Best Tourist Spots in Luzon

Atravelux Tips & Advisory

Best Tourist Destination in Luzon

Manila, the capital of the Philippines, is a densely populated bayside city on the island of Luzon, which mixes Spanish colonial architecture with modern skyscrapers. Intramuros, a walled city in colonial times, is the heart of Old Manila. It’s home to the baroque 16th-century San Agustin Church as well as Fort Santiago, a storied citadel and former military prison.

Just north of Intramuros is Binondo, Manila’s Chinatown, established in the 1500s and bustling with shops and restaurants. Rizal Park is Manila’s main public space, a vast mall with fountains, gardens and monuments honoring national heroes. The Museum of the Filipino People focuses on ethnographic and archaeological exhibits, while the Metropolitan Museum of Manila displays contemporary art. The blocky, modernist buildings of the Cultural Center of the Philippines house various performing arts organizations. Roxas Boulevard is a palm-lined waterfront promenade with hotels, restaurants and views of Manila’s famed sunsets.

Vigan is a city in the Philippines, on the west coast of Luzon island. It's known for its preserved Spanish colonial and Asian architecture. Calle Crisologo dominates the Mestizo district, with its cobblestone streets, malecón, horse-drawn carriages and rustic mansions. Near the white baroque Vigan Cathedral are Plaza Salcedo, offering fountain light shows, and Plaza Burgos, known for its street-food stalls.

Next to the cathedral, the 18th-century Archbishop’s Palace is distinguished by its sliding capiz windows. Inside the palace, the Museo Nueva Segovia contains religious relics from various churches in the region. Formerly the home of the Crisologos, a powerful political family, the Crisologo Museum displays personal memorabilia and period furnishings. A branch of the National Museum, Padre Burgos House features regional artifacts and artworks, including a series of paintings of the 1807 Basi Revolt against the Spanish.

Tagaytay is a popular holiday town south of Manila on the Philippine island Luzon. Known for its mild climate, it sits on a ridge above Taal Volcano Island, an active volcano surrounded by Taal Lake. Overlooking the area, People’s Park in the Sky occupies the grounds of a never-finished presidential mansion. Picnic Grove is a recreation area with trails and a zip line.

Boat tours run from the waterfront village Talisay across Taal Lake to Taal Volcano Island. Trails for hiking and horseback riding lead to the peak’s main crater and interior crater lake. Taal Lake also offers catamaran sailing and kayaking. Back in Tagaytay, the compact Japanese Friendship Garden has landscaped grounds. Tagaytay Highlands is a resort with 2 18-hole golf courses. In Taal, a town to the south, the Basilica of Saint Martin of Tours is a 19th-century landmark that’s among the largest churches in Asia.