#ChoosePhilippines

Manila with Pamilya ♡♡


Everyday of our living is filled with different tasks. And even for a bit, we want to escape from it and enjoy our own time.

Even though we have rest days, we still crave for more. And good thing, we have holidays. These rest days are rare and it's our choice whether we will stay at home or spend our time exploring.

Last February 16, Chinese New Year was declared as holiday resulting to a long weekend here in the Philippines. Everyone have different plans. As said above, its our choice whether we will stay at home or roam around, and for us, we chose to explore the city. Finding a time where the gang will be complete is really hard since schedules are different. But that time, we agreed to spend our weekend together and wander around the city, specifically, the city of Manila (not totally the whole city but some places in the city).

Through social networking sites, we found out how the places in Manila are beautiful, and one of these places is Intramuros. So we decided to explore rather to spend our time sitting with our gadgets.

"SAAN AABOT ANG PHP 100 MO?"


Suppose, we will leave at our house (Quezon City) before 9 AM but for some instance, we left before 10:30 and it is very late since we still have to travel for 1-2 hours. So the ideal time to leave if you are from Quezon City is 8 AM or 9AM since you have to deal with heavy traffics.

How to travel to Intramuros: (from Novaliches)
  1. Ride a bus to Muñoz, or the Roosevelt Station (LRT 1 station) with just PHP 20. Or you can ride a UV with a fare of PHP 30.
  2. When you get to the Roosevelt Station, get a ticket to United Nations Station with a fare of PHP 30. Or you can use your beep card or just buy one to lessen your expenses.
    • It costs PHP 20 and PHP 50 - if sold outside train stations - and can be purchased at any train stations. The minimum load of the beep card is PHP 13 and the maximum is PHP 10000. So to lessen your expenses, we suggest you to buy one.
  3. Intramuros is a walking distance from the United Nations Stations so we suggest to just walk so you can wander around the city. 
Stated above is to walk from UN Station to Intramuros and that's how we did. But it didn't turn out the way we expected it to be.
Took a picture right after going out of the station

We decided to roam around first before eating. And as you walk around the city you will see different museums, statues, and the park. The first place you will



see is the Children's Park that is open for children with a limited height together with their guardians. And as you walk, you will pass by the National Museum of Natural History, Relief Map of the Philippine Islands, and National Museum of Anthropology. Across the street is the Luneta Park where you can see different restaurants and monuments, the Japanese Garden, the Flower Clock, the Central Lagoon where you can witness the Dancing Fountain, the Chinese Garden, and the newly renovated Planetarium.

Teodoro F. Valencia Circle




Relief Map of the Philippine Islands











Luneta Park










We are unto the very low budget type of 'gala' since we don't want to spend too much. As we walk to the park, we decided to stop for a while and entered the Chinese Garden since it has no entrance fee. After a few shots, we continued walking under the heat of the sun. We weren't able to enter the Rizal Martyrdom Place since it was close that time (it has an entrance fee but I'm not sure how much it is).

Chinese Garden















We walked around the park since we are finding a ride to the Intramuros (we are clueless that it is just a walking distance from the Park and the Station). We walked around the city, not knowing where to go so we decided to ask civilians and they said that we should ride a jeep that has a signage of 'PIER'. There are tricycles offering a ride but it costs too much so we just waited for a few minutes in front of the Jollibee. We rode a jeep but the just took a minute and there we realized that it is just a walking distance from the park.


At Last

The Walled City is a really big city with different museums, churches, and attractions that can fill your soul that is craving for historic type of atmosphere. First stop is the Puerta Real Gardens where we take a few shots of its historic view, grassy fields, and stone walls. As you enter the City, one of the public university in the country or Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) will greet you with its warm ambiance that will surely encourage you to tour the city. You will also pass by the different Government Offices, the Red Cross, different museums, restaurants, and many more attractions. The second stop is the Casa Manila where we stayed for a while because it was really hot that time
We weren't able to explore it since we are all tired and hungry that time and the heat didn't really help. We stopped for a while and took a few shots outside the San Agustin Church since wedding is being held that time. We walked again trying to find a new place but unfortunately, our time is limited and also, we cant really beat the heat so we decided to just go home even though we weren't able to tour the whole city (wasn't able to go to Fort Santiago).

Puerta Real Gardens













Inside the Intramuros







Casa Manila





Worn Out
 San Agustin Church

Taxis are around the city so in case you don't want to walk, you can ride on it. Fast food chains are around and also food stalls so after the long adventure, we filled our tummy and decided to go home after wards. 

Filled our tummy after the very long adventure

Intramuros Sites and Museums Admission Fees:
(Posted it here even though we weren't able to visit these sites)

  1. Fort Santiago
    • PHP 75 - Adult
    • PHP 50 - Student / Child / Senior Citizens
  2. Baluarte de San Diego
    • PHP 75 - Adult
    • PHP 50 - Student / Child / Senior Citizens
  3. NCCA Gallery
    • Free Admission
  4. Rizal Shrine
    • Included in the Fort Santiago Entrance Fee
  5. San Agustin Museum
    • PHP 200 - Adult
    • PHP 100 - Student / Child / Senior Citizens
  6. Fr. George J. Willman SJ Museum
    • Free Admission
  7. iMake History Fortress
    • Included in the Fort Santiago Entrance Fee
  8. Bahay Tsinoy
    • PHP 100 - Adult
    • PHP 80 - Senior Citizens
    • PHP 60 - Student / Child
  9. Destileria Limtuaco Museum
    • PHP 100 - Adult
    • PHP 50 - Student / Child / Senior Citizens
  10. Casa Manila
    • PHP 75 - Adult
    • PHP 50 - Student / Child / Senior Citizens
  11. Bagumbayan Light and Sound Museum
    • PHP 150 - Adult / Student / Child
    • PHP 120 - Senior Citizens
  12. Manila Cathedral Basilica
    • Free Admission
Tips to enjoy this adventure more:
  • Bring umbrellas (or cap), in case the weather is really hot or it is raining (also sunglasses, if it is sunny)
  • Water (since you will experience a lot of walk especially if you really want to explore the whole city)
  • Start your adventure before 9AM and end it before 3PM to avoid heavy traffics
  • Don't ruin your mood and appreciate the city
  • Explore as much as you can, the city is all worth it

You don't have to go to other planets to find a beautiful destination, only if you will open your eyes to what's surrounding you, you will appreciate every small thing that you have.





ft. CCG Fam ♡♡ 

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