2024 Complete Baguio City DIY Travel Guide With Itinerary & Budget: Everything You Need to Know

A relaxing scenery with a compliment of a cool atmosphere is what every tourist lookout for whenever they talk about Baguio City. The summer capital of the Philippines is approximately 4-6 hours away from the bustling city of Manila. Tourists often go to Baguio City for vacation or soul searching. (Baguio City DIY Travel Guide)

Whether it’s the nonchalant vibe or the fact that I lived there for 4 years to get my Bachelor’s Degree, Baguio City will always be a place I can call home. It’s the best place to just relax and chill in the park or sip a hot coffee in an IG-worthy coffee shop. So if you’re planning to go to Baguio City anytime soon, you’ve come to the right place! This Baguio City DIY Travel Guide will provide you everything you need to know.

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About Baguio City: The Summer Capital of The Philippines

Baguio City, also known as the Summer Capital of the Philippines OR the City of Pines, is a city in the province of Benguet and is one of the most in-demand destination. Whether you are solo traveling, traveling with a group/family or partner, Baguio is the perfect place!

Moreover, it is particularly a go-to destination in summer due to its cooler weather.

Best Time to Visit Baguio City

Although Baguio is a year-round destination, it’s still best to avoid the monsoon when you go here. The months where most rain-shower comes are the months of July-October. 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 during holiday season.

Best time to come here if you’re looking for the coldest weather is as early as November to February.

How to Get to Baguio City?

The usual travel time to Manila is 5-6 hours depending on which part of Manila you are coming from. Regular buses usually have 1 stopover and take NLEX or SCTEX. Insider tip: if you want faster transport to Baguio with no stopovers, book P2P buses with Pangasinan Solid north Transit.

From Manila, there are daily buses from Cubao, Pasay, Caloocan, PITX and Sampaloc that goes to Baguio City. The usual bus lines that offers this route are Victory Liner, Genesis and Solid North. There are daily and hourly schedules depending on the bus companies. The usual fare will range from PHP700-800.00.

BOOK DISCOUNTED BUS TICKET FROM MANILA TO BAGUIO HERE

How to Get Around in Baguio City DIY Way

Getting around Baguio City is neither hard nor tricky. Almost all destinations are literally walking distance or 5 minutes away from one destination to the other. You can ride a jeepney, walk, charter a taxi or rent a private car/van.

Places that are Walking-Distance

Here are the most common places that are literally just walking distance to each other.

SM Baguio
Sky Ranch – just literally beside SM
Session Road (Oh My Gulay Restaurant, Zushi Me Japanese Restaurant, Ililikha Artist Village)
Baguio Cathedral Church
Porta Vaga Mall (50’s Diner Restaurant)
Black Market – an alley selling imported products at a very discounted price
Night Market – every 9PM to 12MN in Harrison Road
Burnham Park (Good Taste Restaurant)

BOOK DISCOUNTED BAGUIO CITY WALKING TOUR HERE

List of Jeepney Terminals

Below are the list of jeepney terminals and the places you want to go.

Jeepney Terminal	Tourist Spots
Bakakeng Terminal Location: Burnham Park, in front of Hotel Veniz	PMA, Camp John Hay
Mines View Terminal Location: Carantes Street in front of Danes Bakeshop near Harrison Rd.	Mines View, The Mansion, Wright Park, Good Shepherd Baguio
Bayanihan Terminal Location: Otek Street near Igorot Park Terminal	Green Valley, Valleypoint Campsite, Lourdes Grotto, Diplomat Hotel
Pacdal-Liteng Terminal Location: Lakandula Street 3-5 minutes from Session Rd	Baguio Botanical Garden
Guisad Jeepney Terminal Location: Baguio Public Market 3-5 minutes from Session Rd	Tam-Awan Village, BenCab Museum, Asin Resorts
La Trinidad Jeepney Terminal Location: Magsaysay Ave. 11-minute walk from Burnham	La Trinidad, Strawberry Farm, Bell Church
Center Mall Terminal Location: Center Mall Magsaysay Rd	Itogon resorts, Ambuklao, Arca’s Yard
Dagsian Terminal Location: Harrison Rd. across Bakakeng Terminal	Camp 7, Kennon Rd. Lion’s Head

Where to Stay in Baguio City?

Azalea Hotel – Php4,500.00/night good for 2 person.

OYO Sajj Bldg – Php1,100/night good for 2 person.

RedDoorz Hostel @ Baguio Piraso – Php950.00/night for 2 person. Book it with Agoda below! Free cancellation too.

Where to Eat in Baguio City?

I have made a separate food guide about where to eat in Baguio. Check the top 20 most recommended and must-try restaurants in Baguio City: TOP 20 MUST TRY RESTAURANTS IN BAGUIO CITY AS RANKED BY LOCALS IN BAGUIO.

Special Events & Activities

Panagbenga Festival

The Panagbenga Festival of Flower Festival is one of the most famous festivals in the Philippines. It is held every month of February in the summer capital of the Philippines. One of the activities you should not be missing during the festival is the flower float parade where local Philippine artists are invited to celebrate the festival with the locals and tourists.

Another is the Session in Bloom that only opens every month of February in honor of the festival month. The Session Road is being closed and various stores and food outlets are opened here. Look out for foot-long hotdogs and shawarma rice during the Session in Bloom!

Christmas Villages

During the month of December, Christmas Village opens as well. The Manor and Baguio Country Club has a Christmas Village event and there’s an entrance fee of approximately PHP200.00 per person. In here, they create artificial snow and a theme of a Christmas Village. Alternatively, Burnham Park has its own Christmas Village and it’s FREE admission.

Lantern Parade

Another special event that happens every December 1st is the Lantern Parade by the Saint Louis University – my Alma mater. This is a parade of colorful lanterns in different colors, shapes and sizes partnered with the students’ colorful costumes.

Places to Visit (Expenses + How to get there)

Now that we have mentioned above all the necessary pre-travel guide and preparations you need to know before your trip to Baguio, below are the list of places to visit! A word of advise, better allow 2-3 days stay in Baguio City. I know that most tour agencies offer a day trip in Baguio but that is surely not satisfying at all. Most especially if you really like to explore the summer capital of the Philippines.

For first timers and suggested things to do in Baguio, read here: TOP 20 BEST THINGS TO DO IN BAGUIO FOR FIRST TIMERS.

Mirador Hill & Lourdes Grotto

The Mirador Hill is a 5-hectare Japanese inspired garden located just beside the Lourdes Grotto. And for the longest time, this garden had only been regarded to as the place beside the grotto. Nowadays, the Mirador Hill became an in demand tourist destination because of its beautiful and scenic panoramic view of the city.

Moreover, it is regarded to as the “Little Japan” in Baguio City because of the bamboo forest and the iconic Mirador Peace Memorial on top of the hill.

Entrance Fee: PHP100.00
Operating Days/Hours: Open daily at 6AM to 6PM

Stone Kingdom

The controversial Stone Kingdom has led so many tourists into this place for quite some time now. It is a place where you can admire the culture of the Igorots, ethnic group in the Cordillera Administrative Region. Tourists can rent Igorot costumes for PHP50.00 and wear it around the area for photo ops.

Entrance Fee: PHP100.00
Operating Days/Hours: Open daily at 6AM to 6PM

Sky Ranch Baguio

The theme park in Baguio City that sits just beside SM Mall is Sky Ranch Baguio. Never miss the chance to feast your eyes on the lovely panoramic view of The Summer Capital by riding the towering Baguio Eye.

BOOK DISCOUNTED SKY RANCH FOR ONLY PHP330 HERE

Entrance Fee: PHP 880.00
Operating Days/Hours: Open daily at 10AM to 10PM
How to get here: Walking distance from Session Rd. and just beside SM Baguio

sky ranch baguio — Photo by Sky Ranch Baguio

Baguio Cathedral

One of the famous Catholic Church in Baguio is Our Lady of the Atonement Cathedral, better known as Baguio Cathedral. It is located in Upper Session Rd. just ear SM Baguio.

Burnham Park

The oldest and most beautiful park in Baguio is the Burnham Lake Park. It’s a man-made park with a lake. They say that you’ve never really been to Baguio without riding boats in the park’s lake. Other things you can do here is to rent bicycles, watch kids playing soccer in Melvin Jones, buy a strawberry flavored taho, get a henna tattoo, roller skates and many more!

Entrance Fee: FREE
Operating Days/Hours: Open 24 hours
How to get here: Walking distance from Session Rd.

Diplomat Hotel

This tourist destination rose to fame around 2016 after being featured in TV episodes of Rated K and Jessica Soho. The reason behind it being featured is because it’s a haunted place. It is regarded as one of the most haunted places in Baguio City.

To give you a bit of information, this abandoned hotel was previously a church/seminary that transitioned into a hospital, and a hotel at the latter. Many incidents and theories happened here like the beheading of priests, a nurse committing suicide and the people who died when the hotel caught fire. To read the full story, check my Facebook post here.

Nowadays, the abandoned Diplomat Hotel no longer looks spooky compared to the days when it was not yet famous to tourists. This is because they have re-decorated and cleaned it due to the demand of tourists coming here. There’s even a chapel in the first floor that they have built.

There was a time when entering this place is not allowed and visitors are not welcome so we sneak our way in. During my college days, my classmates and I would come here for fun and look for ghosts at night. This is not joke and I dare anyone who’d do that will get instant goosebumps. But nowadays, it looks more of a photo-shoot place.

Entrance Fee: FREE
Operating Days/Hours: Open daily at 8AM to 5PM
How to get here: Ride a jeepney with a signage of “Dominican Hill”at the back of Abanao Square near Burnham Park.

Strawberry Farm

Located 8 kilometers from Baguio is the famous strawberry farm where tourists love to go and pick fresh strawberries! Note that the strawberry season falls in the months of November – May. There is no entrance fee inside the strawberry farm. However, if you are going to pic strawberries there will be an entrance fee and it will depend on how many kilograms per basket you are picking.

Other unique thing you can do here is to try the organic strawberry ice cream!

Entrance Fee: PHP100.00 – PHP300.00
Operating Days/Hours: 7AM to 7PM
How to get here: In Magsaysay Ave. ride a jeepney to La Trinidad.

Mines View Park

A perfect panoramic view of the mountains can be seen from Mines View Park’s deck. Best time to come here is early in the morning because if you’re lucky enough you’ll see a thick fog covering the hills. Another attraction in here is the famous St. Bernard dog where you can get a photo with him. There are horses available for photo-ops too. Beautiful collection of plants and other pasalubong can be bought here.

Note that the Good Shepherd store is just across the street. It’s where you can buy the famous ube jam and strawberry jam from Baguio City. Because when you say ube or strawberry jam in Baguio, it better be from Good Shepherd! Moreover, various pasalubongs can be bought here too.

Entrance Fee: FREE
Operating Days/Hours: Open daily at 5AM to 8PM
How to get here: From Mines View Terminal near Harrison Rd, ride a jeepney to Mines View Park

Botanical Garden

A walk inside Botanical Garden is one of the relaxing things you can do in Baguio City. Some of the relevant sights that constructs a relaxing walk in the Botanical Garden are the flowers, trees, plants and small to large size of sculptures representing the local culture and traditions of the Igorots.

Other things you can do here is to take pictures with the native Igorots or ride a horse while touring around the place.

Entrance Fee: FREE
Operating Days/Hours: Open daily at 6AM to 6PM
How to get here: Ride a jeepney in Pacdal Liteng Terminal near Session Rd. going to Botanical Garden.

Kennon Road, Lion’s Head

The newly painted and renovated statue of the Lion’s Head in Kennon Road is this years early improvement when it comes to tourism in Baguio. Check out the photo below by Manila Bouletin for the epic new look of the lion’s head.

Tip: On the way to Lion’s head you may pass by Kennon Road View Point where you can get a good view of the long and winding Kennon Road

Entrance Fee: FREE
Operating Days/Hours: Open 24 hours
How to get here: From Bakakeng terminal go straight to Harrison Road. Climb up the Over pass and just across it you will see the terminal to camp 7. Fare is 16.50

Camp John Hay

Still think that you can roam around Baguio in just 1 day? Camp John Hay alone has a number of things to do and see. Some of the prominent list of things to do and see here are: treetop adventure, the eco-trail, check out bell house, etc. For complete guide inside Camp John Hay, read ThePoorTraveler’s guide here.

Entrance Fee: FREE
Operating Days/Hours: Open 24 hours
How to get here: Ride a jeepney in Bakakeng Terminal near Burnham Park to CJH

The Mansion

Officially the summer palace of the President of the Philippines. To give you a bit of information, this building was built in 1908 as summer homes for US Government Officials and was destroyed in 1945 during the battle of the liberation of the Philippines. Later in 1947, it was rebuilt and became the house of the President whenever they come to Baguio.

Tip: this is just stones-throw away from Wright Park long pond.

Entrance Fee: FREE/Tourists not allowed to go inside or beyond the gates
How to get here: From Mines View Terminal near Harrison Rd, ride a jeepney to Mines View Park

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. For full review and travel guide to Tam-awan Village, read LostAndWonder’s article here.

Entrance Fee: Adult PHP 60.00 | Student/Senior PHP 40.00 | Kids 10yrs old below PHP30.00 | Kids 3yrs old below FREE
Operating Days/Hours: Open daily at 9AM to 6PM
How to get here: Ride a jeepney in Guisad Jeepner Teminal near Baguio Public Market

Bencab Museum

The BenCab 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 are what you can expect here. There is also an overlooking view of the mountains when you look outside.

For more information about the location, operating days/hours, admission fee, etc., check them out here.

Entrance Fee: Adult PHP100.00 | Students/Senior: PHP80.00
Operating Days/Hours: Open daily at 9AM to 6PM except on Mondays, Christmas and New Year.
How to get here: Ride a jeepney in Guisad Jeepner Teminal near Baguio Public Market

Philippine Military Academy

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.

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.

Entrance Fee: FREE | PMA Museum PHP10.00
Operating Days/Hours: Open daily at 8AM to 5PM
How to get here: Form Bakakeng Terminal near Burnham Park, ride a jeepney to Loakan or Kias and advise the driver that you are going to PMA.

Baguio Sample Itinerary

Here is a 2-day suggested itinerary for your Baguio City DIY trip. If you have any questions, feel free to drop your queries in the comment section below this article.

2 Days & 1 Night Baguio City DIY Sample Itinerary

DAY 1: BAGUIO CITY DIY

1AM ETD Cubao to Baguio
6AM ETA Baguio City
6:30AM Breakfast in Good Taste, Burnham Park
7:30AM Check in hotel in Baguio City
8:30AM Mirador Hill & Lourdes Grotto
11:30AM Diplomat Hotel
1PM lunch at Arca’s Yard
2:30PM Mines View & Good Shepherd
6:30PM SM Baguio, Sky Ranch and Baguio Cathedral
8PM Dinner in Oh My Gulay/Ililikha Artist Village
9PM Night Market in Harrison Rd.
11PM Back in hotel, lights out

DAY 2: BAGUIO CITY DIY

5:30AM Breakfast
6AM Stone Kingdom
7:30AM Tam-Awan Village
9:30AM Bell Church
11AM Strawberry Farm & Valley of Colors
1PM Lunch
3PM Burnham Park / Free time
5PM PMA (if timer permits)
9PM ETD to MNL

3 Days & 2 Nights Baguio City DIY Sample Itinerary

DAY 1: BAGUIO CITY DIY

DAY 2: BAGUIO CITY DIY

5:30AM Breakfast
6AM Stone Kingdom
7:30AM Tam-Awan Village
9:30AM Bell Church
11AM Strawberry Farm & Valley of Colors
1PM Lunch
3PM Burnham Park / Free time
5PM PMA (if timer permits)

DAY 3: BAGUIO CITY DIY

5:30AM Sunrise
6:30AM Breakfast in the campsite
8AM Archery/Airsoft/Maze
10AM Art Gallery
11AM check out
12NN Lunch in Baguio City proper
1PM PMA
3PM ETD to Manila

Tips from Joan’s Footprints

Where comfortable clothes according to the season you are coming. The months of April – May are relatively hot. On the other hand, November – February are the coldest months.
Beware of pick-pockets and keep your bags in front of you especially in thrift shops.
Always bring a polite attitude.
Ideal month to come here is from November – February. This is the best weather and the Christmas Village takes place on December. Also, the festival is celebrated for the whole month of February.

Help me improve my Baguio City DIY travel guide! By commenting suggestions in the comment section below, I am very open to new ideas. 🙂
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