place to stay with a rich sense of history close to Manila’s major landmarks might want to check into Rizal Park Hotel. This boutique hotel located along Manila Bay is relatively new and has a unique history as it adaptively reuses the former Manila Army and Navy Club building, a National Historical Landmark originally built in 1911.
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