What do you do with a long layover in Manilla?

May 20, 2009 5:24 PM

How do I kill 12 hours in Manilla?

Next week I'm going to Thailand, Vietnam and Laos for a little over 2 weeks. On my return trip I have a 12 hour layover in Manilla, arriving around 4am and departing about 3:30pm, I figure this gives me about 10 hours of usable time to go exploring. Whats the best way to see and do as much as I can in one city in under 12 hours? Oh and I'll be taking my video camera to document the trip, including the layover.

posted by Scientifik to travel & transportation (5 comments total)

Oh and I'll be taking my video camera to document the trip, including the layover.

I wouldn't do that in Manila. The camera itself is a fantastic target for snatching and it marks you as a stupid tourist with a fat wallet.

With Manila traffic and the general mess at NAIA, you realistically have less than eight hours of time to explore.
posted by nathan_teske at 8:01 PM on May 20

If you can work out a reservation to take the boat trip to the Island of Corregidor I think you would enjoy it a lot. If you have any interest in WW-II this would be a great use of your time.
posted by JayRwv at 10:17 PM on May 20

Do you have any preferences on what you would like to see? If not, then you can go to the walled city called Intramuros, which is in Manila, about 30 minutes or so from the airport. From there, there are several other attractions you can visit like Luneta Park, or enjoy interacting with the locals and their daily market life at Quiapo or Divisoria. Just make sure to be very low key though, as the areas are known for menace individuals.
posted by LittleMissItneg at 4:20 AM on May 21

Okay: Corregidor, way too far.
Intramuros: cool, yeah that'd be fun. You'll definitely get a sense of culture and history, but you'll need a tourguide for that I think.

What my family does while waiting for a flight out of Manila is head out to Mall of Asia and just stay there. It's the nth largest mall in the world and you have a lot of time to browse, or you can sit al fresco at a cafe facing the bay. You can head to the baywalk and just hang out there, or Luneta park if weather permits.

Mall of Asia will make you wonder if the Philippines is really going through tough times. It's really just the culture here, we'd rather stay in a cool place than sweat it out under a sun. Malls are practically our only recreation.

There's this new attraction which is our equivalent of Ocean Park in front of Manila Hotel (also in the Luneta area, which is where you'll find all these stuff).

Yeah -- stick to Luneta area. Divisoria and Quiapo: uncomfortable and hot. But sure you'll get a slice of Manila life when you stop by for a visit.
posted by drea at 6:03 AM on May 21

Oh. Manila Bay is world-famous for its sunsets, maybe you should check out the sunrise too. It's better than hanging out in the airport, I think, but it's fairly newly opened (if we're talking about NAIA 3) so it'd be interesting to explore nevertheless.
posted by drea at 4:13 PM on May 21