Things to do in Baguio
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Cafe by the Ruins
The interior is awash in art, foliage and sculpted wood. It specialises in Cordillera-inspired Filipino dishes. Try the eggplant omelette with carabao cottage cheese for breakfast, or the suman at tsocolate (hot chocolate and sticky-rice cake) for afternoon tea.
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Pizza Volante
The pan pizza here is tops in town, and it’s not a bad place for a beer either, especially after everything else has closed. It also has a delivery service.
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Camp John Hay
Formerly a US military rest-and-recreation facility, 246-hectare Camp John Hay has been reinvented as a mountain resort with restaurants, hotels, shops and a fantastic golf course sprinkled amid rolling hills and stands of Benguet pines. Worth a visit is the Historical Core with the attractively landscaped Bell Amphitheatre and some walking trails. Nearby is the unique Choco-laté de Batriol restaurant. There’s a nice panorama from the Mile High viewpoint; the Butterfly Sanctuary is also worth a look. It’s free to enter Camp John Hay, although modest admission fees apply to some sights.
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Good Shepherd Convent
A short walk from the park is the Good Shepherd Convent, where sales of the convent's famous ubi (purple yam) jam and other preserves go toward advocacy programmes for single mothers. While you're up here take in the impressive view from Mines View Park's lookout. You'll be hard pressed to spot any mines, but a few small rice terraces are visible on the steep slopes across the valley. To get here take a Plaza-Mines View jeepney from Otek St.
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Mines View Park
Has rows of souvenir stands where you can find jam, peanut brittle, various other edibles and knick-knacks. While you’re up here, take in the impressive view from the park’s lookout. You’ll be hard-pressed to spot any mines, but a few small rice terraces are visible on the steep slopes across the valley. To get here take a Plaza–Mines View jeepney from Otek St.
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Easter Weaving Room
Has genuine Igorot weavings and garments. Also carries a broad selection of high-quality, locally made items. Easter Weaving Room sells everything from hand-woven bookmarks to tapis (woven wraparound skirts). It’s well organised and prices are clearly marked. In the basement factory you can watch women hard at work on their looms.
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Baguio Mountain Provinces Museum
The collection of Cordillera artefacts at the Baguio Mountain Provinces Museum isn’t quite as impressive, but the museum also has a compelling exhibition on the history of Baguio, with some superb old photos and placards chronicling the city’s role in WWII. There’s also one Kabayan mummy on display.
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Kusima ni Ima Restaurant
This downhome place whips up exotic Kapangpangan specialties like sweet-and-sour kalabaw, frogs stuffed with chicken and pork, frog adobo (frogs marinated with vinegar and garlic, and stewed until tender) and camaru (crickets adobo deep-fried with garlic).
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St Louis University Museum
The excellent St Louis University Museum, in the basement of the campus library, is run by Ike Picpican, one of the country’s foremost authorities on the history and culture of the Cordillera people. Free tours end with participatory native-instrument jam sessions.
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Tam-Awan Village
Eight traditional Ifugao homes and two rare octagonal Kalinga huts were taken apart and reassembled at this artists’ village on the northwest edge of the city. On a clear day you can see the South China Sea, hence the name Tam-awan, which means ‘vantage point’.
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Oh My Gulay
Baguio’s most creative interior is five storeys up under a vast atrium. It’s like a giant tree fort, with bridges, ladders and little nooks to hide in. The mercifully compact all-vegetarian menu is equally creative – try the tofu lumpia (small spring rolls) salad.
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Nevada Square
This innocuous-looking collection of bars and clubs turns into one wild and crazy fraternity party on weekends, complete with shooters, bar sports and inebriated Filipina students dancing on tabletops until the wee hours. It can be pretty quiet during the week.
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Balatoc Mines
At this abandoned mine, you can don helmet and headlamp, board an underground train and pretend you’re a miner. To get there take an Acupan–Balatoc jeepney (P28, 40 minutes) from Harrison Rd near the Burnham Hotel.
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Bliss Cafe
There are Buddhas on the tables at this earthy lacto-vegetarian restaurant. Owner-chef Shanti home-cooks delectable vegetarian pasta and a few Indian dishes. The cafe moves regularly, so check the website for its latest location.
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Balatoc Mine
At the abandoned Balatoc Mine, you can don helmet and headlamp, board an underground train and pretend you're a miner. To get there take an Acupan-Balatoc jeepney from Harrison Rd near the Burnham Hotel (around P18, 30 minutes).
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City Tavern
Live music is the name of the game at this creatively designed, open-air bar, a local favourite. Try to catch regular act Petune and its unique brand of tribal-infused reggae sung in various Cordillera dialects.
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Bell Church
The Bell Church consists of several ornate, pagoda-roofed temples near the border of Baguio and La Trinidad. The priests here have one foot in Taoism and a couple of toes in Christianity.
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City Market
Baguio’s city market is a 3-sq-km maze where vendors sell everything from lettuce to live poultry to low-quality crafts and souvenirs. Be prepared to haggle.
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Gimbal's
This musty, seedy live-music venue in the Mount Crest Hotel has seen better days, but you can't beat the around P20 San Miguel from 18:00 to midnight.
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My Diner
A classic '50s-style diner with waitresses on roller skates, Elvis photos on the wall, and reliable late-night eats and greasy breakfast food.
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Mario’s
For something fancy try this attractive Italian eatery, with exotic treats such as New Zealand mussels and salmon Rockefeller on the menu.
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Korea Palace
It’s not the cheapest of Baguio’s squillion Korean restaurants, but it is the best. The setting is a gorgeous 1930s wooden mansion.
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Red Lion Pub/Inn
The 24-hour bar here is filled up with beer-swilling expats and travellers just about any time of day. It also serves good steaks.
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Narda’s
Has genuine Igorot weavings and garments. Narda’s carries a broad selection of high-quality, locally made items.
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