Cebu City ｜ Adventures In Central Visayas
Cebu, located 850km south of Manila, is both an island and a city. One is like heaven on earth, while the other is more like a living hell. Most travel to Cebu to experience the natural wonders that are abound and the smart ones avoid the big city as much as possible.
Cebu City suffers from all the issues that other cities in the Philippines have, and it might actually be worse here. The traffic is crippling, it’s overpopulated, very polluted, and there’s isn’t much of anything to see. In short, it’s a gateway to much better places. A necessary moment of pain that travelers must experience to get to the pleasures found around the island. You get the idea.
Getting To Cebu City
The simplest way to get to Cebu City is to just fly there. Mactan-Cebu International Airport is one of the major gateways into the Central Visayas area, and into the Philippines if you’re coming from abroad.
There’s also several ports located in the city. Three piers offer domestic travel, with the bulk of traffic coming and going from Terminal 1. There’s an international port which seems only for shipping.
There are also several bus stations depending on where you’re coming from (or going to). There is the Cebu North Bus Terminal if you’re coming from the north. If you’re coming from anywhere in the south, you’ll be deposited in the South Bus Terminal.
Getting Out of Cebu City
Hopefully you’re not staying in staying in Cebu City very long. We actually made a beeline from the airport right to the South Bus Terminal and left the city as soon we got there. Best decision we made on the whole trip.
If you’ve flown into to Cebu, you most likely are aiming to go somewhere else on Cebu or heading to one of the other island in the region. The three main options would be heading north to Bogo City, going south to Moalboal, or heading over to Bohol island to see the Chocolate Hills.
Moalboal, a small seaside town on Cebu Island, has developed into a backpacker hot spot of premier beaches & diving, but is it worth a visit?
Bohol island is a nature-lovers paradise but is it the best choice for your trip? Sporting great dive sites, lush forests, and the amazing…
*We didn’t go to the north of Cebu island, so we can’t give any meaningful advice.
Getting Around Cebu City
Getting around Cebu city is very similar to other big cities in the Philippines, but the traffic is somehow much worse. Set your expectations low and triple the amount of time you think you’ll need to get someone. Chances are it will take longer that than.
Jeepney
Jeepneys are the transportation of choice for Filipinos. The exhaust spewing, opened air mini-buses are everywhere around the city. They are cheap, with rides costing a flat ₱12. While cheap, they do have a few major problems; because they are so long, they have difficulty navigating the streets. They end up stuck in the terrible traffic throughout the city as well as being one of the major factors that causes the horrendous traffic.
There is also the issue of navigating the correct route you want to travel. Most likely you will need to change at least once, even possibly several times, make it confusing, time consuming, and more expensive than you first thought. However they are a great option if you’re on a major road and just want to travel a few kilometers in one direction.
Tricycle
There are lots of tricycles around Cebu City. Tricycles don’t have a meter, so you will need to negotiate a price before you go. You will never get the local price and will be seriously fleeced. Expect to pay a minimum of ₱100, even for short rides.
My advice is to only use them as a last resort.
Taxi Cabs & Moto Taxis
This is no way to escape the terrible traffic in Cebu City, but at the very least you can ride in comfort and air conditioning. This is, by far, the best way to get around in the city. There is almost an unlimited supply of taxi cabs roaming around, however tourists should be careful to avoid all the usual pitfalls of taxi scams.
To help avoid this issues, you can use the taxi app Grab (Google Play / Apple). Depending on where you are, you might need to wait for a driver to get you, but I’ve never had to wait longer than 10 minutes.
As far as I know, Joyride (Google Play / Apple) isn’t available in Cebu City yet.
Sightseeing In Cebu City
Cebu City really doesn’t have much going for it, as you’ll see. It’s just another reason why pushing on as soon as possible makes sense. Even completionists are going to have a hard time filling a day with things to see. Coupled with how daunting it is to get around, most of the sights aren’t worth the time and effort.
➣Temple of Leah (₱150; 6am – 11pm)
Located on the hills outside of the city, here, it will take a fair bit just to get here. While that shouldn’t put you off, the fact that it’s a fake Roman building that is still mostly under construction should.
Dubbed as Cebu City’s “Taj Mahal” because it’s a mausoleum to Leah Albino-Adarna, someone you’ve probably never heard of.
Entry is priced at a ridicules ₱150. For that you get the pleasure of paying to eat in their cafe, seeing fake Roman art (if the “museum” is even opened), and admiring the view, which I heard it pretty nice but can be done for free elsewhere. This place has all the markings of a tourist trap, which is why we skipped it.
If you still feel compelled to go, the easiest way to get there is by taxi. If you’re worried about the cost, you can also take a jeepney there. Head to the Cebu Transcentral Highway and catch a jeepney heading north-west with route code 04D, 04I, or 04H (Lahug-Busay).
➣Fort San Pedro & the Waterfront Area (₱30; 8am – 5pm)
Fort San Pedro, located here in the Waterfront area, is a pleasant enough area to walk around and explore. Locals hang around Plaza Independencia, so you’ll see plenty of families here with lots of kids running around. There are some street hawkers in the area selling water, ice cream, and toys.
Fort San Pedro is a s a military defense structure built during the Spanish occupation and now houses a small historical museum, which is opened from 8am to 5pm. A half hour should be enough to cover everything, maybe an hour if you spend a lot of time walking around the plaza.
Eating, Drinking, & Sleeping
Food
Cebu City’s food scene can be a little tricky for outsiders to access. I read a lot about the great Filipino barbecue scene the city has, but when I was there I had trouble emerging into it. There seems to be quite a few neighborhood places that the locals go to and swear by. If you’re not with someone from the city, it feels quite difficult to find the places that stand out. As well, it seems that a fair number of places are set up for family style meals (big plates to be shared) which can really handicap solo travelers and couples. In the end, we didn’t enjoy the food scene but I am certain there are a lot of wonderful places to eat. It’s just the barrier of entry was too difficult for us to get through.
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Commonly Uncommon Coffee is a caffeinated connoisseur’s hangout, offering cold brews, ice floats and an assortment of teas. Located in …
Lighthouse is an upscale restaurant with a focus on traditional foods of the Central Visayas region. If you want to try something like …
Tightrope Coffee in Cebu city is a so called third wave coffee shop. Do they deliver a high quality caffeine fix? We dropped in and had …
Drinking & Entertainment
There’s are plenty of places to drink in Cebu City, of course, but it lacks a solid drinking area. For this reason, it’s hard to get out and sample a lot of places. There were a lot of bars I wanted to try, but they were too far to visit for just having a drink.
Turning Wheels Brewery, Cebu City’s only real craft brewery, churns out around a dozen types of beer. Is their beer worth the journey to …
➣Nuat Thai Foot & Body Massage
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Sleep
There are plenty of places to lay your head after a night of parting, though prices are greatly out of step with the quality of what you get, unfortunately. I’ve only been to the city once, so I can only offer advice on one place to stay.
➣Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino
The Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino was the premier place to stay when it opened back in the 1990s, but how is it now over 30 years …
How Long To Stay in Cebu City
As little as possible. Optimally, if you can fly in and out without actually staying in the city, you’d be better off for it. I know it sounds harsh, but the truth often hurts.
Scams, Dangers, & Annoyances
Cebu City seems to be mostly safe. We spent time at the waterfront at nigh and walked through some local neighborhoods without any issues. It’s fairly easy to wonder off the main roads into the poorer areas, where you’ll get a lot of looks. Mostly people are just curious, but some might feel uncomfortable. It would be wise, of course, to remain vigilant in these areas.
There is one major scam all travelers should be aware of:
➣The BIGGEST Scam in the Philippines
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There is also one major danger you’ll find throughout the country:
➣Broken Pedestrian Infrastructure
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If you plan on just the bus, you should check out:
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Need more information about the Philippines?
Mill over our full write up on Manila HERE.
Read our full write up on Angeles City HERE.
Look at our full write up on Laoag HERE.
View our full write up on Vigan HERE.
