Discover with Timothy
21st Anniversary as Content Creator

Cebu City, Philippines

Cebu City, PhilippinesCebu City, Philippines
photo sourcehttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cebu_City.jpg
authorshipP199
photo licensing

Cebu City is the second biggest city in the Philippines outside Metro Manila. Located on the island also called Cebu, Cebu City is the oldest city in the country, having been founded by the Spanish as early as 1571.

Magellan's Cross, Cebu CityMagellan's Cross, Cebu City
photo sourcehttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Magellans_Cross_Inside.jpg
authorshipMagalhães
photo licensing

Cebu City is within Metro Cebu, the second most important metropolitan area in the Philippines, and includes neighboring cities of Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu and Talisay. Cebu City has a population of close to 800,000 people, while the metropolitan area contains some 2.3 million inhabitant. It is the commercial hub of the Visayas islands.

Cebu City is one of the major tourist destinations in the Philippines. It is popular for its many beautiful beaches, and is also regarded as a cultural centre of the Philippines. One of the most important relics in the city is Magellan's Cross, said to have been planted by Ferdinand Magellan himself when he arrived in the Philippines in 1521.

Cebu City Business ParkCebu City Business Park
photo sourcehttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cebu-Business-Park-Marriott-2.jpg
authorshipPeter Binter
photo licensing

Among the many cultural festivals that take place in Cebu City is the Sinulog Festival, held on the third Sunday of January to celebrate the Santo Niño. Sinulog itself has its origin in pre-Hispanic times, and has been readapted to be part of a religious festival.

Provincial Capitol Building of CebuProvincial Capitol Building of Cebu
photo sourcehttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cebu_capitol.jpg
authorshipMike Gonzalez
photo licensing

Basilica of Santo Niño, Cebu CityBasilica of Santo Niño, Cebu City
photo sourcehttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Basilica_del_Santo_Nino.jpg
authorshipMike Gonzalez
photo licensing

Cebu City Taoist TempleCebu City Taoist Temple
photo sourcehttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cebu_Taoist_Temple.jpg
authorshipAdamdaley
photo licensing

Travel to Cebu City

The Mactan-Cebu International Airport (CEB) is the international gateway to Cebu. It receives numerous daily flights from neighbouring countries. Budget carrier AirAsia flies there from Kuala Lumpur. The airport, located in Lapu-Lapu, is about half an hour from downtown Cebu. At the moment, unless you have arranged with your hotel to send a transport to fetch you, the only practical way to leave the airport is by taxi.

Travel within Cebu City

The main form of public transport in Cebu City is the jeepney. A ride costs around ₱7 to ₱20. If you prefer to take a taxi, always use one with meter. The trip will cost you much more, between ₱50 and ₱100. When riding any form of transport, make ready lose change, as the drivers may say they do not have any change for your bills.

SM City Cebu, the biggest shopping mall in Cebu CitySM City Cebu, the biggest shopping mall in Cebu City
photo sourcehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SM_City_Cebu_Southwing.jpg
authorshipMike Gonzalez
photo licensing

Sinulog Festival, Cebu CitySinulog Festival, Cebu City
photo sourcehttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sinulog_Festival_-_Procession_%283299334480%29.jpg
authorshipMarcelino Rapayla Jr
photo licensing

Places of Interest in Cebu City

  1. Magellan's Cross
    Cebu's most important historical landmark, housed in a shrine commemorating the conversion of the islanders to Christianity.

  2. Santo Niño Basilica
    Basilica built in 1565 and houses the Image of the Holy Infant Jesus, the oldest religious relic in the Philippines.

  3. Fuerza de San Pedro
    Old Spanish fort built in the 17th century, reinforced in 1738, and recently refurbished.

  4. Plaza Independencia
    Public square with obelisk honoring Miguel López de Legazpi, the Spanish conquistador who made the Philippines the capital of the Spanish East Indies.

  5. Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral
    Ecclesiastical seat of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cebu.

  6. Cathedral Museum of Cebu
    Museum next to the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral with collections dating to the 19th century.

  7. Colon Street
    The oldest street in the Philippines, and once Cebu's main street.

  8. University of San Carlos
    Site of the oldest university in the Philippines.

  9. Casa Gorordo Museum
    Museum, housed in the former residence of the first Filipino bishop of Cebu, showcasing items related to the traditional lifestyle in Cebu.

  10. SM City Cebu
    The biggest mall in Cebu City and fourth largest in the Philippines.

  11. Ayala Center
    Second biggest shopping mall in Cebu City, located at the Cebu Business Park.

  12. Gaisano Country Mall
    Shopping mall in Banilad, in Cebu City.

  13. Sian Tian Temple
    Chinese temple near Gaisano Country Mall.

  14. University of Southern Philippines' Rizaliana Museum
    Museum displaying memorabilia of national hero Dr Jose Rizal.

  15. St Theresa's College Folklore Museum
    Museum maintained by the St Theresa's College.

  16. Rizal Memorial Library & Museum
    Libray and museum honoring Jose Rizal housed in a Neo-Classical building along Osmeña Boulevard.

  17. Southwestern University Museum
    Museum displaying the rare collection of Dr Lydia Aznar-Alfonso, comprising iron-age potteries, celadons and porcelains.

  18. Aznar Coliseum
    Sports and concert venue in Cebu City.

  19. Fuente Osmeña
    Roundabout at the very heart of Cebu City.

  20. Provincial Capitol Building
    Majestic building which is the seat of the provincial government of Cebu

  21. Taoist Temple
    A major Taoist temple in the posh residential enclave of Beverly Hills in Cebu City.

  22. Mandaue City
    Mandaue City
    Industrial city within Metro Cebu.


  23. St Joseph Church
    Beautiful centuries-old church in Mandaue City.

  24. Mandaue Watchtower
    Watchtower built in the 19th century to guard the city against pirates.

  25. Mactan Island
    Island which traditionally was the place where guitars and ukuleles were hand made.

  26. Magellan's Marker
    Monument marking the spot where Ferdinand Magellan was slained.

  27. Lapu Lapu Monument
    Monument to the local warrior said to have slained Magellan.

  28. Danao City
    City located 33 km (20 miles) to the north of Cebu City, popular for its native cheese and snakeskin bags and shoes.

  29. Gato Island
    Island to the northeast of Danao City with an industry in farming sea snakes.

  30. Bantayan Island
    Osland on the northwestern tip of Cebu that is becoming a popular beach destination famous for its seafood.

  31. Malapascua
    Tiny island on the northern tip of Cebu, fast becoming a famous dive site.

  32. Carcar
    An orchard town to the south of Cebu City with well-preserved Antillan houses.

  33. Santander
    Southernmost town on Cebu Island, with old flame trees lining its coastal road.

  34. Barili Hot Springs
    Hot springs located to the south of Cebu City.

  35. Moalboal
    Popular dive spot located 3 hours south of Cebu City.

  36. Panagsama Beach
    Tourist belt on Moalboal, with restaurants and dive shops.

  37. Kawasan Falls
    Reputably the best waterfall on Cebu Island, located in the village of Badian, half an hour south of Moalboal.

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

 Discover with Timothy YouTube Channel

 Discover with Timothy Food Channel

 Learn Penang Hokkien YouTube Channel

SojiMart Videos

 Share your travels and/or ask a travel-related question

Join the Penang Travel Tips Facebook Group to share photos, tips and anything related to your travels, or ask travel-related questions.

Map of Roads in Penang

Looking for information on Penang? Use this Map of Roads in Penang to zoom in on information about Penang, brought to you road by road.

Discover with Timothy

Let me take you to explore and discover Penang through my series of walking tours on YouTube. You may use these videos as your virtual tour guide. At the beginning of each video, I provide the starting point coordinates which you may key into your GPS, Google Maps or Waze, to be navigated to where I start the walk, and use the video as your virtual tour guide.

Disclaimer

Please use the information on this page as guidance only. The author endeavours to update the information on this page from time to time, but regrets any inaccuracies if there be any.

Latest from Discover with Timothy: Gurney Bay - what to see and do there

About this website



Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

Copyright © 2003-2024 Timothy Tye. All Rights Reserved.