Must-see attractions in North Luzon

  • Craft store on historic Crisologo Street, Mestizo District.

    Mestizo District

    Vigan

    The Mestizo District, or Kasanglayan ('where the Chinese live'), is a grid of streets hemmed in between Plaza Burgos and Liberation Blvd and bisected by…

  • Callao Cave

    North Luzon

    The most accessible part of the area's immense 25km limestone cave complex is the seven-chambered Callao Cave. The cave is reached by 184 slippery steps…

  • BenCab Museum

    Baguio

    This superb museum dedicated to the life, times and work of artist Benedicto Reyes Cabrera (BenCab) is as fascinating as the man himself. The gallery is a…

  • Paoay Church

    North Luzon

    Nineteen kilometres southwest of Laoag is North Luzon’s most famous church. Unesco World Heritage–listed Paoay Church was built in classic earthquake…

  • St Louis University Museum

    Baguio

    This campus museum is run by Isekias 'Ike' Picpican, one of the country’s foremost authorities on the history and culture of the Cordillera people. You…

  • Camp John Hay

    Baguio

    A Japanese internment camp for Allied prisoners of war in WWII, and then a US military rest-and-recreation facility, 246-hectare Camp John Hay has been…

  • Tam-awan Village

    Baguio

    Nine traditional Ifugao homes and two Kalinga huts were taken apart then reassembled on the side of a hill at this artists colony. Spending the night in…

  • Hundred Islands National Park

    North Luzon

    This small national park off the coast of Alaminos, 35km southeast of Bolinao, actually consists of 123 separate islets (some are just large rocks). Over…

  • Pottery Factories

    Vigan

    Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, Chinese settlers pioneered a still-active pottery industry. You can visit a couple of pottery factories on Gomez St…

  • St Paul Cathedral

    Vigan

    This church was built in ‘earthquake baroque’ style (ie thick-walled and massive) after an earlier incarnation was damaged by quakes in 1619 and 1627. The…

  • Padre José Burgos National Museum

    Vigan

    Built in 1788, this museum is in the ancestral home of Father José Burgos, one of the three martyr priests executed by the Spanish in 1872. It houses an…

  • Magsingal Museum

    Vigan

    This branch of Vigan's Padre José Burgos National Museum, located 11km north of Vigan in Magsingal, displays an absorbing collection of Ilocano relics. An…

  • Sand Dunes

    North Luzon

    Located along the coast near Laoag, the seemingly endless sand dunes sprawl south all the way to Paoay. Access is easiest to the La Paz stretch, only 15…

  • Malacañang of the North

    North Luzon

    In a peaceful location next to the scenic Paoay Lake, the opulent former estate where the Marcos family spent their holidays is open to the public. The…

  • Odessa-Tumbali Cave

    North Luzon

    Estimated to be at least the second-longest cave system in the country at 12.5km (it still hasn’t been explored to its terminus), Odessa-Tumbali Cave is…

  • Blue Lagoon

    North Luzon

    Paradisical Blue Lagoon holds Luzon’s whitest sand and bluest waters but the large-scale development here has eaten up a big part of the beach and it's…

  • Stingray Memorial

    North Luzon

    In secluded Caunayan Bay, this memorial commemorates the mission of American submarine USS Stingray, which delivered weapons to Ilocano guerrillas, thus…

  • Museo Ilocos Norte

    North Luzon

    Housed in the historic Tabacalera warehouse, the snazzy Museo Ilocos Norte is one of the better ethnographic museums in the Philippines. It houses a large…

  • Juan Luna Shrine

    Vigan

    It's worth stopping in Badoc, halfway between Vigan and Laoag (about an hour by bus), for a peek inside the restored ancestral home of Juan Luna, arguably…

  • Kabigan Falls

    North Luzon

    Kabigan Falls is 120m of crashing white water and a cool, clear pool for swimming. It's accessible via group tours run by all hotels or via private…

  • Pundaquit

    North Luzon

    Oriented for perfect sunsets, this wide grey-white beach with lapping waves is strewn with colourful fishing bangka. Add to this a view of Capones Island…

  • Liw-liwa

    North Luzon

    A wonderful spot for surfing, Liw-liwa is a beautiful stretch of volcanic-pumice-strewn beach just south of San Felipe, which is 5km north of San Narciso…

  • Marcos Museum

    North Luzon

    The house where Ferdinand Marcos was born on 11 September 1917 takes pride of place in the small village of Sarrat, 15km east of Laoag. Displays embellish…

  • Lourdes Grotto

    Baguio

    Established by the Spanish Jesuits in 1907, the Lourdes Grotto sits at the top of 252 steps in the hilly western part of town. From the top, there’s a…

  • Anawangin Cove

    North Luzon

    Accessible only by boat or on foot (five hours from Pundaquit), this stunning arc of white-ash sand can get packed with visitors from Manila, but if you…

  • Saud Beach

    North Luzon

    This is a dazzling long arc of white sand that shimmers into a perfect swimming pool of blue sea. There's a big selection of accommodation here, but it's…

  • Capones Island

    North Luzon

    You can sleep under the stars on hourglass-shaped Capones Island, a 25-minute bangka (outrigger canoe) ride from the fishing village of Pundaquit, just a…

  • Magic Fountain

    Vigan

    Every night at 7.30pm during peak tourist season, the fountain in the middle of Plaza Salcedo bursts into a music and light show. It gets crowded and is…

  • Sinking Bell Tower

    North Luzon

    Laoag's main architectural attraction is the Sinking Bell Tower, with what is presently a hobbit-sized doorway. Built by Augustine friars to accommodate…

  • Dos Hermanos

    North Luzon

    At the far end of Blue Lagoon, Dos Hermanos is a pair of easily accessible offshore islands with great snorkelling. Local legend claims the islands are…

  • Rowilda's Weaving Factory

    Vigan

    In barangay Camanggaan, just a 10-minute tricycle ride southeast of Vigan, you can watch abel hand-weavers in action at Rowilda’s Weaving Factory, which…

  • St William’s Cathedral

    North Luzon

    The immense Italian Renaissance–style St William’s Cathedral was built in 1880.

  • Quema House

    Vigan

    Beautifully preserved mansion, not open to the public.

  • Crisologo Museum

    Vigan

    The Crisologos, Vigan’s most prominent political dynasty, have converted their ancestral home into this strangely compelling family shrine. In addition to…

  • Baguio Mountain Provinces Museum

    Baguio

    This museum is a great introduction to the Igorot ('mountain people') of the Cordillera and the harmful 'savage highlander'/'cultured lowlander' divide,…

  • Museo de Baler

    North Luzon

    A basic museum that tells the history of Aurora Province, mostly via photos of the life of former First Lady Dona Aurora who was born in Baler; she gave…

  • Catholic Church

    North Luzon

    Built in 1611, this pretty church became the garrison of 50 Spanish soldiers in 1898 as they were besieged by hundreds of Filipino freedom fighters. The…

  • Syquia Mansion Museum

    Vigan

    The Syquia Mansion is filled with old furniture and exhibits dedicated to the life of Vigan native Elpidio Quirino, the Philippines’ sixth president…

  • La Paz

    North Luzon

    In between the sleepier beaches of Liw-liwa and Pundaquit, just west of the town of San Narciso, La Paz is the busiest and most built-up part of this…