The glass tunnel
Sharks overhead.
Rocketeer11 — Public domain · Foxyreign — CC BY 3.0 · User:Tsarli (Charles Laigo) at en.wikipedia — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Aaron Ruy G. Musa — CC BY-SA 4.0
A large aquarium on the edge of Manila Bay behind Rizal Park, opened in 2008. Its heart is the Oceanarium, home to thousands of sea creatures from Southeast Asian waters, with a long glass tunnel where fish, sharks and rays swim above and around you. Around the main tank are separate exhibits and shows: a sea lion show, a penguin enclosure, a bird show, a reptile and insect gallery, and a pool where you can touch rays, along with light and water shows in the evening. Tickets are sold in packages combining several sections, and prices vary widely between packages and between buying online and at the gate, so book ahead for a better price. It is air-conditioned, a good refuge from Manila's heat and rain. Allow two to three hours, as the shows are spread across the day. It suits families and children especially.
Sharks overhead.
A family favourite.
Penguins in the tropics.
Behind the Quirino Grandstand, Rizal Park, on the edge of Manila Bay
Rizal Park (Luneta)Manila's best-known and largest park, covering 58 hectares between the walled ci10 minutes walk4.6
San Agustin ChurchThe oldest stone church in the Philippines, completed in 1607 within the walls o14 minutes walk4.5
National Museum of Natural HistoryThe newest of the National Museum's buildings and the favourite of families, hou14 minutes walk4.6
National Museum of AnthropologyThe museum of the history and archaeology of the Filipino peoples, in a neoclass14 minutes walk4.7
IntramurosThe old walled city at the heart of Manila; its Spanish name means «within the w15 minutes walkTickets come in packages from about 950 pesos online, depending on the sections included; gate prices are higher.