8 Highlights For Your Twin City Tour, Cebu, Philippines

     Cebu tours, our chosen DOT-accredited agency for our Cebu City- Lapu Lapu City tour picked us in our hotel at exactly eight in the morning. In this tour, I will be with my American friend Abishek Aitha, who is cool enough to be interested on Cebuanos’ culture and history. This will be his last few hours in the city and it would be nice to have a private car tour company which will efficiently save commute time from one site to another. In fact, the tour can also be definitely availed by travelers who just have at least 10 hours layover in Cebu. Here are the 8 Highlights for your future Twin City Tour in Cebu, Philippines!

1.) Basilica del Sto. Niño Church

      The church is the oldest Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines. The church was erected by the Augustinian Fathers under the Rev. Andres Urdaneta in 1565. It houses the Sto. Niño which is the center of intense devotion and religious pilgrimages through out the Visayan region. The church is most busy during the Sinulog (also known as Sto. Niño) festival, an annual and cultural festival which happens every third Sunday of January.

2.) Magellan’s Cross

      The site enshrines the Original Christian Cross planted by the Spanish explorers upon arriving in Cebu in April 21, 1521. The Original Cross is encased inside the Cross of Tindalo Wood in order to protect the Original Cross from people who may chip away parts of the cross for souvenir purposes.

3.) Fort San Pedro

     Fort San Pedro is the oldest triangular bastion fort in the Philippines. It was built under Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, the first Captaincy General in the Philippines of the Spanish kingdom. In the 17th century, the wooden fort was transformed to a stone fort in order to repel native raiders.

4.) Heritage of Cebu Monument

       The Heritage of Cebu Monument is sculpted by award-winning Cebuano artist Eduardo Castrillo in 1997. It depicts significant and symbolic history of Cebu from the time of Rajah Humabon (King of Cebu), the coming of the Spaniards, and beatification of the Cebuano martyr St. Pedro Calungsod.

5.) Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House

        The Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House is one of the oldest existing houses in the Philippines. It was built during the 17th century by the Chinese merchants residing in the Parian. At present, it is still owned by the generation of the Yap-Sandiego, serving as a heritage museum of different antique pieces from the Spanish times.

6.) Cebu Taoist Temple

        Because of many Chinese families living in Cebu, practicing the Taoist religion, the Cebu Taoist Temple was built in 1972. It has an elevation of 980 feet above sea level that also gives you an amazing view of Cebu City. Although the temple is open to non-worshipers, proper etiquette should be observed. You should wash your hands first and enter inside the chapel with barefoot.

7.) Guitar Factory

      Cebu is one of the producers of the world’s best guitars. Some of the guitar-makers like the Alegre Guitar factory export their products to Canada, Australia, Japan, and the United States. Visitors and prospective buyers, who are interested in the different stages of guitar-making, can also take a look at the workshop to witness the craftsmen do the actual guitar-making process. Celebrities such as Kris Aquino, Apl de Ap of Black Eyed Peas, and Miss Universe Contestants have visited the place.

8.) Mactan Shrine

        The Mactan Shrine was established to honor Lapu-Lapu, Ferdinand Magellan, and the Battle of Mactan in 1521. Lapu-Lapu is the first Filipino to have repelled European Agression. The Lapu-Lapu memorial statue shows the Cebuano hero in his native costume with a sword on his right hand and a shield on his left.

        After Mactan Shrine, we requested the courteous driver of Cebu tours named Mar to end the tour in SM Cebu City which is the third largest mall in the Philippines and the 6th largest mall in the world. We are very much grateful that Cebu tours approved our request for collaboration in order for our tour in Cebu be comfortable as possible. We strongly suggest that you book a private car tour with them. Apart from the Twin City Tour,  they also offer Whale Shark and Kawasan Falls Tour, Whale Shark and Sumilon Sandbar Tour, Whale Shark and Pescador Island Hopping Tour and Kalanggaman Island Tour. For reservations, you can simply call at +639173238965 or email at info@cebutours.ph or book online using this link: https://www.cebutours.ph/package/whale-shark-and-kawasan-falls-tour/

Note: Their prices are subject to change without prior notice. It would be best that you contact them directly or visit their website at www.cebutours.ph