Planning to pass through Cebu City and can’t help wondering if it is worth the stop? Are there enough of things to do in Cebu city that would merit a stop?
We passed through it twice and on each time, the same question popped through our mind. One of the most daunting parts about the city is its traffic and after our first couple of minutes in Cebu city we couldn’t help but wonder if exploring the city was our best option.
We could on our way back but since our accommodation at Tipolo Tree Serviced Apartments was closer to the airport, getting to the city was a pain. Luckily for us two things worked in our favor.
We met a local from the area during our time in Moalboal and Eric invited us to join him on a walking tour of the city. The second thing was that we arrived on a Sunday and traffic wasn’t bad. There turned out to be a number of really lovely things to do in Cebu city.
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Things To Do In Cebu City
Cebu city is bustling with people from different parts of the country. In fact, it is said that the city gets more crowded every day. Its traffic reminded me of the jam-packed roads in Bangalore.
Most of the interesting tourist attractions lie in the heart of the city and luckily you don’t have to keep braving the traffic once you reach there. You can just walk from one point to another. Cebu city also turned out to have a really good food scene with cuisines from different parts of the world.
1. Fort San Pedro
If you are looking for things to do in Cebu city think about visiting For San Pedro
On the top of our list of things to do in Cebu City was the Fort San Pedro. We hadn’t realized that the fort was really small from the description online. Size however does not matter because Fort San Pedro is just plain gorgeous.
It is well maintained and has a lot of plaques everywhere which explains the different parts of the fort and its significance. We found ourselves wandering around the fort in the early evening and the gorgeous sky coupled with the fort’s architecture meant that we managed to capture some really beautiful photographs.
2. Basilica Menore Del Santo Nino
If you translate the Basilica Menore Del Santo Nino it would mean ‘Minor Basilica of the Holy Child’. It was may be a minor Basilica but it certainly is gorgeous. This Basilica also has a museum attached to it. Unfortunately we reached it too late in the evening and did not get a chance to explore it as we would have liked.
3. Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral
Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral is one of the things to do in Cebu city that should be on your list.
We noticed that the streets were decorated as we drew closer to the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral. The architecture of this cathedral is Spanish and that does not come as a surprise due to the influence that the Spaniards had on religion during their occupation of the island.
We did get into the beautiful cathedral though we did not stay for long because mass was in session. Large crowds of people thronged to listen to the priest preach as the local feast drew near.
4. Heritage Monument Of Cebu
One of my favourite things to do in Cebu city is take in a view of the Heritage Monument.
One of the places that I really loved was the Heritage Monument of Cebu. You can spot it from afar. The monument is a detailed sculpture which depicts different scenes from the islands past. The artist was a local by the name of Eduardo Castrillo. You can visit the heritage monument on your way to the Yap-Sandiego Ancestral house.
5. Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House
The Yap Ancestral House is one of the amazing things to do in Cebu city.
One of the ways to dig into the culture of a place, is to visit its past. A great way to explore the Cebu culture is to visit the Yap-Sandiego Ancestral house.
Our visit to the ancestral house not only enlightened us about how the Filipinos in Cebu built their wooden houses but it also showed us so many similarities that it shared with the old Goan houses. The resemblance was striking. I guess we can pen it down to the similarities between Spanish and Portuguese cultures and their influence on the colonies.
6. Casa Gorordo Museum
Another ancestral house that you can visit is the Casa Gorordo Museum. We however chose to skip over this option since we were running short of time.
7. Catch A Bucket Of Shrimp And A Glimpse Of The Sunset By The Bay
The bay is a great place to sit and watch the sunset. A number of old buildings that are either desolate or ruined form a rather intriguing backdrop. We chose to watch the sunset while indulging in a bucket of shrimps and a couple of beers. It was the best (and a bit unconventional) decision ever!
8. Visit One Of The Many Malls
Cebu city had a surprising number of malls to choose from. I guess after the more quieter aspects of Bohol and Palawan, the bustling of the malls was a change of pace. It was intriguing and a great way to end our vacation. It also gave us a chance to do a bit of last minute souvenir shopping.
9. Indulge In Food
One thing became quickly apparent. Cebu city is a foodies paradise. There are so many different options to choose from. I don’t mean just the Filipino cuisine. The options vary from cuisines from different parts of the world. We found ourselves being torn in different directions. If you love food then I would suggest exploring the options. Not sure where to head to? The malls are a great place to start. If not, street food is a great option too!
Have you been to Cebu? What were your favourite things to do in Cebu City?
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Zaneta P Baran
Friday 8th of March 2019
I have been in Cebu many times and I was lucky enough to see these places. I love atmosphere of Cebu. I see you have many posts from the Philippines, I do live in Manila :)