The Perfect Manila Walking Tour for History Lovers in the Philippines
Approximate reading time: 15 minutes
Manila Cathedral
Table of contents
Introduction
Falling in Love with the Philippines
Disclaimer
Intramuros
Fort Santiago
Museo ni Rizal (Jose Rizal Museum)
Dungeons of Fort Santiago
Soldier’s Barracks
Palacio del Gobernador (Governor’s Palace)
San Agustin Church
Rizal Park (aka Luneta Park)
The American Cemetery
Ending Notes
Quick Tips
Sunscreen On
Wear Comfy Walking Shoes
Stay Hydrated
End of the Line: Possible New Adventure Ahead?
Share Your Stories with Us
Introduction
Falling in Love with the Philippines
It has been many years since I first fell in love with the Philippines, and a Filipina ;) - but every day I love to continuously learn about her and the whole Filipino culture.
In 2022, I was able to do a great walking tour around Manila that I would highly recommend for anyone who loves history whether or not you are a Filipino. This tour was able to take me through many significant places in Philippine history which opened my eyes even more to the rich culture that the Philippines has. This tour is a combination of a walking tour plus a van ride tour.
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Disclaimer
The information presented in this article may be subject to change at the venue or service provider’s discretion. You may check their respective websites or social media accounts for any updates on the price, location, and other details. Additionally, this article may contain affiliate links from which we get a portion of profit, at no added cost to you. These links are safe to click.
With that, we hope you enjoy reading!
Intramuros
Fort Santiago
Fort Santiago is one of the most important historical sites in the Philippines. Originally built by the Spanish, our guide explained to us that this military barracks was used by the Spanish during their era of colonization in the Philippines. He also brought us to the Plaza de Armas. Walking around Fort Santiago felt like stepping back in time.
Museo ni Rizal (Jose Rizal Museum)
Image courtesy of "Intramuros.gov.ph" All rights reserved to the original owners.
Close to the Plaza de Armas is the Museo ni Rizal or the Jose Rizal Museum. This museum is dedicated to the life’s work of the Philippine National Hero: Jose Rizal. Dr. Jose Rizal is most known for his literary works depicting the corruption and injustice that the Filipinos lived under during the time of the Spanish colonization which lasted around 333 years.
After our trip to the museum, we were able to walk along the top of the Intramuros wall which is around 4 and a half kilometers long. From atop this wall you can see the flowing Pasig River. Our guide explained to us that Manila actually got its name from people looking at the river and seeing the water lilies floating on it and saying “may nilad nanaman,” or “may nilad” referring to the plants, this roughly translates to “there are nilad again”. From “may nilad” it became “Manila”.
Dungeons of Fort Santiago
Image courtesy of " visitfortsantiago.com. " All rights reserved to the original owners.
From atop the Intramuros wall we were able to peek into some of the hollowed out cells where American soldiers were imprisoned during World War II. We were then able to enter these dungeons and it was an eerie site, especially after our guide told us that around 600 Americans died here during World War II.
The dungeons have very narrow pathways with mannequins scattered around to recreate how some of the prisoners might have been placed during the time of World War II. Our guide also told us that another thing which made these dungeons terrible was that sometimes it would flood here when it rained heavily and the prisoners would sometimes drown.
Soldier’s Barracks
Image courtesy of " intramuros.gov.ph. " All rights reserved to the original owners.
Back in the sunlight, we walked around some more to see the barracks that the Spanish used during their colonization of the Philippines. These same barracks were later used by the Japanese during World War II when they were also eventually destroyed.
Palacio del Gobernador (Governor’s Palace)
Image courtesy of " phtourguide.com. " All rights reserved to the original owners.
While we were not able to go inside the Governor’s Palace itself, we were able to enter the church that was right by it. According to our guide, this is 1 of 7 churches built by the Spaniards when they were in the Philippines. Unfortunately it is only 1 out of 2 from those 7 churches that still stand to this day. It was very beautiful and spacious with grand statues around it. It felt very expansive and solemn. The stained glass windows were also quite beautiful to look at.
San Agustin Church
The second church to survive the test of time. The San Agustin Church is one of the only buildings within the area that did not get destroyed by bombs during the 2nd World War. The cool thing about this church is that the ceiling paintings make the ceiling look like it is 3-dimensional when it is actually just an illusion with 2D painting.
Rizal Park (a.k.a Luneta Park)
Luneta Park, Philippines
Before we got to Rizal Park, we actually did a really quick stop by Manila Bay. It wasn't exactly a part of our tour but our guide let us stretch our legs here for a moment after some time in the van. They say that Manila Bay is one of the best places to catch a gorgeous sunset in the Philippines. Even if you don’t do a tour like this, I would recommend catching a glimpse of the sunset at Manila Bay.
At Rizal Park we were able to see the powerful statue of National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. Rizal Park is situated around the same spot as where Jose Rizal was executed by the Spanish soldiers because of his criticisms of the Spanish regime at the time of their colonization of the Philippines.
The American Cemetery
Image courtesy of " tripsavvy.com. " All rights reserved to the original owners.
Located in Bonifacio Global City, more commonly known as BGC, was our last stop for the day: The American Cemetery. The cemetery is quite beautiful and kept pristine. Fun fact that if you are in The American Cemetery, you are technically under American jurisdiction. There is also a sign that lists the different American cemeteries around the world (outside of the US), and the one in the Philippines is said to be the largest.
We checked out the Visitor’s Center and were able to watch a 12 minute short film that explained how the Americans and Filipinos fought together in World War II for the freedom of the Philippines. The American Cemetery is meant to honor both the American and Filipino men and women who sacrificed their lives during World War II. There are over 58,000 men and women buried there. There is also a wall with all the names of the people whose bodies weren’t found.
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Ending Notes
This tour took about 5 hours to finish and every minute was incredibly impressive and informative. History isn’t always pretty but there is always something positive gained in learning about the past. It’s always great getting to know different places deeper, it helps you understand the people more and learn to appreciate the place you are visiting even better.
It is easy to forget the sacrifices that previous generations had to make to get us to where we are now, and that is why historical places like Intramuros and The American Cemetery are so important to remind us about these. They put things into perspective and encourage us never to forget how far humankind has come.
Quick Tips
Before you book your tour right now, here are a few quick tips to make you enjoy your tour experience to the max. Again, remember that this tour is 5 hours long and you may be walking for most of it, so you have to make sure that you are comfortable the whole time.
Sunscreen On - Since this is a walking tour, you’ll be walking around under the sun. Make sure to protect your face with some sunscreen to prevent sunburn! The Philippine sun can be quite harsh so you might want to consider bringing shades and a cap as well.
Wear Comfy Walking Shoes - Comfort is king for this tour!
Stay Hydrated - Walking around can take up a lot of energy so, if you can, bring your own water bottle to keep yourself hydrated. They offer water in the van, but I just preferred having my own bottle with me at all times for whenever I needed it.
End of the Line: Possible New Adventure Ahead? - At the end of the tour, the guides offer to drive you back to your accommodations. I found that since the tour ends at The American Cemetery in BGC, this can be the beginning of another (quick) adventure. After my own tour, I decided to walk around BGC and have lunch in one of my favorite spots. If you’re down for a bit more walking, why not explore BGC a bit and grab a bite to eat before you make your way back home. If you want to do some exploring without spending a coin though, you should definitely check out our article about 10 things that you can do in BGC for free!
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Share Your Stories with Us
If you do take part in this walking tour of Manila, we would love to hear what you think about it! Share what you learned with us and tag us on your posts and stories by using the hashtags #MarveTravelGuides, #MarveToldMeToDoIt, and #TravelWithMarve. Safe travels!
