Why You Should Visit Vigan City
If you like to discover historical Spanish-era buildings and a more quieter and peaceful place, without so many tourists, then Vigan City is for definitely you! It’s not that big, but it has it’s charm and quite honestly it’s a one of a kind place in the Philippines. The people are so much kinder and nicer here in the north, it truly is the case. That’s why I love to visit the north every time.
However it can get very hot and the sun is super strong in here, so be sure to be prepared for that. Always wear a cap and have your umbrella on you all the time.
For How Long Should You Stay In Vigan City
I would say 3 days is enough to stay in Vigan City and to even go up north to Batac and Paoaoy.
On the first day get the vibe of city go to all the museums, churches and check the main street with the historical Spanish-era houses, have a ride on the Kalesa.
Second day go to the ZOO and relax afterwards. Trust me you’ll be exhausted afterwards, haha.
Last day go to Batac and Paoaoy to see Marcos Family Ancestral Mansion and San Agustin Church of Paoay.
How To Get To Vigan City From Manila
There are busses going from Cubao Terminal in Manila every few hours, just check the schedule online. The bus is modern and even has CR (toilet), so no problem during the ride.
What you need to keep in mind is to bring a blanket or something to cover yourself. The reeason is because the whole ride there the AC will be set at 16 – 18 degrees, suuuper cold. It takes around 7-8 hours to get to Vigan City from Manila, so make sure you’re ready for that.
List of Top Must See Attractions in Vigan City
- Crisologo Museum – Former residence of politician Floro S. Crisologo
- Vigan Heritage Site – Where the main street with Spanish-era houses starts
- Calle Crisologo – The main street with Spanish-era houses and souvenir shops
- Plaza Salcedo – Musical Dancing Fountain, starts at 7:30pm
- Plaza Burgos – Town Plaza with monument to Father Jose P. Burgos
- Metropolitan Cathedral of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle – Sadly it was under reconstruction when I was there
- Padre Burgos House – a sort of museum that’s worth to see
- Parish of Saint Augustine of Hippo (Bantay Church) – a cool looking church
- Bantay Bell Tower – Beautiful overgrown old tower. Sadly can’t go close to it, there’s a fence.
- Baluarte Resort and Mini Zoo – MUST SEE, amazing zoo, feels more like a safari really. Has 9 stations each with different animals, you get to each station by a jeep. You can take a photo with a live white lion here, it’s one of my favorite pictures from the whole trip in Vigan City.
Attractions For When You Have Extra Time
If you’ve seen everything in Vigan City already and are a little bit bored, then hop on a bus and go to Batac and Paoay. It’s about 2hours bus drive, so nothing that bad. In Batac go to Marcos Family Ancestral Mansion. Really recommend this one, see Ferdinand Marcos childhood, his involvement in WW2, his rise to power and eventually becoming the president of the Philippines is quite remarkable. You can see why the people of the Philippines loved him, a very charismatic guy to say the least.
Love the quotes that are in here, e.g “We do the difficult right away, the impossible it takes a little longer.”
Afterwards you can take a tricycle to Paoay and see the San Agustin Church of Paoay which is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines, built in 1710. I’m sure there’s more to see in this part of Ilocos, but for me it was time to go back to Manila.
Conclusion
A wonderful city with lots of things to see and experience, from amazing cultural museums, old overgrown churches to a zoo that allows you to feed and pet most of the animals there. Truly a city that I will always remember and want to return to in the future. If I could summarize this city in 2 words it would be HISTORICAL and BEAUTIFUL.
#LoveThePhilippines #ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines #ViganCity #Ilocos
