Intramuros
Intramuros is the walled city in Manila which was built by the Spanish in 1571 during the occupation of the Spanish Empire. It is located at the mouth of Pasig River and close to Port of Manila. It’s the historic Manila which has witnessed the multiple occupations and the World War II and withstood natural disasters in the history of the country. To understand the history of Manila, it is very important to come to the Intramuros.
As I grow older, I have appreciated historical buildings and creations even more. Every time I live abroad, I always try to make an effort to learn and understand the history and the culture of our host nation. With internet, you can discover and learn anything, but to understand the history of Manila, I don’t think you can beat going to the Museo de San Agustin in Intramuros.
You can view some photos of the museum of San Agustin on my blog. Link is below.
PHOTOS OF BEAUTIFUL HISTORIC INTRAMUROS – THE CITY WITHIN WALLS ☆ MANILA PHILIPPINES
Tour Recommendations For Intramuros
This post will show you where I personally recommend you to check out when you go visit Intramuros.
Since I have our private car, I moved from one site to another by car as it was quite hot to walk around. There are touristy transportations available as well, but you have to negotiate the prices. The tour is totally doable on foot. For example, from one edge of Intramuros, Baluarte de San Diego, to the other end, Fort Santiago, is 1.3 km (less than a mile). It’ll take 15 minutes on foot. It can get hot or rain all of the sudden, so in such cases, having a car is very practical.
I have visited Intramuros twice myself. The second time was with my husband’s cousin from the U.S. who came to visit us in Manila. My husband and our children have not visited Intramuros yet and I cannot wait to bring them here.
Tips
1. Try to get there early in the morning when the temperature is still low. The Intramuros sites and museum open at 8:00 a.m.
2. I suggest the following orders.
A. If you would like to spend a lot of time visiting the museum.
Fort Santiago – San Agustin Church & Museum – Lunch – Beluarte de San Diego
B. If you don’t want to spend too much time at the museum.
Beluarte de San Diego – Fort Santiago – San Agustin Church & Museum – Lunch
There are many articles about Intramuros. I find the two below quite similar to what I am trying to showcase here.
Related Reads
Top 10 Indispensable Intramuros, Philippines Stops
Baluarte de San Diego
Fort Santiago
During my first visit, I didn’t get to see Fort Santiago. I am happy that I got to see it on my second visit since it is an iconic citadel for Manila.
San Agustin Church
San Agustin Museum
For more details about San Agustin Museum, please visit my blog post below.
Photos of Beautiful Historic Intramuros – The City Within Walls ☆ Manila Philippines
Casa Manila Patio
Casa Manila Patio is in the courtyard of the same building where Baraba’s restaurant is located. It is a nice place for photo ops, but it can get crowded. The bamboo bike shop is located in the courtyard of Casa Manila Patio. It would be really cool to plan a bike tour of Intramuros with those bamboo bikes!
I visited Manila Cathedral and the National Museum of Fine Arts during my first visit of Intramuros.
You can see a few more photos on my blog post below.
Photos of Beautiful Historic Intramuros – The City Within Walls ☆ Manila Philippines
Manila Cathedral
National Museum Of Fine Arts
If you have the time, I recommend you visit either National Museum of Fine Arts or National Museum of Natural History.
5 Reasons Why You Should Visit National Museum Of Natural History in Manila
Lunch Recommendations
Barbara’s
Some say that you have to have a reservation to be able to get a table. If you are going in a big group or on a weekend or holiday, I recommend making a reservation. My husband’s cousin and I went there. To my surprise, there was no wait to get a table for 2 on a regular weekday.
Illustrado
I went to Illustrado with my Tagalog teacher and another classmate. The pricing at Illustrado is more friendly for my wallet. There are 2 areas inside the Illustrado restaurant. We sat in the smaller cafe-like area which looked adorable. It was also nice and quiet.
I hope you will enjoy the visit!
thanks to your website, we can see, old structures, and relics, from the past, a history in the making. thank you.
Thank you for visiting my blog. Intramuros is a fun place to photograph for sure.