Cebu is in one of my Philippines Travel bucket list. In September, I finally had the chance to go. For our first day, we decided to take it lightly and go for the Cebu City Tour. We rented a van to drove us. We all think this is the best way to get around a City that you know little about. It was also the most hassle-free way as you get to dabble on your own time.

Our first stop is the Magellan’s Shrine and then we headed to the nearest food hub to eat brunch (breakfast + lunch) as we were already starving. This is because we were already at Manila’s airport at 3am. That’s too early for my life. Haha! After eating, we visited the Yap – Sandiego’s ancestral house and we really enjoyed it. This is probably my favorite stop for this city tour. That entrance fee was so worth it! For the next stop, of course, who goes to Cebu without stopping by Magellan’s Cross?

It was drizzling when we started driving up to the top spots and the most visited and trendy places. We went in Sirao Garden and took pictures. It was good and pretty like it is in the pictures. Too bad that there was construction ongoing when we visited and the weather was not that good and add to that the flowers which ain’t really on full bloom (okay maybe this is me being allergic to flowers talking lol). Temple of Leah, one of the most instagrammed places in Cebu was also beautiful but we again, a big chunk of the place were under construction. Urgh! For our last stop, we did a quick visit to the Taoist Temple. Note to self: do not take 5am flights and go straight to tours. It’s exhausting!

Magellan’s Shrine

– The Magellan shrine is a large memorial tower built in 1866 to honor Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and is built on the area where Magellan is believed to have been killed in 1521.

Brunch Break

Yap-San Diego Ancestral House

– This ancestral house is said to be one of the oldest houses in the Philippines and also the first Chinese house built outside of China. The house was passed on to the great, great grandchildren and is being preserved until this time. When you walk in the house, you will see different relics, artworks and century old furniture. There is also a mini garden at the backyard and has a freshwater well. I personally enjoyed the tour in this house mainly because the guide who shares facts about the house is so entertaining and good at taking shots.

Magellan’s Cross

– This is a Christian cross planted by Portuguese and Spanish explorers as instructed by Magellan. The cross is housed in a chapel near a Basilica.

Sirao Garden

Temple of Leah

Taoist Temple

Cebu City Tour Itinerary:

• 9:00 am – Arrival at Mactan International Airport
• 9:30 – 10:30 – Magellan’s Shrine
• 10:30 – 12:00 – Lunch
• 12:00 – 1:30 – Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House
• 1:30 – 2:30 – Magellan’s Cross
• 2:30 – 4:30 – Sirao Garden
• 4:30 – 5:00 – Temple of Leah
• 5:00 – 6:00 -Taoist Temple
• 6:00 – 7:00 – Back to Airbnb

Cebu City Budget:

• Van: 3,300 divided by 7 = 471
• Lunch = 150
• Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House = 50
• Sirao Garden = 50
• Temple of Leah = 50
• Total per head = 771