15 Historical Tours in the Philippines Worth the Early Start

1.Intramuros, Manila: Historical Bamboo Bike Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 583 reviews · 2 - 3 hours · from $27Our pick

Pedal a traditional bamboo bike through Intramuros, Manila. See Fort Santiago, Manila Cathedral, San Agustin Church, and more with expert guides.

“We were late due to our own fault, but the Bamboobike team still made it possible for us to join the tour. Our guide, JD, was very dedicated, and the tour was very well organized. We had some bad luck with the weather, but the team made the best of it. The places we visited were historically very interesting, and the history behind them was explained superbly. Definitely a great experience, thank you so much!”

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2.The Original Cebu City Historical and Food Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 81 reviews · from $69

A 4-hour Cebu City historical and street-food walk from Santo Niño to Carbon Market, with included admissions and a local guide for $69.99.

“Visiting the local food shops and riding the public buses (owned by the locals) made us feel immerse in the culture. Our tour guide had great energy and explain everything!”

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3.Explore Intramuros: Introduction to Philippine History

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 80 reviews · from $55Top rated

A small-group Intramuros tour in Manila that covers San Agustin, Casa Manila, Fort Santiago, plus WW2 stops, with entrances and guide included.

“We enjoyed a fun and informative morning with Jian. He knew so much background and history that gave us an in-depth view of the history of the Philippines. I would highly recommend Jian as he brings the sites to life with the history he shared.”

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4.Experience Manila’s Heritage: Intramuros & More in Half a Day!

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 76 reviews · from $75

Half-day door-to-door Intramuros tour with Paco Park, Manila Cathedral and Casa Manila, plus round-trip pickup from key Manila areas.

“Jace did a great job and is extremely knowledgeable and friendly. I highly recommend this tour. Thanks!”

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5.Exploring Cebu City’s rich history and Uphill Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 68 reviews · 8 hours · from $75

8-hour Cebu City history and viewpoints tour hitting Fort San Pedro, Magellan’s Cross, Basilica del Santo Niño, Leah Temple, Taoist calm.

“Rico was our tour guide and he did amazing!! He was so nice and knew a lot of information! It’s definitely worth your money!!(:”

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6.Cebu City Heritage and Uphill Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 31 reviews · 4 - 5 hours · from $61

Cebu City heritage and uphill guided tour with Magellan’s Cross, Santo Niño Basilica, hilltop temples, and Sirao Flower Farm views. $61.

“Unser Führer hat uns mit vielen interessanten Informationen über Cebu bedient. Der Fahrer hat uns sicher durch die überfüllten Strassen gefahren.”

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7.Half-Day Heritage Tour: Manila’s Historic Gems

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 29 reviews · 4 hours · from $72

Half-day Intramuros heritage tour with Manila Cathedral, San Agustin Church, Baluarte de San Diego, plus Paco Park from select Metro Manila hotels.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect but it was fabulous! It was a small group with Mark as our guide. Mark is knowledgeable, super friendly and helpful - the tour was very interesting and informative- I learned so much in a half day that I would otherwise never have known - as a bonus I got to see some well cared for cats at the historical sites too! I would highly recommend this tour in a very comfortable new mini van :-)”

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8.Cebu City Heritage with Uphill Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.6 · 22 reviews · from $66

Cebu City uphill heritage tour with Magellan's Cross, Santo Niño Basilica, Fort San Pedro, Taoist Temple, Temple of Leah, and Sirao Flower Farm.

“The tour was amazing! Our Guide was so great and informative and really let us take our time at each destination! Our driver was also amazing so I thank them both for providing such a wonderful experience for us!”

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9.Filipino Historic Walking Tour in Intramuros

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 17 reviews · 3 hours · from $55

Join a 3-hour guided walk through Intramuros, from San Agustin Church to Fort Santiago, covering Spanish rule, WWII, and independence for $55.

“I would highly recommend booking with a guide, much more value than self-guided.”

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10.Historical, Local Cuisine & Mountain Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 12 reviews · 4 hours · from $81

4-hour Cebu City tour with Fort San Pedro, Santo Niño churches, Chixboy lunch, Taoist Temple views, and Sirao Flower Farm.

“A fun tour! Our guide Paul took us to several historic sites which were all very cool and also bought us a TON of delicious street food. So nice to have a driver pick us up at the hotel and take us around.”

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11.Rich History of Intramuros Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 11 reviews · 4 hours · from $108

Private 4-hour Intramuros and Rizal Park tour with kalesa ride, Spanish-era landmarks, cathedral and church art, and Makati or Manila Bay pickup.

“Guides (a husband and wife team) were knowledgeable and very kind. We had a nice time and learned a lot about the Philippines history.”

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12.Exploring Cebu City’s rich history and Uphill Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 11 reviews · from $59

A full day Cebu history tour with uphill viewpoints, including Fort San Pedro, Magellan’s Cross, Basilica Santo Niño, Temple of Leah, and more.

“a great trip covering the main sights Cebu...Joey was brilliant, arrived early, really friendly and helpful and nothing was too much trouble like even stopping at a 7/11 for us to grab some bits for later and taking lots of picturesof us both together which is something we don't usuallyexperience... a true ambassador for the company”

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13.Historical and Present Day

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · from $70

Guided Manila tour of Intramuros, San Agustin, Casa Manila, Manila Cathedral, Binondo and Makati, with Baluarte de San Diego entry.

“We had a really great time on this tour. Marvin made sure we felt comfortable and shared his knowledge with us in a very relaxed and funny way. We learned, and laughed a lot and can definitely recommend this tour!”

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14.Guided Heritage Cebu City Joiners Tour

★★★★★★★★★★2.4 · 9 reviews · 4 hours · from $54

4-hour Cebu City heritage tour with hotel pickup, Magellan's Cross, Santo Niño Basilica, Colon Street, Fort San Pedro, and Taoist Temple.

“We booked this excursion for half day tour in Cebu and only had one day to do it . Having booked it and paid for it - we were getting ready to get to meeting point when we got a Whatusp message to say that they were fully booked and could not accommodate us - so we never got to experience this . We are still waiting for our refund . I would not recommend this experience to anyone . Very disappointed.”

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15.Streets of Manila: Historical and Present Day

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · from $71

A 4-hour guided tour through Intramuros, San Agustin Church, Manila Cathedral, Binondo, and Makati, mixing Spanish walls with modern Manila.

“Marvin was an excellent host for this tour around the new and old of Manila. We got a great insight into the investment into Manila and then the old history of Intramuros. Would definitely recommend”

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