Cebu

The cradle of Christianity in the Philippines and the oldest Spanish city in the country — about a million people in the city proper and 3.2 million in the wider urban area. Magellan landed here in 1521 and planted a Christian cross; three weeks later he was killed on the neighbouring island of Mactan. Cebu is the ninth largest island in the archipelago and the main tourist hub of the south: whale shark diving, waterfalls, white sand and colonial history in one place. With direct international flights, Cebu is often chosen over overcrowded Manila.

The main sights

• The Basilica del Santo Niño — the oldest church in the Philippines, founded in 1565. Its great relic is the figure of the Christ Child given by Magellan to the wife of Rajah Humabon in 1521.
• Magellan's Cross — the wooden cross planted in 1521, now sheltered in its own chapel on the square beside the basilica.
• Fort San Pedro — the oldest and smallest fortification in the Philippines, begun in 1565, with stone walls dating from the 18th century.
• The Cebu Heritage Monument — a large sculptural group staging seven key events from the city's history in bronze and stone.
• Casa Gorordo — a 19th-century mansion, now a museum of domestic life in the Spanish colonial era.
• Tops Lookout — the viewing terrace on the mountain above the city, best at sunset.
• The Taoist Temple — a Chinese temple in the Beverly Hills district; a stair of 81 steps leads up to the main hall, one for each chapter of the Tao Te Ching.
• Oslob — a village 130 km south where people swim with whale sharks. Weigh the ethics: the sharks are drawn in with feed and held near the shore for unnaturally long.
• Kawasan Falls — a cascade of turquoise pools at Badian, and the start of the well-known canyoneering route with its jumps into the water.
• Tumalog Falls — a curtain of thin streams near Oslob, a good stop on the way back.
• Malapascua — a tiny island off the northern tip of Cebu, and effectively the only place in the world where thresher sharks are seen at dawn almost daily.
• Bantayan — the beach island to the west: white sand and quiet, with no nightlife.
• Mactan — the resort island with the airport. Cebu City itself has no beaches, so people come here or head further north.
• Sumilon — a small private island ten minutes by boat from Oslob, with clear water and a sandbar that changes shape with the seasons.

Food and prices

Cebuano cooking: lechon (the one Anthony Bourdain called the best pig in the world), kinilaw (the Filipino ceviche), sutukil (fish done three ways at once), dried fish and halo-halo for dessert. Lunch in a carinderia runs 300–550 pesos ($5–9), dinner in a restaurant 900–1,800 pesos ($15–30) and fresh tuna 500–900 pesos ($8–15). A litre of petrol is about 60 pesos ($1), a taxi across town 250–700 pesos ($4–12), a jeepney 20–30 pesos and a tricycle 60–180 pesos ($1–3). Prices are as of 2026.

Transport

Mactan-Cebu International Airport (CEB) stands on Mactan island and has direct flights to Seoul, Tokyo, Dubai and cities across Southeast Asia. A taxi into the centre is 500–700 pesos ($8–12). From Manila the flight takes an hour and twenty minutes (3,000–8,000 pesos, $50–130). Around the island there are hire cars, taxis, ride-hailing apps and jeepneys. The ferry to Bantayan leaves from Hagnaya and takes about an hour; Malapascua is half an hour from Maya.

When to go

December–May is dry, at 25–31°C, and the best time to come. The rainy season runs June–November, with typhoons most likely between August and October. The Sinulog Festival falls on the third Sunday of January: the biggest celebration in the country, drawing up to two million people, with rooms booked out months ahead. Thresher shark diving off Malapascua works year-round, but only at dawn.