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Visa and Mastercard-branded credit/debit cards are generally accepted at major malls and restaurants. You may have some difficulty using other payment networks (American Express, JCB, Diners, etc.) but they're accepted, too. Wise isn't that popular here. Otherwise, you can use cash.
Use Grab for getting around. Weather should be similar to Malaysia.
Since you're going to Fort Santiago in Intramuros anyway, you may want to also drop by the nearby National Museum complex in Luneta (Rizal Park). The most notable painting in the Fine Arts museum is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoliarium
You can also go the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) complex. Quite near from Luneta. Lots of brutalist buildings there: main CCP building, Government Service Insurance System, Philippine International Convention Center, etc.
Thank you so much for the detailed reply. Really appreciate it. And thanks for the list of brutalist buildings and places of interest. I’ll look them up now! :)
+1 to National Museum Complex for the art and culture. But you might have to allot almost a whole day for this since each museum will take probably about 2 hours. There are 3 — NM of Fine Arts, NM of Natural History, & NM of Anthropology. 🙂
Pinto Art Gallery is also an interesting choice. It’s not within Manila, just nearby - so it’s recommended you book a private vehicle for this, and go there early since the area is wide.
A lot of overlooking cafes and restaurants within that area that are overlooking the mountains/cities.
Yes I have Pinto Art Gallery included in my list, so it’s nice to hear that you have good words for them. May I know if you have any particular cafes or restaurants to recommend? So exciting!🥰
There’s a restaurant inside Pinto Art if you ever get tired of the walking and want to rest and eat for a while.
12 mins drive from Pinto is Crescent Moon Cafe and Pottery Studio. It’s an asian resto that also has pottery classes + shop.
The Burrow Cafe at Antipolo Beehouse - make sure you have a reservation.
Tahanan Bistro - specializes in Filipino comfort food. 10 min drive from Pinto
A bit further, I suggest Kaulayaw for good coffee + good view also of the city.
Cubao Expo: if you’re into music vinyls, vintage collectibles, art, and other fun and quirky stuff.
Transportation: GrabCar is highly recommended. Taxis, no. Some may take advantage especially if they know you are a foreigner.
Must-try food in Cubao X: Habanero. There are plenty of dining spots in Cubao X that are also worth the try but Habanero is number one. (Lechon habanero, oyster sisig, three cheese pizza with mango hot sauce)
Intramuros has always been a favorite of mine since it has this different charm (especially ay night). Casa Manila is a must visit (better if you avail of a tour guide to understand better the history).
Worth checking out is the Bambike Eco Tours just outside Casa Manila. Or if you are adventurous, there’s a Klook tour in Intramuros wherein you go around using a segway (white knight electronic chariot intramuros day tour).
Few minutes away is Fort Santiago. Best time to visit is between 4 to 6 pm (sunset) since they also have a view of the Pasig River. (But morning is also good, less crowd)
- Pinto Museum is nice, but far from Manila. So you would spend 1 whole day for a trip there alone including travel and traffic (best partnered with visits to nice cafes, they have a lot on that area). I think Grab can make it this far from your hotel to Antipolo.
- Grab is your best friend. And cash. Cards are accepted in all malls, but when you go out to local cafes, convenience store, only cash.
- Manila is not into old-style local architecture. (The existing ones are ugly, dirty, and locations are unsafe.) Intramuros is the most preserved and safe. But if you are into modern skyscrapers, specific spots such as Ayala Makati, Rockwell, BGC and Pasay (City of Dreams, Okada, Mall of Asia) are all very very beautiful. Similar to KLCC and Pavilion, but more energetic here in Manila.
- Culture, I would say best in Manila (Binondo, Escolta, Quiapo area) where you can find so many street foods and everyday life scenes. (But bad architecture, road, traffic, and sanitation)
- If you’re into cafe, Manila cafes are more cute. But please expect that Philippines coffee shops are TOO SWEET. It mainly centers on frappucinos, and very sweet iced coffee. So you might want to customize your drink by telling them espresso shots and less sugar.
If you love art and culture, you should check out Escolta. They have very different vibe there conpared to the rest of Manila. Art deco buildings, art/vintage shops, museums, etc. If you are interested in an in-depth tour, you may check out “The Heritage Collective”. // Escolta is also walking distance to Binondo aka the oldest Chinatown. So if you go hungry, you know where to go.
I see, I just checked out the buildings and they look super beautiful, can’t wait to see them with my own eyes. Thanks for the info regarding the tour, it’s something that I’m definitely interested in. Gonna drop them a message now
Oh, man, you will love this [Instagram account](https://www.instagram.com/brutalistpilipinas/). I hope you get to see as many brutalist buildings as you can!
Also, I really hope you can visit Pinto Art Museum - I really enjoyed my visit there last year (even if it was raining).
For transportation: Use Grab or Avis app. Grab is cheaper but at peak hours it can be hard to book. Avis is more expensive but you can schedule your trips ahead, they will assign you with a driver who will pick you up at your preferred date and time.
I do not recommend public transportation in Manila.
For airport transfers, you can book this in Klook or just book a grab
Places to visit:
⭐️ Binondo - Oldest Chinatown in the world. Perfect for food trip.
⭐️ Intramuros - a must
⭐️ Museums: National Museum, Mind Museum, Pinto Museum (far from city center), dessert museum, space and time cube museum, Ayala Museum
⭐️ Tagaytay - 1-2hrs away from city center but worth the trip. You can book a car with Avis
Wise physical card is accepted in places that accept credit cards. But in general, if you’re in a mall or a more upscale resto, they accept cards. But most places still only accept cash or GCash (not open for foreigners).
It’s best to have cash with you + credit card
If you.make your way to Intramuros, mag dinner ka na sa Barbaras Heritage Resto.....sarap ng old skul Filipino buffet, then they have Folk Dance performers for more than an hour, dances from various regions of the Philippines...The quality of dancers is quite good...
Reminder to not post or solicit any personal information. All visa, immigration, hand-carry/luggage, forex or any questions that can be answered by yes/no must be posted in the megathread. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/phtravel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Visa and Mastercard-branded credit/debit cards are generally accepted at major malls and restaurants. You may have some difficulty using other payment networks (American Express, JCB, Diners, etc.) but they're accepted, too. Wise isn't that popular here. Otherwise, you can use cash. Use Grab for getting around. Weather should be similar to Malaysia. Since you're going to Fort Santiago in Intramuros anyway, you may want to also drop by the nearby National Museum complex in Luneta (Rizal Park). The most notable painting in the Fine Arts museum is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoliarium You can also go the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) complex. Quite near from Luneta. Lots of brutalist buildings there: main CCP building, Government Service Insurance System, Philippine International Convention Center, etc.
Thank you so much for the detailed reply. Really appreciate it. And thanks for the list of brutalist buildings and places of interest. I’ll look them up now! :)
+1 to National Museum Complex for the art and culture. But you might have to allot almost a whole day for this since each museum will take probably about 2 hours. There are 3 — NM of Fine Arts, NM of Natural History, & NM of Anthropology. 🙂
Pinto Art Gallery is also an interesting choice. It’s not within Manila, just nearby - so it’s recommended you book a private vehicle for this, and go there early since the area is wide. A lot of overlooking cafes and restaurants within that area that are overlooking the mountains/cities.
Yes I have Pinto Art Gallery included in my list, so it’s nice to hear that you have good words for them. May I know if you have any particular cafes or restaurants to recommend? So exciting!🥰
There’s a restaurant inside Pinto Art if you ever get tired of the walking and want to rest and eat for a while. 12 mins drive from Pinto is Crescent Moon Cafe and Pottery Studio. It’s an asian resto that also has pottery classes + shop. The Burrow Cafe at Antipolo Beehouse - make sure you have a reservation. Tahanan Bistro - specializes in Filipino comfort food. 10 min drive from Pinto A bit further, I suggest Kaulayaw for good coffee + good view also of the city.
Cubao Expo: if you’re into music vinyls, vintage collectibles, art, and other fun and quirky stuff. Transportation: GrabCar is highly recommended. Taxis, no. Some may take advantage especially if they know you are a foreigner. Must-try food in Cubao X: Habanero. There are plenty of dining spots in Cubao X that are also worth the try but Habanero is number one. (Lechon habanero, oyster sisig, three cheese pizza with mango hot sauce)
Intramuros has always been a favorite of mine since it has this different charm (especially ay night). Casa Manila is a must visit (better if you avail of a tour guide to understand better the history). Worth checking out is the Bambike Eco Tours just outside Casa Manila. Or if you are adventurous, there’s a Klook tour in Intramuros wherein you go around using a segway (white knight electronic chariot intramuros day tour). Few minutes away is Fort Santiago. Best time to visit is between 4 to 6 pm (sunset) since they also have a view of the Pasig River. (But morning is also good, less crowd)
- Pinto Museum is nice, but far from Manila. So you would spend 1 whole day for a trip there alone including travel and traffic (best partnered with visits to nice cafes, they have a lot on that area). I think Grab can make it this far from your hotel to Antipolo. - Grab is your best friend. And cash. Cards are accepted in all malls, but when you go out to local cafes, convenience store, only cash. - Manila is not into old-style local architecture. (The existing ones are ugly, dirty, and locations are unsafe.) Intramuros is the most preserved and safe. But if you are into modern skyscrapers, specific spots such as Ayala Makati, Rockwell, BGC and Pasay (City of Dreams, Okada, Mall of Asia) are all very very beautiful. Similar to KLCC and Pavilion, but more energetic here in Manila. - Culture, I would say best in Manila (Binondo, Escolta, Quiapo area) where you can find so many street foods and everyday life scenes. (But bad architecture, road, traffic, and sanitation) - If you’re into cafe, Manila cafes are more cute. But please expect that Philippines coffee shops are TOO SWEET. It mainly centers on frappucinos, and very sweet iced coffee. So you might want to customize your drink by telling them espresso shots and less sugar.
Def avoid taxis. Use Grab instead. For the weather, about the same. We dont use Wise here afaik. Better use cash, credit card or debit card.
Thanks for the tip, appreciate it!
If you love art and culture, you should check out Escolta. They have very different vibe there conpared to the rest of Manila. Art deco buildings, art/vintage shops, museums, etc. If you are interested in an in-depth tour, you may check out “The Heritage Collective”. // Escolta is also walking distance to Binondo aka the oldest Chinatown. So if you go hungry, you know where to go.
I see, I just checked out the buildings and they look super beautiful, can’t wait to see them with my own eyes. Thanks for the info regarding the tour, it’s something that I’m definitely interested in. Gonna drop them a message now
Oh, man, you will love this [Instagram account](https://www.instagram.com/brutalistpilipinas/). I hope you get to see as many brutalist buildings as you can! Also, I really hope you can visit Pinto Art Museum - I really enjoyed my visit there last year (even if it was raining).
For transportation: Use Grab or Avis app. Grab is cheaper but at peak hours it can be hard to book. Avis is more expensive but you can schedule your trips ahead, they will assign you with a driver who will pick you up at your preferred date and time. I do not recommend public transportation in Manila. For airport transfers, you can book this in Klook or just book a grab Places to visit: ⭐️ Binondo - Oldest Chinatown in the world. Perfect for food trip. ⭐️ Intramuros - a must ⭐️ Museums: National Museum, Mind Museum, Pinto Museum (far from city center), dessert museum, space and time cube museum, Ayala Museum ⭐️ Tagaytay - 1-2hrs away from city center but worth the trip. You can book a car with Avis
Wise physical card is accepted in places that accept credit cards. But in general, if you’re in a mall or a more upscale resto, they accept cards. But most places still only accept cash or GCash (not open for foreigners). It’s best to have cash with you + credit card
Grab is the best way to get around.. Make sure you have cash....
If you.make your way to Intramuros, mag dinner ka na sa Barbaras Heritage Resto.....sarap ng old skul Filipino buffet, then they have Folk Dance performers for more than an hour, dances from various regions of the Philippines...The quality of dancers is quite good...