A PLACE IN THE PLAN
Fort Santiago
Give the historic fort its place in the Intramuros walk.
See where it fits →PHILIPPINES / MANILA
Manila Itinerary: 2 days
An old-city afternoon, a Chinatown dinner and a quiet memorial visit before the next flight.
A two-day Manila stopover with Intramuros, Binondo and the Manila American Cemetery, using Conrad Manila for one night.
A trip from Alisha & MattPlanned with couples in mind.
An old-city walk.
YOUR TIME2 days · 1 night
THE FOCUSIntramuros · Binondo · memorial grounds
THE BASESConrad Manila
THE PACEArrival + exploring + departure
THE EXPERIENCES TO BUILD A TRIP AROUND
Give these places their time
Choose the old city on arrival and a memorial morning before departure.
A PLACE IN THE PLAN
Cathedral & San Agustin
Choose the cathedral and San Agustin area around current visitor access.
See where it fits →A PLACE IN THE PLAN
Binondo
Make the food stop a separate part of the old-city afternoon.
See where it fits →A PLACE IN THE PLAN
Manila American Cemetery
Allow time for a considered memorial visit before the airport journey.
See where it fits →GET TO KNOW THE PLACE
An old-city walk.
A quiet morning.
Give Fort Santiago and Intramuros the first-day priority, with Binondo and the cemetery as separate district visits. Use a driver and let traffic help decide what fits. On a short stopover, fewer well-chosen visits make a more useful plan than a complete city checklist.
This is a short arrival-to-departure visit. Use a driver for the separate districts and expect traffic to decide what fits. Fort Santiago is the first-day priority; Rizal Park and Quiapo are optional cuts when the margins get small.
See how the route fits together ↘A LITTLE ORIENTATION
Get your bearings before setting out.
This is a short arrival-to-departure visit. Use a driver for the separate districts and expect traffic to decide what fits. Fort Santiago is the first-day priority; Rizal Park and Quiapo are optional cuts when the margins get small.
ROUTE DIAGRAM · NOT TO SCALEManila airportArrival
Conrad ManilaOne-night bay-side base
IntramurosHistoric core
BinondoDinner
TaguigMemorial visit
Manila airportDeparture
2 DAYS · 1 NIGHT · YOUR OWN ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE PLAN
ON THE MAP
Put the places in perspective.
Get your bearings before setting out. The map shows how the outings relate to one another; use the day plan to decide which belong together.
Explore the places in the list below.
Place coordinates: Wikidata , Wikipedia and © OpenStreetMap contributors. Geography: Natural Earth. Select a place for its source.
Your Manila route and overnight stays
| Day | Route or focus | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | AIRPORT → INTRAMUROS → BINONDO | Conrad Manila. |
| 2 | TAGUIG → HOTEL → AIRPORT | Onward travel. |
THE PLAN
Your Manila itinerary, day by day
Open a day for the stops and practical advice. Let the plan help you decide where to linger.
2 days · 1 nightA ROUTE TO MAKE YOUR OWN
MANILA · THE ROUTE
DAY1Arrive, then the old city.
AIRPORT → INTRAMUROS → BINONDOArrival and settling in · use the time your journey leaves
A delayed arrival means a shorter sightseeing afternoon.
- Arrival and hotel bag dropArrange a driver and reach Conrad Manila before deciding how much of the afternoon remains.
- Fort SantiagoMake this the main visit in Intramuros, with admission matched to current opening and last entry.
- Cathedral and the San Agustin areaChoose a short walk through the historic core. Interior visits depend on opening and services; Casa Manila is a separate visit if time allows.
- Rizal Park, optionalSkip it when the old city needs more time.
- Binondo dinnerLeave time for traffic and a relaxed meal. Return to the hotel rather than making a late bay walk obligatory.
WHERE YOU’LL SLEEP
Conrad Manila.
DAY2A memorial morning before departure.
TAGUIG → HOTEL → AIRPORTDeparture or onward travel · keep the connection first
Keep the airport deadline in control of the day.
- Manila American CemeteryBring valid photo identification and treat the grounds as a place of remembrance. Confirm current visitor hours before setting the pickup.
- Quiapo, only with enough timeThe church and Plaza Miranda were a possible next stop. Omit the detour when traffic leaves a small margin.
- Collect bags and eat nearbyReturn to the hotel area for checkout and lunch.
- Airport transferCheck the terminal on the actual ticket and allow for road traffic, check-in and security. Do not rely on the old twenty-minute airport estimate.
WHERE YOU’LL SLEEP
Onward travel.
GET TO KNOW THE PLACE
Things to See in Manila
Get to know the main sights before putting them into your day. Open a card for the visit details and its place in the route.
AIRPORT → INTRAMUROS → BINONDO
Fort Santiago
Give the historic fort its place in the Intramuros walk.
Plan your visit
AIRPORT → INTRAMUROS → BINONDO
Cathedral & San Agustin
Choose the cathedral and San Agustin area around current visitor access.
Plan your visit
AIRPORT → INTRAMUROS → BINONDO
Binondo
Make the food stop a separate part of the old-city afternoon.
Plan your visit
TAGUIG → HOTEL → AIRPORT
Manila American Cemetery
Allow time for a considered memorial visit before the airport journey.
Plan your visit
MAKE ROOM FOR THISAn old-city walk.
An old-city walk.
A quiet morning.
Choose the core visits and let traffic remove optional stops. A driver helps connect the districts, but cannot make every short map estimate dependable.
A GOOD PLACE TO LAND
Find a base
that suits your days.
Start with where you want to spend the evening, then consider the next morning’s journey.
A BASE TO EXPLORE.
BAY AREA · ONE NIGHT
Conrad Manila
The hotel base for the short stopover, with road journeys to the historic and memorial districts.
Find it on the mapThese stays give the route its overnight stops. Before booking, ask about the things that will shape your day: breakfast, arrival time and transfers. Check what your chosen room rate includes.
A little preparation makes a better day.
Use the links below for current visitor information, then check the details with the people arranging your visit.
KNOW THE PACE BEFORE YOU GO
Make the day fit the visit
Choose the old city on arrival and a memorial morning before departure.
GETTING THERE & AROUND
Count the whole journey
Count the airport traffic, hotel bag handoff and return pickup before committing to the sightseeing window.
WALKING & CHOICES
Choose the version you will enjoy
Fort Santiago and Intramuros form the main city visit. Quiapo is an alternative only if the departure margin remains generous.
BEFORE YOU SET THE DATES
What to arrange first
Agree the transfers and bags first, then check current entry at the sites you choose. Keep the memorial visit quiet and unhurried.
THE MAIN DECISION
Start with the parts that set the day
Count the airport traffic, hotel bag handoff and return pickup before committing to the sightseeing window.
YOUR OWN BOOKINGS
Match the details to your visit
Use the linked visitor information for the sites and journeys you choose. Check arrival instructions, entry and any guide or transfer against your actual booking. Meals and optional outings depend on what you arrange.
PICK YOUR SEASON
Manila, month by month.
Compare average daytime highs and overnight lows to help choose a season and pack for the trip.
Manila
Reference station: Port Area Manila · 15 m elevation
Average daily highAverage daily low°F
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Warmest average daysApril, May
Coolest average nightsJanuary
Plan for the actual outingUse these averages to compare seasons, then check a forecast before packing. They do not show rainfall or guarantee the weather for your dates.
1991–2020 station normals reported to the WMO, via NOAA. High-temperature data ↗ · Low-temperature data ↗ Coastal, city and mountain conditions can differ. These are averages, not a forecast or record extremes.
View the monthly figures
| Month | °F | °C |
|---|---|---|
| January | 86° / 75° | 29.9° / 23.9° |
| February | 87° / 76° | 30.7° / 24.3° |
| March | 90° / 78° | 32.1° / 25.3° |
| April | 93° / 80° | 33.7° / 26.7° |
| May | 92° / 81° | 33.6° / 27° |
| June | 91° / 80° | 32.8° / 26.6° |
| July | 89° / 79° | 31.5° / 25.9° |
| August | 88° / 78° | 31° / 25.8° |
| September | 88° / 78° | 31.2° / 25.7° |
| October | 89° / 78° | 31.4° / 25.7° |
| November | 88° / 78° | 31.3° / 25.3° |
| December | 87° / 76° | 30.3° / 24.6° |
A NOTE FROM ALISHA & MATT
Choose the visit
that suits you.
Book the visits that determine the day, then give the gaps a purpose: lunch, the journey and a chance to sit down.
Alisha & MattUse the actual terminal.
Manila airport terminals are separate. Reconfirm both the arrival pickup and the departure drop-off.
Keep the memorial visit respectful.
ABMC requires photo ID and publishes visitor guidance. Personal commemorative photos differ from promotional photoshoots.
Trim before rushing.
Rizal Park, Quiapo and the bay walk are optional. Protect Fort Santiago, the memorial and the flight margin first.
BEFORE YOU GOA few questions
A few questions
before you go.
Can I combine this with the other guides?
Yes. Join the guides at the travel days, then count the hotel nights. One guide’s departure can be the next guide’s arrival, so adding all the day counts would give you time you do not actually have. Match the connections before booking.
How do we keep a copy?
Use “Save this trip” to bookmark the guide in this browser. For a copy to take along, choose “Print this itinerary”: every day opens for printing, and your device’s PDF option lets you save the plan.
THERE’S MORE TO SEE, TOGETHER.Where shall
Find us on Instagram ↗Where shall
we go next?
Follow along for more places we have been and ideas to help plan your own visit.