Artwork on display inside the Pinto Art Museum.

© Salvador Maniquiz/Shutterstock

Pinto Art Museum

Top choice in Manila

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This fantastic museum in Antipolo, in the hills just east of Metro Manila, showcases some of the Philippines' best contemporary artists. There are six impressive galleries, outdoor art installations, and an indigenous arts wing where you can get an authentic Kalinga (North Luzon) tattoo. The beautifully landscaped grounds, with sweeping views of smog-choked Manila, are a welcome escape from the urban madness. Figure on P450 each way for a taxi from Makati (50 minutes).

Alternatively, take an Antipolo- or Tanay-bound jeepney or public van from SM Megamall in Ortigas. Get off at the Ynares Center and take a short tricycle ride or walk 1km to the museum.

Plan on having lunch at the superb Cafe Rizal (mains P200 to P300) on the museum grounds. The road leading out to Antipolo is lined with shops and sunset-facing restobars offering beer buckets and impressive panoramas of Manila.

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