2 days in Cebu

Day by day

1. Day 1: Magellan's Cross and Basilica del Santo Niño

   Magellan's Cross, Basilica del Santo Niño, Fort San Pedro and Casa Gorordo Museum, then Tops Lookout in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Magellan's Cross

      The kiosk ceiling is painted with the baptism scene.

   2. Late morning

      Basilica del Santo Niño

      The current stone church dates from the 1730s, with a small museum of religious art.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Cebu lechon

      Lechon restaurants across Cebu City and stalls in Carcar and Talisay, sold by the kilo or by the plate.

   4. Afternoon

      Fort San Pedro

      It has been a military post, a prison and a zoo, and today holds a garden courtyard, ramparts and a small museum.

   5. Late afternoon

      Casa Gorordo Museum

      Its stone ground floor and wooden upper rooms are furnished as a well-to-do Cebuano home of the late Spanish era.

   6. Evening

      Tops Lookout

      Go around sunset and stay for the lights; bring a light jacket, as it is breezy and cooler up here.

2. Day 2: Moalboal sardine run and Kawasan Falls and canyoneering

   Moalboal sardine run, Kawasan Falls and canyoneering, Malapascua thresher-shark dives and Yap-San Diego Ancestral House, then Cebu IT Park in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Moalboal sardine run

      You can snorkel out from the shore in a few minutes, and dive boats also visit Pescador Island's coral wall nearby.

   2. Late morning

      Kawasan Falls and canyoneering

      Canyoneering trips start upstream and follow the river down through gorges, with jumps, slides and swims, ending at the falls.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Hanging rice

      Barbecue stalls, street grills and Larsian.

   4. Afternoon

      Malapascua thresher-shark dives

      Sightings are frequent year-round, making it one of the few places in the world to see them reliably.

   5. Late afternoon

      Yap-San Diego Ancestral House

      Built in the late 17th century by a Chinese merchant, this is one of the oldest houses in the Philippines, with coral-stone walls, a clay-tile roof and rooms crowded with antiques, religious images and old furniture, set around a small garden.

   6. Evening

      Cebu IT Park

      Restaurants, bars and late-night eateries popular with the city's young workforce.

If it rains

• Swap in Museo Sugbo (Downtown Cebu City): A good indoor stop during a rain shower or the midday heat downtown.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 12–15 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 11.5 hours in December to 12.7 hours in June.

Getting between stops: Ride-hailing. Grab operates cars across Cebu City and Mactan, with fixed fares shown in the app; it is the easiest way to get around the metro area.

More or fewer days

• One day in Cebu
• 3 days in Cebu
• 5 days in Cebu

Questions travellers ask