Cebu City tour: 9 destinations in one day

I've lived in my beloved hometown, Cebu, for 26 years already and it has been my long time goal to do a Cebu City Tour. This finally came true when our colleagues at work flew from Manila last August and we planned a Cebu City Tour for them. So it was a win-win kind of situation, no? Haha. One of our colleague here in Cebu did the itinerary and she planned to visit nine destinations all in one day. It sounded like a very hectic schedule but I was excited! So here, I'd like to share this quick guide to all of you just in case you haven't gone on a Cebu City Tour yet. However, please note that the destinations we visited are the "basic" or most commonly known tourist spots here in Cebu. If you're still interested, then continue reading!



Our assembly time was 7AM and we met at Cebu IT Park. We took the 17C jeepney and dropped off somewhere near our first destination and walked going there. And our first stop is...

Fort San Pedro

Fort San Pedro is a military defense structure in Cebu, built by the Spanish under the command of Miguel López de Legazpi, the first governor of the Captaincy General of the Philippines. It is located in Plaza Independencia, near Pier 1. It is also the oldest triangular bastion fort in the country.<sup>1

1 Source: Wikipedia</sup>

Magellan's Cross

Our second stop is Magellan's Cross and since it's just a few blocks away from Fort San Pedro, we didn't bother riding a jeepney. Magellan's Cross holds a very big part of the history of Cebu. It was planted by the Portuguese and Spanish explorers headed by Ferdinand Magellan when they arrived here in Cebu on March 15, 1521. It was planted to signify the propagation of the Roman Catholic faith to the entire island of Cebu.<sup>2

2 Source: Cebu City Tour</sup>

Basílica Minore del Santo Niño

Third stop is none other than, the Basílica Minore del Santo Niño. Because of course, it's located right beside Magellan's Cross. This church was founded by Fr. Andres de Urdaneta on April 28, 1565 , the day the Legazpi-Urdaneta expedition arrived in Cebu. It is the home of the oldest and the original relic of the Santo Niño. It is also the church where the 9-day Sinulog novena is held.<sup>3

3 Source: Basilica Minore del Santo Niño Official Website</sup>

Museo Sugbo

From the Basilica, we walked a few blocks and rode a jeepney going to our next destination. Museo Sugbo is the Cebu Provincial Museum. It was previously called "Carcel de Cebu" as it was originally designed to be a prison when it was constructed in 1871. In 2004, it was then converted into a warehouse of Cebuano heritage. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the museum has more than ten galleries up to date. You will need to pay an entrance fee of PHP 30 each too.<sup>4

4 Source: Cebu City Tour</sup>

We finished the first four destinations in the morning and after Museo Sugbo, we went for a fulfilling lunch at A-One near SM City Cebu. After, we rode a 04L jeepney going to JY Square Mall. We initially planned to deal with random van drivers in JY Square since previously there were a lot who will be offering a package tour in the Busay area. However, at that time, they were no longer allowed to operate so we had no choice but to book a Grab car. We set our destination to Temple of Leah. Luckily, a Grab driver accepted! When we rode on the car, we were again so lucky because the driver asked us if we wanted to go to other destinations "up there" too. And we unanimously said yes. It was pure luck and coincidence because the driver had this brochure in his car because he indeed provides city tour services. We negotiated and settled with paying PHP 1200 for visiting five destinations. There were six of us so we only had to pay PHP 200 each! Lucky!!!~

Sirao Flower Farm: Little Amsterdam

So our fifth stop is the original Sirao Flower Farm which is called the "Little Amsterdam". I'm not sure but I think it was around three years ago when this flower farm opened boasting their beautiful Celosia flowers and went viral on social media. Back then, it was plainly just a flower farm but as time went by, they kept adding decorations and spots for photo taking and to attract more visitors. There are now other kinds of flowers in the farm too.

Sirao Pictorial Garden and Camping Site

Our next stop is the second Sirao Flower Farm or more commonly known as Sirao PGCS (Sirao Pictorial Garden and Camping Site). It's not my first time to visit this farm but it surely had a lot of changes from when we first went there. Just like the original Sirao Flower Farm, they added a lot of attractions and Instagrammable spots, too. But what sets them apart is they now have a swimming pool.

Tops Lookout

Next stop is the famous Tops Lookout. In my 26 years of existence, it was my very first time to visit this famous tourist spot! I have long wanted to visit this place but I just never had the chance and I also thought that a PHP 100 entrance fee is just too expensive for me. But now that the opportunity has come, I didn't bother about my hundred peso anymore. And now I know why people love coming to this place. Tops Lookout will give you a breathtaking and picturesque view of the Queen City of the South. There's nothing much you can actually do here but it's the perfect place to just chill. Up there will literally give you the breath of fresh air.

Temple of Leah

Our next stop is one of the most widely known tourist spots in Cebu ever since it was constructed. The Temple of Leah was built in 2012 as a tribute and a symbol of undying love of Tedorico Adarna to his wife, Leah Adarna. And yes, these are the celebrity Ellen Adarna's grandparents.

Taoist Temple

Our last destination is the Taoist Temple. It is located inside the Beverly Hills Subdivision in Lahug, Cebu. It was built in 1972 as the center of worship for Taoism in the city. If you're following my blog, you will know that it's not my first time to visit Taoist Temple. Because I have previously written a blog post about it here already. And if you want to know more about and check out more photos of the temple, please do check out my blog about it.



And there you have it! All these Cebu City tourist spots in just a span of 10 hours. My day ended feeling tired with all the walking but it was just all worth it. Cebu still has a lot to offer, we all know that, but going on a basic city tour is something you really shouldn't miss.

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