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The Ideal Baguio Itinerary This 2021 for Tourists and Travelers
Ready to explore Baguio? Check out this guide!
By: Viktor Austria | April 01, 2021
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the establishments featured in this article may implement temporary closures and/or a set of safety requirements according to changing protocols. Please make sure to abide by Baguio City’s guidelines to stay safe.
As more roads are being built and more establishments are being constructed, the best time to visit Baguio is soon.
Image: @klaasinthephilippines
What better way to kick off the new year than with new adventures? Baguio City definitely knows adventure. As the City of Pines gets set for the annual Panagbenga Festival this February, there’s no better time to visit than now. But what should be in one’s Baguio itinerary for 2021?
With both new and classic venues to visit and exciting food to try, you’ll never run out of things to sample in the country’s Summer Capital! Update your Baguio itinerary this 2021 and experience the city like never before. Here’s a handy travel guide of some of the must-try things and must-see places when visiting Baguio City this year.
How To Get To Baguio
Via commute: There are various options of travel when going to Baguio: from their terminals in Pasay, Cubao or PITX, you can ride buses of Victory Liner, Partas, Dagupan Bus Lines, or Genesis Liner’s Executive coach, JoyBus—all bound for Baguio.
Via private car: Enter NLEX via Balintawak and exit SCTEX. From SCTEX, follow signs going to Concepcion/Hacienda Luisita/Tarlac, then merge towards the end to TPLEX. Take a left to MacArthur Highway, then follow the road by taking another left, then taking the first exit at the next roundabout. At the intersection, turn left to Kennon Road. Follow the road for about 90 kilometers, then you will reach Baguio City proper.
Where To Stay
Where: Kisad Road corner Marcos Highway, along BGH Rotunda, Baguio City, Benguet
Operating Hours: Open 24 hours
Estimated Travel Time: From the city center, a 10-15 minute walk via Kisad Road; 5-10 minutes via private car going through Lake Drive and Harrison Road
Rates:
Deluxe 1 Room: PhP1,400 for two persons
Deluxe 2 Room: PhP1,960 for four persons
Deluxe 3 Room: PhP2,520 for six persons
Starwood Suite Room: PhP2,800 for two adults
Family Junior Room: PhP2,450 for six adults
Family Suite: PhP3,360 for eight adults
The bare yet elegant fundamentals in Starwood Hotel are enough to have a memorable weekend.
Image: Starwood Hotel Official Website
With a long list of things to do in Baguio, you might find yourself having less to spend on accommodation. Enter Starwood Hotel and its affordable yet well-appointed rooms that are equipped with every traveler’s essentials.
Whether you’re a solo backpacker or taking your family on tour, Starwood Hotel’s 57 smartly styled rooms ensure your stay is as exquisite as it can be. Being near Baguio’s top tourist locations is a huge bonus too—it takes no more than 10 minutes to walk from the hotel to the city center or to Burnham Park.
Where: 1 Apostol Street corner Outlook Drive South, Mines View Park, Baguio City, Benguet
Operating Hours: Open 24 hours
Estimated Travel Time: From the city center, 30-40 minute commute; 15-20 minutes via private car going through Kisad Road and South Drive
Rates:
Driver’s Quarter: PhP1,000 for one person
Single Standard Room: PhP2,500 for two persons
Twin Standard Room: PhP3,500 for two persons
Junior Executive Room: PhP4,500 for two persons
Double Deluxe Room: PhP4,500 for four persons
Family Deluxe Room: PhP5,500 for six persons
Executive Room: PhP5,500 for two persons
Attic Room: PhP7,000 for 10 persons
Penthouse Room: PhP7,000 for six adults
Mines View Park Hotel also presents a stunning view of the mountains of Cordillera.
Image: Mines View Park Hotel Official Website
If you’re looking for an elegant room suitable for your much-needed staycation, Mines View Park Hotel is more than happy to provide. With luxurious amenities—a fitness center, a stunning garden patio, and the View Deck, to name a few—Mines View Park Hotel knows how to feature Baguio’s best views.
From the affordable driver’s quarters to the posh penthouse suite, all their rooms have a homely ambiance. Guests also get to enjoy meals at the hotel’s in-house restaurant and café, Zens Bar and Restaurant and Halfmoon Café.
What To Do
Where: DOT-PTA Complex, Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Benguet
Operating Hours: Open Tuesday to Sunday, 9AM-5PM; closed on Mondays
Estimated Travel Time: From the city center, a 10-15 minute walk via Lake Drive; 7-10 minutes via private car going through Lake Drive
Recommended Budget: PhP80 for two people (PhP40/head admission fee; student rates apply)
The Baguio Museum also features miniature dioramas of Baguio through the years.
Image: @erickaphilia
After 30 months of rehabilitation, the Baguio Museum has once again opened last year, boasting a new section to visitors wanting to learn about the Cordillera’s heritage. The newly christened Cordillera wing features artifacts, articles, and other prized possessions from the six provinces of the region, namely Abra, Apayao, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, and Benguet, including in-depth resources on Igorot customs and traditions. Be sure to take home a piece of history with you by passing by the souvenir shop on the ground floor.
July 2020 Update: This attraction is temporarily closed.
Where: Special Tourism Economic Zone, Scout Hill Drive, Camp John Hay, Loakan Road, Baguio City, Benguet
Operating Hours: Open daily, 8AM-4:30PM
Estimated Travel Time: From the city center, 40-45 minutes via commute; 20-25 minutes via private car going through Kisad Road and Loakan Road
Recommended Budget: PhP200 for two persons (PhP100/adult admission fee, consumable for a single activity)
Treetop Adventure’s Canopy Ride lets thrill-seekers travel through the fauna on motorized cable rides.
Image: Treetop Adventure Nature Park Official Website
For your adrenaline fix, go to Treetop Adventure Nature Park in Camp John Hay and get the perfect panoramic view of Baguio’s nature reserve. You can rappel down a 60-foot tree, be thrust into the air on a zip line gliding over the canopies at a height of 150 feet, or trek at your own pace through the treetops. At Treetop Adventure Park, you get a beautiful bird’s-eye view of the City of Pines—a 100-feet high view to be exact!
As of February 2021, this attraction is temporarily closed.
3. Valley of Colors
Where: Baguio-La Trinidad-Bontoc Road, Halsema Highway, Barangay Balili, Baguio City, Benguet
Operating Hours: Accessible 24/7
Estimated Travel Time: From the city center, 35-40 minutes via commute; 15-20 minutes via private car going through Bokawkan Road and Halsema Highway
Recommended Budget: None; free entrance
The colorful murals have become a signature of Baguio’s tourism since 2016.
Image: @r_i_x_p_l_r
Located in the converging towns of Stonehill, Botiwtiw, and Sadjap in Barangay Balili in La Trinidad, the stunning Valley of Colors with its bright swatches is a signature background for those traveling to the City of Pines. Also known as the STOBOSA Hillside Homes Artwork, the picture-perfect mural was a project of the region’s Department of Tourism and employed the skills of local Tam-Awan artists. You can climb the Sitio Cogcoga Stairway to get a better vantage point of the chromatic quarters across the hillside.
Where: Dominican Hill, Diplomat Road, Baguio City, Benguet
Operating Hours: Open daily, 8AM-5PM
Estimated Travel Time: From the city center, 30-40 minutes via commute; 15-20 minutes via private car going through Queen of Peace Road and Dominican Hill Road
Recommended Budget: None; free entrance
The haunting landscapes of the Diplomat Hotel inevitably offer a moment of peace and quiet to visitors.
Image: @sylvia.siguenza
Now referred to as the Dominican Heritage Hill and Nature Park, what was once a heaving hospitality business now offers a quaint nature retreat. While the Diplomat Hotel earned notoriety for being the supposed resting place of the paranormal, this doesn’t negate the fact that it’s now a gorgeous natural park, perfect as a venue for photo and video shoots, wedding receptions, and other outdoor activities—upon reservation, of course.
Where: Mines View Observation Deck, Mines View Park, along Outlook Drive and Gibraltar Road, Baguio City, Benguet
Operating Hours: Observation deck is open daily, 5AM-8PM
Estimated Travel Time: From the city center, 45-50 minutes via commute; 30-40 minutes via private car going through South Drive
Recommended Budget: Free entrance; park activities like having your photo taken while wearing indigenous garb or with a St. Bernard dog cost PhP20-30 per person
It’s widely known that Mines View Park offers the best view of the sunrise in all of Baguio.
Image: @jerick.dionido
At almost 1,500 meters above sea level, Baguio City’s popular Mines View Park is another perfect sightseeing spot. Marvel at the distant beauty of Itogon’s gold and copper mines, Baguio’s bustling urban scene, the Amburayan Valley, and the Benguet Range—all from the sky-high site of the Mines View Observation Deck. Access the observation deck by taking the stone-laden steps from the parking area. On your way, don’t forget to sift through the many souvenir shops.
Where To Eat
Where: G/F Blue Mountain Hotel, Marcos Highway, Baguio City, Benguet
Operating Hours: Open daily, 11AM-9PM
Estimated Travel Time: From the city center, 15-20 minutes via commute; 7-10 via private car going through Marcos Highway
Recommended Budget: PhP500 for two people (PhP249 per head for unlimited grilling)
They also offer a wide variety of dipping sauces that go with your grilled goods.
Image: @itsqueendiana
IhawJuan Eat-All-You-Can faithfully lives up to its moniker—whether it’s juicy cuts of pork, chicken seafood, vegetable, and even famous street foods, everything is yours for the grilling. The buffet-style restaurant along Marcos Highway is actually two food places under one roof: beside the barbecue-style eatery is another that offers unlimited shabu-shabu, or Japanese hotpot dishes, as well as short orders of your favorite Filipino fares like crispy pata (pork knuckles) and bulalo (beef shank soup). The options are endless!
Where: #166 Military Cutoff Road, Baguio City, Benguet
Operating Hours: Open daily, 7AM-10:30PM
Estimated Travel Time: From the city center, 15-20 minutes via commute; 7-10 minutes via private car going through Kisad Road
Recommended Budget: Approx. PhP500-600 for two persons (set meals and group meals available)
Glenn 50’s Diner also serves homely Filipino foods and other common Asian cuisines.
Image: @abrilgrasyaaa
Travel back in time as you enter Glenn 50’s Diner, a retro-themed restaurant that looks and feels like it’s straight out of the 1950s, both in terms of ambiance—with its neon signs and a pastel pink façade—and the sumptuous American-style grub on the menu. Munch on Western favorites like grilled pork chops and belly smothered in barbecue sauce, classic fried chicken, burgers and sliders, or pasta, paired with a glass of milkshake, lemonade, or even a Shirley Temple.
3. Vizco’s Restaurant and Bakeshop
Where: 5C Puso ng Baguio Building, Session Road, Baguio City, Benguet
Operating Hours: Open daily, 7:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Estimated Travel Time: From the city center, a 10-15 minute walk via Session Road; 7-10 minutes via private car going through Session Road
Recommended Budget: Approx. PhP300 for two persons (PhP125/slice of strawberry shortcake)
Aside from sweet desserts, Vizco’s serves hearty entrees as well.
Images: @kath_624, @cxmillexx
Ah, yes, Baguio’s famous shortcake, the ideal dessert that could only come out of the kitchens of Vizco’s Café and Restaurant. The quintessential chiffon cake is accompanied by other dessert favorites like Krema de Fruta cake, carrot cake, ube cake, mango torte, tiramisu, and strawberry tart, which uses Benguet’s best harvest of fresh strawberries. Aside from its main branch along Session Road, Vizco’s also serves great comfort food in its branches in Porta Vaga Mall and in Baguio-AyalaLand Technohub inside Camp John Hay.
Make sure to visit Yoorekka for more travel tips and hacks for Baguio!
Baguio City is a big and bustling area, but with all its remarkable sights, unique food finds, and best of all, kind people, it’s definitely the kind of place you’d want to get lost in!
This article was originally published in Yoorekka on February 07, 2020.
About Viktor Austria
Viktor would love to receive an extra hour a day as a Christmas gift. That way, he won’t have to struggle over splitting his 24 hours among making brand copies and campaigns, writing children’s stories, going to the gym, commuting around Taguig, and feeding his two overweight cats. He hates the hustle culture, that’s why he’s thankful for friends who have time to spare on weekends, preferably over spicy ramen and cold bottles of beer.
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