To Penfires readers Mia and T-rex, thanks for leaving a comment in my post How to Commute to the Top Tourist Spots of Cebu City. This is my itinerary suggestions for you guys with directions and tips on how to have a cheap Cebu vacation.
Visiting Cebu and its historical and cultural attractions can be enjoyed even without availing of any Cebu tour packages. Cebu food trip is also a major draw for tourist who comes here to visit. Hopefully, this Cebu City Guide will also help other tourist and first timers here in our province. Yes! You can have a day tour on a shoe-string budget when nasa Sugbo! Welcome to Cebu!
For first time Cebu bound visitors like Mia (T-rex I will try to email you a separate Cebu IT). Hope with this guide you will have an idea of the places to see and the food to eat and be able to visit the top tourist destinations and hot spots here in Cebu without shelling out thousands of pesoses para wa’y blima as we say here in Cebu hehehhe.
The Best of Cebu – Food, Souvenirs, Travels and White Sand Beaches
Hi Mia. I am revising your proposed Cebu IT based on what I think will work best.
Example on your 3rd day, you inserted a trip to the guitar factory, this is not doable kasi malayo na sa iba mong gusting puntahan that day. Since you are arriving on a Thursday at 3 pm, from the Mactan airport go straight to the Guitar Factory in Brgy Abuno. I would strongly suggest finding an affordable pension house in Fuente area. Mandaue is far from the popular attractions in Cebu although it is nearer the airport.
You can start searching for Cebu City Hotels near Fuente area:
For those who’ve just read this post and first time to visit here in Penfires, please read the other posts on Cebu City, as this post does not contain detailed directions on how to commute. This is general overview because Mia have already read the other posts. Thanks!
**UPDATE 2015: I’m juggling multiple tasks, I no longer have time to do personalized itinerary. :/
Day 1: Arrival in Cebu – Mactan Airport, checking out Mactan Tourist Sites
3 pm – Airport to Guitar Factory in Mactan
Multicab to Marina Mall and then ride another multicab bound for Tamiya. In Tamiya terminal ride tricycle for Abuno.
Please read additional resource: A Trip to the New Susing’s Guitar’s
4:30pm – Guitar Factory to Mactan Shrine
Ride multicab in Abuno bound for Marina Mall.
Get off once you reach national highway (tell the driver you want to ride another multicab to Lapu – Lapu Shrine).
From the national road, get on any multicab bound for “Punta Engano”.
Get off in the Shrine.
5:30pm – Mactan Shrine to Birhen sa Regla Opon Church
Ride any ‘merkado’ multicab and get off in Marina Mall.
In the mall take another multicab for “simbahan”.
Get off at the back of the church (tell driver).
6:00pm – Virgen of the Rule Parish to SM – eat in CNT / Marina Lechon / Larsian
**Alternative here is to take the Ferry in Muelle Osmena (back of church), this will get you to Pier 3. From Pier 3 there are jeepneys bound for SM.
Make your way to the Opon market and ride any “Mepz” multicab.
Get off in Gaisano Mactan, ride vhire to SM
Take dinner in SM – CNT or Marina Lechon sa foodcourt or Ayer’s beside SM Cinema.
Make your way to your hotel nalang para makastart kayo aga kinabukasan or if alert pa kayo, instead of having your dinner in SM, go to Larsian. Please see other replies to how to go to Larsian from SM.
DAY 2 in your Cebu vacation: City Day Tour
Supposing you’re staying on a Fuente hotel or inn.
8am – Hotel to Guadalupe Church
In Fuente ride any “Guadalupe” jeepneys, route code starts with ‘06’, confirm with driver if they’ll pass by or near the Guadalupe Church
Guadalupe Church to Colon
In Guadalupe ride any jeep to Colon, ask driver if passing through Sto Nino or Magellan’s Cross or Cebu Cathedral.
Visit Cathedral, Sto Nino and Magellan’s Cross then walk to Fort San Pedro, just asked the guard.
From the fort, take a taxi to Cebu Heritage Monument, malapit lang to kaso baka mapagod kayo ng maaga kaya taxi na. Fare cgro not more than P60, tell driver mag metro. Pero if masipag kayo maglakad, kaya, it’s less than 2 kms, you’ll be passing the Cebu Cathedral on your way to Colon marker.
Visit the Cebu Heritage Monument, Colon Obelisk Marker, Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House, Casa Gorordo (these sites are near each other). Additional resource: Cebu Walking Tour to Heritage Sites
If gutom na, you can eat in AA BBQ near Plaza Independencia in front of Fort San Pedro or the many fastfoods around or be adventurous and eat in the Chinese restaurants in Colon / Manalili / Plaridel area. They are your authentic time proven chinese restos here at mura pa!
Colon to Carmelites / Pink Sister
If I’m not mistaken, the Pink Sisters are inside the compound of the Carmelites.
Make your way to SM. In the obelisk markers, there are 01K that passes, you can ride this, you can even drop by Museo Sugbo, Cebu’s provincial museum, madadaan to ng 01K. Then ride again 01K and get off in SM.
In SM, ride 04L, tell driver you are getting off in Carmelites.
Carmelites to Cebu’s Taoist Temple
Ride 04L again and get off in JY Square
Take taxi to the Taoist Temple
Taoist Temple to Larsian
From Taoist, get taxi back to JY.
Take Lahug jeeps to Jones and get off in Fuente
Have dinner in Larsian.
Go to Crown Regency for the Skywalk and Skyride
Back at hotel
3rd Day in Cebu enjoying Mactan affordable beaches
– I would suggest the easy on the pocket Cebu beaches like Portofino, Hadsan, Tambuli (slightly pricier). I am so sorry I could not offer more suggestions as I have not been around the beaches here in Mactan lately, although I live in Mactan hehehe but there just wasn’t an opportunity to check out more cheap and affordable beaches yet. UPDATE: We check out some affordable resort options yesterday you can check it at this post: Affordable Mactan Beaches
– Or if you can spend more, Shangrila Mactan, Moven Pick, and Maribago Bluewaters, Crimson Spa and Resort are great options but these are more expensive as they are high end resorts.
– Get to SM and take vhire to Gaisano Mactan
– If going to Portofino and Hadsan, take “Soong” multicab and tell the driver to drop you off the corner of these beach resorts.
– If going to Shangrila or Moven Pick, take “Punta Engano” and just inform driver to drop you off nearest to the resort.
– If you leave the beach early, have dinner in either IT Park (Casa Verde or Mooon Café or Zubuchon), JY Square Mall for Ding Qua Qua, or Kuya J or STK Ta Bai near Capitol. Or if gutom na kayo, you can try out AA BBQ in Mactan.
4th day in Cebu – Leaving the Queen City of the South
Since your flight is at 2pm, I would suggest you do the Pasalubong shopping in Taboan as your last activity on the morning before your flight. Don’t take a bath yet as you would smell from a trip to Taboan Market. From Fuente ride 04d to Taboan, just request driver to drop you off near Taboan. Then head back via taxi para mas madali. You can buy your Cebu’s best pasalubong in Taboan like Shamrock Otap, Cebu Chorizo, Dried Mangoes, and of course Cebu’s Danggit, Pusit and other dried fishes. Then back at hotel to take a bath and prepare to leave.
To T-rex, regarding your request for ‘Pwede rin ba akong mang hingi ng tulong? meron po ba kayong 2-day DIY tour inside CEBU city?’, can you give me your flight arrival and departure just so I know the time frame and can hopefully come up with a doable Cebu backpacking itinerary.
Thanks! Hope you guys enjoy Cebu! =)
For specifics of point A to point B, if not discussed, pls refer to previously published guides for Cebu Travelers and Visitors:
Top Tourist Attractions in Cebu
Mactan Airport to SM or Ayala Center via Jeepney
Tips in Navigating Cebu Jeepneys
POSTS under CEBU CITY TOUR CATEGORY
Looking for hotels in Cebu City? You can find discounted room rates HERE.
Hi misss Cillle, alot of bloggers was blogging about how to go from cebu city to simala. But wee need a travel guide on how to commute from simala going back to cebu city. ???? Hehe if you could email me a ways po, I would greatly appreciate. Will be traveling 2 days from now.
Hi Levie, check this post about Simala visit via commute.
The return way is just the same but on the reverse – take a tricycle from the tricycle terminal near Simala gate, this will take you back to their terminal beside the highway. Then cross the road, buses bound for Cebu City will pass by the highway, ride one. The bus will stop in South Bus terminal(SBT).From SBT, you can then proceed via jeep or taxi to your onward destination.