Manila, Philippines

Evergreen city guide with quick facts, travel, business, and culture.

PhilippinesNational Capital Region (Metro Manila)

Overview

Manila is the capital of the Philippines and the historic heart of a 13-million-strong metropolis — a Spanish walled city and the world's oldest Chinatown pressed against Manila Bay's famous sunsets, with the modern towers of Makati and BGC a few kilometres east.

History & Heritage

Intramuros' walls and Fort Santiago, UNESCO-listed San Agustin, Manila Cathedral and the Rizal story.

Food & Markets

The Binondo food crawl on Ongpin Street, Quiapo's market blocks, sisig and halo-halo, Poblacion's kitchens.

Bay, Park & Museums

The free National Museum complex, Rizal Park's lawns and the famous Manila Bay sunset along Roxas Boulevard.

Modern Districts & Nightlife

Makati's malls and restaurant villages, walkable BGC, and Poblacion's rooftop-and-speakeasy night scene.
Travel Overview

Manila is the capital of the Philippines and the anchor of Metro Manila — the National Capital Region of sixteen cities, home to around 13.5 million people, that also contains the business districts of Makati and Bonifacio Global City (Taguig) and the sprawling Quezon City. The City of Manila proper sits where the Pasig River meets Manila Bay, and it holds nearly all of the metropolis's historic layers: Intramuros, the walled city the Spanish founded in 1571, with San Agustin Church (UNESCO-listed, completed 1607, the oldest stone church in the country), Fort Santiago and the memory of national hero José Rizal; Binondo, across the river, established in 1594 and generally counted the oldest Chinatown in the world; and the long green sweep of Rizal Park with the National Museum complex — Fine Arts, Anthropology and Natural History, all free — at its edge. Roxas Boulevard runs south along the bay, and the Manila Bay sunset remains the city's daily spectacle. Manila is dense, loud and traffic-bound — the honest frame is a city of two or three concentrated day-circuits rather than a strolling capital, and most visitors sleep in Makati or BGC, where the hotels, malls and restaurant scenes cluster, riding Grab cars between districts and timing movements around rush hour. The LRT-1 line usefully strings together Intramuros (Central Terminal), Binondo (Carriedo) and Rizal Park (UN Avenue); jeepneys are the classic short-hop ride for the adventurous. English is spoken practically everywhere — the Philippines is Asia's largest English-speaking nation — which makes Manila one of the region's easiest big cities to actually use. The climate splits into a hot dry season (March–May, often above 35°C), a wet season with typhoon risk (June–November) and the cooler, drier sweet spot (December–February) that is the best time to visit. Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL), immediately south of the centre, is the country's main gateway, with its terminals in long-running modernisation — allow generous transfer time and pre-book transport for late-night arrivals.

Discover Manila

Intramuros ('within the walls') is the Spanish colonial core of Manila — roughly four and a half kilometres of stone fortification enclosing the district the Spanish laid out in 1571 as the capital of their Asian empire. Fort Santiago, at the river corner, is the emotional centrepiece: the Rizal Shrine museum occupies the site where José Rizal was imprisoned before his 1896 execution, and brass footsteps trace his final walk toward what is now Rizal Park. San Agustin Church, completed in 1607 and UNESCO-listed, is the oldest stone church in the Philippines — its museum, cloisters and trompe-l'oeil ceiling are the single best interior in the old city — while Manila Cathedral nearby, rebuilt many times over the centuries (the current structure dates from 1958), remains the country's principal basilica. Casa Manila, a reconstructed 19th-century merchant house, shows how the colonial elite actually lived. Much of the rest of old Manila was lost in the devastation of 1945, which is why the district's surviving stones carry such weight. The classic ways around are on foot in the early morning, by kalesa (horse-drawn carriage — agree the price first) or on a guided bamboo-bicycle or walking tour; give it half a day and pair it with Rizal Park across the road.

Frequently asked questions

Citizens of 157 countries — including the US, Canada, the UK, the EU, Australia, Japan, South Korea and ASEAN members — enter the Philippines visa-free for stays up to 30 days, with an entry stamp issued on arrival. Two requirements are strictly enforced: a return or onward ticket (airlines will deny boarding without one) and a passport valid six months beyond your stay. Everyone must also complete the official eTravel registration online before arrival. Extensions beyond 30 days are handled by the Bureau of Immigration; nationalities not on the visa-free list apply in advance at a Philippine embassy or consulate.

Ride Grab, the region's ride-hailing app, for most district-to-district moves — it is the practical standard for visitors, with fixed pricing and no haggling. The LRT-1 elevated line conveniently links the historic sights (Central Terminal for Intramuros, Carriedo for Binondo, UN Avenue for Rizal Park), and MRT-3 runs down the EDSA artery toward Makati. Jeepneys cover everywhere else for coins and make a memorable short hop. Traffic is the city's defining constraint: plan around the morning and evening rush, and cluster each day's sights into one district.

December to February — the cooler, drier stretch with the most reliable blue skies over the bay. March to May is the hot dry season, often well above 35°C, best handled with museum middays and sunset walks. June to November is the wet season, when short heavy downpours are routine and typhoons periodically cross Luzon — flexible plans and an eye on forecasts are sensible, though the city functions normally between systems.

Diplomatic missions in Manila

4 embassies based in this city, grouped by region.