Two days in Manila: Embracing the chaos.

I’m going to cut to the chase. Day one in Manila and our third stop on our Big Adventure… There were some serious looking anxious-parent eye widenings in the taxi from the airport. And there were definitely swear words exchanged not all too quietly on arrival at our hotel…

Manila; with kids.

What had we done?!

A first experience of Manila is one I won’t forget. It’s like a cross between the chaos of Ho Chi Minh City and the relentless pandemonium that is arriving as a visitor to New Delhi in India. It’s fast, loud, busy and in serious disarray.  

But, like anywhere that is new that first impression takes its time to sink in and in turn gives you time to adjust.

Manila is actually exciting.

It’s busy and loud, but it works. It has a contagious energy to its organized chaos. (We know – because we came back a second time). So give it a chance and take up some of the great (unique?) things it has to offer…

• About Manila
• Visiting Manila for the first time
• 5 things to do in Manila with kids
• Where we stayed
• Getting around
• Eating in Manila
• Getting to and from the airport 
• More from the Philippines

About Manila: Looking at the finer details

Manila is one of the worlds most densely populated cities. The capital city is home to over 13 million people in the urban area, with a further 1.6 million in the metro city area. It is the second largest city in the Philippines (after Quezon City). Some quick facts and figures about Manila:

• Manila was originally known as Maynilad
• The city is located on the island of Luzon
• 1.6 million people live in the central city area of 38 square kilometres
• In numbers, that’s 71,263 people per square kilometre
• The oldest Chinatown in the world is located in Manila

Visiting Manila for the first time

Thats a big and busy city! Manila seems to get an unfairly bad reputation in the traveling world. And although we too were shocked on how busy it was and how chaotic it seemed on arrival, we surely came around.

And we’re not alone. Over one million tourists visit Manila every year. That’s a lot of tourism in a city that is often skipped for direct flights to the outer islands. The truth is, it has plenty of sights to see (and tricycles to ride) that are well worth making an outing to if you are in Manila. The city is fast paced and far from boring. However, the question is not now whether to visit, but what to do when you get there.

Things to do in Manila with kids

Sure there are shopping malls and indoor swimming pools in Manila. But here is a much better list of fun things to do if you are visiting Manila with kids and wondering exactly where to start…

1. Eat bright purple ube

Firstly, what on earth is ube?! As soon as we landed in Manila (and once we had gained the confidence to head out and truly explore), we started seeing ube everywhere.  Or at least in all the bakeries and convenience stores we passed on the streets. Ube is actually a vegetable. A purple yam in fact. But because brightly coloured desserts are all the rage on Instagram, ube is a popular ingredient. 

In the Philippines, it’s a staple desert ingredient. (I’m going to get onto Halo Halo in a minute). And how could it not be?! It looks appealing seeing breads and cakes in bright purple colour. Some instances are so bright it almost looks too good to be naturally coloured, but on the whole I think it’s for real.

This was another challenge we took possibly a little too seriously (ahem, like taking public transport only in Sri Lanka). But we had a ball in Manila with the kids, trying to find and try as many bright purple ube treats as we could stomach in two days! We even found ube donuts to really take the cake! 

One for your manila bucket-list?!

2. Find Halo-halo

Halo halo is as exciting and happy as it sounds. It is the iconic and most popular desert dish of the Philippines, and an easy one to tick off your list in Manila. And, if you are in Manila with kids, be extra thankful. The search for halo halo is twice as justified, and gives you extra reason to find the best Halo Halo in town! 

It is a shaved ice desert, layered with sweetened beans, sweets, fruit, ice cream and top with shaved ice. And guess what? It is also most commonly made with ube in there somewhere too! 

We had a mad hunt on day one out in Manila exploring the Intramurous with the kids. We may or may not have bribed them promised them halo halo after our morning inspecting old ruins. But we couldn’t find any downtown!

It was only our first day out in Manila and we hadn’t really found our feet yet. In desperation in the heat and at serious risk of breaking our bribe promise, we found air conditioning in KFC and ordered strawberry sundaes. Do you reckon they could almost pass as halo halo…?

3. Visit the Intramuros

At the heart of Metro Manila is a UNESCO world heritage site. The Intramuros is the old walled city of the capital, preserving the remnants of the Spanish colonial era in Manila. Inside the intramuros are old churches like the San Agustin Church and Manila Cathedral, and defence structures that are preserved today by the government of the Philippines.

The best place to start is Fort Santiago and the iconic gates of in Intramuros. These were all built during the Spanish colonial era in the late XVI century. Fort Santiago once formed part of the city walls that surrounded Manila, and is a great tangible place to get an iunderstanding of the history of the Philippines.

With the kids, our self-guided exploration of the fort and historic monuments didn’t last too long. But we found the intramuros area an interesting place to be and a contrast to the hurried, modern pace of Mandaluyong where we were based.

4. Ride tricycles

Did you know there are more than 700,000 tricycles in metro Manila!? And 4.5 million in the Philippines? These are literally small motorised tricycles, that are for hire, just like a taxi.

Now, when you arrive in Manila and see the tricycles zooming around, you might (fairly) question how this is possibly a fun thing to do in Manila with kids. But we had a hoot! Albeit the traffic in Manila is crazy. Like chaos crazy. And I’m not going to lie… We sent Gavin out as the first one to test out this idea of taking a tricycle in Manila. We waved one down just outside out hotel; and he hopped in and off he went. (Not actually heading anywhere, but to be the guinea pig and trial it).

He came back beaming! We were ready. We sent that driver on his way and waved down the next one. The kids and I hopped in the back, and Gavin rode behind the driver. For a family of four (NZ-sized) people, three of us could fit in the side car, which meant Gavin always rode either side saddle or straddled behind the driver.

Whoppeeee!! It’s a buzz alright. We spent the rest of the day buzzing around Manila in no apparent direction or hurry. Just enjoying the adventure of the some-trillion tricycles!

5. Ride Jeepneys

You can’t leave Manila without riding a jeepney. That would be like going to China and not trying tea. It’s a must-try in the Philippines. We made a morning out of it, and after braving a tricycle first, we reckoned we were ready for a jeepney…

The Jeepneys are as they sound. Sometimes called simply jeeps (in Filipino: dyip), they are literally extended jeeps made into open air buses ubiquitous to the Philippines. But don’t be expecting a standard camp-coloured jeep bus to be taking you around Manila. These jeepneys are next level. Often they are individually owned and decorated to the absolute max. I’m talking over the top decals, decorations hanging down from the windows, sign-writing, stickers, spray paint… You name it. But the jeepneys are iconic to Manila.

How to ride a Jeepney in Manila

To take a ride on a jeepney just for fun, you don’t even need to know where you are going (we didn’t). We pretty much decided to just ride on one for fun, and we would figure out what to do at the other end when we got there. (We knew we could get a tricycle back to the hotel now that we had mastered that as a mode of transport). But jeepneys usually run particular routes within the city, just like in any other capital.

The main difference however, is that you can’t look up the schedule or route online or buy tickets at a bus stop. Your best bet is to ask some local commuters who are waiting with you. And note, you can wave down jeepneys anywhere in the city. There are some designated jeepney bus stop areas, but if they have space they will stop for you.

It’s part of jeepney etiquette that once you are inside, you also help to pass the fare down from the seats at the back towards the driver at the front. Thus, when paying your fare, try to have the exact amount. You need to prepare and carry small change for riding jeepneys. They are the Philippines cheapest mode of transport, and certainly the most colourful!

Where we stayed

We stayed in Mandaluyong in Manila. I felt like it really was a case of taking a chance on a needle in a haystack, trying to pre-book accommodation for Manila.

We really had no idea of the size and scale of the capital city!

Mandaluyong worked out well as a good area to stay in. Our hotel was nothing to write home about and after panicking on the first day that we had made a big mistake and must re-book elsewhere.

We did find our feet in Manila and stayed put in the same spot. We decided it was a case of better the devil you know and ended up coming back to the same hotel and back to Manila at the end of our time in the Philippines.

If you want to be handy to downtown then look for somewhere to stay right in the Intramuros district. Makiti and Malate are the backpacker areas. Poblacion is a good place to stay if you are looking for somewhere in Manila to stay on a budget. It is a lively and hip area located within Makati.

Getting around Manila with kids

Getting around in Manila was all part of the adventure! Seriously though, taking tricycles and jeepneys in Manila are dirt cheap. The flag fall for a tricycle ride of 40PHP ($0.80USD) and won’t see you charged much more than 140PHP for a ride.

Grab is popular in Manila and felt like the easiest option to use for day trips to see the sights of Manila. We booked a Grab driver to pick us up from our hotel and drive us right into the city.

Taking taxis is possible as well, and sometimes a good option if Grab is showing a big waiting time. (Or you can’t work out where to meet the driver!). A 15 – 20 minute taxi ride should cost around 150 PHP ($3 USD). More information about getting around Manila in the Lonely Planet guide here.

Eating in Manila

Finding a place to eat in Manila is a bit like setting out on the same mission in any modern Asian city. There are fast food chains and familiar coffee shops brands dotted all around the city. But if you are looking for authentic Filipino cuisine you do have to look a bit harder.

The best place to find local Asian food is at Binondo; Manila’s Chiantown (and the oldest Chiantown in the world). There are hundreds of food shops and hole-in-the-wall style street food option with Filipino twists on some of the most famous Asian snacks.

From where we were staying in Mandaluyong, it wasn’t hard to find food either. But it was definitely not authentic cuisine I would recommend you head straight out for.

Fortunately (or unfortunately?!) Manila is also dotted with convenient convenience stores on nearly every corner. You won’t be far from a Circle K, Family Mart or 7-Eleven store and the good news is they sell hot snacks, drinks, and basic meals that will tide you and your jetlag over for a night if need be.

If you aren’t in desperate need of authentic food on your first night in the Philippines, and are happy to try an almost-authentic local fast food, Jolibee is where its at. This is the Filipino equivalent of McDonalds and you will find it everywhere in the Philippines. At Jolibee you can expect to spend around PHP 170 for a meal, with burger, fries and a drink.

Getting to and from the airport 

The international airport in Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport (known as NAIA) is only 10km from the centre of the city. The best way to get into town from the airport is by taxi. A taxi will take about 35-45 minutes to the city, unless you are travelling during rush hour from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.

The same ride from the airport at that time took us an hour and a half! We arrived in Manila with tired kids and I wouldn’t wish that ride on anyone. Plan ahead, and consider the time of day you are arriving and location in the city you are headed for.

Yellow taxis are the official airport taxis that are both registered and metered. Look for the “Yellow Metered Taxi” signs at each of the airport terminals.

Getting to the airport, your best bet is by Grab. The price is fixed on the app so you know exactly how much it is going to cost you and you can pay directly through the app.

Here some more about travel planning for the Philippines and beyond…

These are the companies we use while traveling fulltime as a family and that we would recommend to anyone planning and booking travel. 

• Booking.com – The best all-around accommodation booking site that constantly provides the cheapest and lowest rates. They have the widest selection of budget accommodation and it’s easy to filter and sort into price and availability with all the extras you are looking for personally. 
• Hostelworld– The largest inventory of hostel accommodation in the world. 
• Skyscanner – This is by far our favourite flight search engine. They are able to search small websites and budget airlines that larger search sites often miss. We book all our flights through Skyscanner.  
• GetYourGuide– Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace for tours and excursions offered all around the world including everything from walking tours, to street-food tours, cooking classes, desert safari’s and more!
• SafetyWing – A global travel insurance that covers people from all over the world while outside their home country. You can buy it short or longterm; and even if you are out of the country. 
• World Nomads – Travel insurance tailored for longterm travel and nomads (including those who have already left home). 

Read more from family travel in Asia

• Philippines family travel guide: Coconuts, beaches and a trillion tricycle rides.
• Fushimi Inari Shrine: Walking up Mount Inari.
• Taiwan with kids: A complete Travel Guide.
• Taiwanese food: The real deal traveling in Taiwan.
• Visiting Busan’s Jagalchi Market, South Korea.
• Hong Kong: Mount Davis (accidentally) and the Monster Building.
• Pakistan with kids: A complete guide to travel in Pakistan. 
• Our complete packing list for travel in India.