When you hear about Philippines people usually think about beautiful white sand beaches but Vigan city is a complete contrast to the well-traveled tourist destinations in Philippines. I have traveled to all the famous tourist destinations in Philippines but travel to Vigan city was a very unique experience. Vigan City is a small colonial town situated on the west coast of Luzon Province. Vigan City is also listed as world heritage site and it is one of the best preserved planned Spanish colonial town in Asia. Vigan city is famous for beautiful architecture and unique dining experience.
How to reach Vigan City?
Vigan city is situated about 400km north of Manila. You can reach Vigan city either by land or by air. Vigan city doesn’t have international airport so most tourists will be traveling to Vigan city either from Clark or from Manila. If you’re coming from Manila, you can travel by buses which is the cheapest way to travel to Vigan City. The bus journey from Manila to Vigan city takes about 8-10 hours. Clark International airport is situated about 300km south of Vigan city. If you are arriving at Clark Airport in Pampanga, then you can take bus to Vigan City from Dau Bus terminal. The bus journey from Clark to Vigan city takes about 6-8 hours. You can also opt for Ilocos Norte tour from Manila. The tour usually takes 3 days and you will be visiting the most prominent tourist destinations of North Luzon during the tour. Overnight buses are the best way to reach Vigan city from Clark or Manila airport. There are no direct flights to Vigan city from Manila but you can fly from Manila to Laoag City Airport and ride bus to Vigan city. Only PAL express connects Manila to Laoag city Airport.
Hotel Luna Vigan City
Vigan city is a popular tourist destination in Philippines so you will find all kinds of accommodation in the city. Most people usually stay 2-3 nights in the city. We stayed 1 night at Vigan city. Vigan city is a small town and all the tourist destinations are located close to each other. One day is enough to see all the popular tourist destinations. We stayed at Hotel Luna during our trip to Vigan city. Hotel Luna is a heritage hotel and it is considered as the best hotel in Vigan City. Hotel Luna is the first and only museum hotel in Philippines. The hotel features beautiful rooms with brilliant Spanish architecture. We felt like we travelled back in time after staying in the hotel. The hotel is restored very well and it is well maintained. You will get free Wifi and complimentary drinks during your stay. Chula Saloon Bar, situated near the entrance of the hotel has a retro felling and it can accommodate up to 30 guests. The hotel also features a beautiful swimming pool.
Things not to miss in Vigan City
Bantay Bell Tower
Hotel Luna is situated near the main walking street of Vigan City. Bantay Bell Tower is situated little bit far from the historic center of Vigan City. You can hire a tri-cycle to visit the Bell Tower. Bantay Bell tower serves the Saint Augustine Parish church which is situated near the Bell Tower. Saint Augustine Parish church is one of the oldest church in the Ilocos Sur region. The tower is famous for its Neo-Gothic mixed architecture. The tower was named Bantay or “to guard” because it was used as a watch tower during the colonial era against the pirates. You can climb to the top of the tower to get beautiful panoramic views of Vigan City. There is a huge bell situated at the top of the tower. The tower is situated on the top of the hill and you need to climb stairs in order reach the base of the tower.
CALLE CRISOLOGO
Calle Crisologo is the heart of Vigan city. Calle Crisologo is a walking street and it is the most photographed place in Vigan city. You will find lot of souvenir shops around the walking street. There is no vehicular traffic allowed in the street. You will only find Horse cart (Kalesa) around the street. The colonial era houses are restored as souvenir shops, hotels and restaurants. Most of the shops still maintain the old-world charm through red tiled roofs, decorative doors, high ceiling and Capiz windows.
The roads are made from old bricks and the entire area is well restored by the Government. You can try some local snacks at the shops situated near the walking street. The street looks absolutely beautiful during the night time. The walking street is converted to a dining area during night time. The tables are set-up with candle light to give a romantic vibe to the atmosphere. We traveled around the walking street multiple times during our stay at Vigan city. The walking street is about 500m long and it was bustling with tourists during our visit. I will strongly recommend to visit the street early afternoon or early morning in order to take some uninterrupted photographs.
KALESA TOUR
Your trip to Vigan city will be incomplete without a ride on the Kalesa. Kalesa is a horse drawn carriage and they are very popular in the Calle Crisologo tourist area. The fixed price for 1-hour trip is 300 pesos. They will take you around the walking street and you will also visit some other tourist destination situated near Calle Crisologo. Our first stop of the tour was pottery shop. We understand the art of pottery making and saw some beautiful clay pots at the shop.
Our next stop was Padre Burgos house. The museum was the birthplace of priest patriot Fr. Jose Burgos. The house is converted to museum and the house was also used as a prison during colonial era. The museum is open till 4.30 pm and you have to purchase ticket in order to visit the Museum. Our last stop of the trip was Plaza Salcedo which is situated near Calle Crisologo walking street. You can also visit Bantay Bell tower using Kalesa. We already visited the bell tower in the morning so we opted not to visit the Bell tower.
Plaza Salcedo
Plaza Salcedo is situated near Calle Crisologo. Plaza Salcedo is the main square of Vigan City. The Plaza is surrounded by artificial fountains and a beautiful church. We saw beautiful dancing fountain show at the plaza. We were lucky to visit Vigan city during the Annual Fiesta celebration. The fountain show was colorful with amazing music and lights.
Vigan City Food
Vigan City is famous for some unique cuisine. The cuisine of Vigan city is significantly influenced by the Spanish culture and it is very different from the other parts of Philippines.
Empanada of Vigan city is famous all over Philippines. It is made with mixture of grated green papaya, bean sprouts, shredded carrots, whole egg and Vigan Longganisa. All ingredients are wrapped in a dough of rice flour and deep fried to give a crispy flavor. You can try Empanada from local shops situated around Vigan city.
There are many more local snacks to try like Pinakbet or Pakebet(Mix veggies), Sinanglao (Beef or Carabao innards boiled in beef soup stocks), tinubong (sticky sweet rice cake cooked in coconut milk and sugar), Chichacorn (cornsnack), and the royal bibingka(chewy rice cake).
Calle Brewery is situated adjacent to Calle Crisologo street. Google maps will be extremely helpful in finding the Brewery. The Brewery is featured multiple times among travel bloggers. Calle Brewery is famous for locally brewed beer. We had our dinner at Calle Brewery and it is considered as one of the best restaurants in Vigan city for smoked barbecue. The service at the restaurant was amazing. We tried smoked pork belly and ribs and it was absolutely delicious. The flavored beer was perfectly complemented with delicious succulent pork. We really loved the barbecue and we repeated the same order. The restaurant has a chilled vibe and it is decorated really well.
Leave a Reply