Top 10 Things to Do in Manila

The sweeping public park where José Rizal was executed by the Spanish in 1896 is both a solemn national shrine and a beloved green lung where Manileños picnic, fly kites, and watch the ceremonial changing of the guard at the hero's monument.

One of the largest shopping malls on Earth stretches along Manila Bay with an open-air seaside promenade, an Olympic ice rink, an IMAX cinema, and a food hall representing every Philippine provincial cuisine — a spectacle of Filipino consumer culture.

The world's oldest Chinatown — founded in 1594 — is a sensory labyrinth of roast-duck shops, dim sum parlours, tikoy stalls, and century-old apothecaries where the blending of Chinese and Filipino culture has created a unique culinary tradition.

The oldest stone church in the Philippines (completed 1607) survived every earthquake, fire, and war to become a UNESCO World Heritage site — its baroque facade and trompe-l'oeil ceiling are Manila's finest examples of Spanish colonial art.

From isaw (grilled chicken intestines) to balut (fertilised duck egg) to kwek-kwek (orange-battered quail eggs), Manila's street-food scene is adventurous, affordable, and anchored around the chaotic stalls beneath Quiapo Church.

Housed in the restored neoclassical Legislative Building, the national art museum holds Juan Luna's monumental 1884 painting Spoliarium alongside three floors of Filipino masterworks — a revelatory survey of a deeply artistic nation.

Voted among the world's most beautiful sunsets, Manila Bay's golden-hour sky — witnessed from the baywalk or a rooftop bar in Roxas Boulevard — transforms the chaotic megacity into something unexpectedly transcendent.

Manila's gleaming planned district of wide pedestrian streets, international restaurants, street art, and rooftop bars offers a modern counterpoint to the city's historical chaos — and some of the best dining in Southeast Asia.

The whole-roasted pig with crackling mahogany skin — served at every Filipino celebration from birthdays to fiestas — is arguably the greatest pork dish in the world and reason enough to visit Cebu, just a short flight from Manila.

The sweeping public park where José Rizal was executed by the Spanish in 1896 is both a solemn national shrine and a beloved green lung where Manileños picnic, fly kites, and watch the ceremonial changing of the guard at the hero's monument.

One of the largest shopping malls on Earth stretches along Manila Bay with an open-air seaside promenade, an Olympic ice rink, an IMAX cinema, and a food hall representing every Philippine provincial cuisine — a spectacle of Filipino consumer culture.

The world's oldest Chinatown — founded in 1594 — is a sensory labyrinth of roast-duck shops, dim sum parlours, tikoy stalls, and century-old apothecaries where the blending of Chinese and Filipino culture has created a unique culinary tradition.

The oldest stone church in the Philippines (completed 1607) survived every earthquake, fire, and war to become a UNESCO World Heritage site — its baroque facade and trompe-l'oeil ceiling are Manila's finest examples of Spanish colonial art.

From isaw (grilled chicken intestines) to balut (fertilised duck egg) to kwek-kwek (orange-battered quail eggs), Manila's street-food scene is adventurous, affordable, and anchored around the chaotic stalls beneath Quiapo Church.

Housed in the restored neoclassical Legislative Building, the national art museum holds Juan Luna's monumental 1884 painting Spoliarium alongside three floors of Filipino masterworks — a revelatory survey of a deeply artistic nation.

Voted among the world's most beautiful sunsets, Manila Bay's golden-hour sky — witnessed from the baywalk or a rooftop bar in Roxas Boulevard — transforms the chaotic megacity into something unexpectedly transcendent.

Manila's gleaming planned district of wide pedestrian streets, international restaurants, street art, and rooftop bars offers a modern counterpoint to the city's historical chaos — and some of the best dining in Southeast Asia.

The whole-roasted pig with crackling mahogany skin — served at every Filipino celebration from birthdays to fiestas — is arguably the greatest pork dish in the world and reason enough to visit Cebu, just a short flight from Manila.