The Top 5 Things to Do in Cebu, Philippines
As the oldest city in the Philippines (founded six years before Manila City), Cebu claims an older and purer Filipino culture.
He has a fervent Catholic faith, based on devotion to Santo Niño; tangible history, shown by the old churches and watchtowers of the city and the rest of the island; and proximity to nature, through beaches, diving spots, waterfalls, and mountains.
Fly directly to Cebu Airport and Cebu Island and its variety of activities.
The ones we have listed here cover not only the cities of Cebu and Mandaue but also the neighboring island of Mactan and other points of interest on the island of Cebu itself.
We hope you enjoy watching this video about The Top Places and Things to Do in Cebu Island
Source: Challenge Yourself
1. Make a pilgrimage to the Basilica of the Holy Child
The Basilica Menor del Santo Niño (Basilica Minor del Santo Niño) stands at the site of a "miraculous" discovery.
In 1565, an icon of the infant Jesus was found in the smoking remains of a native village that was burned by the Spanish for its impertinence.
Since that important discovery, the Santo Niño ("Santo Menino" in Spanish) has served as a fundamental icon of Cebu, the center of local worship and the base of Cebu's largest festival, Sinulog.
A shrine immediately to the left of the golden altar of the Basilica del Santo Niño contains the 500-year-old Santo Niño icon, who leaves his niche once a year for Sinulog.
In the nearby Pilgrim Center, a small museum houses centuries-old sacred vestments, Bibles, missals, mass accessories, and donations from devotees.
Several shelves contain donated toys, supposedly for the joy of baby Jesus!
2. Throw candles for luck at the Magellan Cross
In Sugbo Square, the square on the south side of the Basilica del Santo Niño, a small pavilion houses an interesting relic of great importance to Philippine history.
The lattice pavilion contains the wooden cross that Ferdinand Magellan first planted on Philippine soil in 1521.
The original cross is supposedly within the cross now in the pavilion, preventing devotees from continuing their ancient habit of cutting to keep as souvenirs.
For good luck, visitors throw candles at the foot of the cross.
Above the cross, the painted ceiling represents the seeds of Catholicism (and three centuries of Spanish colonial rule) planted on the shores of Cebu: the baptism of a local nobleman and the installation of the Magellan's Cross on the island.
3. Walkthrough the Parian Historic District
Wherever the Spanish conquerors settled, they created settlements called "Parian", where they house the local Chinese community.
Families living in Cebu's Parian turned the area into a bustling economic hub.
Although the district has seen better days, many buildings in Parian still retain an echo of their former glory.
Visit this historic area of Cebu City to visit its great houses turned into museums: the Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House; Casa Gorordo, built in the 1850s to house his homonymous merchant family; and the House of the Jesuits (Parian sa Sugbo Museum), a house donated by its builders to the order of the Catholic Jesuits, and the oldest house in Parian, dating from 1730.
4. Swim with whale sharks in Oslob
Domesticated whale sharks swim in the waters off the city of Tan-Awan in Oslob, about a three-hour drive south of Cebu City.
After careful instruction from local authorities, visitors can board paddle-wheel boats to find whale sharks. They can even dive among the slow-swimming whale sharks, though visitors are cautioned to stay a healthy distance from the giant fish.
Local whale sharks have been conditioned to feed on local fishermen, who throw krill into the water to attract them.
This has raised some controversy, as local practice is considered by some to be an unethical form of behavior modification.
To get to Oslob, go to Cebu City South Terminal and look for buses heading to "Bato Oslob"; Air-conditioned buses cost 155 Philippine pesos per trip.
5. Buy a handmade guitar in Alegre
Filipino musicians trust Cebu's high-quality handcrafted guitars. Introduced by friars during Spanish colonial times, the art of the guitar is now concentrated in Maribago on the island of Mactan.
Alegre Guitar, run by third-generation owner Fernando M. Alegre, is one of the most touristic places in Maribago to see how guitars are made.
Alegre luthiers carefully make guitars with local wood and imported strings; The factory produces a limited number of guitars per week, from compact ukuleles to beautiful life-size instruments with exotic inlays.
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