Things to do · Cebu · Philippines
18 best things to do in Cebu
18 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: LMP 2001, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Cebu are Magellan's Cross, Basilica del Santo Niño and Moalboal sardine run. Of the 18 picks below, 6 are free, 3 work on a rainy day and 8 suit children. Allow about 6 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Magellan's Cross
- Free sights
- 6
- Good on a rainy day
- Casa Gorordo Museum
- Time to see the highlights
- 6 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magellan's Cross | Downtown Cebu City | 20 minutes | Free |
| Basilica del Santo Niño | Downtown Cebu City | 45 minutes | Free |
| Moalboal sardine run | Moalboal | 2–3 hours | Low cost |
| Kawasan Falls and canyoneering | Badian and Alegria | Half day | Mid-priced |
| Malapascua thresher-shark dives | Malapascua Island | Half a day | Mid-priced |
| Fort San Pedro | Downtown Cebu City | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Casa Gorordo Museum | Downtown Cebu City | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Yap-San Diego Ancestral House | Downtown Cebu City | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Heritage of Cebu Monument | Downtown Cebu City | 20 minutes | Free |
| Museo Sugbo | Downtown Cebu City | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Carbon Market | Downtown Cebu City | 1 hour | Free |
| Temple of Leah | Busay hills above Cebu City | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Tops Lookout | Busay hills above Cebu City | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Taoist Temple | Uptown Cebu City (IT Park and Cebu Business Park) | 45 minutes | Free |
| Mactan Shrine | Mactan Island | 45 minutes | Free |
| Mactan island hopping | Mactan Island | Half to full day | Mid-priced |
| Oslob whale-shark watching | Oslob and the southern tip | Half day | Mid-priced |
| Osmeña Peak | Dalaguete, south Cebu | 2–3 hours | Low cost |
The 18 best things to do
Historic site · Downtown Cebu City
1.Magellan's Cross
A wooden cross housed in an octagonal kiosk beside the basilica marks the spot where Ferdinand Magellan's expedition baptised Rajah Humabon and his followers in 1521; tradition holds that the original cross is encased inside. The kiosk ceiling is painted with the baptism scene.
Combine it with the basilica next door, and politely decline candle sellers if you do not wish to buy.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Iconic
- Kids
Religious site · Downtown Cebu City
2.Basilica del Santo Niño
Founded in 1565 on the spot where Spanish soldiers found an image of the Child Jesus that Magellan had given to Humabon's queen in 1521, the basilica houses the revered Santo Niño de Cebu, the focus of the Sinulog Festival. The current stone church dates from the 1730s, with a small museum of religious art.
Queues to see the Santo Niño are long on Fridays and Sundays; go on a weekday morning and dress modestly.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
Nature · Moalboal
3.Moalboal sardine run
Just off Panagsama Beach, a vast shoal of sardines swirls along the reef wall year-round, often joined by sea turtles. You can snorkel out from the shore in a few minutes, and dive boats also visit Pescador Island's coral wall nearby.
Go early in the morning before the boats arrive, and rent fins; the reef drops off steeply close to shore.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Nature
- Kids
- Active
- Outdoors
Nature · Badian and Alegria
4.Kawasan Falls and canyoneering
A multi-tiered waterfall in Badian with turquoise pools, where you can swim or ride a bamboo raft under the main cascade. Canyoneering trips start upstream and follow the river down through gorges, with jumps, slides and swims, ending at the falls.
Arrive early for quiet pools; canyoneering requires a registered guide, helmet and life jacket, and the higher jumps are optional.
- Time needed
- Half day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Nature
- Active
- Outdoors
- Kids
Experience · Malapascua Island
5.Malapascua thresher-shark dives
Off Malapascua, divers descend at dawn to Monad Shoal, an underwater plateau where thresher sharks, with their long whip-like tails, visit cleaning stations. Sightings are frequent year-round, making it one of the few places in the world to see them reliably.
You need dive certification and some experience for the depth; book a dawn dive with a reputable dive centre.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Nature
- Active
- Iconic
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Castle · Downtown Cebu City
6.Fort San Pedro
A small triangular stone fort by the port, begun by Miguel López de Legazpi's expedition in 1565 and rebuilt in stone in the 18th century. It has been a military post, a prison and a zoo, and today holds a garden courtyard, ramparts and a small museum.
Walk the ramparts in the late afternoon, when it is cooler and the light is soft on the coral stone.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Kids
- Outdoors
Museum · Downtown Cebu City
7.Casa Gorordo Museum
A 19th-century house in the old Parian district, once home to Juan Gorordo, the first Filipino bishop of Cebu. Its stone ground floor and wooden upper rooms are furnished as a well-to-do Cebuano home of the late Spanish era.
Visit with the nearby Yap-San Diego house and Heritage of Cebu Monument for a short Parian walk.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Historic site · Downtown Cebu City
8.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.
The owners still use the house; take your time in the upstairs rooms, which hold most of the collection.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Off the beaten path
- Rainy day
Landmark · Downtown Cebu City
1.Heritage of Cebu Monument
A large sculptural tableau in the Parian district depicting key moments in Cebu's history, from the arrival of Magellan and the Battle of Mactan to Legazpi, the Santo Niño and figures of later centuries, cast in bronze, brass and concrete by the sculptor Eduardo Castrillo.
Walk all the way around; scenes are arranged on every side.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Art
Museum · Downtown Cebu City
2.Museo Sugbo
The provincial museum occupies the 19th-century Carcel de Cebu, the old provincial jail, with galleries in former cell blocks covering pre-colonial trade, the Spanish and American periods and the Second World War in Cebu.
A good indoor stop during a rain shower or the midday heat downtown.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
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Market · Downtown Cebu City
3.Carbon Market
Cebu City's oldest and largest farmers' market, near the port, sells vegetables, fruit, flowers, dried fish and household goods. Parts of the market have been redeveloped, but the surrounding streets still give an unfiltered view of the city's commerce.
Go in the morning with small change, and keep phones and wallets secure in the crowds.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Food
- Shopping
- Photo spot
Architecture · Busay hills above Cebu City
4.Temple of Leah
A Roman-style temple of columns, statues and staircases built from 2012 in the hills of Busay by Teodorico Adarna as a monument to his late wife, Leah. It is unusual rather than historic, and the terraces give wide views over the city and the sea.
Combine it with Tops Lookout and the Sirao flower gardens on a half-day loop by car.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Photo spot
- Couples
Viewpoint · Busay hills above Cebu City
5.Tops Lookout
A viewpoint at around 600 metres in the Busay hills with a panorama over Cebu City, Mactan and the Camotes Sea; at night the city lights spread out below.
Go around sunset and stay for the lights; bring a light jacket, as it is breezy and cooler up here.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Couples
- After dark
- Kids
Religious site · Uptown Cebu City (IT Park and Cebu Business Park)
6.Taoist Temple
Built in 1972 by Cebu's Chinese community in the Beverly Hills residential area of Lahug, the temple has red-and-green pagoda roofs, dragon carvings and a staircase of 81 steps, said to represent the chapters of the Tao Te Ching, with views over the city.
Visitors can watch worshippers consulting oracle blocks; be quiet and respectful in the prayer halls.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Architecture
Historic site · Mactan Island
7.Mactan Shrine
At Punta Engaño on Mactan, a large bronze statue of the chieftain Lapulapu stands near the spot where his forces killed Ferdinand Magellan in the Battle of Mactan in 1521; a 19th-century obelisk marks Magellan's death. Seafood restaurants cluster nearby.
Pair it with a sutukil seafood lunch at the restaurants next to the shrine.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Kids
Experience · Mactan Island
8.Mactan island hopping
Outrigger bangka boats leave Mactan for small islands and marine sanctuaries such as Hilutungan, Nalusuan and the Pandanon sandbar, with snorkelling over reefs full of fish, and for Olango Island's wildlife sanctuary, a stopover for migratory birds.
Book through your resort or an accredited operator, confirm what sanctuary and landing fees are included, and bring reef-safe sunscreen.
- Time needed
- Half to full day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Nature
- Active
Nature · Oslob and the southern tip
9.Oslob whale-shark watching
At Tan-awan in Oslob, whale sharks gather close to shore each morning because local fishermen feed them, and visitors snorkel or watch from boats under rules on distance and touching. Researchers and conservation groups have criticised the feeding for changing the sharks' behaviour, so weigh that before going.
If you go, arrive at dawn, follow the no-touching rules and skip sunscreen in the water; Tumalog Falls is a short ride away.
- Time needed
- Half day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Kids
Viewpoint · Dalaguete, south Cebu
10.Osmeña Peak
Cebu's highest point, at about 1,000 metres in the highlands of Dalaguete, is a cluster of jagged, grassy limestone hills reached by a short hike of 20–30 minutes from the road through vegetable farms. Sunrise views stretch to both coasts.
Start before dawn for sunrise, and combine it with Kawasan Falls or Oslob on the same trip south.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Active
- Outdoors
- Nature
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Casa Gorordo Museum, Heritage of Cebu Monument and Museo Sugbo |
| History | Magellan's Cross, Basilica del Santo Niño, Fort San Pedro and Casa Gorordo Museum |
| Views | Temple of Leah, Tops Lookout, Taoist Temple and Osmeña Peak |
| Outdoors and nature | Moalboal sardine run, Kawasan Falls and canyoneering, Malapascua thresher-shark dives and Fort San Pedro |
| Food and markets | Carbon Market |
| After dark | Tops Lookout |
| With children | Magellan's Cross, Fort San Pedro, Tops Lookout and Mactan Shrine |
| On a rainy day | Casa Gorordo Museum, Yap-San Diego Ancestral House and Museo Sugbo |
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Cebu?
Magellan's Cross. A wooden cross housed in an octagonal kiosk beside the basilica marks the spot where Ferdinand Magellan's expedition baptised Rajah Humabon and his followers in 1521; tradition holds that the original cross is encased inside.
+What can you do for free in Cebu?
Magellan's Cross, Basilica del Santo Niño, Heritage of Cebu Monument, Carbon Market and Taoist Temple. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Cebu when it rains?
Head indoors to Casa Gorordo Museum, Yap-San Diego Ancestral House and Museo Sugbo.
+What is there to do in Cebu at night?
Tops Lookout are best after dark.