Review ｜ Rizal Park ★★★★★
Rizal Park, named after national hero Dr. José Rizal, sits just south of Intramuros, making it an easy place to drop by after exploring that area… if you have the energy. It’s also a stone’s throw from the National Museum of Fine Arts and the National Museum of Anthropology, making the park an obvious place to head after spending time there. In all honesty, while the park is nice, it doesn’t warrant making a trip out to this area to see it by itself. This is definitely one of those sights you add on to your itinerary after seeing something else in the area.
The park stretches for about 1.2km, pretty much right to the edge of the ocean. It’s well manicured and cared for, as well as being really safe. I’ve never seen security to get into a park before visiting here. The park is fenced and to get in everyone has to pass through metal detectors and bag checks. I thought this was a bit of an overkill, but I suppose this keeps out the flunkies and street people. It doesn’t keep most people away though, as on holidays or weekend it feels like half the city is here enjoying the limited nature of Manila.
There are a number of smaller attractions within the park to check out, like the Asian gardens, monuments, and the Martyrdom of Dr. Jose P. Rizal, which is what we liked the best (pictured below). The park is also a nice place to just relax for a bit, hydrate, and get some ice cream. Keep an eye for the guys pushing the ice carts around, which are dirt cheap and very local.
While the park is very safe, the area south is a little more dicey. It’s a red light area and there lots of sketchy people hanging around. We didn’t have any issues, but be on your guard. Also we weary of the touts selling horse carriage rides. Always set the price and conditions of the ride before starting.
Need more information about the Philippines?
Mill over our full write up on Manila HERE.
Read our full write up on Angeles City HERE.
Check out our full write up on Cebu HERE.
Look at our full write up on Laoag HERE.
View our full write up on Vigan HERE.
Peruse our tips on Palawan HERE. (Coming soon)
Contact & General Information
Price: Free
Hours: 5am-10am / 11am-8pm
Website: N/A
Location: Google
