DIY: Explore the Heritage Sites of Cebu City

Cebu has been a premiere tourist destination in the Philippines.  Not only is the island rich in natural beauty, but it is also filled with so much history which gives pride to the Cebuanos.  To learn and appreciate more about the history of Cebu, you need not go far.

You can always visit the various museums and historical places found in the Old District anytime.  They are just there waiting for you to explore!

You can start here at the old Provincial Jail which was built in 1871.

It was used as a prison until the early 21st century.  Now, it's Cebu's largest museum.

It houses various collections from different periods of Cebu + Philippines history.

 Open: Monday to Saturday, 9 AM - 6 PM

Entrance fees:

  P30 for adults (locals)

P10 for students (locals)

P75 for foreigners

Next is CASA GORORDO which is one of the three remaining old houses that dates back to the Spanish colonial period.

 Open: Tuesday-Sunday from 10 AM - 6 PM

Entrance fees:

P40 for adults (locals)

P15 for students (locals)

P70 for foreigners

A few steps from Casa Gorordo is the YAP-SANDIEGO ANCESTRAL HOUSE which was built sometime between 1675 and 1700.

Open: everyday from 9 AM - 6 PM

Entrance fee: P 50

 The HERITAGE OF CEBU MONUMENT is a dramatic scene found in Parian area which depicts significant moments in Cebu's history.

  The concept, design, plan and organization was done in 1996. Construction, fabrication of artworks started in July 1997 and it was completed on December 8, 2000.

Also found nearby is the JESUIT HOUSE which was built in 1730.  It was once the residence of the Jesuit Superior in Cebu.

 When the Jesuits were suppressed in Europe and eventually expelled from the Philippines in 1768, several of their properties were put on sale.

Open: Monday - Saturday
from 9 AM - 5 PM
Entrance fee: P 30

Halad Museum which opened in 2010 is a musically-themed museum that pays homage to Cebu and its musical heritage.

The museum houses a collection of various musical memorabilias from different composers and artists.  It also has a listening station where you can play some audio tracks of songs from famous Cebuano singers.

Open: Tuesday - Saturday

from 9 AM - 5 PM

Entrance fees:

P 10 for students

P 20 for adults

Free for seniors

The Cathedral Museum of Cebu used to house the priests in the 19th century, and is now turned into a museum with a collection of religious relics, images of saints, documents, and books which dates back from the late 1700s up to the early 1900s.

Open: Tuesday - Sunday

Entrance Fee:  P 50

PLAZA HUMABON (across the Cathedral Museum) is a park dedicated to the first Filipino chieftain to embrace Christianity in the Philippines.

 Rajah Humabon was regarded as the bravest and wisest man in the island of Cebu.  When Magellan landed on Cebu on April 7, 1521, Sunday, he made a blood compact with Magellan as a symbol of their newfound friendship.

Captivated by the noble teachings of Ferdinand Magellan, he converted to Christianity with his wife and about 800 Cebuano followers.

During his reign, Cebu was a depot and commerce site with nearby countries such as Thailand, China, and Borneo, among others.  This was apparent in the ornaments embellished on their bodies and clothes as well as the fine porcelains they used.

CEBU METROPOLITAN CATHEDRAL was built in 1835.

However, much of it was destroyed during the WW2 with only the belfry, the facade, and the walls remaining.

 It was quickly rebuilt after the war, and recently underwent a major renovation in 2009.

A few meters from the Cathedral is the Sto.Nino Church.  Its present structure was completed in 1739, and like many old churches has all the characteristics of a solid construction to withstand all the earthquakes. 

Devotees of Sto. Nino de Cebu are growing over the years and would easily fill the Basilica beyond its capacity. Because of this, a pilgrim center was built and completed in September 1990.  The pilgrim center is an open-air structure that can accommodate 3, 500 people.  This is where the Holy Friday Masses as well as religious festivities are celebrated. 

The MAGELLAN'S CROSS is the city's main symbol.

It is housed in the small 8-sided polygon kiosk.

A sign below it reports that the original cross is cased inside the wooden cross to protect the original cross from people who gradually remove parts of the cross as souvenir or in belief that the cross possesses providential power.

The ADUANA BUILDING was a commercial building built in 1910. Although this building is popularly known as the Compania Maritima (Aduana) building, the Compania Maritima was was merely leasing part of the building to serve as its corporate offices. It is unknown who the past occupants of the building were, but in the 1930's, Shamrock Hotel was its occupant.

 After the WW2, it was abandoned.

MALACANANG sa SUGBO (also known as Malacañan sa Sugbo, as written in the façade) is considered as the official residence of the President of the Philippines when he visits Cebu and the nearby areas in the Visayas region. It was originally built in 1910 where the Bureau of Customs Cebu Office was housed. In 2004, it was restored by, then, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

There were reports that the current President of the Philippines, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, was not interested in the Malacañang sa Sugbo as his official residence in the province of Cebu because this was restored by his predecessor which he doesn’t like so much.

Viewing the inside of it is strictly by appointment only.

PLAZA INDEPENDENCIA is one of the most historically significant places in Cebu.

At the center stands an obelisk dedicated to Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, the first Spanish Governor-General of the Philippines, who established here the first Spanish settlement in the country.

FORT SAN PEDRO is a fortification built upon the orders of Miguel López de Legazpi to protect the Spanish settlement that he founded in Cebu. The present stone structure dates to 1833.  Triangular in shape, the fort is the smallest in the country.

 Open: Daily, 8 AM - 5 PM

Entrance fees:

P 30 for adults (locals)

P 20 for students (locals)

P 25 for senior citizens

What are you waiting for? 
Go, explore, learn to appreciate more about the Filipino Cebuano heritage!

~ If you need a tour guide at no charge, please don't hesitate to contact me, I'd be willing to walk you around  (^_^)