Inside
Cebu connects to almost everywhere in the Visayas, and it's worth a few days in its own right.
Add Cebu to my journeyCebu is where the Philippines as a Spanish colony began: Magellan landed on Mactan in 1521, and Cebu City was founded in 1565, making it the oldest city in the country. Today it's a busy, sprawling metropolis and the main gateway to the central islands, with direct international flights and ferries to Bohol, Siquijor, Leyte and beyond.
Most travellers pass through. The ones who stop a few days find a very good food city, a long, mountainous island with waterfalls and canyons in the south, and some of the country's most accessible diving in Moalboal and Malapascua. Think of Cebu as two trips: the city for a night or two, then the island beyond it.
Cebu is the most practical hub in the country, and that's a real advantage. It cuts out Manila connections for much of the Visayas and Mindanao, and its long island has a lot to do within a few hours' drive.
The city itself is not beautiful in the obvious way, and traffic can be heavy. But it has history, very good food and a confident local identity. Cebuanos are proud of their island and their language, and it shows.
Your base depends on why you're here.
The historic centre is compact enough to walk in a morning. Start at Magellan's Cross, the wooden cross said to contain fragments of the one planted in 1521, then step into the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño, home to the country's oldest Catholic relic. Fort San Pedro, a small triangular Spanish fort, is a short walk away.
From there, walk Colon Street, the oldest street in the country, and Carbon Market, the city's oldest and largest public market, for fruit, dried fish and everyday life. In the hills above the city, the Taoist Temple and the viewpoints of Busay look over the whole metro.
Cebu claims the best lechon in the Philippines, and most Filipinos agree. Whole pigs are stuffed with lemongrass, garlic and spring onion, then roasted over charcoal until the skin shatters. You don't need sauce; that's the point.
Beyond lechon, eat sutukil on Mactan (sugba, tuwa, kilaw: grilled, soup, raw), puso (rice cooked inside a woven coconut-leaf pouch), ngohiong (a Cebuano-Chinese spring roll), and dried mangoes, which the island is famous for.
The southern half of the island is mountains, rivers and reefs. A loop south takes you through Carcar, over to the west coast and down to Moalboal and Badian.
Cebu is one of the best-placed islands in the country for diving. Moalboal has walls, turtles and a sardine shoal you can snorkel from the beach; Malapascua is one of the few places in the world where thresher sharks are seen regularly; and Mactan has easy reef dives close to the airport.
In Oslob, in the far south, whale sharks are fed by fishermen so tourists can swim with them. It's popular, but feeding changes the animals' natural behaviour, and many marine scientists and conservationists question it. We don't include it in our trips.
For whale sharks in the wild, consider Donsol (seasonal, roughly December to May) or simply enjoy what Cebu's reefs do on their own.
Insider notes
12 days · Essential / Boutique / Premium
Cebu • Malapascua • Moalboal • Bohol
All by road and sea, with no domestic flights: Cebu city's history and food, Malapascua's sharks, Moalboal's sardine run and canyons, then Bohol.
From €1,700per person ·
View journey →
12 days · Essential / Boutique
Cebu • Moalboal • Siquijor • Bohol
Three islands for a sensible price: Moalboal's turtles and sardines, Siquijor's waterfalls and Bohol's hills. Simple, well-chosen hotels and transfers by road and sea.
From €1,300per person ·
View journey →Use this journey as inspiration. Change the islands, hotels, pace, activities or number of nights.
Add Cebu to my journeyBoth. Spend at least a night for the food and history, then go south or north for the island itself.
Around 3 hours by road, depending on traffic.
Yes. Cebu has direct international flights from several cities in Asia, which can save a connection in Manila.
No. The sharks are fed to keep them there. We suggest Donsol in season or other wildlife experiences.
Mactan has resort beaches, but for real beaches we'd go to Bantayan, Malapascua or Bohol.
Inside
A small dive town on Cebu's west coast where millions of sardines swirl a few metres from shore and turtles graze on the reef wall.
Inside
A small, car-free island off Cebu's northern tip, known worldwide for early-morning dives with thresher sharks, and for its easy, barefoot pace.
Inside
The Chocolate Hills, tiny tarsiers, a slow green river and the beaches of Panglao, all within an easy two hours of each other.
Tell us when you're coming. We'll help design the rest.