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🇵🇭Things to Do in Philippines
From El Nido's hidden lagoons to Bohol's Chocolate Hills - the essential sights, and how to keep your own record of them.
Travel guide - last updated September 2026
The Philippines is over 7,000 islands, and no single trip covers a meaningful fraction of it - most visitors pick one or two island groups rather than trying to island-hop the whole archipelago. Palawan and the Visayas (Cebu, Bohol, Boracay) are the two most common first-timer regions, each reached by a separate domestic flight from Manila. Here are 8 places worth building a trip around.
Top attractions
The sights most first-time visitors build an itinerary around.
El Nido, Palawan
Limestone cliffs and hidden lagoons reachable only by boat, widely considered the Philippines' most scenic island scenery. Book an island-hopping tour (labeled A through D, covering different lagoon clusters) rather than trying to see all the lagoons in one day.
📍 El Nido, Palawan
🚉 There is no railway on Palawan: vans and buses run the five to six hours from Puerto Princesa to El Nido, or fly into the small Lio airstrip nearby, and bangka boats cover the island tours.
Puerto Princesa Underground River
A navigable underground river through a limestone cave system, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the New7Wonders of Nature. Permits are limited daily - book through a tour operator rather than showing up independently.
📍 Puerto Princesa, Palawan
🚉 Vans run two hours from Puerto Princesa to Sabang, then a bangka boat along the coast to the cave mouth - entry permits are capped daily and must be arranged in advance.
Chocolate Hills, Bohol
Over a thousand near-identical grass-covered hills that turn brown in the dry season, giving them their name. The Chocolate Hills Complex viewpoint is the standard vantage point.
📍 Bohol
🚉 Ferries from Cebu dock at Tagbilaran, then buses from the Dao terminal take about 90 minutes to Carmen, where a tricycle covers the last stretch to the viewing deck.
Boracay
White Beach is one of the most photographed beaches in Southeast Asia. The island underwent a six-month environmental closure and cleanup in 2018, and now caps daily visitor numbers to manage crowding.
📍 Boracay, Aklan
🚉 Fly to Caticlan, take the 15-minute ferry across to Cagban jetty, then a tricycle or e-trike to the beach - Boracay caps arrivals, so accommodation must be booked with an accredited hotel first.
Whale Shark Watching, Oslob or Donsol
Two of the most reliable places in the world to swim with whale sharks. Choose an operator that follows the interaction guidelines (no touching, no feeding beyond controlled programs, limited group sizes) for the animals' welfare.
📍 Oslob, Cebu & Donsol, Sorsogon
🚉 Oslob is three hours by bus from Cebu City's South terminal; Donsol is reached from Legazpi by jeepney and van, about an hour, with boats leaving from the visitor centre at dawn.
Banaue Rice Terraces
Called the 'Eighth Wonder of the World' by locals, these 2,000-year-old terraces carved into the Cordillera mountains are still farmed by indigenous communities using traditional methods.
📍 Banaue, Ifugao
🚉 Night buses from Manila take nine hours to Banaue town, and jeepneys continue to the Batad saddle, from where the amphitheatre terraces are a 20-minute walk down.
Intramuros, Manila
The walled Spanish colonial old town at the heart of Manila, including Fort Santiago and San Agustin Church, one of the oldest stone churches in the country.
📍 Manila
🚉 Nearest station: Central Terminal on LRT-1, a 10-minute walk to Fort Santiago; the PNR's Tutuban station and the Pasig River ferry at Escolta are other approaches.
Mayon Volcano, Albay
Famous for its near-perfect symmetrical cone, viewable from several points around Legazpi city - still an active volcano, so trail access depends on current alert status.
📍 Legazpi, Albay
🚉 Legazpi has an airport and a PNR station on the Bicol line; jeepneys run to Daraga and the Cagsawa ruins, the classic viewpoint for the cone.
Mark Philippines, get the stamp
In MyPassportStory, every country you mark - visited, lived in, or still on the list - becomes a stamp like these in your own travel passport. Add the cities you stopped in, draw the route between them, and turn the whole trip into a shareable passport-style image.
Open MyPassportStoryPlanning questions
How many days do you need in the Philippines?
10 days suits one region well - Palawan, or Cebu/Bohol/Boracay together. Given how spread out the islands are, combining two distant regions usually needs at least two weeks.
What's the best time to visit the Philippines?
December-May is the dry season and the most popular time to visit. Typhoon season runs roughly June-November, most affecting the northern and eastern parts of the country.
Is the Philippines good for a first-time visit?
Yes - English is an official language and widely spoken, though inter-island travel takes planning since it usually means a domestic flight or a multi-hour ferry rather than a short hop.
Do I need a visa to visit the Philippines?
Many nationalities, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and most of the EU, can visit visa-free for short tourist stays (typically up to 30 days); other nationalities need a visa arranged in advance. Check the official visa information for your nationality: immigration.gov.ph.
What are some things to do in the Philippines on a tight budget?
Local carinderia eateries serve full meals cheaply, many beaches (including parts of Boracay's White Beach) are free to enjoy, and joining a shared island-hopping boat tour instead of chartering a private one cuts costs significantly.
Can I rent a car in the Philippines, and what licence do I need?
You can, though island-hopping means flights and ferries far more than driving, and Manila traffic is severe. A valid foreign licence in English is accepted for up to 90 days from arrival; beyond that, or if the licence is in another language, you need an International Driving Permit or a certified translation. Minimum age is usually 21 with a credit card. Manila operates a number-coding scheme that bars vehicles from the roads one weekday each week by plate. Hiring a car with a driver is common and often cheaper than it sounds. The Land Transportation Office publishes the rules at lto.gov.ph; cars come from Avis and Hertz.