Plan Your Itineraries for These New Tourist Spots in Baguio

Where: DoT-PTA Complex, Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Benguet

Operating Hours: Open Tuesday to Sunday, 9AM to 5PM; Closed on Mondays

Recommended Budget: PhP80 for two people (for admission; student rates apply)

Technically, this first destination isn’t new; Baguio Museum has been undergoing a 30-month rehabilitation, but has been opened to wanting and waiting tourists.

The newest addition, the Cordillera wing, welcomes patrons with an extensive array of artifacts from the six provinces of Abra, Apayao, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, and of course, Benguet, which includes the city of Baguio. It also houses meticulously sculpted dioramas depicting significant events in the region’s history, as well as rare clippings and excerpts that account for the region’s rich legacy.

Built in 1975, the Ifugao-inspired museum still houses classic historical pieces in other floors, like exclusive photographs of prominent people, historical events, prominent locals, scale models of the city from various periods, and a cool souvenir shop at the ground floor. Be sure to soak it all in, as picture taking is still strictly prohibited!

How to get to Baguio Museum: via commute: ride the P2P bus from PITX to Baguio or buses in Cubao or Pasay bound for Baguio, get off at terminal across SM Baguio, and walk via Harrison Road to Governor Pack Road (travel time is around 6-6.5 hours); via private car: Enter NLEX via Balintawak and exit via SCTEX/Clark Airport, take MacArthur Highway towards Kennon Road and finally to Governor Pack Road (travel time is around 3-3.5 hours).

Where: City Hall Loop, Baguio City, Benguet

Operating Hours: Always open to the public

Recommended Budget: Free

Another reopened landmark in Baguio can be found in its capitol: the mini-park at the Baguio City Hall Loop is once again open to locals after being given the facelift that it deserves.

After 10 months of curated construction, Baguio’s local government gives the 665-square meter park a fresh and exquisite façade, complete with new concrete walkways, landscaped green patches with clusters of colorful flowers and towering trees, circular stone benches, and an amphitheater with ladderized seats embellished with native groove patterns.

The park will also house 17 sculptures by the world-renowned stone sculptor Gilbert “Gano” Alberto. The addition of the Ifugao-born artist’s stone pieces to the park view is just a testament to Baguio’s repute as a “Creative City,” as conferred by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization or UNESCO, last 2017.

How to get to Baguio City Hall: via commute: ride the P2P bus from PITX to Baguio or buses in Cubao or Pasay bound for Baguio, get off at terminal across SM Baguio, and walk via Session Road, through Magsaysay Avenue, Abanao Road, and finally left onto City Hall Drive (travel time is around 6-6.5 hours); via private car: Enter NLEX via Balintawak and exit via SCTEX/Clark Airport, take MacArthur Highway towards Kennon Road, continue to Kisad Road at the roundabout, right onto Bauang-Baguio Road, and finally left onto City Hall Drive (travel time is around 3-3.5 hours).

Where: Online through GrabFood and Foodpanda

Recommended Budget: approximately PhP250 for two people

If you’re a fan of the quiet comfort that Filipino refreshments bring, then look up Bagong Bayani, a new fixture at Porta Vaga Mall that just opened last July. The place is unassuming, and their menu more so, which revolves around the quintessential palamig, or “refreshments” in Filipino.

Perhaps the most famous of them all, sago’t gulaman (tapioca pearls and jelly) is the store’s instant hit. They also have other childhood staples like the Every Night, a cup of hot Milo with fresh milk; Summer Day, or melon juice with pearls and milk; or the soon-to-be local favorite, Aunteas of Baguio, a cup of tea infused with honey, lemon grass, and ginger, just like how our aunts used to have it.

They also serve flatbreads, Filipino viands generously laid atop a thick ciabatta bread, and what they like to call “fusion pastas,” whose names and ingredients are based on major culinary regions, like the bistek tagalog (beef steak) of Manila, the chicken inasal (grilled chicken) of Bacolod, and the local Baguio longganisa (pork sausage).

Looking for a place to travel to? Yoorekka has articles on the best destinations in the country!

Where: Fernando G. Bautista Drive, Bauang, Baguio City, Benguet

Operating Hours: Open daily, 9AM to 2AM

Recommended Budget: approximately PhP700 for two people without drinks, PhP800 with drinks

Perhaps the only name among the group that rings a bell if you’re from Metro Manila, Chill Bar is gaining traction up north with a new branch along Fernando Bautista Drive. A bar and a restaurant rolled into one, its relatively hushed ambiance and inexpensive menu makes it the perfect spot to, well, chill.

Grab a bottle of local beer or order a tower or pitcher of their colorful cocktails – Chill Bar has a wide variety of alcohol and mixed drinks for those who want to spice up their night. They also have bottles of brandy, rum, vodka, gin, whisky, cognac, or tequila if you’re planning to stay longer.

They also serve your staple finger foods like their bestselling Nasty Nachos topped with lots of barbeque bits. They have pizza, all-day breakfast meals, sizzling dishes, and even group packages for big parties. You can try their top-rated sizzling sisig (minced pork innards), sizzling squid, or their signature Adobol, which is pork adobo (pork marinated in vinegar and soy sauce) cooked two ways: saucy at the bottom and fried and flaky on top.

How to go to Chill Bar Baguio: via commute: ride the P2P bus from PITX to Baguio or buses in Cubao or Pasay bound for Baguio, get off at terminal across SM Baguio, and walk via Gov. Pack Road then left towards Session Road, cross Magsaysay Avenue then left towards Shanum Street, continue towards Otek Street then onto Fernando G. Bautista Drive (travel time is around 6-6.5 hours); via private car: Enter NLEX via Balintawak and exit via SCTEX/Clark Airport, take MacArthur Highway towards Kennon Road, continue to Kisad Street at the roundabout, right onto Shanum Street, then left onto Fernando G. Bautista Drive (travel time is around 3-3.5 hours).

Where: 2/F Leonard Wood Terraces, Leonard Wood Road, Baguio City, Benguet

Operating Hours: Open daily, 10:30AM to 8:30PM (mall hours)

Recommended Budget: PhP1000 for two people for apparel, vanity products

In the spirit of continuing Baguio’s shopping culture, Stilustrata opens its doors to chic and modern shoppers who want to score cheap fashionable finds.

First opening in Tarlac, Stilustrata’s various consignment partners guarantee that there is something for everyone to enjoy from the store’s racks. From streetwear to sports apparel, to stylish footwear and skincare products – Stilustrata’s halls are filled with everything you need to blend into Baguio’s bustling night scene. They also sell genuine vanity products from Japan, original K-Pop merchandise, and digital accessories.

How to get to Stilustrata Fashion Store in Leonard Wood Terraces: via commute: ride the P2P bus from PITX to Baguio or buses in Cubao or Pasay bound for Baguio, get off at terminal across SM Baguio, and walk via Gov. Pack Road towards Session Road, turn right onto Leonard Wood Road, then left towards Leonard Wood Terraces (travel time is around 6-6.5 hours); via private car: Enter NLEX via Balintawak and exit via SCTEX/Clark Airport, take MacArthur Highway towards Kennon Road, continue to T.M. Kalaw Street at the roundabout, left onto Upper Session Road, continue towards North Drive, onto Leonard Wood Road, and stay left, Leonard Wood Terraces should be on your right (travel time is around 3-3.5 hours).

It’s always the perfect season to set off for the City of Pines, because no matter the weather, there’s always something new to see in Baguio!