Manila

Guarding the entrance to the Pasig River is Intramuros' premier tourist attraction: Fort Santiago. Within the fort grounds is an oasis of lovely manicured gardens, plazas and fountains leading to an arched gate and a pretty lily pond. Within is the beautifully presented Rizal Shrine museum, the building where Dr José Rizal – the Philippines’ national hero – was incarcerated as he awaited execution in 1896. It contains various fascinating displays of Rizal memorabilia and a recreation of his cell and the courtroom trial.

Within a resplendent neoclassical building, this superb museum houses a vast and varied collection, including the skullcap of the Philippines’ earliest known inhabitant, Tabon Man (said by some to actually be a woman), who lived around 24,000 BC. A large section of the museum is devoted to the wreck of the San Diego, a Spanish galleon that sank off the coast of Luzon in 1600, with salvaged items such as shell-encrusted swords, coins, porcelain plates and jewellery on display.

Still widely known as 'Luneta' (its name until the 1950s), Manila’s iconic central park is spread out over some 60 hectares of open lawns, ornamental gardens, ponds, paved walks and wooded areas, dotted with monuments to a whole pantheon of Filipino heroes. As the place where José Rizal was executed by the Spanish colonial authorities, it's also of great historical significance. The Rizal Park Visitors Centre provides a map detailing some 40 sights within the park.

The San Agustin Church was the only building left intact after the destruction of Intramuros in WWII. Built between 1587 and 1606, it is the oldest church in the Philippines. The massive facade conceals an ornate interior filled with objects of great historical and cultural merit. Note the intricate trompe l’oeil frescos on the vaulted ceiling. Be sure to check out the tropical cloisters as well as the slightly shabby gardens out the back.

As in life, so it is in death for Manila’s wealthy Chinese citizens, who are buried with every modern convenience in the huge Chinese Cemetery. It's far from your ordinary cemetery and instead feels like a residential suburb with streets lined with mausoleums – some of which feature crystal chandeliers, air-con, hot and cold running water, kitchens and flushing toilets (in case the interred are caught short on the way to paradise).

A must for Imelda Marcos junkies is the Marikina Shoe Museum. There's the footwear of various Filipino luminaries on display here, but it's Imelda’s shoes people come for – about 800 pairs of them, lined up in rows behind glass cases. That’s only about 25% of the hoard left behind in Malacañang Palace by the eccentric former First Lady.

This fantastic museum in Antipolo, in the hills just east of Metro Manila, showcases some of the Philippines' best contemporary artists. There are six impressive galleries, outdoor art installations, and an indigenous arts wing where you can get an authentic Kalinga (North Luzon) tattoo. The beautifully landscaped grounds, with sweeping views of smog-choked Manila, are a welcome escape from the urban madness. Figure on P450 each way for a taxi from Makati (50 minutes).