Cebu City Tour Itinerary

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Magellan's Cross

Backpacking | Cebu City Tour (first-timer essentials)
Cebu City, Cebu (Central Visayas)
Hours from Manila: 1.5 hours by air, 24 hours by sea, 2+ days by land
Specs: historical landmarks, museums, food, shopping.


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Only in Cebu have I seen the most buffet restaurants with affordable prices. Take your pick from the list below (contact me if you have any comment about this list):

. Joven's Grill (Jones St. & AS Fortuna St.) - P150++
. Royal Concourse (Gorordo) - P168++
. Tongs Eat All You Can (Mabolo or Mactan Marina Mall) - P175++
. Harbor Dimsum / Ding qua qua, JY Square Mall (Lahug) - P188++
. The Port Seafood Restaurant, Waterfront Hotel (Lahug) - Lunch P199++; Dinner P299++
. Korean eat all u can (beside NASA across BRAVIO) - Lunch P250++; Dinner P290++
. Barrio Fiesta (SM City Cebu) - Merienda P100++; Lunch/Dinner P300++
. Family's Choice (Gorordo or Gaisano Country Mall, Banilad) - P300++
. Krua Thai (SM City) - P300++
. Club Ultima's Wang Shan Lo Chinese Restaurant - Lunch P350++
. Mikado buffet (Archbishop Reyes Ave. or SM City) - P399++
. Grand Majestic (Archbishop Reyes Ave.) - Lunch P450++; Dinner P500++
. Cafe Uno, Waterfront Hotel (Lahug) - P550++
. Manuel's, Parklane Hotel - Lunch P549++; Dinner P671++
. Marriott Hotel (Cardinal Rosales Ave.) - P700++
. Cafe Marco Restaurants in Marco Polo Hotel (Nivel Hills, Lahug) - Lunch P796.80++; Dinner P983.65++
. Tides, Shangri-La Hotel (Mactan) - P1500++
. Others:
Patio Isabel
Lighthouse
Rice Café, Microtel (Mactan)
Vanilla Beach Café, Hilton Hotel
Aqua, Shangri-La Hotel

*note that prices might not be exact, hence the ++ sign; some of the rates do not include drinks

Notes:
· This itinerary is ideal for first-time Cebu City visitors who want to visit Cebu’s ‘essential’ tourist landmarks.
. Don’t forget to pick up a free Cebu city map from the tourism booth in Mactan airport!
. Taxi rates in Cebu are the same as in Metro Manila. Up to 4 passengers may sit comfortably inside a taxi cab.
. If you can, ask your taxi driver to drive by Fuente Osmena (circle) on your way to Tabo-an/Carbon Markets, so you get to see the fountain landmark.
. Casa Gorordo entrance fee is P40 for adults, P15 for college students and P10 for elementary and high school students.
. Entrance fee in Fort San Pedro (Fuerza de San Pedro) is P15 per person.
. The Santo Nino museum in Basilica Minore del Santo Nino is open Mondays-Sundays; Entrance fee is P10.
. Entrance fee to Tops is P100 regardless of how long you will stay there. You will need to hire a taxi (expensive!) or ride a jeep (take the jeep to JY Lahug, get off at JY square mall and hire a Habal-habal* for about P50 per person). You may take it out of the itinerary and just go and visit Marco Polo Hotel (it’s on a slightly elevated part of the mountain, on the way to Tops). Take the elevator in Marco Polo Hotel and go to the highest floor (roof deck café). You will have a pretty good view of Cebu City there, a cheaper trick!
. When in Tabo-an Market or Carbon Market, don’t forget to haggle, haggle, haggle!
. When pasalubong shopping, don’t forget to buy yourself a really good Cebu T-shirt (not the cheap ones from the street). Go to Island Souvenirs.
. Most locals recommend shopping for pasalubongs* like dried mangoes and otap in SM City or Metro Gaisano (instead of souvenir shops) because prices there are more consistent. There is a Metro Gaisano mall in Ayala.
. If you have time, drop by CnT Lechon for dinner (in front of SM City or in Ayala Food Choices) to taste what everybody says is the best lechon in Cebu.
. If you are not into lechon, another best place to check out is the SuTuKil/SuToKil/Su-To-Kil (Sugba-Tola-Kilaw) place near SM City.

Options:
. Best use this itinerary as a filler to your even better Cebu beach itinerary (Bantayan, Malapascua, Moalboal, Camotes, etc.).
. If have another day to spare, I suggest doing the Mactan-Olango Islands itinerary.
. Other airlines aside from Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific fly to Cebu City, like Zest Air, Sea Air, Airphil Express. Check their websites to see their flight schedules.
. The flight schedules sampled above may change in time. I suggest that you check their websites and adjust the itinerary to fit your schedule.
. There are plenty of hotels, inns and travel lodges to stay at in the City, but nothing beats staying at a friend’s/relative’s house!
. You may take some things off of the itinerary if you feel like you don’t have enough time or money. Take for example the Tops vs. Marco Polo option above and the Tabo-an vs. Carbon Market option. Just consult your map to see where it is most convenient for you to go.
. Not included on this itinerary is the Magellan’s monument and Lapu-Lapu shrine in Mactan. I suggest you visit the place on your way to the airport (before leaving Cebu). Just ask your taxi driver to take you there and wait before dropping you off at the airport. You may do some last minute souvenir shopping at the shell craft store there.
. Biking in Cebu is popular, you can grab a copy of Cycling Philippines for a detailed guide on bike routes and trails in Cebu or visit www.bugoybikers.com for info on bike events and bike rentals.
. The best time to visit Cebu is during the third week of January. There is a big celebration of the town’s festival, the “Sinulog”, every 3rd Sunday of January in honor of their patron Saint, the Santo Niño (the Child Jesus).

Budget: around P780 per pax (excluding airfare buffet lunch and hotel/inn accommodation)
Budget estimate for 4 people:
average round trip airfare from Manila is P1700 per person (promo fare around P500-P1900; regular fare around P2500-P3100)
---- hotel accommodation
900 taxi fares (maximum estimate, may be lower if you take a jeep)
--- buffet lunch
620 entrance fees
1400 food share (breakfast, snacks and dinner)
200 misc (tips, restroom fees)

*pasalubongs - gifts to take home for your family and friends
*Habal-habal – passenger motorcycle where you sit behind the rider


Mandaue-Mactan Bridge

Fort San Pedro / Fuerza de San Pedro

Taoist Temple in Beverly Hills

Dried Fish, Squid, and other finds in Tabo-an Market

Itinerary and expenses recorded on Jan 26, 2009.
Updated in June 2010.