The Story
Who says that travelling is only for those who have that money?
We really planned this trip to be a 3D2N (3days/2nights) Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Tour. We are refusing to get a tour package as much as we can so that we can arrange the places to visit in our own phase, and also save money. Despite of some issues when we are in Baguio, DIY proves it again in this trip!
After we had our dream came true (living on a treehouse) in Mataas na Kahoy, Batangas, we decided to go up north as our next travel destination. The first plan here is to go to Ilocos Sur and Norte to complete what they say an “Ilocandia Tour”. However, we decided to deviate from this common tour practice and decided to visit Ilocos Sur, mainly Vigan then Baguio City.
Live your childhood dreams: Weekend in Kapusod, Mataas na Kahoy: A Treehouse by Taal Lake
Why? Because Ilocos Norte is still a bit far from Vigan and will take up hours of travel. Also, we believe that Ilocos Norte should be a separate destination for a new trip, to maximize the time in visiting and enjoying the place.
How is that? Yes, it sounds to be tiresome to travel from Vigan to Baguio by commute but worth the adventure that we got!
Vigan, Ilocos Sur DIY Tour + Baguio Side Trip Series
To get into details, this Do-It-Yourself guide is divided into several parts:
Vigan City, Ilocos Sur:
Day 1 (Part 1) – Calle Crisologo, Churches, Plaza Salcedo & Burgos, Bantay Bell Tower, Pagburnayan Pottery, Crisologo Museum, Syquia Mansion
Day 1 (Part 2) – National Museum, Cafe Leona, Dancing Fountain, Calle Crisologo at Night
Day 2 – Baluarte, Cristy’s Loomweaving, Bagnet Factory, Hidden Garden
Baguio City, Benguet:
Day 2 Night/ Day 3 – Baguio City Night Market, Baguio Cathedral, Mines View Park, Good Shepherd, The Mansion, Wright Park, Burnham Park, Oh My Gulay!
Budget Guide and Travel Tips:
Vigan – Baguio DIY Budget Guide and Travel Tips
Accommodation Review:
HEM Apartelle: Your Cheap But Comfy Stay in Vigan
Complete Itinerary Guide (3 Days/2 Nights)
This is our itinerary during our visit in Vigan, Ilocos Sur with Baguio City side trip. The major spots in Vigan can be visited in one whole day if you are willing to let go of some destinations. In our case, we visited them as much as we can. Hence, compressed in 1 1/2 days. We omitted the Fil-Spanish Hispanic Park (Mira Hils) during our visit in Vigan and chose to spend more time in Hidden Garden. It ended up that we still have time to visit Mira Hils, if we only knew that buses going to Baguio or La Union passes by the city by 2pm onwards. However, there is not much to lose as we are able to follow almost the whole itinerary we created before the tour. For budget guide and expenses, check out Vigan – Baguio DIY Budget Guide and Travel Tips.
Vigan
Day 0
10:00 PM – Departure, Dau Bus Terminal
Day 1: Half Day Tour around Calle Crisologo & Bantay
6:00 AM – Arrival, Partas Bus Terminal – Vigan
6:30 AM – Simbaan a Bassit, Calle Crisologo
7:00 AM – Plaza Salcedo, Burgos, St. Paul’s Cathedral
8:00 AM – Bantay Bell Tower, St. Augustine’s Church, Church by the Ruins
9:30 AM – Pagburnayan Pottery
10:00 AM – Crisologo Museum
10:45 AM – Syquia Mansion
12:00 PM – Lunch
1:00 PM – Window Shopping, Calle Crisologo
2:00 PM – Check-in, Hotel, take a nap
4:30 PM – National Museum (Art Center) – Vigan
5:30 PM – Cafe Leona, early dinner
6:30 PM – Plaza Salcedo, Dancing Fountain Show
7:30 PM – Calle Crisologo at Night
9:00 PM – Hotel, Goodnight sleep
Day 2: Enjoying Baluarte, Loomweaving, Bagnet Factory and Hidden Garden
6:00 AM – Wake-up Call
6:30AM – Early walk at Calle Crisologo
7:00 AM – Baluarte
8:30 AM – Cristy’s Loomweaving
9:30 AM – Bagnet Factory
10:00 AM – Hidden Garden
11:00 AM – Brunch at Hidden Garden Restaurant
12:00 PM – Check-out, Hotel
12:30 PM – Pasalubong Shopping
2:00 PM – Departure to Baguio
7:00 PM – Arrival, Baguio
8:00 PM – Check-in, Hotel
10:30 PM – Baguio Night Market
11:30 PM – Back to Hotel, Goodnight sleep
Baguio
Day 3: Exploring the City of Pines in One Day
6:30 AM – Wake-up Call
7:00 AM – Mass at Baguio Cathedral
9:15 AM – Mines View Park, Good Shepherd Convent
10:15 AM – Wright Park, The Mansion
12:30 PM – Check-out, Hotel
1:00 PM – Burnham Park
2:00 PM – Late Lunch at Oh My Gulay!
4:45 PM – Departure, Baguio Bus Terminal
9:30 PM – Arrival, Dau Bus Terminal
This itinerary looks a bit compressed but this is manageable since places are grouped near each other.
During our Baguio City side trip, we failed to visit the Botanical Garden, White House and BenCab museum due to heavy rain in the city. I guess these places are saved for a dedicated Baguio City + Sagada Trip. Camp John Hay to be included on this. 🙂
Guide Map
We listed all the places to visit in Vigan and Baguio and pinned them on the following maps below. You can print or save them for future use.
Detailed information and things you need to know is found on the links provided above.
