The Philippine capital, heart of 14-million-strong Metro Manila: the Spanish-era walled city of Intramuros, UNESCO-listed San Agustin Church, the free National Museum, food in Binondo — the world's oldest Chinatown — Manila Bay sunsets, and giant malls in BGC and SM Mall of Asia. A city trip for history, food and shopping, with Tagaytay and Taal Volcano as a day trip. No scheduled direct flights from Ulaanbaatar — connect via Seoul, Hong Kong, Beijing or Guangzhou. Mongolian citizens get 30 days visa-free.
🛂 Visa: Visa-free · 30 days✈ Flight: 9h☀ Best months: January, February, March, December
The 16th-century Spanish walled 'city within the city'. Fort Santiago citadel, where national hero José Rizal was imprisoned, walks along the walls and green gardens. Touring by kalesa (horse carriage) or bicycle is a hit with children; lit up in the evening.
CultureChurch free (closed during services); museum ₱200
Travel guide
Like a well-travelled friend for a first-timer: before you go, landing, SIM, transport, money, food, safety, manners, apps, leaving — step by step.
🧳Before you goNo visa needed, but sort out eTravel, your connections and your NAIA terminal in advance and getting to Manila is easy.+
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30 days visa-free
Mongolian citizens may stay in the Philippines visa-free for up to 30 days. Your passport must be valid for more than 6 months beyond departure, with a return or onward ticket. Mongolia's consular list still shows 21 days under the old agreement, so if you stay longer than 21 days be ready to show your ticket to immigration.
Everyone arriving in or leaving the Philippines completes the free eTravel at etravel.gov.ph and gets a QR code; submissions earlier than 72 hours are not accepted. Beware of 'agent' sites that charge a fee.
Tip: Fill in the departure eTravel within 72 hours of leaving too.
NAIA has three terminals, and from 29 March 2026 several foreign airlines changed terminals — recheck the terminal on your ticket with the airline. The best time is the dry season (December–March); April–May is very hot, and June–October brings rain and typhoons.
🛬Landing and getting to your hotelNAIA is close to the city, but traffic is heavy, so allow extra time.+
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Grab or an official taxi
Leave arrivals and head for the marked Grab pick-up zone or the queue for official yellow airport taxis. To Makati, Grab costs roughly ₱300–600 and a metered yellow taxi ₱250–450; 30–75 minutes depending on traffic. Turn down anyone inside the hall who follows you offering a 'taxi'.
Tip: In the evening rush (17:00–20:00) the ride downtown can take over 1.5 hours.
The UBE Express bus costs ₱150 and runs to PITX and Robinsons Place Manila (Ermita), not directly to Makati or BGC; it stops running after 22:00. A free shuttle bus links the terminals around the clock.
If your phone supports eSIM, install a Philippines eSIM before you go. Otherwise buy a Globe or Smart tourist SIM in NAIA arrivals — by law it must be registered with your passport.
Tip: Grab and GCash need data, so check your connection as soon as you land.
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Wi-Fi
Hotels, malls and cafés have free Wi-Fi, but speeds are patchy. Keep flight tickets and your eTravel QR code saved on your phone, and carry a printed copy.
🚇Getting around the cityMetro Manila is huge and congested: mostly Grab, and rail where it helps.+
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Grab and taxis
The easiest option for visitors is Grab — the price is fixed upfront and drivers follow the route. If you hail a street taxi, insist on the meter or get out. Crossing the city at rush hour is slow, so keep each day's plan within one district.
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LRT, MRT and the Beep card
LRT-1 links the Intramuros, Rizal Park and Binondo area with Pasay and the Baywalk; MRT-3 runs along EDSA to Makati. Buy a Beep card at a station booth and top it up. Trains are packed at rush hour and pickpockets are common — keep your bag in front of you.
The jeepney is Manila's icon: cheap but routes are hard to read and they are crowded. The Pasig River Ferry runs traffic-free from near Intramuros to Makati — trips are infrequent, so check the timetable first.
💳Money+
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Pesos, cards, QR
The currency is the Philippine peso (₱, PHP). Cards work in malls, hotels and larger restaurants; jeepneys, street food and small shops are cash. Get money from mall money changers or bank ATMs; avoid street changers.
Since September 2025 the NAIA international departure terminal fee is ₱950, and it is included in your ticket price — you don't pay it separately at the airport. Foreign tourists don't pay the travel tax.
🍜FoodFilipino and Chinese-Filipino food, plus mall food courts everywhere.+
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What to eat
Adobo, sinigang (sour soup), lechon (roast pig), sisig, kare-kare, halo-halo dessert and mangoes. In Binondo, dumplings, lumpia and hopia; Jollibee is the famous Filipino fast-food chain that children love.
Tip: Drink only bottled water; get iced drinks from reliable places.
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Where to eat
Mall food courts are cheap, clean and air-conditioned — the easiest choice with children. BGC and Makati have plenty of international restaurants; Korean and Japanese food is everywhere. Restaurants usually add a service charge to the bill.
🛡️Safety and health+
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Emergency number
Police, ambulance and fire share one number — 911, free and 24 hours. The Red Cross helpline is 143.
In Binondo, Quiapo, Divisoria, on the LRT/MRT and jeepneys keep your phone and wallet in a front pocket, and don't walk with your phone out. Refuse drinks from strangers and invitations to play cards at a new 'friend's' home. At night avoid Tondo and the port area, and use Grab.
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Heat, rain, hospitals
Drink plenty of water in the heat and spend midday in museums or malls. In the rainy season streets flood — don't wade through floodwater (leptospirosis), and follow PAGASA typhoon warnings. For anything serious go to a private hospital in Makati or BGC, and call your insurer's assistance line first.
🙏Manners+
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Friendly and polite
Filipinos are very friendly; saying 'po' and 'salamat' (thank you) goes down well. Avoid loud arguments and criticising anyone in public — losing face matters a lot.
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Churches and queues
Cover shoulders and knees in churches such as San Agustin and Binondo, and don't take photos during services. Malls and stations check bags at the entrance — queue patiently. Tipping isn't required but a little is left for good service.
📱Useful apps+
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Official and transport
eTravel — the digital border registration (arrival and departure). Grab — cars and food delivery. Your airline's app — turn on notifications for terminal and schedule changes.
Google Maps — rail, traffic, offline maps. GCash — QR payments (check whether you can top up with a foreign card). Klook — prebook tickets and day trips. English gets you almost everywhere.
Manila traffic is unpredictable, so leave plenty of time for an international flight, more at rush hour. Recheck which terminal you fly from — at the wrong one you'll need the inter-terminal shuttle.
AI answer: double-check anything beyond our researched facts with an official source.
Museum: daily 8:00–12:00, 13:00–17:00
Built in 1607, the oldest stone church in the Philippines and one of UNESCO's 'Baroque Churches of the Philippines'. The trompe-l'oeil painted ceiling is stunning; the adjoining convent museum holds religious art and antiques.
Right across from San Agustin Church, a restored Spanish colonial mansion of a wealthy family: wooden floors, furniture, kitchen and inner courtyard. Takes under an hour.
A 58-hectare park between Intramuros and Manila Bay: the Rizal Monument and its honour guard, Chinese and Japanese gardens, and an evening musical fountain. Great for children to run around; cool early morning and evening.
Three buildings next to Rizal Park: Fine Arts (Juan Luna's 'Spoliarium'), Anthropology (the San Diego shipwreck finds) and Natural History (the Tree of Life atrium and the skeleton of Lolong the crocodile — children's favourite). The best air-conditioned refuge from the heat.
FoodFree (food extra; guided tours extra)Daytime; many eateries close early in the afternoon
Founded in 1594, the world's oldest Chinatown. Walk Ongpin Street through dumplings, lumpia, fried siopao, hopia and small Chinese-Filipino eateries. Start at Binondo Church and finish on Escolta Street. Crowded — keep your bag in front of you.
KidsOnline bundles from ₱950; walk-in over ₱2,000Mon–Fri 10:00–18:00; Sat, Sun, holidays 9:00–18:00
An oceanarium on the bay behind Rizal Park: a glass tunnel, sea lion show, penguins and add-ons like the Biodome. Children's tickets go by height; buying online is much cheaper.
The seafront promenade along Roxas Boulevard — the place for Manila Bay's famous sunsets. The white-sand 'Dolomite Beach' stretch is for photos (no swimming). Street food and musicians in the evening.
Taguig's modern, clean and safe business district: the Bonifacio High Street promenade, restaurants, cafés and the Mind Museum (science museum). Nearby on McKinley Hill, the Venice-themed Venice Grand Canal Mall — children love a gondola ride along the canal.
One of Asia's biggest malls: over a thousand shops, IMAX, an ice rink, the MOA Eye wheel on the bayfront and fireworks on Friday and Saturday nights. Close to the airport, so it works on your departure day.
CityFree (fountain show); casinos 21+ only24 hours; fountain shows in the evening
Luxury integrated resorts on the Manila Bay shore (Okada, City of Dreams, Solaire). Okada's huge, colour-lit 'The Fountain' show is free and loved by children; plenty of restaurants and shops inside.
Tagaytay and Taal Volcano (day trip)★ 4.5 (20,000)
NatureViewpoints mostly free; bus or guided tour extraDaytime; 2–3 hours by car from Manila
South of Manila, the cool ridge town of Tagaytay looks down on Taal Volcano in the middle of its lake. Eat bulalo soup and buko pie, enjoy the Sky Ranch rides or relax at Picnic Grove. Landing on Volcano Island is usually banned — check the PHIVOLCS alert level.
