"Capital of the Philippines" Top 5 Page for this destination Manila by limledi

Manila Travel Guide: 1,912 reviews and 4,527 photos

Metro Manila

Metropolitan Manila is the capital of the Philippines and among the world's thirty most populous metropolitan areas. Metro Manila is one of the two defined metropolitan areas in the Philippines, the other being Metro Cebu. It is the metropolitan area that contains the city of Manila, as well as sixteen surrounding cities and municipalities, including Quezon City. Metro Manila is the political, economic, social, and cultural center of the Philippines, and is one of the more modern metropolises in Southeast Asia. Among locals, particularly those from Manila proper and those in the provinces, Metro Manila is often simply referred to as Manila. Metro Manila is the smallest of the country's administrative regions, but the most populous and the most densely populated. It is also the only region without any provinces. The region is bordered by the provinces of Bulacan to the north, Rizal to the east, and Cavite and Laguna to the south. Metro Manila is also sandwiched by the Manila Bay to the west and the Laguna de Bay to the southeast with the Pasig River running between them, bisecting the region. Manila is the designated capital and seat of the Philippine government. The executive and administrative seat of government is located in Manila, so is the judiciary. The upper house of the legislature (Senate of the Philippines) is located in Pasay City, and the lower house (House of Representatives of the Philippines) in Quezon City.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Modern Metropolis Full of History
Cons:Traffic and Pollution
In a nutshell:Capital of the Philippines

Last visit to Manila: Sep 2006
Intro Updated Oct 25, 2006
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Reviews (70)

Bus from MOA to NAIA Transportation (4)

In front of Mall of Asia where the globe is, you can take the bus that will pass NAIA. This is the cheaper alternative... more travel advice

University of Santo Tomas Things to Do (60)

University of Santo Tomas is the oldest and largest university in the city of Manila. Inside can be found the oldest... more travel advice

University of Santo Tomas Museum - Manila

University of Santo Tomas Museum Things to Do (60)

The oldest university of the Philippines houses an exhibition of ethnological objects, stuffed animals, mussels and... more travel advice

Paco Park Things to Do (60)

Paco Park is a recreational garden area and was once Manila’s municipal cemetery for the well-off and established... more travel advice

Restaurants (5)
See All Cheap & Delicious Japanese Food!

Shopping (1)
Shopping Galore and A Lot More!

Comments (12)

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davidjo Jan 20, 2013 at 10:22 AM

Great Manila tips. Last time we went to Manila we had to find somewhere that we had not seen before so we went to the Chinese cemetery, so clean, and one mausoleum even has a swimming pool. At the gatehouse you can have a free tour. Then we went next door to Manila North cemetery, the squatters who lived there for many years amongst the tombs were extremely friendly---try it next time!!!
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  limledi Feb 1, 2013 at 11:13 PM
  
  Thanks for the tip. American cemetery in Taguig is lovely too!
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taigaa001 Jun 9, 2011 at 7:34 PM

Intramuros faced with the similar fate during WW2 as many major castles in Japan experienced. Most of the major casltes in Japan were destroyed by air raids and reconstructured after the war.
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apenan Mar 15, 2011 at 9:40 PM

My apologies. I just recalled it was St. Agusutin's Church that was not damaged during WWII, and not Manila Cathedral.
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kishjanx Aug 5, 2009 at 11:54 PM

i would just want to ask more information regarding the wow manila jeep. can it take us to other places aside from those mentioned in the page. i also wanna ask for the possible rates?
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joiwatani Mar 4, 2009 at 7:49 PM

Great tips on Manila! Thanks for sharing...I was in UP for a while but never did lakwatsa...I was starving student that's why.
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Elena77 Jan 8, 2009 at 8:21 AM

Great tips, thanks for sharing! There seems to be an endless number of shopping malls in Manila! : )
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jumpingnorman Nov 4, 2008 at 8:14 PM

Enjoyed your Manila tips..saw Mall of Asia while it was being built, and once had Henry Sy with bodyguards beside me in Tagaytay! I hope he includes me in his will...hehehe
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matt10gonzalez Feb 14, 2008 at 7:46 PM

Wow!! You also go to the Mall of Asia? Wow!! I always go there too! Haha! I guess I might just see you while walking around there! :) By the way, I didn't know you could take the LRT and take the orange jeep to the Mall of Asia. :)
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Tugboatguy Nov 30, 2007 at 9:58 PM

Very well researched and written, good tips, Lynnette, and a great nostalgia trip for me-used to live in Makati. Roxas Blvd at sunset a memorable place, and you have brought Manila up to date for me with all new restaurants. Salamat po. Doug
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titabell Apr 8, 2007 at 5:28 AM

hello LYNETTE! Ang gaganda naman ng pictures mo! I like your Manila Page. Your tips are very interesting. I still have a few more pages to read. Thanks for the good tips! tita bell