Exploring the city of Manila is like opening a box filled with ukay-ukay (pre-loved) clothes and other objects. It may take you quite a while of digging before you start finding things you actually like. Because this city’s gems aren’t always noticeable at first glance, it takes extra effort to discover Manila’s true allure. From the core city of Manila to the rest of its vast metropolitan area, one can find a myriad of charms hidden in every nook and cranny. By knowing where to search and expanding your zest for discovery, you can easily enjoy Manila with all its rich history, culture, art scene, food, and friendly people.
Unique Attractions and Activities in Metro Manila
To kick off your exploration of what’s good in Manila, here are some unique attractions and activities you can experience.
1. Tour Intramuros by Bambike
A stroll around Intramuros is already a satisfying experience in itself. Just ask members of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, who enjoyed a walk around the walled city when they visited the country. Exploring it while riding a Bambike—a bicycle made from bamboo materials and handcrafted by the skillful Bambuilders of Gawad Kalinga—will certainly elevate your Intramuros exploration experience several notches higher.
The Bambike tour lasts approximately two and a half hours, starting at the Bambike Ecotours HQ in Intramuros and heading to all places of interest inside the walled city, such as Fort Santiago, San Agustin Church, Plaza San Luis, Plaza Roma, Manila Cathedral, and more.
To book a tour, the Traveloka App provides an easy booking process and payment.
2. Delight in Visual Tricks at Art in Island Museum
Fancy tricking your eyes as you marvel at interactive artworks brimming with rich imaginations at the Art in Island Museum in Cubao. Interactional three-dimensional artworks numbering more than a hundred will keep you feasting on fun visuals that you can use to create imaginative, Instagrammable images.
Whether you insert yourself into an underwater realm, pose like a seasoned surfer, or become the subject of a classical painting, the possibilities of letting your creative juices flow are almost limitless when interacting with the artworks in this museum. This is definitely a fun place for kids and adults alike.
You can easily buy tickets to Art in Island Museum through the Traveloka App.
3. Explore the World of Science at The Mind Museum
This world-class science museum located in Taguig should be included in everyone's Metro Manila itinerary. It features five futuristic zones—namely Technology, Universe, Earth, Life, and Atom—where more than two hundred fifty engaging exhibits are displayed for visitors to enjoy a day of interactive learning. Various exhibition themes are also organized on any given day, such as Awesome Astronomy, Frozen Science Saturdays, and Markerspace, just to name a few.
Living up to its mission of providing "an extraordinary educational experience that inspires the public to understand nature," The Mind Museum brings science and nature to the forefront in the understanding of our beautiful planet.
You can avail of an All-Day Pass at The Mind Museum through your Traveloka App.
4. Postal Operation and Heritage Tour
Organized by a number of heritage advocate groups, this tour takes participants on a free guided sightseeing trip exploring the historic Manila Central Post Office. The tour also includes a lecture on the iconic building’s history and architecture, as well as a hands-on experience sorting snail mail and stamp collections. The Royal Postal Heritage Guided Tour usually creates Facebook events for the schedules of their upcoming tours.
5. Eat Your Way Through a Binondo Food Crawl
As old Manileños would say, "You will know Manila only if you have walked the streets of Binondo." Otherwise known as the "oldest Chinatown in the world," Binondo boasts a wealthy history and culture hidden among its many streets and alleyways. Along with the fascinating ethos is an almost endless array of culinary stops where one can feast on Tsinoy cuisines.
A food crawl around Binondo covering the places of Ongpin Street, Carvajal Alley Market, Basilica de San Lorenzo Ruiz, and Plaza Calderon dela Barca shall satisfy every bit of your inner foodie.
6. Quiapo Muslim Immersion Tour
Meaningful Travels PH, a small travel company organizing community immersion trips, is now offering the Quiapo Muslim Immersion Tour. This tour lasts the entire day and involves immersing yourself in the Muslim neighborhood in Quiapo, where guests can learn more about their culture, history, and religion.
The activity also includes a meeting with community elders and leaders who give a short lecture about interesting subjects such as Shari'ah Law. It ends with a visit to the Madrasa—an Arabic word for school—inside the Golden Mosque, to meet the kids studying the Quran.
