The Best Adventures to be Had in Metro Manila
The city's wonders don't cease. You just have to know where to go.
by WindowSeat.ph | May 09, 2016
Who said adventures should be hours away from home? Make the most out of the city’s gems and let Manila quench your wanderlust.
Try out public transportation
This is definitely something you should do if you want a physically (and sometimes emotionally) challenging adventure. Ditch Uber and Grab and start hailing jeepneys and tricycles instead as you travel through the city. And of course, the infamous LRT and MRT should always be in a Manila itinerary. It’s hell during rush hours but it can be quite a pleasant, relaxed ride when it’s not peak times of the day—what you get, after all, is an elevated tour.
Chinatown meets adventure
Our Chinatown is the oldest in the world, and it’s the perfect place to find the most hidden cultural gems of the Chinese and Filipino history. Everything you’ll ever need is here: groceries, hopia, cheap shirts, sketchy phones, and most of all, what could be the best Chinese food you’ll ever find in Metro Manila.
Chinatown is home to beautiful old buildings like the Regina Building and Capitol Theater in Escolta and the Binondo Church in Ongpin. Turn the throwback feels to the max and ride the quaint kalesas everywhere.
Shopping adventure in Divisoria, Quiapo, Baclaran
Divisoria, Quiapo and Baclaran are unrivalled for buying a bulk of anything and everything for half the price. From original unoriginal Nike shoes and a dozen plain white shirts for PHP100 to sketchy things in bottles labeled “pampagana,” these three public markets got you (albeit a little too) covered.
We highly recommend going to Quiapo to visit the Quiapo Church and the array of prayers for hire and fortunetellers for a bit of mystery in your adventure.
Street food so good
You won’t be getting a full-blown Manila adventure if you don’t try the street food. Ditch the fast food or fancy restaurants and treat your taste buds to the squidballs, fishballs, kwek-kwek, barbecue, calamares, pares, chicken skin, and balut for a fun merienda.
If you want a legit and hip food adventure though, Aguirre Street in Paranaque or Maginhawa Street in Teacher’s Village is the best way to go. Check out these food parks here, too!
Seafood party
There’s nothing more satisfying to do after visiting a fish market than eating delicious seafood dishes. You have the privilege to handpick from an array of seafood which your chosen restaurant will cook into any kind of recipe you want. Make sure to check out the dampa complex in Macapagal or Seaside beside the Mall of Asia.
The Metro Nightlife
From the comedy bars in Quezon Avenue to the live musicians of Malate, from the hip hang-out spots in Katipunan, the holes-in-the-walls of Makati or the fist-pumping clubs of Taguig, nights are never dull in Metro Manila. Ah, can you taste the sisig and San Mig Pale already?
Manila bay to Intramuros
Sit and admire Manila Bay’s beautiful horizon (best during sunset) and go straight to Intramuros, also called the walled city, where the relics and heritage of the Spanish Colonial Era are preserved. Track the final footsteps of Jose Rizal, or wander through cobbled streets, antique buildings, and storied fortifications for best cultural adventure inside Manila.
You can check out more tours around the Metro here and here.
