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Orientation
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The great urban sprawl of Metro Manila, home to about eleven million people, is actually a grouping of ten areas that have all been conferred city status in their own right. These cities stretch from
Caloocan
in the north to
Pas Pinas
in the south. Tourists tend to see only a few of them, usually
Paranaque
(where the airport is),
Pasay
,
Manila
and
Makati
. Manila is the key tourist district, fronting Manila Bay along Roxas Boulevard, taking in the neighbourhoods of
Ermita
and
Malate
, and stretching north to the old walled city of
Intramuros
and over the Pasig River to
Chinatown
, also known as Bindondo. On
Manila Bay
are landmarks such as the Cultural Center of the Philippines and, at the north end of the bay, the stately
Manila Hotel.
Makati
is the central business district (CBD), built around the main thoroughfare of Ayala Avenue, and home to banks, insurance companies, five-star hotels and all the other paraphernalia of modern life. Leaving Makati and heading north through the heaving traffic on
Epifano de los Santos Avenue
(commonly referred to as
EDSA
) brings you to the newer commercial district of
Ortigas
, which is trying to out-Makati Makati, with its hotels, malls and air-conditioned theme restaurants. Beyond Ortigas is
Quezon City
, which has some lively nightlife catering to the nearby University of the Philippines, but not much else.
The
Department of Tourism Head Office
(Mon-Fri 8.30am-5.30pm), Department of Tourism Building, TM Kalaw Street, Ermita, has general
information
and
maps
, although they are not always up-to-date. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Philippines,
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