5 Activities in Baguio You Can Enjoy This Xmas While Social Distancing

Location: Kilometer 5, Cariño corner Otek Street, Baguio City, Benguet

Estimated travel time: From the city center, around 5-10 minutes on foot or by private car

Recommended budget: PhP500 for two persons

Baguio is never short of sumptuous food selections, places to visit, and you never need to travel far to find the best ones. Just a few blocks from the city center is a crowd favorite: Good Taste Café and Restaurant. You can spot this 24-hour Chinese-Filipino diner at the corner of Cariño and Otek Streets by the constant queue of customers outside, all hungry to taste good food.

Their whole chickens go for less than PhP200, and large servings of Chinese staples like Lechon Chopsuey (roasted pork mixed with sautéed vegetables) and Lumpiang Shanghai (Shanghai spring rolls) sell for only PhP145 and PhP175 respectively. Other Chinese bestsellers like tofu with shrimp, chicken with broccoli, sweet and sour pork, and steamed tilapia. Don’t forget to pair these with a cup of their trademark Good Taste fried rice! Don’t be deceived: despite the suggested servings in their menu, their meals are suitable for many more people, making it the perfect Christmas feast for large families and friend groups.

Tip: If their servings are too much for one person to finish, they also have combo meals with single servings. As of September 2021, the restaurant is open daily from 5:30 AM to 10:00 PM. For inquiries, contact them at 074 443 7959. You may also follow them on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/Good-Taste-Restaurant-FB-Page-338269456209160/, to catch their latest updates.

How to get to Good Taste Café and Restaurant: From the Baguio city center, Good Taste is a good 5-minute walk by taking Otek Street from Naguilian Road or Cariño Street from Kisad Road.

Location: Harrison Road, Perfecto Street, and Ganza Parking, Baguio City, Benguet

Estimated travel time: From the city center, around 5-10 minutes on foot or by private car

Recommended budget: PhP1,500 for shopping, PhP150 for food

Still thinking of where to go in Baguio? If you’re cramming your Christmas gifts, merchants in the Baguio Night Market have your wish lists covered, and for cheap too. It’s a paradise of previously owned goods: gadget accessories, souvenirs, designer bags, and everything you can wear from head to toe. Score great bargains by patiently rummaging through stalls after stalls of surplus goods and by bidding for the lowest price with sellers.

Aside from the bustling Baguio Night Market, the 300-meter stretch of Harrison Road is also home to an array of street food stalls. Their offerings are just as various too: from international finger foods with Filipino flavor like mandu (Korean dumplings), ramen, and shawarma rice, to our local budget favorites such as squid balls, binatog (sweet corn topped with coconut shavings), barbecue, calamares, goto (ox tripe soup) and other delights.

Remember to bring someone with you to help you with your shopping hauls, if not to serve as a lookout from pickpockets eyeing your valuables. Better safe than sorry!

Tip: Baguio has gone green and has insisted that shoppers use reusable shopping bags to lessen waste, so bring a bag! The night market reopened last February 2021 with strict health and safety protocols in place.

How to get to Baguio Night Market: From the Baguio city center, Baguio Night Market is a quick 5-minute walk by walking eastbound from Lake Drive or westbound from Session Road.

Location: Mines View Observation Deck, Mines View Park, Baguio City, Benguet

Estimated travel time: From the city center, around 30-45 minutes via commute; 20-30 minutes via private car

Recommended budget: Approximately PhP1,000 for services and souvenirs

Christmas only comes once a year, and for most, this season is spent recovering from the metro’s ever-wearing rat race. The season is where the pleasant and peaceful views of Baguio’s parks figure in their holiday plans.

From the observation deck, you can see a stunning panorama of remote mountain ranges of Cordillera, the lush pocket forests of Baguio, and the small mining villages of Benguet. And where better to enjoy these views than the majestic Mines View Park? Rekindle your connection with Mother Nature by taking a trek through its green-studded trails, or discover cultures by dressing the entire Cordillera ensemble, complete with a headdress, bahag (loin drape), shield, and spear. You can even take a picture with the adorable and ever-popular Doglas, the resident Saint Bernard of the park.

A trip to Mines View Park wouldn’t be complete without passing by Rimando’s and buying from its range of carved artifacts or taking home a jar or two of Good Shepherd Convent’s strawberry and ube jams to spoil your sweet tooth. Indeed, there are many things to do on Christmas day with your family in Baguio!

Tip: Complete your Christmas morning with a warm cup of strawberry taho (sweetened soy) from Mines View Park! As of September 2021, Mines View Park is open for locals with strict health and safety protocols in place.

How to get to Mines View Park: via commute: from the Baguio city center, ride a jeepney bound for the Plaza-Mines View route, and get off at the park’s main entrance; via private car: from the Baguio city center, turn left to Abanao Street, another left to Magsaysay Avenue, then right to General Luna Road. At the junction, cross to Leonard Wood Road, and at the rotunda, exit towards Gibraltar Road. Follow the road for about two kilometers until you reach Mines View Park.

Location: Cathedral Loop, Mount Mary near Post Office Loop, Baguio City, Benguet

Estimated travel time: From the city center, around 5-10 minutes on foot or by private car

Recommended budget: Free

Amidst celebrations left and right, Christmas time is our due reminder to express gratitude to a year’s worth of grace. If you’re looking for a venue to say your quiet Christmas prayers, the Baguio Cathedral is the perfect place.

This Roman Catholic church also goes by Our Lady of the Atonement Cathedral and has been standing on Mount Mary hill since 1936. Visitors will immediately be taken by its solemn aura, marked rose-pink façade, twin belfries, and windows—with an ascending 104-step stone staircase. Within the courtyard outside the church is a viewing deck where you can spot the stretch of Baguio’s business district below. Inside, the gilded altar and stained glass windows give it an iridescent glow, and the hallowed space can accommodate more than 800 churchgoers.

Masses are held every day on an hourly basis on Sundays. Regardless, you can whisper your Christmas wish or wander around the courtyard for relaxation.

Tip: If you’re going to the Baguio Cathedral by private car, caretakers charge a parking fee after the first hour. As of September 2021, the church is open from Tuesdays to Sundays, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Mondays, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. It also holds an online mass. Visit its Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/baguiocathedralofficial/, to know the live masses schedule.

How to get to Baguio Cathedral: From the Baguio city center, head eastbound via Session Road and turn left at Jollibee onto Father Carlu Street and the Post Office Loop. The steps leading up to Baguio Cathedral should be nearby.

Location: Rose Garden in Burnham Park, Jose Abad Santos Drive, Baguio City, Benguet

Estimated travel time: From the Baguio city center, around 5-10 minutes on foot or by private car

Recommended budget: Free

What better way to cap off your trip than to celebrate Christmas with the entire Baguio crowd? At the Baguio Christmas Fair in Burnham Park’s Rose Garden, the chilly weather is easily warded off by the warm camaraderie of the community, as everyone takes part in building Baguio’s own Christmas village.

Be in time for the main event at the heart of the urban park: the yearly Christmas Lights and Sounds Show in the Christmas Market presents a hearty rendition of Christmas tales told through lights and sound effects accompanied by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra melodies. Film showings will also be staged at the holiday affair.

After the show, take a quick trip to Europe through creatively designed chalets that portray Christmas as celebrated in France, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Austria, and many others. Various Christmas-themed stations with Santa Claus, a reindeer-drawn wooden sleigh, and the bright 25-meter Christmas tree illuminating the Christmas village.

Tip: There will also be community-run food kiosks featuring culinary offerings should you get hungry during the fair. As of September 2021, Burnham Park is open for locals with social distancing in place.

How to get to Burnham Park: Burnham Park is easily accessible on foot or by private car via Lake Drive and Shanum Street from the Baguio city center.

Baguio city is gearing up for a memorable Christmas season, with more events still taking shape in other parts of the city, so spend your December break wisely. For more Christmas spots in the city, visit Yoorekka Consumer Magazine!