Other Places in Cebu City Tour

After the historical tour and going to different churches of Cebu City, there are other different places to add in the city tour.

Taoist Temple

The Taoist temple is near the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and is located in one of the private subdivision in Beverly Hills Subdivision. The Taoist temple was built in 1972 by the Chinese community of Cebu.

The Temple of Leah

The temple of Leah was built by Teodorico Adarna for his wife Leah Villa Albino – Adarna. It was built-in 2012 with a Roman architecture edifice in the mountain of Busay, Cebu City. It is located along the Cebu Transcentral Highway. The temple has an art gallery, a museum and a library.

Tops Lookout

It is simply known as “Tops” and is located in Cebu Tops Road in the mountain of Busay, Cebu City. It offers a panoramic view of the whole Cebu City, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu City skyline. It is an overlooking park for the surrounding islands and the Cebu waters.

Alta Vista Golf & Country Club

It is located in Pardo Hills in Cebu City, overlooking the town of Talisay Cebu. There is a very good restaurant inside the country club which serves sumptuous food.

Other places to visit

You can also visit Sirao Garden, Sirao Peak and Mountain View Nature’s Park in Busay. Fuente Osmena Circle, Sky Experience Adventure in Crowne Plaza and Cebu Provincial Capitol.

Where to eat

There are so many restaurants in Cebu City, but here’s where I always eat whenever I go to Cebu City.

Larsian

Larsian is a food Barbecue haven and is located at Fuente Osmena in Cebu City.

Rico’s Lechon

This is a recommended place to visit while in Cebu City.

Tops of Cebu

A newly opened restaurant near Tops Lookout.

To know more about Cebu, please check other posts: Malapascua Island Diving Sites Malapascua Island  Camotes Islands Bantayan Island in 2009 Revisiting Bantayan Island Why Cebu?

Historical Tour in Cebu City

There are different tour operators in Cebu City offering historical tours. Here’s one of my favorite itinerary. If you want to Do-It-Yourself Tour, you can start by going to the Colon Area.

Historical Tour

Colon Street

One of the oldest hubs in Cebu City and it is the oldest street. The street consists of main heritage sites.

Cathedral Museum and Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral

You can go to the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral and Cathedral Museum of Cebu where you can see regional Church architecture and artifacts. It is located F. Urdaneta Street. Near the Cathedral is the Sto Nino Basilica.

Basilica Minore del Sto Nino

This is the oldest church and one of the historical sites. You can walk from P. Burgos Street to reach the church.

Magellan’s Cross

Across the Sto Nino Basilica is the famous Magellan’s Cross. It is a Christian cross planted in order of Ferdinand Magellan upon arriving in Cebu in 1521. The cross is housed in a chapel along Magallanes Street in the middle of Plaza Sugbo. Plaza Sugbo also has a different monument for Sergio Osmena and Vicente de Rama.
In front of the city center are the Cebu City Hall and the monument of Jose Rizal along the street of P. Burgos.

Plaza Independencia

Plaza Independencia Statue is a symbol of independence and freedom from all the conquerors that tried to overtake the island of Cebu. The plaza used to be called Plaza de Armas in 1600s.

The Fort San Pedro

It is a military defense structure made of woods which was built by the Spaniards with the command of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi upon his arrival in Cebu.
The Fort was replaced by stone in the 17th century. The oldest triangular bastion fort in front of Plaza Independencia. There are museums inside the fort which depicts the history of Cebu and the Philippines. There are several canyons along with the fort.

Heritage Monument of Cebu

The Heritage Monument of Cebu is the illustration of sculptures which symbolizes significant events in the history of Cebu. It is located at Mabini Street and Sikatuna Street.

Museums and Ancestral House

Near the Heritage Monuments are other historical sites. Along Zulueta Street across Mabini Street are two museums, the Museo Parian sa Sugbo and the Jesuit House Museum.
Along Mabini Street is the Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House. One block away from the ancestral house is the newly renovated Casa Gorordo Museum. Another museum which is nearby is the Museo Sugbo or the Cebu Provincial Museum.

Churches in Cebu City

There are so many Catholic churches in Cebu City alone. There are actually nineteen (19) to be exact. For now, here are the different churches that I was able to visit in Cebu City.

The Basilica Minore del Santo Nino Cebu

Santo Nino Basilica or Minor Basilica of the Holy Child of Cebu is the most famous amongst the churches in Cebu City. It was founded in 1565 by the two friars, Andres de Urdaneta and Diego de Herrera. The Santo Nino Basilica is the oldest Roman Catholic church and is the symbol of the birth of Christianity in the Philippines. The famous icon, a statuette of the child Jesus, is where the Basilica was built on the spot where it was found.


There is a convent, a museum and a library inside the church. There are the pilgrim site and the candles offering. The museum is located at the basement of the Pilgrim Center and the library was opened for public in 2000. The Basilica’s main entrance is located at Osmena Street in Cebu City.
The annual Sinulog festival is celebrated in January for the feast of the Sto Nino.

Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral

Another church which is two blocks north of basilica is the Metropolitan Cathedral and Parish of Saint Vitalis and of the Immaculate Concepcion, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu. On August 14, 1595, the province of Cebu was established as a diocese. It is also one of the first churches in the Philippines that was built for St. Vitalis and by the two friars that built the Basilica. A mausoleum was built for the final resting place of the remains of the bishops and clergy.

Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe de Cebu

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the official patroness of Cebu by virtue of a pontifical declaration decree dated May 9, 2006, issued by the Vatican’s Congregation of Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments. The parish church is located at barangay Guadalupe. It was established on May 1, 1933, and was declared as the Archdiocesan Shrine.

The Redemptorist Church

It is known as the Congregation of Our Mother of Perpetual Help Church. The old Chapel and Monastery was blessed and occupied on the 2nd of August 1929. It was built under the direction of Fr. William Byrne, CSsR. The Church was built with the help of the donations of parishioners and was open for mass in the Christmas of 1949. It is located at Queen’s Road, Cebu City.
The Redemptorist Church is the closest to my heart as this was my first church to visit in Cebu. I always booked my hotel near this area and attended mass every time I visit Cebu. There are 15 more to visit. I’ll tick it off the list next time.