Baguio Travel Guide for First Timers: Places to visit, Things to do

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Whether it is your first time in Baguio or not, this Baguio travel guide will surely help you get to know more about the city. This guide includes where to go and what to do when in Baguio.

About Baguio City

Dubbed as the Summer Capital of the Philippines, Baguio is a city located in Benguet Province. Benguet Province is located in the mountainous part of the Philippines. Baguio is a popular tourist spot on the island of Luzon – most especially during the summer season.

Best time to visit Baguio City

I have been to Baguio City three times. The first time I went here was in January. I traveled solo and that’s the best decision I have made. I met new friends while I was on my way to Baguio. The second and the third time I visited the city was around September together with my friends.

Based on my personal experience, the best time to visit Baguio is from October to March. If you want to experience a chilly temperature, you must visit the city during those months. January to February is the month of strawberry season. This is the best time to harvest strawberries on the farm. In addition, the temperature during these months is really cool!

But if you are planning to go around July to September, expect heavy rains. When we visited Baguio in September, it was raining really hard that we couldn’t enjoy our trip that much! So I suggest not to visit Baguio during these months.

How to get from Manila to Baguio City?

Commuting to Baguio is not that difficult. There are buses that travel directly to Baguio. You can take a Victory Liner Bus. Victory Liner terminals are in Pasay, Cubao, Caloocan. They operate for 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the Genesis Bus Terminal can be found in Cubao. Genesis buses also operate 24 hours.

More to that, you can also take a bus heading to Baguio from the PITX terminal located along Coastal Road in Paranaque.

Getting around Baguio City

If you bring a car with you, then that would be good enough to travel around the city. Otherwise, you can take a taxi instead. I believe that is the easiest way to go around and visit the places. It is not that expensive to take a taxi in Baguio. But if you want to save more, you can take a jeepney then.

Places to Visit in Baguio

Whether you are visiting Baguio for a day or two, it doesn’t matter. You can go around the city even just for a day. But there are actually a lot of places that you visit; so if you plan to visit them all, then staying in Baguio for a day is not enough.

I listed the most-visited places in the city. I hope this travel guide to Baguio helps you a lot. In this travel guide, you can get to know more about Baguio city and its places to visit!

Burnham Park

Similar to Rizal Park in Manila, Burnham Park is considered as “the mother of all parks” in Baguio city. The park is huge and this is where you can mostly visit other places nearby. You can go boating, biking, skating, etc. Anything you want to do in the park is possible here. There is so much green space in the area and its scenery is just simply beautiful.

Baguio Cathedral

Definitely one of the most visited attractions in the city. Fall in love with its amazing architectural design and colored structure!

Session Road

Session Road is the main road of the city. This is where you will find bazaars, the night market, theaters, hotels, malls, restaurants, grocery stores, universities, etc.

Baguio City Market

The market is just located along session road. The best time to visit the market is at night. The popular city market is where you can buy affordable yet good quality products.

The Mansion

The Mansion serves as a residence of the president of the Philippines.

Many people visit this place due to its exterior structure. Its gate is said to be the replica to the gate of the Buckingham Palace located in London, England.

Camp John Hay

Camp John Hay used to be a rest and recreation facility for American soldiers in Asia. But now, it has become a tourist destination! This is where you can see a lot of pine trees. You can play around the area, go on a picnic, stroll, and chill.

In our case, my friend and I also found this place a perfect spot for a photoshoot! If you love taking photographs, you can really find a good spot at Camp John Hay.

Wright Park

This is where you can try horseback riding. There are so many horses to see in this place. In addition, you can buy some souvenirs and other stuff here.

Mines View Park

Mines View Park is one of the most popular parks in Baguio City. Due to its spectacular view that it offers, this is also where you can see the infamous St. Bernard dog. More to that, you can get to experience get dressed in full Cordelia regalia – the Cordelia region’s traditional costume.

Oh, don’t forget to buy ube jam, strawberry jam, and other delicacies at Good Shepherd. It is near the Mines View Park.

Baguio Botanical Garden

This garden is filled with pine trees and different beautiful flowers and plants. There is really nothing much to do here. But this is actually one of the best spots to relax and enjoy nature! It is really peaceful in this area.

Lourdes Grotto

Lourdes Grotto is a pilgrimage site in Baguio City. This is where you will see the image of the Lady of Lourdes. In order to see reach the top of the grotto, you need to climb the long steps of the stairs. But it is also possible to drive up a winding road.

Tam-awan Village

Tam-awan Village is where you can get to see a collection of Ifugao and Kalinga huts. It shows art galleries, native huts, and a coffee shop.

Strawberry Farm

Located in La Trinidad, Benguet, Strawberry Farm is one of the places that you can visit is the Strawberry Farm. Although this is not located in Baguio, it is just 30 minutes away from the city. You can go strawberry picking or even vegetable picking here! The best time to go here is from the month of November to May.

For those who love strawberries, you can have them fresh on this farm. The strawberry ice cream and taho are a must-try, too!

If you are looking for a new adventure, there is another town in Benguet that you can visit. That is the town of Atok which is just 2 hours away from Baguio City.

Baguio is one of the most wonderful places to visit in the Philippines. Get closer to nature and learn more about the indigenous people of the country. Unfortunately, due to its rising popularity as a tourist spot, the city is becoming more crowded. Moreover, I noticed that Baguio is not as cool as it was before the last time I visited the city. It is getting more of a developed city in Benguet. A lot of buildings have been constructing in each place.

Did this Baguio travel guide help you? Have fun!

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About the Author

Ara Patria

Hey, my name is Ara Patria—a solo female traveler who is in her quest of traveling the world. I write and learn about life through the lenses of my camera, personal experiences, and adventures. Join me as I unravel the mystery of life through exploring the wanders of the world.

4 thoughts on “Baguio Travel Guide for First Timers: Places to visit, Things to do

  1. Thank you for visiting my hometown. 🙂 I agree with you, it’s getting crowded but there are spots wherein it isn’t crowded for you to enjoy Baguio. Maybe next time, you visit other parts of La Trinidad, Benguet aside from the Strawberry farm. Check out Highland Aquaponics farm. 🙂 Also, what month did you visit Baguio? It is still cold now despite the sunlight (October chill, colder in December-February) , maybe when the place is crowded (time of the day), it gets a bit warmer. 🙂

    -Love, Rae

    Let’s hang out when you visit Baguio again.

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