Manila
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City.
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 1,902,590 people. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on the island of Luzon, it is classified as a highly urbanized city. With 44,935 inhabitants per square kilometer (116,380/sq mi), Manila is one of the world's most densely populated cities proper.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
The main tourist sites of Manila are mostly along Manila Bay. Bonifacio Shrine - A shrine in honor of Andres Bonifacio who was one of the Filipinos who struggled and fought for freedom for the country against the Spanish forces. Chinatown - Manila has one of the largest and oldest Chinatowns in the world, where one can find exotic Chinese goods and delicious cuisine.
From Wikivoyage: Manila, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
Tour Manila's historical heart in a historical fashion. Watch out for touts, especially around Rizal Park, and negotiate prices with the cochero to avoid being ripped off. Manila's most populated district, Tondo, can be explored with a guided tour. There are no organized tour agencies, but you can ask many locals who know the life inside this giant slum.
From Wikivoyage: Manila, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Street food is often described as "pantawid gutom" or food to tide over, something to temporarily hush a stomach growl, sold at small food stalls, food stands, or food carts set up in places with high amount of pedestrian traffic.
From Wikivoyage: Manila, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Manila
- Airports
- Ninoy Aquino (MNL), 11 km · Subic Bay / Naval Air Station Cubi Point (SFS), 79 km · Clark / Clark Air Base (CRK), 79 km
- Olongapo → Manila79 km · quickest by road, 3h · ₱285–380
- Mabalacat → Manila82 km · quickest by road, 1h 59m · ₱205–270
- Legazpi → Manila339 km · quickest by air, 4h 12m · ₱2,980–4,630
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Manila
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Manila. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inFor travel by ferry, mainly from other parts of the Philippines but also from a few other ports, see the section on boats.
- Get aroundManila is also served by several jeepney routes, some of which ply the routes previously served by Manila's pre-World War II tram system.
- Get aroundThe Lawton Bus Terminal is also a major jeepney terminal, with several jeepneys either crossing through, terminating or originating here.
- Get aroundHowever, unlike buses, jeepney routes are not numbered, but the route is prominently displayed on the sides of the jeepney and on the dashboard, and drivers, or specialized barkers announce their destination and departure at route origins.
- Get aroundTricycle and pedicab terminals are normally beside jeepney terminals and railway stations.
From Wikivoyage: Manila, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 01120 km
- 02301 km
- 03417 km
- 04595 km
- 05633 km
If you know how people move in Manila – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Manila
Manila is 6 km from Caloocan, the nearest large city, whose note carries the wider picture.