Take in the red and orange hues of the Manila sunset while aboard a dinner cruise. Enjoy live entertainment and a dinner buffet or set dinner while taking in the most stunning view that Manila Bay has to offer. For an hour and a half, you can enjoy the calming waves and beautiful skies as you sail away from the hustle and bustle of bayside vendors, restaurants, and more.

With the famous Jose Rizal monument standing at its forefront, Luneta or Rizal Park is a 59-hectare national park that family, friends, and couples enjoy visiting. It is home to the country’s tallest flagpole, to statues of heroes who fought for Philippines Independence and is where several martyr’s and Jose Rizal were executed. History lovers or those feeling a bit nostalgic has ample time to take in the history and to enjoy the beautiful venue it has become today.

If you feel like “people-watching” in Manila’s red light district, then head over to Cafe Adriatico in Malate. It offers delicious, Spanish-Filipino dishes and coffee to satisfy your cravings. It’s a surprisingly cozy cafe in the middle of a busy area - a nice getaway two steps away from hectic city life. We recommend you try the Grilled Tanguingue with Onions and their Bearnaise sauce isn’t too shabby at all on their steaks. It costs roughly P800-1,200 for two.

If you like long walks and street food, then visit Manila Bay along Roxas Boulevard. Make sure you start walking from north to south, grabbing snacks along the way - be it boiled peanuts, corn on the cob, and other yummy street food. Manila Bay is a natural harbor which serves the Port of Manila (Luzon), in the Philippines. It is situated in the western part of Luzon and is bounded by Cavite and Metro Manila on the east, Bulacan and Pampanga on the north, and Bataan on the west and northwest. The strip is open anytime, though we advise you begin your stroll in the late afternoon so that you enjoy the cooler weather and can watch the sunset.

Located behind the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park, the Manila Ocean Park is the country’s biggest oceanarium. Home to about 14,000 sea creatures including Humboldt penguins, jellyfish and more, it is the perfect place to bring your family, especially the kids. Open daily, ticket prices vary depending on the attractions you’d want to visit: there’s a shark and ray encounter, mermaid swim experience, a chance for you to feed penguins and an underwater diving experience designed to introduce you to the park’s marine life.

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Every January 9, millions of Black Nazarene devotees gather in Manila to commemorate the transferring of a beloved statue of Jesus Christ from a church in Intramuros to Quiapo Church, back in 1767. As many as 15 million Catholics partake in the modern-day procession from Quirino grandstand to Quiapo church, which may take more than 8 hours - since the roads are jam-packed with devotees. The procession is a means for Filipinos to manifest their faith and resiliency and can be overwhelming. This is definitely not for the faint of heart.

Divisoria is a one-stop shop for anything and everything: spare trolley wheels, clothes, fine china, toys, shoes, kitchenware and more. With prices dramatically lower than those you’d find in shopping malls - the real icing on the cake is the fact that you can still haggle for a much lower price. Though there are malls within the area that provide air-conditioning and that are much more organized, that takes away from the experience of shopping in Divisoria. So put your sneakers on, dress down, avoid wearing jewelry or anything flashy and head off to shop until you drop.

If you’re looking for something to do that’s truly off the beaten path, then head over to Manila’s slums, cemetery and markets. Smokey Tours guides interested individuals through the nittiest and grittiest places that Manila has to offer. Even better though is that it shines the spotlight on Manila’s poorest citizens - revealing their hopes and fears, what life is like, their cost of living and more. Participants get to interact with the people and later on get to try different Filipino delicacies at the market.

Manila Who is a story-driven walk meant to encourage millennials to detach from their devices and usual hangouts and to check out Old Manila. Basically, you and your friends have two mysteries that you can solve. The indoor option costs P450 and is entitled, The Tale of the Cursed Painting. The more popular option though, is the outdoor mystery which costs P800 and leads participants from one building to another in a bid to find missing actress, Rose Abad. The latter option may take up 3 hours with participants dressing up in costume to fit into the 1950’s theme, and of course, they are accompanied by guides who are acting and are part of the mystery, as well.

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Built by the Spanish in 1571, Intramuros spans 64 hectares and is enclosed by stone walls to protect its then high-society inhabitants from foreign invaders. Despite several wars and natural disasters, plenty of colonial houses and structures have remained standing - including UNESCO world heritage site, the San Agustin church. There are several tours that you can avail of: bamboo bike, pedicab, on a horse-drawn carriage or a walking tour. If you get hungry, you can enjoy native dishes and traditional Filipino dances at Barbara’s Heritage Restaurant located in Plaza San Luis. Pro tip: start your journey at the beautiful Manila Cathedral and work your way inside the compound.

The National Museum of Fine Arts is home to the Spolarium – a gigantic painting more than four metres high and seven-and-a-half metres wide. Visit the galleries of Amorsolo and marvel at the works of Rizal. Don’t forget to admire the neoclassical building itself, which was built in 1921. Also, make sure you don’t skip the top floors where the collection of Filipino contemporary art is.

A trip to Manila is never complete without visiting a church. First stop is the home of the Black Nazarene, Quiapo Church. Next, you should visit Manila Cathedral. Established in 1571, the church was destroyed several times by earthquakes and once by allied bombings. The present cathedral took four years to construct, but was well worth the effort - since then, Manila Cathedral has been merited a papal endorsement from Pope Gregory XIII and has hosted three apostolic visits from Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis.

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Formerly an ancestral home, Casa Roces is an elegantly decorated Spanish-inspired restaurant that sits right across Malacanang Palace. On the ground floor, patrons can enjoy a cup of coffee during the day and cocktails, wine and liquor at night at the outdoor wooden deck. They can also go through the gift shop for memorabilia and other little trinkets. But if you're hungry, and looking for more than just a drink, then head on up to the second floor where the bistro is. Estimated budget for two is at P2,000. There’s also an art and family heritage gallery for patrons who want to delve a little more into the history of the house.

Founded in 1594, the Spanish had “Binondo” put up near Intramuros so that they could keep a watchful eye on the Chinese Catholics. Today, Binondo is known as the world’s oldest Chinatown and is still as busy and lively now, as it was then. We recommend that you visit Wai Ying, this is a just a hole in the wall restaurant that has become the go-to place for people craving for old-fashioned dimsum. Their costs are also as minimal as they get, about PHP 70 for a dimsum basket. Another place that you can check out is, Quik Snack which has been around since 1968 and features dishes such as crispy tofu and camaron rebusado. Their pancit is also considered one of the best in the area.

R. Papa Street in Morayta is famous for two things: it’s incredibly cheap street food and it’s shortened nickname: “Hepa Lane” or Hepatitis Lane. You can get a meal for two for less than a dollar and in all honesty, they’re pretty good. Although its infamous nickname comes from doubtful stories of people getting hepatitis here due to the cheap food, many university students continue to take their meals here. Have dimsum, bacon, hotdogs, chicken, and burger steak meals here - all for about the fraction of the price in other places. It costs less than P25 for a rice meal and we recommend that you look around before deciding on a place to eat.

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