Cebu

Gem of the Pacific

A very happening island destination in Asia and the Pacific, Cebu offers idyllic beach getaways and popular diving spots, thrilling eco-adventures and extreme sports, heart-stopping Instagram-worthy festivals, and state-of-the-art shopping and nightlife.

This island-province throbs with history, too. Its capital, Cebu City, is the oldest city in the Philippines. Said to be the “cradle of Christianity in Asia,” it takes pride in its homegrown saint, San Pedro Calungsod.

Today, Cebu is a global hub for business and design. International luxury magazines turn the spotlight on Kenneth Cobonpue’s cutting-edge bamboo furniture and Monique Lhuillier’s intimate fashion apparel. Phone calls from around the world are processed in Cebu’s thriving BPOs, better known locally as call centers, staffed by highly educated graduates from Cebu City’s top-caliber schools and universities.

And we haven’t even mentioned all the culinary feasting to be had.

See Sample Itinerary

  • The Mactan-Cebu International Airport is the bustling gateway to the Philippines’ Queen City of the South.
  • The island-province’s strategic central location ensures that the ports teem with 24-hour traffic, welcoming people from the nearby islands as well as goods and services from all over the world. Seize this opportunity: You can hop on fast-craft water vessels to hie off to neighboring island destinations.
  • In Cebu City, take the jeepney, a vernacular minivan dubbed the king of the road. You have to know where you want to go, though, since the jeepneys have set routes, aside from a set fare tariff. Jeepneys require cash payments.
  • To go outside the main city, there are many buses ready to take you to wondrous travel surprises in the provincial route.
  • Go to Oslob town and dive with whale sharks, the biggest fish in the world
  • For extreme sports enthusiasts, strap yourself up and walk on the see-through glass floor at the edge of the 38th floor of the Crown Regency in downtown Cebu City, some 127 meters up the street. Or take the zip line that swings you 500 feet up in the air.
  • Have a beer at the Tops Lookout above Lahug district. It has a breathtaking view of the city, the sea and the neighboring islands.
  • Do some island hopping! Try the twin Camotes Islands or Bantayan Island, whose fiesta is on Good Friday.
  • Try scuba diving at, say, the marine sanctuaries at Hilutungan and Nalusuan, and get up close and personal with thresher sharks and mandarin fish, among others.
  • The Mactan-Cebu International Airport is the bustling gateway to the Philippines’ Queen City of the South.
  • Experience the Philippine jeepney, a local public transportation adorned and painted with kitsch decorations representing local culture and arts.
  • Get high in Cebu’s Edge Roller Coaster at the 38th floor of the Crown Regency, about 430 ft. high with a breathtaking panoramic view of Cebu City.
  • Go on a sunrise hike to Osmena Peak, known for having the most picturesque panoramic views across jagged cliff lines and the ocean.
  • See Magellan’s Cross, planted in 1521 by the famous explorer.
  • Explore Fort San Pedro, the nucleus of Spanish settlement in the Philippines.
  • Visit Casa Gorordo Museum and find out how the genteel Filipinos lived.
  • Light joss sticks and have your fortune told at the Taoist Temple.
  • Spot hundreds of migratory birds at the Olango Wildlife Sanctuary.
  • Scuba dive in the coral islands of Mactan, Moalboal, and Pescador; and snorkel or scuba dive with ‘sardine balls’ or school of sardines at Panagsama Beach.
  • Go for a canyoneering adventure and cliff jumping with your friends in Bandian or go for a trek and picnic at Kawasan Falls.
  • Plan a lazy beach day or weekend at the Bandian Island Wellness Resort, a white-sand island with a spectacular sea and mountain view.
  • Escape from the hustle and bustle of city life and enjoy the natural charm of Bluewater Sumilon, a tropical island getaway and simply stunning.
  • Shop for exotic finds in the markets of Carbon and Taboan.
  • Browse the shops in Mandaue for fantastic furniture designs – one of Cebu’s specialties.
  • Support Mactan’s local guitar industry, Cebu’s finest handcrafted guitars since 1919 and exporting more than 300,000 per quarter worldwide.
  • Discover Cebu’s ‘love affair with a local chocolate’ at Casa de Cacao, offering Chocolate Appreciation Tours, sikwate variants, and cacao-based meals.
  • Masareal, the legendary Cebu delicacy, is a sweet peanut bar that melts in your mouth sinfully. Eat it right away!
  • Titay’s Rosquillos, those crispy donut-shaped flat cookies with jagged edges, are beloved favorites.
  • Shamrock’s Otap is a tongue of crunchy goodness that breaks up into its delicious flaky layers in your mouth.
  • There simply is nothing like Lola Pureza’s Peanut Browas. To die for!
  • Grab all sorts of dried fish at the Taboan Market.
  • If you must, you can bring a Cebu lechon, or roast pig, on your flight back.
  • Ralfe Gourmet and The Chocolate Chamber (TCC), which produces artisanal cacao products and chocolates, such as chocolate pizza.
  • Try the famous Cebu lechon at Zubuchon and Rico’s Original Lechon
  • Experience a “Sutukil” meal – short for Sugba (grill), Tula (stew), and Kilawin (to cook in vinegar, i.e. a local version of sashimi)
  • Other signature dished to try: humba (braised pork), Ngohiong (deep fried spring roll made of ubod or bamboo shoots and ground pork)
  • Cebu pastries and sweets are perfect gifts and souvenirs

HOW TO GET THERE

Fly from the US (Nonstop from LAX, SFO, HNL, GUM, SPN) to Manila (MNL)

Fly from Canada (Nonstop from YVR and YYZ) to Manila (MNL)

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