I’ve promised in one of my earlier posts Tips in Navigating Cebu Jeepneys, that I will be updating the route codes as well as the roads these jeepneys will pass. Unfortunately, it’s so big a task to complete with my limited time, so I will just update what I think is handier especially to tourists and visitors traveling here in Cebu.
If you are bringing big bags and luggage, I recommend you TAKE a TAXI.
Public transpo particularly jeepneys and vhires are ONLY RECOMMENDED FOR THOSE BRINGING one knapsack / one small trolley bag.
If you are four in a group, a taxi is a good option since you can split the cost and is more cost-effective and of course, more convenient.
Mactan Airport to SM Cebu or Ayala Center Cebu via Jeepney
From Mactan International Airport you can actually take public transport all the way to Ayala Center Cebu or SM Cebu or Pier 3 or to anywhere you want to go in the island.
There is an airport multicab that plies the route Airport – Marina Mall – Lapu Lapu City (Opon) Mercado, route code is MI-05a. You can’t mistake them as these multicabs are the only public vehicles allowed to enter the airport vicinity and all of them are colored yellow. So anyhow take one of these yellow multicab and get off in Marina Mall. In Marina Mall you can ride another jeepney that plies the route Opon-Mandaue or Opon-SM, these jeepneys will take the Marcelo Fernan Bridge and on to their destinations.
Mactan Airport Yellow Multicab
If you are going to Ayala Center ask the driver first if his route is by way of Mandaue Coliseum and then SM (and NOT Marina -Parkmall – SM). Then request the driver to drop you off in Mandaue Coliseum. Cebuano drivers and passengers are generally friendly and will advice you when you need to get off from the vehicle.
Ride a 20A Mandaue – Ayala jeepney in the vicinity of Mandaue Coliseum. (21B Mandaue – Ayala is no longer allowed to enter the Ayala Public Terminal but if you get tired of waiting for 20A jeepneys, you can still ride 21B but know that you will have to walk from Keppel building to Ayala Center. Most likely 10 minutes brisk walk. If init ang panahon, parusa that’s why I personally prefer waiting for 20A, medyo tamad kasi ako maglakad heheheh). From Ayala you can also reach Fuente Osmena and Downtown Cebu via jeepney.
If you are heading to SM Cebu from the Mactan Airport take the same airport multicab and ride the second jeepney at Marina Mall. You can take any jeepney with signboard that says “SM”. It doesn’t matter whether the route is via Parkmall or via Mandaue Coliseum since both route will converge near the North Bus Terminal then onwards to SM.
When you arrive in SM they have a jeepney terminal there that can take you to Cebu downtown including Labangon, Pardo, Basak, Urgello etc and of course, IT park in Lahug. Downtown Cebu is where you can find the Sto Nino Cathedral as well as the Magellan Cross, Colon Street and Taboan Market. SM is highly recommended as a starting point because there are lots of jeepneys plying the SM route as well as vhires and taxis.
Anyhow there maybe only 5 or 10 yellow airport multicabs so you may need to wait a bit if you want to ride that, but you’ll be saving money! Alternatively, there are taxis in the Mactan airport that you can take and then to save just get off in Marina Mall and ride a jeepney from there.
These yellow multicabs are available 24 HOURS.
So how much would it cost you to ride a jeepney all the way from the airport to SM or Ayala? Here is the breakdown:
Airport multicab to Marina Mall – P8 ( travel time about 5 minutes)
Marina Mall to Mandaue Coliseum – P8 (travel time depends on the traffic, usually about 15 to 30 minutes)
Mandaue Coliseum to Ayala Center Cebu – P10.00 (travel time around 45 mins to an hour)
Marina Mall to SM Cebu – P14.00 (travel time anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes)
If you are heading out of Cebu, you can take the Vhire from SM, fare is only P25 to reach Gaisano Mactan, then take a multicab from Gaisano Mactan to Marina Mall P8. Then take the airport yellow multicab in Marina Mall to get to the Mactan airport P8.
Vhires from SM route has been changed and they are now up to Gaisano Mactan only. Previously, they go all the way to Marina Mall.
NEW UPDATED GUIDE as of SEPTEMBER 2017!!!
Hope this helps! Welcome to Cebu! ^_^
Airport to Cathedral or Sto Nino via Jeepney
I am again updating this post since a lot of rerouting has happened since this was last updated. Today is March 18,2013.
To get to Sto Nino or Cebu Cathedral or Colon and the downtown area, I suggest that you ride these jeepneys:
1. Airport multicab to Marina Mall.
2. Marina Mall to Maguikay Highway – these jeepneys and multicab carries the signage “highway”, get down before you see Maguikay flyover. Drivers usually announced “naay Maguikay?” “Anyone getting down in Maguikay?” Just say yes. Request other passengers to remind you if your jeepney is nearing Maguikay, Cebuanos are kind to travelers. 
3. Ride any Mandaue jeepney with signboard “Catedral” – this will take you all the way to Cathedral. And from Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral you can walk to the next tourist spots like Sto Nino Basilica and Magellan’s Cross or even all the way to Colon St or to Plaza Independencia.
VHIRE ALTERNATIVE TO JEEPNEYS:
If your flight will arrive in Cebu after 9 AM, then there is a more convenient way for you to get to SM Cebu or Ayala Center Cebu.
1. Airport yellow multicab and get off in Gaisano Mactan Island Mall P8.
2. Ride a vhire in Gaisano Mactan, they have vhire bound for SM and AYALA. The SM vhires are filled up faster than the Ayala Vhire.
Gaisano Mactan vhire to SM – P25.00
Gaisano Mactan vhire to Ayala – P35.00
FOR THOSE with Tight Scheds and just a few hours to spare in Cebu, you may want to read this post – Attractions, Places Near Mactan Airport
Looking to ride the FERRY at MUELLE OSMENA WHARF? Check this commuting guide – Ferry Ride to Cebu City
I’ve created a NEW POST The 2017 COMMUTING GUIDE to exit Mactan Airport with several options airport taxi, regular taxi, MyBus, multicab then jeepneys, Uber/Grab.
Hi Ms. Cille!
Thank you very much for your blog, Very informative.. I am going to Cebu on March 1 and I will arrive in Mactan Airport by 11.45pm, i decided to stay in the airport to be safe and travel around the city by 6am because my check-in time will be 2pm. May I ask your suggestion where I can go first? Because its my first time in Cebu.
Thank you very much!
Melah
Hi Melah, I would suggest to check out Mactan Shrine first as its nearest the airport. For ideas on the other Cebu tourist sites, please check out the posts under this link: Category – Cebu City Tour
Thanks for reading!
Hello! Please help. How will I reach Regal Business Park Hotel from Mactan Airport?Anong mga jeep ang sasakyan ko? Thanks.
Hi krby, so sorry but I am not familiar with that hotel.
Hi Cille =)
Thank you very much, you help me a lot to arrange my itinerary, a big challenge to me =)
always take care =)
Melah
Have a marvelous trip here in Cebu this 2013! 🙂
hi Cecille,
Plz help me 🙂 which public vehicle can I take from Ayala Centre that will take me to Island Stays in Mactan?
Hi Donee, there is no direct route but it’ll be easy to commute there =)
First, go to Ayala jeepney terminal take a Mandaue jeepney bound for “Parkmall”, fare is P10. I am not sure if it is 20A or 20B, please confirm with driver if they are passing Parkmall area. Don’t take “Ibabao” jeepneys.
Then just before the Coca Cola Bottlers/San Miguel Complex in Mandaue Highway, you can’t miss it there is a gigantic bottle of beer on top of the building, there is a fork in the road. The Parkmall jeepney will take the slightly downward sloping road to the right, after a few meters it will take another right turn. You can now get off in the jeepney stop since that’s where jeepneys bound for “Opon Merkado”, “Tamiya” and “Mepz” picks up passenger.
Should you take the wrong Mandaue jeepney, don’t worry, just get off in the gasoline station in front of San Miguel and walk to the back of the gasoline station to see the Mepz bound multicabs. If you take the correct jeepney, you will not have to walk a few meters.
NEXT, ride any multicab with the “MEPZA” or “Bag-O” sign board. Get off in Marina Mall and just walk back to the hotel or get off before the intersection with traffic light. Di ka puedeng bumaba in front of Island Stays Mactan since the building is beside the traffic light, no stopping allowed. Fare from Mandaue to Mepz is I think P9 or P10.
Hope this helps!
hi cille, how can i get to taboan public market from pier 1 cebu via jeepney?
hi chona, beside Pier Uno is Fort San Pedro and Plaza Independencia, just walk to the end of the Plaza then you’ll see 12G labangon bound jeeps. Get on one, tell driver or konductor to drop you off corner of Taboan Market, you’ll right away see the mini bridge.
Enjoy danggit and Cebu pasalubong shopping!
Hi cillen,nice to see ur blog
Thanks I came to cebu tommorrow,to see ur beautiful country
Kang
Hi Kang,
Thanks! Hope you’ll enjoy Cebu and the Philippines!
Cille =)
hi, cille! my husband & I are scheduled to have our vacation in Cebu this May, & so far, I find your tips on how to navigate Cebu via commute very informative. hope to meet you when we get there!
side question: we booked the crimson resort & spa mactan for 2 days since my hubby really loves the beach, is it really as nice as the pics & videos posted?
Hi Kate =) thanks! about your query I haven’t been to Crimson Resort and Spa in Mactan but I’ll ask my friends who have been for their comments and will get back to you. Give me til Sunday, weekend lang kasi nag oopen ng facebook yung iba hehe.
thanks for the reply, cille! anyway, we haven’t booked any hotel or B&B for our cebu city tour yet, may marerecommend ka bang place? we plan to have the tour via commute lang kasi so mas ok kung accessible yung place via commute & malapit sa tour spots.thanks!
Hi Cille, your blog is so helpful and informative. thanks for posting. how many mins will it take me from mactan airport to reach talamban leisure center? near talamban gaisano? super thanks! 🙂
hi chuck, thanks too for reading =)
on your Question – you’ll get there in estimated 30 minutes if you take a taxi and request the taxi to take the “Maguikay road” not the “A.S. Fortuna” route to go to Talamban. If commuting, it’ll be close to an hour since you will have to change transpo four times from the airport.
Hi! This is such an informative post for budget travellers! Btw, can you give a rough estimate of how long it would take to get to the airport from SM Cebu via jeepney and Vhires? Thanks! 🙂
Thanks Shoane =)
With normal traffic, you’d be at the airport in an hour from SM. If you are bringing large bags, it’s better for you to take the taxi since Vhires are cramp.
Alternative commuting by jeepney from SM is to take 01K and then alight in CDU or Cebu Doctor’s University. From there, you can now ride multicabs bound for “Bag-O” or “Mepza”. This goes to Marina Mall then finally you can transfer to the yellow multicab at their terminal beside Island Souvenir store.
Hi! Your blog is a lifesaver! My friends and I will travel to Cebu on July 10, and we need all the help that we can get to make our trip fun but easy on the pocket. Thanks for providing the best information about Cebu’s public transportation! 🙂
Anyway, I am wondering if you know how to get to the OceanJet pier from Mactan International Airport through multicabs or Vhires? We are planning to go straight there from the airport to buy our tickets to Tagbilaran for our trip the next day. Also, how can we go back to Sampaguita Suites Plaza Garcia from the pier? We really need to save some cash from our transportation budget to be able to enjoy the best places that Cebu and Bohol has to offer. Any tip will do. Thanks a lot! 🙂
hi shynerb, thanks for reading. 🙂
To answer your query, please check this post – https://penfires.com/how-to-commute-mactan-airport-to-pier-1-or-oceanjet-ticketing-office/
On direction tips from Pier 1 to Sampaguita Suites Plaza Garcia (this is not the one in Fuente right?), just walk from Pier Uno to this hotel. Check out Google Map for reference, malapit lang yun. (Pero if eto yung sa Fuente, need to ride a jeepney)
Have an awesome Cebu-Bohol trip!
Thanks Cille Anne! This will definitely make our Cebu-Bohol trip more exciting! 🙂
hi thankyou so kind explain,
i will go to cebu soon,
i received help from this blog~~
can i ask somthing,
i will leave chrimson, if i go out from the resort to marinamall , can i ride jeepney??
if you know an information,
teach me thank you so much ~~
hi emma, sorry I am not familiar where crimson resort and spa is exactly located in Mactan but if this resort is near the main road, then there would be multicabs with route ‘mercado’ that will pass by there. i hope you will enjoy what Cebu has to offer. have a grand vacation!
Hy Cille,
Your blog is really helpful, and so kind of you for spending your time to guide people who travel in Cebu for free. You should be one of the the Tourism Candidate for sure 🙂
We will fly from Tokyo to Cebu and will arrive at late night, 1mn. Do you know about any money changer that still open during that time?
And we will stay in Pacific cebu Resort Lapu-lapu, we wish to go to Ayala Center. Would you kindly inform me how to go there from our hotel by jeepney? We are so excited to try the jeepney.
Thanks
Hi Nira =)
Thanks for the feedback! =)
On the money changer, the only money changer I know that is open 24/7 is the one beside Crown Regency Hotel Mactan which is out of the way of your hotel. I’ll try to ask around if there is a forex changer open 24/7 near the airport. I’ll update this comment once I now more.
UPDATE: There is a 24 hour money changer across Gaisano Mactan mall (beside Ace Pension House).
On commuting, Pacific Cebu Resort is a bit far from the national road and I think it will be difficult for you to commute via jeepney from your resort to Ayala Mall, it would require multiple change of vehicles from tricycles to jeepneys. Taking a taxi would be best. But if you really want to try out riding a jeepney, I suggest you do it during your city tour if you are going on one.
Have a wonderful time in Cebu!
This info is like a pot of gold so thank you very much. It is my first time commuting within Cebu as we rented a van before, I don’t know if I missed this piece of information but would the routes for example 12g labangan from pier area to taboan market be the same route going back to the pier area?is it applicable for all routes in the City? If not, could u please share how to commute from taboan market to the airport? Thanks!
hi rose, thanks for reading.:) About your commuting question – nope, 12G will not follow the same route back from Taboan. This is almost true for all Cebu jeepney routes.
If you are going to the airport from Taboan, you can take 12G, get down in SM and then vhire to gaisano mactan. GMac to marina mall then marina mall to airport. This is only advisable if you only have a small bag/knapsack. If your baggage is big, not a good idea coz of cramp space in Vhires.
**Please note that if you are coming here for the Sinulog 2014 Grand Parade, the jeepneys are re-routed.
Hi Cille, ask ko lang on how to commute via public transportation from MIA to south bus terminal? Tnx!
hi olga =) I saw you found the other post about commuting tips from mactan airport to south bus terminal. =) have a great, awesome summer vacation in cebu!
hi cille, your posts are really helpful. have read most of your posts since this morning. im still reading more.. my family is going to cebu this weekend and i hope we would be able to tour around the city without having to spend much… thanks for your tips.. ill keep reading.. 😉
thank you Cille! Great information that will help me get from the airport to downtown CebuMetropolitanCathedral by jeep. question please. How to go in reverse to the airport from downtown, esp what will the signage on the jeep say?
Hi Jim, thanks for reading!
1. Walk to Colon street and ride 01k [ Urgello-Colon-SM-Park Mall route].
When you get to Gaisano Metro Colon junction, just ask for the jeepney stop for 01K. Ride this jeep, get off in Park Mall (P10). In Park Mall, ride any multicab with signage “Bag-o” then get off in Marina Mall (P10).
In Marina Mall, ride the airport yellow multicab park near Island Souvenirs building (P8)
p.s. if you are bringing big luggage, this is not advisable, best would be taking a taxi.
Cille =)
Hi cille ann! I’ve been reading your blog for the past few days & it is very helpful to me as a 1st timer going to cebu.
I just really need help. Just wanna ask if your familiar to simala? Ano bang advice mo oras na pumunta dun at what public transportation should I ride?
And also cille ann I’ll be staying there for almost 4 days & no specific plans yet beside from simala. Ano ba maadvice mo na puntahan & as a backpacker budget lang. Actually, I don’t know how to arrange my schedule. Thank you so much. I hope you can help me. God bless 🙂
Hi Kristel, Daghang salamat for reading. =) This is the post dedicated to Simala: https://penfires.com/simala-monastery-in-sibonga-cebu/ tips and advices are there, hope you’ll find it useful.
As for places to go after Simala I suggest take a dip in Obong Spring in Dalaguete and stay in Dalaguete if you want to go the following day to Osmena Peak, Cebu’s Highest Peak. You can find post focus on these favorite spots by searching in Penfires. So sorry I no longer have time to do detailed itineraries. I hope you will enjoy Cebu fully from the city to the outskirts towns.!
Thank you so much cille anne it was a big help & thank you also for very accommodating 🙂 God Bless you always 🙂
Hi ms cille anne!
We just came fr cebu and we’re so very happy to tell u that it was the first time that we reached d city riding puj’s. We used to take taxi because we dont know how to reach there by jeepney. Tnx to your blog!!! You helped us so much!! pls continue helping others. God bless u always!!
Wow! Thank you Glen for coming back here and sharing your commuting experience. Awesome! Balik-balik sa Cebu! 🙂
Hi! Thanks po for the detailed explanation. I was just wondering if same pa din po ba yung route? We are going to Cebu this March, summer 2017, and I’m the first one to arrive at 4AM sa airport. I want to stay in a nearby hotel while waiting for them. I found one which is Islands Hotel.
Is this route that I will take still relevant and correct?
Take 24-hour MI-05a bus from airport to Marina Mall. Then from Marina Mall, walk to Islands Hotel.
Also, do you know exactly where’s the bus stop in the airport? And how to get to the Islands hotel from Marina Mall by walking? If you are just familiar po. Hehe.
And is it safe at that hour, traveling publicly alone?
Thanks,
Karen
Hi pinayitexpatsinsingapore, 🙂 The route to Islands Stay Hotel same pa din sya, you can get off the yellow multicab pagkalagpas konti sa Islands Hotel para mas ikli ang lalakarin mo. Nasa mismong gilid kasi ng intersection yung hotel sa may traffic light bawal bumaba sa front, lagpas konti puede na.
Yung MyBus service nasa departure area sya now.
You can walk pero medyo malayo ng konti, safe naman, madami na din tao kasi Marina Mall/airport is just beside a PEZA zone daming workers pa-work.
Check the airport to Island Stay hotel map/direction here.