Baguio City Tour Itinerary

Inhale the silhouettes of Baguio in Benguet

Backpacking | Baguio City Tour Itinerary
Baguio City, Benguet (North Luzon)
Hours: Whole Day Tour
Specs: city tour, cool climate, pine trees, city parks, famous landmarks, souvenir shopping, ukay-ukay shopping.

Notes:
. This is a 1-day Baguio City tour itinerary for those who wish to see the mainstream tourist attractions in Baguio.
. You can do this itinerary as soon as you emerge from the bus station, arrive by car or after waking up from one of the hotels in Baguio City.
. Expect to shell out about P2000-3500 for a taxi-driven tour. You’ll need to hire your ride for the whole day. Show this itinerary to your driver before closing any deal.
. Your first stop is at the oldest pine tree which can be found in Gibraltar road, on the way to Mines View Park.
. Do your souvenir shopping early in Mines View Park to give the shopkeepers a buena mano sale (first day's sale). Popular items include: Succulent plants, beanie caps, handwoven items, silver accessories, keychains and carved wood furnishings.
. Only buy strawberry preserves, peanut brittle and ube jam from Good Shepherd’s Mountain Maid Store. Just trust me on this – quality trumps cost here.
. If you are on a budget, you can still get cheap sweet pasalubongs from Mines View stalls. There you can rely on the Lengua de Gato cookies and Choco flakes.

Sweet strawberry taho (soybean curd with syrup)

. Be sure to try the strawberry taho sold steaming hot every morning in Mines View Park!
. For your next stop – Wright Park – ask to be dropped off at the horseback riding area. Instruct your driver to park at Romulo Drive (The Mansion vicinity) so you can just meet him there after your walk.
. Horseback riding at Wright Park costs about P300 per hour.
. Go via the Country Club Road on your way to Camp John Hay for more sightseeing mileage.
. You can have lunch at Le Chef in Camp John Hay Manor Hotel or or at the restaurants around the compound.
. The Mile Hi center has some American style diners where you can have your fill for less (Camp John Hay Commissary, Mile Hi Diner, Little John’s, Carlo’s Pizza). It also has some outlet stores for shopping.
. After lunch, you can visit the lost cemetery and other attractions inside Camp John Hay like butterfly sanctuary as long as you got time.
. To get to Baguio Cathedral (Our Lady of the Atonement Church), ask the driver go through the Loakan exit of Camp John Hay.
. From the catherdral, you can go crazy with your spare time. Make sure your ride is parked somewhere in the vicinity of Brunham Park so you can drop off your shopping bags in the car anytime.
. Check out the things you can do in Burnham Park like boating in the man-made lake, roller skating, biking, play football, having merienda or coffee, etc.
. Don’t miss bargain hunting in Bayanihan Hotel’s ukay-ukay shops (or wag-wagan in Ilocano, the local dialect) where you can find second hand clothes, and trinkets at flea market prices.
. Head to the Public Market afterward for some must-haves: Strawberries, Baguio longganisa (sausage), walis tambo (grass broom) and fresh vegetables.
. Other things you can get from the market are fresh flowers, dried tobacco leaves, firewood and cooking oil in blocks.
. Climb the 252 steps in Lourdes Grotto for a nice sunset experience.
. After the day, proceed to SM Baguio for dinner and some more retail therapy if you’re still up for it.
. Head back to your hotel in Baguio City if you’re staying another night. Otherwise, prepare for another long drive or hop on to the next bus back to your home base.

Options:
. You can start your trip from the city center, preferably in the Session Road area where there are 24-hour places to have breakfast.

Quality walis tambo (grass broom) from Baguio

. Consider parking fees and gas money on your total budget.
. The best time to visit Baguio are during off-peak months, to avoid the tourist crowd.
. The famous flower festival or the Panagbenga Festival is celebrated every February; the grand parade is held on the 4th Saturday of that month.
. Other mainstream places you can check out in Baguio City are: PMA (Philippine Military Academy), La Trinidad Strawberry Fields (15 minutes away from the City), Balatoc Mines (20-minute drive from the city), Golf Courses, Easter weaving Room and the Kennon Road Lion Head marker.
. The botanical garden stopover can be replaced with a drive-by to the famed Laperal white haunted house along Leonard Wood Road.
. If you are not interested in having dinner in SM, you can also try the Mongolian barbeque in O’Mai Khan (Otek St.) or Café Veniz (Session Road), both of which are near Burnham Park.
. You can cap the night in one of the bars in Nevada Square or in Korean barbeque places scattered around the city.
. Check out my Baguio art itinerary for non-traditional tourist spots to visit (soon).

Budget: around P2000 per pax
Budget estimate for 4 people:
2000 Taxi fare
700 Gas and parking
200 location entrance fees/donations/tips
2000 at least for souvenir, pasalubong and ukay-ukay shopping
2700 food share for lunch, merienda, dinner (more if you plan to have lunch in Le Chef)
400 misc (other fees, tips, etc.)

You can't go wrong with Good Shepherd's Mountain Maid products

Souvenir and pasalubong shopping

Burnham Park midday scene

Here is a Baguio City Map:

View Larger Map

Thank you for visiting!

*Pasalubong is a coming home gift for those you left behind back home, similar to the Japanese omiyage.
*Ukay-ukay literally means dig-dig – just as one digs for a good find when bargain hunting.
*Merienda is the Tagalog term for a mid-afternoon snack.