In Baguio City, almost everywhere you need to go is literally walking distance to another or 5 minutes ride away. Walking is not even a problem here because the weather is with you! I personally know Baguio City by heart since I lived here before I had to move in Manila for my job. I have made this list of top 20 best things to do in Baguio City to be your guide when you go here!
Just a friendly reminder to better come in a comfy outfit but not in an overdressed outfit. Remember that you are going to Baguio City and not in some tropical beach in Indonesia or Thailand. Lol. So better drop the skimpy clothes and ready your hoodies and beanie hats.
Best Time to Visit Baguio City
Although Baguio is a year-round destination, it’s still best to avoid the monsoon when you come here. The months where most rain-shower comes are the months of July-October. This is definitely the month to avoid as you don’t want your shoes to get washed out by rain when you travel. Furthermore, there are some cases when early rain-shower comes by mid June.
For less crowded months, April and May are less touristy since it’s the hottest months of the year in Baguio City. While on the other hand, the most touristy month is December to February where the Christmas lights are in every corner of the streets at night and the weather is colder compared to the other months. Also, February is ideal if you want to watch the annual flower festival.
Best time to come here if you’re looking for the coldest weather is as early as November to February.
20 Best Things to do in Baguio City
Below are the list I have gathered about the best things to do in the City of Pines. All are based on personal experience and some recommendations of my friends from Baguio.
1. Try the strawberry flavored taho in Burnham Park
Aside from the strawberry flavored ice cream, tourists has now a choice to try the strawberry flavored taho in Burnham Park. For those of you who didn’t know what a taho is – it’s a Filipino local snack food usually sold in the streets. A combination of fresh soft/silken tofu, arnibal, and sago pearl. Now you can get a strawberry flavored taho in Baguio City!
2. Get a taste of the local snack “sundot kulangot”
Sundot Kulangot is another unique pasalubong from Baguio! Most Filipinos would laugh by the name of this snack because it’s the tagalog word for booger. Yes, a booger! This is called sundot kulangot in Baguio because of the food packaging but the snack is commonly known as kalamay (rice cooked with coconut milk and sugar). A pinch of kalamay is stored inside small coconut-looking shells and placed altogether in bamboo sticks. To eat it, you have to open these small coconut-looking shells and pick the kalamay inside it with your pointy finger like what peaple do when they pick their nose!
You can find sundot kulangot anywhere in Baguio City especially where you can buy pasalubong. Just ask the locals where you can buy it.
3. Wear Igorot costumes in Mines View Park
Another unique thing to do in Baguio is to try the Igorot costumes and get dope photos with the locals. It’s one of the best souvenir photo-shoot you can do here. It’s also available in Botanical Garden and Mines View Park.
4. Attend the annual Panagbenga Flower Festival every month of February
The busiest month of the year has always been the flower festival or Panagbenga Festival where schools and establishments compete for the flower float parade. Local artists and performers in the Philippines are also invited to perform and celebrate the festival with the locals and tourists. With that being said, you can expect a great increase of tourists going to Baguio, hence, the traffic. If you haven’t watched the flower float parade, you better come this year. Baguio City’s flower festival is one of the most beautiful festivals I’ve seen.
Did you know? Panagbenga festival or the flower festival is one of the top 10 best festivals in the Philippines as ranked by TripZilla.
5. Strawberry-picking in La Trinidad’s Strawberry Farm
What is better than picking your own basket of strawberries straight from the garden? The Strawberry Farm is located in the nearby town of La Trinidad, Benguet, about less than 10 kilometers away or 30 minutes travel time from the center of Baguio. The strawberry picking season is from November to May.
6. Try lodging in a native Ifugao house in Tam-Awan Village
For best experience of accommodation in Ifugao, I highly suggest an overnight in a native Ifugao house! You can go to Tam-Awan Village which is 20 minutes away from the center of Baguio city and experience sleeping in a native Ifugao house! Definitely one of the coolest things ever.
7. Visit the Christmas Village every month of November – December
Every year, the top hotels in Baguio City like The Manor and Baguio Country Club located inside Camp John Hay do a Christmas Village setup. Last year, the theme of BCC Hotel was the Game of Thrones. They also do artificial snow inside the Christmas Village and it becomes a famous tourist spot every month of November – December. The rate of entrance fee is amounting to PHP 100.00 – PHP 200.00.
Alternatively, Burnham Park creates their own Christmas Village as well and it’s for FREE. Just near the Rose Garden and Jose Rizal Park, you will quickly spot the colorful village. This is during the month of November – December only.
8. Shop thrift clothes in the Night Market
Ukay-ukay or thrift clothes shopping in Baguio is a must! If you are a local in Baguio, majority of your clothes are ukay-ukay or bought from the Night Market. You can score as low as PHP 10.00 for an ukay shirt, pants, jacket, sweather, etc.
Night Market is located in Harrison Road in front of Burnham Park and it opens from 9PM to 12 midnight daily.
Tip: Avoid shopping clothes in Skyworld, Session Road. The price of thrift clothes there are a bit pricey. But if you’re looking for authentic and quality thrift bags, Skyworld is for you. Another good finds of thrift clothes is in Bayanihan, the building just beside Rizal Park in Burnham.
9. Visit the Chinese temple: Bell Church
The Bell Church is an important religious and cultural site for the local Chinese-Filipino community and one of the tourist sites of both La Trinidad and the neighboring city of Baguio.
10. Picnic and Horseback riding in Camp John Hay
If you are staying more than 3 days in Baguio City, I highly suggest doing picnic and horseback riding in Camp John Hay. You can rent a picnic table and enjoy a relaxing stay with your friends and/or family. This is ideal for people who are looking for a relaxing vacation in Baguio City. This is also the best time to connect with nature as the place is filled with pine trees plus a compliment of fresh air.
11. Watch the SLU Lantern Parade every December 1
The Lantern Parade consists of colorful lights and different shapes of lanterns that students of St. Louis University showcase in the Session Road every December 1 of the year. This is a very awesome parade you shouldn’t be missing and you might want to plan your visit on this date.
12. Go to IG-worthy cafes and restaurants
Considering the weather in Baguio City, it’s ideal to go to a cozy place to chill. I’ve listed some of the best and IG-worthy cafes and restaurants in Baguio City. These are my personal favorite cafes in Baguio too!
- Arca’s Yard: Travel Guide to Arca’s Yard
- Oh My Gulay – Upper Session Road
- Ililikha Artist Village – Lower Session Road
- Forest House – Camp John Hay
13. Get large serving size of food in 50’s Diner
50’s Diner – from the name itself you can already expect a vintage-themed restaurant. But that’s not why 50’s Diner is famous in Baguio. The size of their food servings are really huge like they are feeding giants! What is even more surprising, the budget per meal is just around PHP 145.00 and above. Right?
Sadly, the old location of 50′ Diner in Leonard Wood has been demolished and the new location is now inside Porta Vaga in Upper Session Road. You might want to get a meal here after visiting Baguio Cathedral.
14. Enjoy a relaxing walk in Baguio City’s Session Road at night
I am putting this on the list because it’s one of the things I really enjoyed doing everyday in Baguio City. There’s just really something about the mood in Session Road at night that makes me feel calm and at peace whenever I’m walking from SM down to Burnham Park. The vibe at night is very peaceful, the setting is like you are in the US, the weather is cold and the mood is just perfect.
I suggest after coming from SM, you might want to check out the Night Market at 9PM in front of Burnham Park and walk towards it, passing by Session Road at night. It’s a 5-10 minute walk but I promise you that you’ll feel most of Baguio’s life when you do it.
15. Experience unlimited sea of clouds in Valleypoint Campsite
My favorite chill place and go-to staycation in Baguio City has unlimited sea of clouds! It’s just 20 minutes away from the city proper and you’ll get to this relaxing campsite. In Valleypoint Campsite, there is an unlimited sea of clouds, unlimited brewed coffee, archery, airsoft, camper’s area, kubo-style accommodation and glamping tents.
Check them out on their official Facebook page: Valleypoint Campsite
16. Appreciate art exhibits made by noted Filipino Artists in BenCab Museum
The BenCam Musuem is a brief 15-minute drive from the center of Baguio City. Artworks by BenCab & other noted Filipino artists, plus indigenous northern highlands exhibits.
For more information about the location, operating days/hours, admission fee, etc., check them out here.
17. Try the Korean street-food in Baguio City’s Night Market
Korean street-food in Baguio City is a must try! You can find most of the Korean street-food in Gov. Pack Road, the street in between SM and University of Cordilleras where the bus stations are. Another option is to buy Korean street-food in the Night Market in front in front of Burnham Park at 9PM – 12 midnight daily.
There are lots of Koreans residing in Baguio and some of them actually dubbed Baguio as “Little Korea”. This is why the Korean food here is cheap compared when you buy it in Manila.
Some of the Korean street-food to expect in the Night Market are: gunmandu, fish cake, gimmari, odeng, tteokbokki, kimbap and fried crab sticks. The price is PHP 10.00 – PHP 30.00 per piece and my personal favorite is the fish cake!
For Korean Restaurants, I highly recommend Hodori Korean Restaurant and Samgyeop Pocha.
18. Take pictures with cadets in the Philippine Military Academy
It makes me proud as a Filipino to see the cadets in the Philippine Military Academy. One reason is because of the impressive discipline they have and their bravery to fight for our country. For me, they are the real heroes in our country.
The Philippine Military Academy is another tourist spot located in Loakan Rd. Baguio. This is a bit close to the Loakan Airport and it’s about 30 minutes away from the center of Baguio City. You can get here by riding a jeepney in Igorot Park in Burnham (just beside the Veniz Hotel) that is bound to Kias.
Be reminded that PMA is a very huge place. You can take pictures with cadets in different uniforms and attires. There are different places within the campus that offers splendid views.
19. Try the buttered chicken in Good Taste Restaurant
“You should eat in Good Taste!” is what every local in Baguio would suggest if you ask them where to eat. Of course, nothing beats the buttered chicken and chopsuey of Good Taste Restaurant. Plus it’s the best budget-friendly restaurant in Baguio City!
Good Taste is a 24-hour restaurant that offers affordable, hearty meals in generous servings. There are currently
20. Visit the colorful houses in La Trinidad Benguet
The most recent attraction is probably the colorful houses in La Trinidad – also known as the Valley of Colors. When you go strawberry-picking in the strawberry farm, you can pass by here and snap an awesome photo!
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