(UPDATED 2017) Baguio City Budget Travel Guide: Where to Go

Well this is a really long overdue post but hey, since I’m receiving messages regarding my trip to Baguio City this summer, I’ve decided to do a compilation of places you should visit. After a 3-day trip to the summer capital, I went straight back home in Manila to just literally wash my clothes. Because after a couple of days, I went back to Baguio for another 5-day stay, this time with my best friends. This is our first out-of-town trip and we’re pretty excited. We are all first-timers (well not me technically and since I had an idea already, I became an instant tour guide haha!) and being students at the time being, our budget is really tight. Php 2,000-3,000 max. And remember this is a 5-day visit! But hey, we survived! We even managed to do a side trip to La Union where we tried surfing (more on that on my next posts so do watch out for it). Anyways, let’s the start the trip.

GOODBYE MANILA

The road to Baguio city is tough. And by tough I mean you have to wait for hours. The best way to go to Baguio is by riding a bus (Victory, Genesis, Dagupan). You have two options: deluxe (which is around 4-6 hours travel time, free biscuits and a bottle of water, La-Z Boy recliner chair, comfort room. Costs Php 700) or the regular air-conditioned bus (7-8 hours travel time, has stop overs. Costs Php 445. Php 356/student discount).

If you have some time to spare, I’d say go for the regular. It’s almost half the fare. Plus, if you’re a student, go take advantage of the discount by showing your ID. A little note though: try to book earlier or go earlier to the station. We went there around 3pm and it was already around 7pm when we got on board.

We arrived by around 12mn. Travel time is faster during at night. We have a friend who’s staying in Baguio so we already have a contact. Original plan was for her to help us find a transient place. Unfortunately we couldn’t contact her since it was already late. So we had no option but to find a hotel. But due to some great circumstances, everything is fully booked. It was PMA’s graduation so we couldn’t find a place to stay. Good thing we have a tent with us so we had no choice but to camp at Burnham Park. Yes, it’s okay to camp there. To make things more interesting, it was 17°C due to an incoming storm.

 

WHERE TO STAY

Our first night was very memorable. Imagine camping out in the middle of a busy place. It was such an experience. Plus it was freaking cold. Upon waking up, the first thing we did was contact our friend and find a place to stay. If you’re on really tight budget, the best place is Teacher’s Camp. It’s the cheapest in the area. After showing off of charms, we managed to get a room for 4 for only Php 125/head per night. The only downside is that aside from the creepy ambiance (it’s known as a haunted area), there’s no available hot water for shower. But if you can endure the extreme cold and scary stories, it’s the best choice.

If you want to pamper yourself and have a perfect place to stay complete with all the amenities, I would suggest Azalea Residences Baguio (read my experience here).

WHERE TO GO

Now it’s time for a breakdown of places you should visit and check out. This is listed in a random order since I’ve combined my 2 trips. Also, I didn’t include the places where you should eat. I’ll be posting that on a separate posts since they’re quite a handful (I’d like to think that the only reason we went there was to eat. LOL!)

If you’re into jogging, go for Teacher’s Camp. They have a lap there plus a garden full of sunflowers. And if you’re into history and architecture, it’s a great visit. Just beside it is the famed haunted house, the Laperal White House.

WRIGHT PARK

Next on the list would have to be Wright Park. Just like Burnham Park, it’s also a central area. Around it includes The Mansion, Ketchup Community (a food district) and Botanical Garden.

BOTANICAL GARDEN

MINES VIEW PARK

A popular destination, Mines View Park gives you a great view of Baguio City. On our visit though, it was foggy and rainy so we didn’t stay long. Beside it is the Good Shepherd, a popular shopping place where you can buy food items such as their famed Ube Jam, Snowballs and Alfajor.

Good Shepherd also has a small park.

 

BENCAB MUSEUM

This is one of my fave place. Being an art guy, I really appreciate the works presented in the museum. Plus, it gives a great view of Baguio City too which was pretty unexpected.

TAM-AWAN VILLAGE

Also known as Garden in the Sky, Tam-Awan Village is a literally an indigenous village. After some flight of stairs, you’ll be presented with an awesome view. Wasn’t able to go inside though since I was dead tired and I just wanted to rest outside. Beside is another art gallery, Arko Ni Apo which has no entrance fee. Cameras are not allowed though and on the other side is The Farmer’s Daughter Restaurant.

TREE TOP ADVENTURE

If you’re in for some adventure, visit Tree Top. They have many options to choose from. I went for the superman ride. Twice.

The perfect place for strawberry picking! Check my full feature here.

STOBOSA HOUSES

When this became a hit last year after it was launched, I told myself that I’ll go here. Inspired by the colorful houses in Brazil, the houses in Stobosa is a collaboration project between the community and a paint brand. You’ll pass by these houses on your way to the Strawberry Farm so do make a stop over.

Honestly, I was very disappointed by these houses. It looked so good in photos but in person it was like, meh. So if this is your main destination, I’d say skip this and go to BenCab Museum instead. But if this is along the way, a 5-minute photo opp wouldn’t hurt.

CAMP JOHN HAY & BAGUIO COUNTRY CLUB

This is a nice place although they’re kinda strict so make sure to call them first before visiting.

BAGUIO CONVENTION CENTER

If you’re into architecture, you’ll love this place. It’s just near SM Baguio. However, it’s not properly maintained.

OTHERS

We weren’t able to go these places since it rained almost the entire time we were in Baguio but it’s on our list:

HOW TO MAXIMIZE YOUR BUDGET

Fare is very cheap. It only cost Php 45-100 per trip. I would suggest you go the central areas then walk from there. Compared to Manila, walking in Baguio is fun even if it’s sunny outside. You don’t have to worry about it too much. Food is VERY cheap as well. Php 150 would go a very long way. As for the accommodation, since we stayed at Teacher’s camp, we only spent roughly Php 600 for 5 days.

SUGGESTED ITINERARY

This is my suggested itinerary for your next trip. Take note that I just grouped the places according to their distance so travel time and fare would be maximized. You can actually visit all of them in just 2 days.

Drop off point: Burnham Park

Night Market (around 8pm-12mn)