A Glimpse of Cebu

A city in the midst of overwhelming growth, Cebu blends its ancestral heritage and modern business savvy with flair. Crowned the Queen City of the South,Cebu stands as the country's top business and tourist destination. It is here where business and leisure breathe together with office buildings and beach resorts finding its own place under Cebu's friendly skies.

The country's oldest city. Cebu is necessarily the place where relics of the past are a-plenty. Colon Street, for instance,has the distinction of being the oldest street in the Philippines. Paved late in the 16th century by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi. Colon now houses malls, office buildings, theaters as well museums and monuments. Other place of historical importance include Fort San Pedro, the oldest fortress in the country, Liloan Lighthouse, and the Bantayan sa Hari.

A busting trade port since pre-Hispanic times, and was named the country's capital by the Spaniards in 1565. Since then, Cebu has maintained its stature as the center of trade and commerce in Southern Philippines.

However, Cebu is more than just a city of increasing sophistication. With its colorful past, the city still retains much of its provincial warmth and charm, apart from its numerous man-made landmarks and institutions, Cebu also features miles of forest greens-a haven to wildlife and the place for a perfect picnic. There's the 15,393-hectare Central Cebu National Park, the 696-hectare Sudlon National Park, the Cawasan Falls and the Bolok-Bolok Mineral Springs. Nearby Mactan Island boasts of world-class beach resorts.

Cebu is a famed beach and dive destination. Its waters offer some of the world's most fascinating marine life. Its beaches are rimmed by white sands and offer a host of resorts with various sports and dive facilities. Cebu is also is dotted with Spanish colonial churches, forts, monuments, historical markers and ancestral homes. Its colonial past is the best seen in Cebu City, The provincial capital and the Philippines oldest city.

While history is maintained, progress takes its steady course in Cebu. This is the hub of sea and air transport, trade, industry and tourism in the southern Philippines. It is served by an international airport. Accommodations here are plentiful...

GEOGRAPHY AND TOPOGRAPHY

The province of Cebu is situated in the heart of the Philippines archipelago, in the center of the Visayan Islands. Five hundred and sixty two kilometers south of Manila, the province has a total land area of 5,088.44 square kilometers. It is made up of 167 island including Cebu Island ...

GETTING THERE

Cebu, situated on the air and sea transport crossroads of the country, is accessible by plane and boat. Philippines Airlines (PAL) has seven daily flights from Manila and daily flights from 22 domestic destinations. Mactan International Airport is also served thrice weekly by PAL flights from Tokyo and twice weekly by...

HISTORY

In Pre-Hispanic times, Cebu was known as"Sugbu" or "Zubu". It was already a port town visited by traders from China, Thailand, the East Indies and the Arabian kingdoms. When the explorer Ferdinand Magellan landed in Cebu on...

ART AND CULTURE

With an early exposure to the outside world predating the Spanish colonial period, Cebu has developed rich cultural foundations, creatively assimilating foreign influences with local folk sensibilities. This can be in centuries-old churches like the Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino, a subtle blend of Muslim, neo-classical and Romanesque architecture; or in ancestral houses like the...

BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY

A bustling trade port since pre-Hispanic times, Cebu has maintained its place as the center of trade and commerce in southern Philippines. Farm lands make up 32% of the provincial land area which produce corn, coconut, sugar. rice and mango...

SIGHTS AND ATTRACTIONS

Steeped in history and blessed with a variety of natural scenery, Cebu offers many options for the traveler. One can trace the steps of the conquistadors in the numerous historical landmarks or admire the province's mountains, forests and seas. Cebu is famous for its beautiful islands and beaches, and offshore corals...

NATURAL SCENERY

The Top on Busay Hills affords panoramic views of Metro Cebu, Mactan and Olango. Ideal for picnics.

Kawasan Falls in Moalboal, the site of cascades and lush greenery, is another...

HISTORICAL MONUMENTS & LANDMARKS

Magellan's Cross on the corner of Magallanes and Burgos streets is Cebu's most famous landmark. In 1521, Magellan planted a wooden cross on this very spot where the first Filipinos, Rajah Humabon, Queen Juana and 400 of...

NATIONAL MUSEUM

Fort San Pedro is the oldest and smallest fortress in the country. Built as a triangular bastion in 1565, it took 200 years to finish. In the 1700s it served as a lookout against Muslim pirates. During the Philippines Revolution it was a prison for local rebels. When the Americans...

CHURCHES & TEMPLES

Basilica Minore del Santo Nino is where the miraculous Santo Nino image is enshrined. The Santo Nino de Cebu is the oldest religious relic in the Philippines. Given By Magellan to Queen Juana in 1521, the statue survived fires set by the Spaniards themselves in 1565. Since then Cebuanos have venerated the image. The Basilica Minore Del Santo Nino is the country's...

ISLANDS AND BEACHES

Mactan Island, linked to Cebu City by bridge, offers a wide array of beach resorts, from world-class to budget, most of which have full scuba services and water sports facilities. Buyong and Marigondon are famed dive spots with drop-offs that make for great night dives. Danajon Bank Features a double barrier reef-one of the few in the world. Most of the reefs are exposed during...

SHOPPING

Cebu's thriving arts and crafts industries make it a veritable paradise for souvenir hunters and avid shoppers. There is s wealth of finely crafted items in traditional and contemporary designs which have found their way into stores worldwide. Fashion accessories and...

FESTIVALS AND EVENTS

The Visayans are a fiesta-loving people and the Cebuanos have some of the most colorful celebrations in the islands from solemn religious rituals to rowdy parades.

Sinulog is celebrated every third Sunday of ...

EVENING ENTERTAINMENT

Entertainment and nightlife in Cebu are a must. There are a string of bars, cafes, discos and nightclubs downtown, from Colon Street to Osmena Boulevard and...

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