Getty Images/Robert Harding World Imagery

Vigan

One of the oldest towns in the Philippines, Vigan is a Spanish Colonial fairy tale of dark-wood mansions, cobblestone streets and clattering kalesa (horse-drawn carriages). In fact, it is the finest surviving example of a Spanish Colonial town in Asia and a Unesco World Heritage site. But outside of well-restored Crisologo St (closed to vehicular traffic) and a few surrounding blocks, it’s also a noisy Filipino town like many others. In the places where history feels alive, you can smell the aroma of freshly baked empanadas wafting past antique shops, explore pottery collectives and watch sunlight flicker off capiz-shell windows.

Explore Vigan

Mestizo District
The Mestizo District, or Kasanglayan ('where the Chinese live'), is a grid of streets hemmed in between Plaza Burgos and Liberation Blvd and bisected by…
P
Pottery Factories
Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, Chinese settlers pioneered a still-active pottery industry. You can visit a couple of pottery factories on Gomez St…
L
La Nuestra Señora de La Asuncion Parish Church
A Unesco World Heritage Site 38km south of Vigan, this massive baroque structure built in 1769 is unique. It has an imposing brick facade and sits alone…
S
St Paul Cathedral
This church was built in ‘earthquake baroque’ style (ie thick-walled and massive) after an earlier incarnation was damaged by quakes in 1619 and 1627. The…
P
Padre José Burgos National Museum
Built in 1788, this museum is in the ancestral home of Father José Burgos, one of the three martyr priests executed by the Spanish in 1872. It houses an…
M
Magsingal Museum
This branch of Vigan's Padre José Burgos National Museum, located 11km north of Vigan in Magsingal, displays an absorbing collection of Ilocano relics. An…
J
Juan Luna Shrine
It's worth stopping in Badoc, halfway between Vigan and Laoag (about an hour by bus), for a peek inside the restored ancestral home of Juan Luna, arguably…
M
Magic Fountain
Every night at 7.30pm during peak tourist season, the fountain in the middle of Plaza Salcedo bursts into a music and light show. It gets crowded and is…
R
Rowilda's Weaving Factory
In barangay Camanggaan, just a 10-minute tricycle ride southeast of Vigan, you can watch abel hand-weavers in action at Rowilda’s Weaving Factory, which…

Mestizo District
The Mestizo District, or Kasanglayan ('where the Chinese live'), is a grid of streets hemmed in between Plaza Burgos and Liberation Blvd and bisected by…
P
Pottery Factories
Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, Chinese settlers pioneered a still-active pottery industry. You can visit a couple of pottery factories on Gomez St…
L
La Nuestra Señora de La Asuncion Parish Church
A Unesco World Heritage Site 38km south of Vigan, this massive baroque structure built in 1769 is unique. It has an imposing brick facade and sits alone…
S
St Paul Cathedral
This church was built in ‘earthquake baroque’ style (ie thick-walled and massive) after an earlier incarnation was damaged by quakes in 1619 and 1627. The…
P
Padre José Burgos National Museum
Built in 1788, this museum is in the ancestral home of Father José Burgos, one of the three martyr priests executed by the Spanish in 1872. It houses an…
M
Magsingal Museum
This branch of Vigan's Padre José Burgos National Museum, located 11km north of Vigan in Magsingal, displays an absorbing collection of Ilocano relics. An…
J
Juan Luna Shrine
It's worth stopping in Badoc, halfway between Vigan and Laoag (about an hour by bus), for a peek inside the restored ancestral home of Juan Luna, arguably…
M
Magic Fountain
Every night at 7.30pm during peak tourist season, the fountain in the middle of Plaza Salcedo bursts into a music and light show. It gets crowded and is…
R
Rowilda's Weaving Factory
In barangay Camanggaan, just a 10-minute tricycle ride southeast of Vigan, you can watch abel hand-weavers in action at Rowilda’s Weaving Factory, which…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Vigan.

See
Mestizo District
The Mestizo District, or Kasanglayan ('where the Chinese live'), is a grid of streets hemmed in between Plaza Burgos and Liberation Blvd and bisected by…
See
Pottery Factories
Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, Chinese settlers pioneered a still-active pottery industry. You can visit a couple of pottery factories on Gomez St…
See
La Nuestra Señora de La Asuncion Parish Church
A Unesco World Heritage Site 38km south of Vigan, this massive baroque structure built in 1769 is unique. It has an imposing brick facade and sits alone…
See
St Paul Cathedral
This church was built in ‘earthquake baroque’ style (ie thick-walled and massive) after an earlier incarnation was damaged by quakes in 1619 and 1627. The…
See
Padre José Burgos National Museum
Built in 1788, this museum is in the ancestral home of Father José Burgos, one of the three martyr priests executed by the Spanish in 1872. It houses an…
See
Magsingal Museum
This branch of Vigan's Padre José Burgos National Museum, located 11km north of Vigan in Magsingal, displays an absorbing collection of Ilocano relics. An…
See
Juan Luna Shrine
It's worth stopping in Badoc, halfway between Vigan and Laoag (about an hour by bus), for a peek inside the restored ancestral home of Juan Luna, arguably…
See
Magic Fountain
Every night at 7.30pm during peak tourist season, the fountain in the middle of Plaza Salcedo bursts into a music and light show. It gets crowded and is…
See
Rowilda's Weaving Factory
In barangay Camanggaan, just a 10-minute tricycle ride southeast of Vigan, you can watch abel hand-weavers in action at Rowilda’s Weaving Factory, which…

Guidebooks

Learn more about Vigan

Uncover the heart of travel and be inspired to see new sights with one of Lonely Planet’s in-depth, award-winning guidebooks.