Must see attractions in Manila

The heart and soul of Quezon City is this vast park at the centre of a roundabout where several major avenues merge. There's all sorts of local flavour…

As well as being an excellent, comprehensive look at the Philippines' flora, fauna, geography and geology, Manila's latest and greatest museum is an…

First built in 1581 (and rebuilt seven times since, most recently in 1951 following its destruction in WWII), Manila Cathedral's present edifice looks…

Busy Don Chino Roces Ave (Pasong Tamo) has evolved into an art district of sorts, and this hip collection of galleries, furniture shops and design labs is…

Not only is this one of Manila's finest pieces of surviving pre-WWII art deco, but it's also the centrepiece of the Escolta St revival. Inside are…

Built in 1914, this beautiful ancestral home is the former residence of Perona Nakpil, the widow of Andrés Bonifacio ( father of the Philippine Revolution…

If you have a spare half-day, make the trip out to the lovely, leafy University of the Philippines Diliman campus. It has a genuine American university…

This is an art museum where you become the subject. It contains scores of three-dimensional murals and paintings designed to play tricks on your camera…

At the entrance to the site of Rizal’s execution is a black granite wall inscribed with Rizal’s ‘Mi Ultimo Adios’ (My Last Farewell). Eight tableaux of…

A mismatch among Makati's corporate high-rises, this fantastic art and design gallery was established by prominent businessman and former UN diplomat,…

This gallery in the colonial Casa Tesoro mansion features regular changing shows of experimental art and installations in its 2nd-floor gallery…

This park and wildlife rescue centre (open 9am to 4pm Tuesday to Sunday) runs a mini-zoo where confiscated animals and injured wildlife are nursed back to…

This museum provides access to the attached 16th-century San Agustin Church, a Unesco Heritage site. The museum itself is no slouch, offering tantalising…

In the historic, beaux-arts Calvo Building (1938), this little museum houses a treasure trove of pre-WWII photographs and memorabilia. Of particular…

This proud museum contains many of the Philippines’ signature works of art, including Juan Luna’s seminal Spoliarium, a colossal painting that provides…

This excellent science museum succeeds in balancing education with fun, with plenty of cool interactive exhibits, including a planetarium, a printing…

This art museum on the leafy University of Philippines Diliman campus has a mix of changing modern and experimental art shows, and a permanent collection…

Splendid sunset views of Manila Bay can be had from the pedestrian Baywalk that runs along Roxas Blvd. There's plenty of local colour here as well,…

A classy CCP gallery housing an extensive collection of contemporary and classic Filipino art.

The Coconut Palace was one of Imelda Marcos' great white elephant projects in the 1970s. It was so named because of the extensive use of coconut building…