Manila

The Manila Metropolitan Theater — locally known as the Met — is an Art Deco masterpiece on Padre Burgos Avenue, completed in 1931 and considered one of the finest examples of the style in Southeast Asia. After decades of decay, a comprehensive restoration was completed in 2021, returning the building to its original grandeur.

Casa Manila is a reconstructed 19th-century Filipino colonial house museum inside the Plaza San Luis Complex in Intramuros. It offers the most vivid glimpse of how wealthy Filipino-Spanish mestizo families lived during the late Spanish period.

The Manila Cathedral, officially the Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, is the ecclesiastical seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila. Standing on the west side of Plaza de Roma inside Intramuros, it has been rebuilt eight times following earthquakes, typhoons, and wartime destruction — a testament to Filipino resilience.

The Filipino-Chinese Friendship Arch is an ornate paifang (traditional Chinese gateway) at the entrance to Binondo on the corner of Quintin Paredes Street and Ongpin Street. Standing 12 meters tall, it marks the threshold between the modern city and the world's oldest Chinatown.

Intramuros is the historic walled city at the heart of Manila, built by the Spanish in 1571 as the seat of colonial government. Enclosed within 4.5 kilometers of stone walls and a moat, this 64-hectare district contains Manila's most important colonial-era churches, plazas, and government buildings. Walking its cobblestoned streets is the single best way to experience the Philippines' layered colonial past.

Malacañang Palace is the official residence and workplace of the President of the Philippines, situated on the banks of the Pasig River. The adjacent Malacañang Museum houses a collection of presidential memorabilia, art, and historical artifacts spanning over a century of Philippine leadership.

SM Mall of Asia (MOA) is one of the largest shopping malls in Asia, located along the Manila Bay waterfront in Pasay City. With over 600 retail stores, an IMAX theater, an Olympic-size ice rink, and a waterfront promenade, it is as much a leisure destination as a shopping center.

The renovated Baywalk is a 2-kilometer seaside promenade along Roxas Boulevard, offering Manila's most celebrated sunset views. After a major rehabilitation in 2020 that added landscaped sidewalks, ornamental lampposts, and public seating, it has become a popular evening gathering spot for locals and visitors.

Rizal Park — commonly known as Luneta — is a 58-hectare urban park in the heart of Manila, dedicated to the country's national hero José Rizal. It stretches from the Rizal Monument on the west to the Department of Finance on the east, flanked by the National Museum complex and the Manila Hotel.

San Agustin Church is the oldest surviving stone church in the Philippines, completed in 1607 by Augustinian friars. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993 as part of the Baroque Churches of the Philippines, it is one of only four such churches in the country and the only one that survived the Battle of Manila intact.

Binondo is the world's oldest Chinatown, established in 1594 by Spanish colonial authorities as a settlement for Catholic Chinese immigrants. Today it remains the commercial heart of Manila's Filipino-Chinese community, a sensory labyrinth of narrow streets packed with hardware shops, gold dealers, apothecaries, and some of the best street food in Asia.

Fort Santiago is a 16th-century Spanish citadel perched at the mouth of the Pasig River, within Intramuros. It served as the headquarters of the Spanish, British, American, and Japanese military forces at various points in Philippine history. Today it is best known as the final imprisonment site of national hero José Rizal.

San Sebastian Church in Quiapo is the only all-steel church in Asia and one of only two prefabricated steel churches in the world. Designed by Genaro Palacios and fabricated in Belgium, its Gothic Revival structure was assembled in Manila between 1886 and 1891.

Ermita is a historic bayside district south of Intramuros, flanking Rizal Park. Known for its mix of budget accommodations, colonial-era landmarks, and the lively Remedios Circle dining strip, it offers an accessible base for exploring old Manila.

The Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, commonly called Quiapo Church, is home to one of the most venerated religious icons in the Philippines. Every January 9, millions of barefoot devotees process through Manila's streets for the Feast of the Black Nazarene, one of the largest Catholic processions in the world.

Quiapo Market is a sprawling open-air bazaar surrounding the Quiapo Church, one of Manila's most intensely local shopping experiences. From herbal remedies to religious icons, pirated DVDs to fresh produce, Quiapo offers an unfiltered look at Manila's street commerce.

The Rizal Monument is a memorial to Philippine national hero José Rizal, located at the western end of Rizal Park. The bronze and granite monument marks the exact spot where Rizal was executed by a Spanish firing squad on December 30, 1896, and contains his remains.

The Manila Bay Dolomite Beach is a government-built artificial white-sand beach created from crushed dolomite boulders along the southern stretch of Roxas Boulevard's Baywalk. Opened in stages from 2020, it provides a surreal tropical beach experience right in the middle of the capital.

The Ayala Museum in Makati is one of the Philippines' premier private museums, housing an exceptional collection of Philippine art, history, and ethnography. Named after the Ayala family — one of the country's oldest business dynasties — the museum is known for its immersive dioramas and gold artifact collection.

Manila Ocean Park is a marine-themed park situated on the Manila Bay waterfront, adjacent to Rizal Park. Opened in 2008, it combines an oceanarium, aquarium exhibits, and interactive marine encounters across multiple themed zones.