Manila's Walled City: Intramuros Walking Tour
Description
Intramuros, a historic district of Manila City, is often called Old Manila—and it’s where the story of the Philippines truly begins. Book this tour if you’re curious to uncover the fascinating events and people that shaped Manila and the nation’s history. This friendly and engaging walking tour takes you through over 400 years of history, from pre-colonial roots to Spanish rule, American annexation, Japanese occupation, and post-war Manila. If you have less than four hours but want a rich, easy-to-follow journey through Philippine history, this tour is perfect for you and your group.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Fort Santiago is a citadel first built by Spanish navigator and governor Miguel López de Legazpi for the new established city of Manila in the Philippines. The defense fortress is part of the structures of the walled city of Manila referred to as Intramuros.
José Rizal, one of the Philippine national heroes, was imprisoned here before his execution in 1896. The Rizal Shrine museum displays memorabilia of the hero in their collection and the fort features, embedded onto the ground in bronze, his footsteps representing his final walk from his cell to the location of the actual execution.
The Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, also known as Manila Cathedral (Spanish: Catedral de Manila), is the cathedral of Manila and basilica located in Intramuros, the historic walled city within today's modern city of Manila, Philippines. It is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, a title for the Blessed Virgin Mary, the principal patroness of the country. The cathedral serves as the episcopal see of the Archbishop of Manila.
A kalesa (horse-drawn carriage) or Tranvia (tram) ride around the walled city of Intramuros.
The Memorare – Manila 1945 Monument commemorates the lives lost during the battle for the liberation of Manila, waged by Filipino and American forces against Imperial Japanese troops from February 3, 1945, to March 3, 1945.
A Roman Catholic Church completed in 1607 and was one of the great churches constructed during the Spanish colonial period designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, under the collective title Baroque Churches of the Philippines
Casa Manila is a museum in Intramuros depicting colonial lifestyle during Spanish colonization of the Philippines. The museum is the imposing stone-and-wood structure c. 1850, one of the grand houses in Barrio San Luis (one of the four original villages of Intramuros) is located across historic San Agustin church and bounded by Calle Real, General Luna, Cabildo and Urdaneta streets. The other two are the Los Hidalgos, c. 1650 and Cuyugan Mansion, c. 1890.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- This walking tour includes a moderate amount of walking. it is advised to wear comfortable clothing in a tropical climate.
- Guests are advised to dress casual. A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No mini-shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult. Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults.
Reviews(88)
Highly recommend this informative tour of Old Manila and Intramuros. Our guide Teresita(Tessie) was a font of knowledge on Filipino history and a pleasure to spend time with. Be prepared for walking in warm weather. Drinks for sale in Ft Bonifacio and ice cream sample was a treat.
Our guide was amazing and informative. He answered any questions we had and tailored information to us. Even thought it was a small group tour it ended up being just my husband and I. The whole tour was interesting historically and architecturally. Loved the Manila house.
Thank you so much for this lovely review! 💛 We're really glad you enjoyed the tour, intimate groups like yours make the experience even more special. Happy to hear the stories, history, and architecture resonated with you, and yes, the Casa Manila is always a favorite! We appreciate you choosing to explore the city with us. Hope to see you again someday!
What a great experience!!! Anne was a fantastic tour guide! Don’t Skip Manila clearly love their city and share its history through story. Very engaging. Super informative. Can’t say enough good things about their tours! Highly recommend. We also did their Binondo Food Tour which was AMAZING!
Thank you so much for this! ✨ It means the world to us. I’m so glad you enjoyed the tour and even happier that Manila spoke to you through our stories. Manila with you was a joy, too! Hope to see you again on another adventure. 💛
We had a wonderful experience with Anne and Andrei of Don’t Skip Manila | Manila For Kids! The itinerary was well-planned and perfect for kids—fun, interactive, and educational. The children enjoyed learning about Binondo, visiting the Chinatown Museum, and experiencing hopia making at Polland Hopia. Ending the day with learnings and a family picnic at Rizal Park made it even more special. Highly recommended for families who want their kids to learn and explore Manila in a meaningful way.
Thank you so much for this heartwarming review! 💛 We truly enjoyed spending the day with your family. Seeing the kids so curious, engaged, and excited made the whole tour even more special for us. We’re grateful you chose to explore Manila with us. Hope to see you again for more kid-friendly adventures!
Andrea was a great guide who communicated the rich history and culture of the Philippines. it was a lot of fun and very informative; I now have a basic understanding of the Philippine culture, history and its people. Very glad I took this tour. Thank you again Andrea!!!
A relaxing tour of Intramuros, our guide was organised, friendly, fun and informative. The tour was exactly as advertised. Would happily recommend to anyone interested in the history and context of Manila life.
This is a must take tour. My guide, I believe her name was Ann also the girl in the picture, is a passionate Philippine native. Her oratory skills and explanation of the 400 years of history were fascinating. She also threw in some quirky jokes that showed the lighter side of life. There were times when she talked about the darker side of history here. I believe we should never forget the past and how we got here. Highly recommend
Hi! 🌟 Thank you so much for your kind review! We’re glad you enjoyed the tour and that Anne made the history of Manila engaging, meaningful, and fun. We appreciate you for not skipping Manila and we hope to see you again soon! 🇵🇭✨
We did a private tour with Denji (Jian Dennis Dolosa) who was excellent - extremely knowledgeable and passionate about his city. And he gave us some great halo-halo recommendations too! We’d absolutely call Denji again whenever we’re next back in Manila.
Fantastic tour, probably the funnest tour group I have ever been with? The tour itself was very informative in a way that was easy to digest and enjoy. I learned a lot about Intramuros and Filipino history. This tour brought out my Filipino pride and I'm a middle aged white man 😂. The group I was with was singing along with the tour guide to her music and were even filmed by other tourists who clapped along as we Sang Manila( -Hotdog). Quite a fun experience.
This was the only tour we booked during our trip to Manila and I'm so glad we did. The last time I went to Intramuros was when I was a young child so to come back as an adult, it felt different and I understood the history a lot better and appreciated the Philippine culture a lot more. We came a bit late but our tour guide was nice enough to wait for us. From the start of our tour, I thoroughly enjoyed the background, the insight, and the physical artifacts that supported the whole tour. Intramuros/Fort Santiago is a bastion of Philippines history and to be able to hear more about Jose Rizal's contribution to Philippines independence made me more proud to be Pilipino. Seeing the dungeon where many people suffered and perished was nothing short of heartbreaking. I can only imagine the pain and helplessness of those who were left in that dungeon. After that, I enjoyed the small break with our sorbetes (ice cream) and water. After Fort Santiago, we came to Manila Cathedral. It was also my first time seeing that church. It's not as big and grand as other cathedrals in other countries but the inside was very ornate and looks wonderful. It's amazing to see the headquarters of the Philippines Catholic Church. The kalesa ride was pretty fun. It was our first time. Also, to have a driver who knows the history of the area was an added bonus. He was also pretty funny so we had a great time while riding the kalesa. After the ride, we ended up in San Agustin Church. When we got there, there was a baptism that was happening so we weren't able to get in but we still got a historical lesson of the church. Last but not least, we got to see the Plaza San Luis Complex where a grand house was set up to look how it was back during the Spanish colonial times. It was great seeing antique furniture and all the accoutrements that were used back in the day. It was also interesting to see how this mansion came about. I won't get into more detail for potential people who want to do this activity but you will be surprised. Overall, I highly recommend this activity, especially if it's your first time in Manila or you're just curious. Our tour guide was awesome, engaging, and very knowledgeable.
