5 DAYS IN HANOI: MY TRAVEL GUIDE AND ITINERARY

5 DAYS IN HANOI: 

MY TRAVEL GUIDE AND ITINERARY

This is a 5 day, 4 night itinerary with Day 1 being the arrival and Day 5 being the departure. We used the Cebu Pacific red eye flight to Hanoi so we were able to reduce the number of nights booked in the hotel to 3 nights. We just requested for late checkout with minimal additional cost.

WHAT YOU WILL VISIT IN THIS ITINERARY:

TWO UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES:

1. THE IMPERIAL CITADEL OF THAN LONG: The citadel was the political center of Ancient Vietnam for 13 centuries and was the capital of Vietnam for 8 centuries. It was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010.

2. HALONG BAY: Halong Bay was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. The bay is peppered with 1600 limestone islands and islets in an areaoof 1500 sq. km

ST JOSEPH'S CATHEDRAL: This Roman Catholic cathedral was built from 1882-1886, following the Gothic style of the Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris. This is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hanoi.


HOAN KIEM LAKE: considered the center of Hanoi. This is where people converge to relax and enjoy the peace of the lake.


TEMPLE OF LITERATURE: A temple originally built in 1070 to honor of Confucius. It became Vietnam's first national university in 1076 as it began to host the Imperial Academy within its grounds.


HO CHI MINH MAUSOLEUM: final resting place of Ho Chi Minh. You can view his remains in a glass case, except in October and November, when the embalmed body is sent to Russia for maintenance and preservation.


PRESIDENTIAL PALACE OF HANOI: built in the 1800s. It was intended to be the official residence of Ho Chi Minh. But Ho Chi Minh preferred to live in the Stilts House built beside it.

HO CHI MINH STILTS HOUSE: The actual residence of Ho Chi Minh

WHAT TO BOOK OR BUY IN ADVANCE

1. Airport Transfers
Since we're arriving 12:35 AM, we requested to be picked up by the hotel shuttle because Hanoi taxi is notorious for scamming tourists. The price of shuttle is 15 usd per car for  airport pickup of 4 passengers and 18 usd per car for airport drop off.

Or you can book airport transfer at www.hanoitransferservice.com which is popular at tripadvisor.

2. Halong Bay Luxury Day Tour

CHECK OUT MY POST FOR PHOTOS AND DETAILS OF THE TOUR:
10 Reasons Why I Love this Halong Bay Luxury Day Tour
You can book this tour in this website: Halong Bay Luxury Day Tour

Price of the tour is 95 USD

3. Pocket Wifi

I rented my pocket wifi from www.flytpack.com. It's essential that you have a pocket wifi to navigate towards the eating places and the sights. For someone who's not familiar with the Vietnamese language, the street names may seem identical and will be hard to remember. But if you have pocket wifi and google maps, it will be easy to find your way.

MY HANOI ITINERARY:

DAY 1. ARRIVAL IN HANOI (SATURDAY)

6:00 PM
Leave house. Go to Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3


6:30 PM
Park at NAIA Terminal 3 parking


7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Check-in

NOTE: Check in counter at Jetstar opens 3 hours before the flight contrary to the email information that it only opens 2 hours before the flight.
Immigration

Dinner at Skyview Lounge

CHECK OUT MY POST:
Manila International Airport Lounge: The Sky View Lounge at NAIA Terminal 3

9:00 PM
Leave the lounge. Walk to the gate. It takes at least 10-15 minutes to walk to the gate.

9:30 PM
Boarding

10:00 PM -12:35 AM
Cebu Pacific 5J 744

Since we're arriving 12:35 AM, we requested to be picked up by hotel shuttle because Hanoi taxi is notorious for scamming tourists. Price of shuttle is 15 usd per car good for 4 passengers.

Coordinate your time with local time.

2:00 AM
Check in at Golden Sun Suites Hotel.

Make sure you book this hotel because this is the newer hotel compared to the Golden Sun Palace. Both are part of the Golden Sun group and located beside each other so it's easy to confuse them.

GET BEST RATES FOR GOLDEN SUN SUITES HOTEL HERE

My review of the the Golden Sun Suites hotel as posted in TripAdvisor:
The hotel is perfectly located in the Old Quarter. It's near Hoàn Kiếm Lake and walking distance to all the great food joints. The hotel staff were all nice and accommodating, and very attentive to all our needs. The room is very clean with all the amenities that we would like to have in our hotel are there like daily complimentary bottled water, coffee making facilities, in room safe, 2 pillows per person, comfortable beds, many towels, sufficient free toilettries, efficient airport transfers, spacious and clean rooms. We will return to this hotel when we return to Hanoi.

Raving reviews at TripAdvisor:
Golden Sun Suites TripAdvisor review

DAY 2. MASS AT ST JOSEPH'S CATHEDRAL, CHANGE MONEY, THAN LONG CITADEL WORLD HERITAGE SITE, HOAN KIEM LAKE (SUNDAY)


8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Buffet breakfast at the hotel

The breakfast buffet includes ready-to-eat cooked food.
But also included in the buffet free of charge is the
option to have food cooked for you.

Here is the menu of food you can have cooked for you.

I chose the chicken noodle dish.

You must not miss the Vietnamese coffee while in Vietnam.

9:30 AM

We left the hotel to start our day of sightseeing.
Since it's a Sunday, we went to St. Joseph's cathedral first to attend Mass.

NOTE: We didn't use any public transportation today and just walked to the following places from our hotel and back.

Below is the map of our route today to show that everything is walkable from the hotel.

Total distance walked for the day: approximately 6 km.

CLICK THE MAP TO ENLARGE

10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

Mass in French at St Joseph's cathedral, Hanoi

St. Joseph's Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral
patterned after the Gothic style of the Notre Dame cathedral of Paris .

We attended Mass in French.

Mass schedule

11:30 AM -12:00 PM

Walked to the money changer and saw interesting things on the way.

Viewing old propaganda posters on sale

Motorcycle parked in almost every sidewalk.
The density of motorcycle outnumber the cars.

Lol. May Jollibee!

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

We changed USD at Ha Trung money street at Công Ty Vàng Bạc Quốc Trinh (Quoc Trinh Gold Shop). They give good exchange rates

MY TIP: Change USD to VND only enough for meals. It's difficult to change VND to another currency so you will be left with excess currency that you're forced to spend. Pay the hotel via credit card if the hotel charges in VND. And if you have excess VND at the end of your trip, gather that and partially use that to pay for the hotel charges so you can dispose all your VND. You can pay the Halong Bay Luxury Day Tour in USD so the only use for the VND cash is for meals, entrance fees and souvenirs. We didn't use any taxi in this itinerary

I changed only 150 USD. That's for 1 person. I only bought Vietnamese coffee for souvenir. It was sufficient since Hanoi is not an expensive city. Meals are cheap I never exchanged currency again during the trip.

ANOTHER TIP: Bring crisp US dollar notes. Some money changers do not accept wrinkled notes.

This is the entrance of Quoc Trinh Gold Shop

Passed by Lenin Park on the way to Than Long Citadel

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

We visited the Than Long Citadel World Heritage Site

Entrance fee: 30,000 VND per person
Hours of operation:
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Tues - Sun

Sacred Turtle with a Thousand Year Vigor
is a Giant Precious Sapphire Turtle
made of rough blue sapphire weighing 2 tons.
The turtle is one of the 4 holy beasts of Vietnamese culture.
We touched it for luck, peace and well-being.

The Than Long Citadel also housed the the General headquarters of the People's Army of Vietnam. It contained the meeting rooms of the Politburo, the Vietnamese Communist Party's policy making committee, and the deep bunker they constructed. The building was constructed at the height of the Vietnam War.

The General Headquarters of the Politburo

Politburo meeting room

THE BUNKER

The stairs going down the bunker

Corridors of the bunker

3:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Travel from Than Long Citadel to the restaurant


3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Late lunch at Cha Ca Thang Long. Cha Ca is a Hanoi specialty made from fried mudfish served with roasted peanuts, rice noodles, spice vegetables like dill, spring onion, coriander and mint, with shrimp paste or fish sauce as seasoning. MUST TRY.

The set meal is 160,000 VND per person.

Fried mudfish cooked on your table.

The assembled finished product.
Noodles below, then spice vegetables and fish on top.
You pour a bit of fish sauce and shrimp paste to taste.

Vietnamese tea and dessert

4:30 PM-5:30 PM

Slowly walked back to the area near the hotel. We did some people watching along the way

People eating on the sidewalk food stalls

5:30 PM

Explored sites near Hoan Kiem lake

Sunset at Hoan Kiem lake

The buildings and open area surrounding Hoan Kiem lake 

6:00 PM

We decided to try the egg coffee known as Cafe Trung at Cafe Giang. They were the FIRST to introduce to the public the famous Trung coffee known for tasting like liquid tiramisu. They have been serving egg coffee since 1946.

The corridor leading to a very small coffee shop.

Cafe Trung or egg coffee

It is made of chicken egg yolk,
Vietnamese coffee powder,
sweetened condensed milk, butter and cheese.

DAY 3. HALONG BAY LUXURY DAY TOUR (MONDAY)

9:00 AM - 8:00 PM

Halong Bay Luxury day tour

CHECK OUT MY POST FOR PHOTOS AND DETAILS OF THE TOUR:

10 Reasons Why I Love this Halong Bay Luxury Day Tour

8:00 PM - 9:00 PM

After the end of the tour, we were dropped off at the hotel. We went out to have dinner.

This is the map of the route we took.


Approximately 1 km walk.

CLICK THE MAP TO ENLARGE

.

We had dinner at Bum Bo Nam Bo and had their beef noodle salad.

This photo of the front of the restaurant
was taken next day

Bun Bo Nam Bo or Beef Noodle Salad
60,000 VND

Hanoi Beer
20,000 VND

9:30 PM - 11:00 PM

We went to Cafe Pho Co for some egg coffee and coconut coffee with a rooftop view of Hoan Kiem lake.

We had difficulty finding this cafe.

It's in the alley beside the Cicade silk shop

The alley leading to the cafe

This is the sight at the end of the alley.

You order at the reception.

Price list

You climb these stairs to get to the rooftop dining area.

Egg coffee

Coconut coffee

Rooftop view of Hoan Kiem lake

Souvenir Shopping. If you must bring home anything from Vietnam, it's good Vietnamese coffee. Bought souvenirs like Trung Nguyen Vietnamese coffee.This coffee shop was suggested by hotel reception as famous among the locals.

Trung Nguyen coffee

Ground coffee with different caffeine levels.

Instant coffee

DAY 4. TEMPLE OF LITERATURE, HO CHI MINH MAUSOLEUM, PRESIDENTIAL PALACE OF HANOI, HO CHI MINH STILTS HOUSE (TUESDAY)
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM

Buffet breakfast

NOTE: We also didn't take the taxi today. We walked from the hotel to all the sights.

Map of our route today

Approximately 8 km walk

CLICK THE MAP TO ENLARGE

We chanced upon this wedding entourage while walking.

9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

We visited the Temple of Literature, known as the Temple of Confucius. It hosts the Imperial academy, the 1st national university of Vietnam.

Entrance fee: 30,000 VND

Our souvenir for this trip were bookmarks specially made for us by this calligrapher at the Temple of Literature. It was a perfect souvenir to commemorate our friendship which began when we all met when we were freshmen in college. The word the calligrapher wrote is "friendship" written in Chinese- transcribed Vietnamese.

OUR BOOKMARK

Our souvenir book mark
with the word "FRIENDSHIP"
written in Chinese- transcribed Vietnamese.

Layout of the university

Uniform of students of the university

Coins on the roof.
We viewed it when we climbed the 2nd floor

11:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Ho Chi Minh mausoleum.

The front of the mausoleum
We weren't able to get in because the body of
Ho Chi Minh
was sent to Moscow for preservation and maintenance.
They do this ever year from October to November.

We passed by Presidential Palace of Hanoi. No one is allowed to enter.

This was constructed to serve as the official residence of Ho Chi Minh.
But he never lived there.
He preferred to live at the wooden stilts house beside the palace

11:30 AM -12:30 PM

Ho Chi Minh stilts house, where Ho Chi Minh lived from 1958-1969.

Note: The gate to the Stilts House closes at 1130 am then opens again at 2pm. We reached the gate at 1130 am but they still allowed us to enter.

Entrance Fee: 25000 VND
Operating hours: 8:00 AM - 11.30 AM daily & 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Tue-Thu, Sat & Sun

1954-1958: HO CHI MINH LIVED IN THIS HOUSE

1958 - 1968 : HO CHI MINH LIVED IN THIS 2- STOREY WOODEN STILTS HOUSE

12:30 PM -1:30 PM

We passed by a market to find some fish sauce.

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Headed back near our hotel. We had lunch at Bun Cha Dak Kim.

We chose Buncha with 2 spring rolls.

Buncha includes grilled fatty pork, rice noodles, vegetables and special soup. Spring rolls contain, pork, crab and spices.

Price: 90,000 VND

Spring rolls contain, pork, crab and spices.

You mix this up to get...

THIS!!!

3:30 PM - 6:30 PM

We returned to the hotel and rested.

NOTE: We purchased late checkout the day before so we can rest in our room before leaving for the airport at 10:30 PM.


6:30 PM-7:30 PM

Dinner at Banh Mi 25. We ate Banh Mhi with pork and had yogurt based homemade popsicle for dessert called Limu Paletas

Banh Mi Thap Cam (paté, barbecued pork, jambon, sausage)
Price: 25,000 VND

Banh Mi Thit Ga (honey grilled chicken)
with cucumber, carrot, coriander and chili sauce.
Price: 25,000 VND

Located beside Banh Mi 25.
This is where we ate.
We just bought their homemade popsicles

Limu Paletas
Homemade popsicles
(25,000 VND each)
We got mixed berries yogurt and matcha coconut

8:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Another round of egg coffee at Cong Caphe

Coconut milk with coffee smoothie (45000 VND)
espresso coffee and coffee with condensed milk.
This time with sunfllower seeds.
We noticed that the Vietnamese like to pair their coffee with sunflower seeds.

DAY 5. DEPARTURE FROM HANOI, ARRIVAL IN MANILA


10:30 PM

We left the hotel


1:20 AM - 5:40 AM

Cebu Pacific flight 5J745

TO FIND OUT HOW MUCH THIS TRIP COSTS, CHECK OUT MY POST:
Hanoi Budget Travel and Tour Expenses for 3 nights

JAPAN: My Guide on How to Apply for a 5-Year Multiple Entry Japan Tourist Visa

JAPAN: My Guide on How to Apply
for a 5-Year Multiple Entry Japan Tourist Visa

Before you start applying for a visa, these are the things you should know first:

1. You can only apply for a visa through an accredited travel agency.

The Japanese Embassy site states that "Effective 30th July 2007, all visa applications except cases indicated in (2) below must be coursed through travel agencies accredited by the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines." (see the exceptions HERE)

This is the list of accredited travel agencies given by the Japanese embassy in Manila: You can access it HERE

I applied for a visa through Rajah Tours and Travel. They charge 1500 pesos as assistance fee and 84 pesos for pick-up and delivery fee (depending on location of pickup and delivery). The Japan visa is free.

The agency charges assistance fee for assessing the documents and evaluating if it's complete. They also make suggestions on what documents to add based on your situation to give you the best chance being granted a visa. That's why I personally think not all agencies are the same. You have to find an agency with a great deal of experience in this respect, with people who will actually assess your unique situation, keep your financial documents secure and private, take care not to lose or misplace your passports, especially the ones with visas attached.

The agency delivery fee covers picking up the passport and the required documents from your stated location and returning the passport to you after the Japanese embassy has returned it to the travel agency.

I highly recommend Rajah Tours. If you wish to make inquiries, you can contact Sandy at jpsese@rajahtravel.com

2. Apply only 3 months before the end of your travel.

If the last day of your visit to Japan is on June 1, make sure that the EARLIEST time that you will submit your application is March 1. I tend to apply for a visa very early but I was advised by the travel agency to submit it only 3 months before, since it's not certain that the Japanese embassy will issue a multiple entry 5-year visa.

Apparently, upon submission of the passport and documents, they immediately evaluate and issue the visa. In the experience of the travel agency, if they issue a single entry visa, the usual duration of the visa is only 3 months. So if the last day of your visit in Japan is June 1, and you submit your visa application on March 1, even if they immediately issue a single entry visa good for 3 months, that would be from March 1- June 1. This means the whole duration of travel will be covered by the duration of the visa issued.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE JAPAN VISA APPLICATION:

Click this for Japan Tourist Visa Requirements from the Japanese Embassy


BELOW IS THE SAMPLE VISA CHECKLIST FOR A FAMILY: THE EMPLOYED HUSBAND, THE NON-WORKING WIFE, AND THE CHILD

VISA CHECKLIST FOR THE EMPLOYED HUSBAND:

1. CURRENT VALID PASSPORT 

This means you need an unexpired passport that is valid 6 months from date of travel. For example, if you're leaving the country on December 1 and returning December 8, 2019. You need a passport that remains valid until June 8, 2020. Although Japan allows entry of tourists as long as their passports are unexpired, Philippine immigration and airline check in counters are very strict and does not allow passengers with passports less than 6 months valid to leave the country.

2. ALL OLD PASSPORTS

Although not required by the Japanese embassy site, Rajah tours requires it. The reason perhaps is to give additional information on previous travels that may help in requesting a visa.

If you have a valid US visa, include the passport with the US visa and all passports between the US visa and your current visa.

3. COMPLETED APPLICATION FORM

• You can print the pdf pplication form at https://www.ph.emb-japan.go.jp/files/000163096.pdf
• Print the application form in A4 size paper.
• Fill up the application form having in mind the following rule: 

• All items should be filled out. If an item is not applicable, put N/A. 

• It must be signed and dated. 

• View this sample application form to guide you how to fill up the application form: https://www.ph.emb-japan.go.jp/files/000163097.pdf
• If you're applying for a multiple entry visa, in the portion asking for intended length of stay, write in the blank "no. of days - Requesting for multiple entry". For example, 7 days - Requesting for multiple entry.

4. PHOTO

• One (1) 2 inches x 2 inches or 4.5cm x 4.5cm recent colored photo, with white background.
• The applicant's dress code for the photo: decent, colored top with sleeves (If you're not dressed properly when having the photo taken, Great Image studio lets you choose from a list of outfits they can photoshop in the photo)
• Photo must be recent and taken within 6 months of submission of visa application.
• The photo must not have been previously submitted to the Japan embassy.
• Write applicant’s name and birthdate on back side of the photo.
• Photo must be pasted on the application form, NOT STAPLED.

5. NSO ISSUED BIRTH CERTIFICATE

• It must be issued within one year from date of application from PSA Main Office/Serbilis Outlet Center (Nationwide). You cannot cheat this requirement. The barcode on the lower left portion of the birth certificate reveals the date of issuance of the birth certificate.

• If the birth certificate from Philippine Statistics Office (PSA) is unreadable, or has incomplete information, please submit the birth certificate issued by PSA together with a birth certificate issued by the Local Civil Registrar.

• If the birth certificate is “late registration”, please submit in addition, a baptismal certificate and school record (Form 137) from high school or elementary and School Yearbook (if possible).

• If there is no record in PSA, please submit a “Certificate of Non-Record” from PSA together with a birth certificate from the Local Civil Registrar

• The NSO issued birth certificate is not required if the applicant can submit old or valid passports with USED Japan visa

You can apply for an NSO birth certificate online at PSASerbilis.com. It's best if you have a xerox copy of your old birth certificate when applying online so you can refer to it when typing all the information. Typographical errors can lead to failure to find records at the NSO. 

6. NSO ISSUED MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE (if married)

• IT must be issued within one year from date of applicationfrom PSA Main Office/Serbilis Outlet Center (Nationwide). You cannot cheat this requirement. The barcode on the lower left portion of the birth certificate reveals the date of applicaton for birth certificate.

• In case there is no record in PSA, please submit a “Certificate of Non-Record” from PSA together with the Marriage Certificate from the Local Civil Registrar. 
• The NSO issued birth certificate is not required if the applicant can submit old or valid passports with USED Japan visa

7. DAILY SCHEDULE/ITINERARY OF ACTIVITIES IN JAPAN

• You can find in word format the sample schedule of stay form that you can fill up at: https://www.ph.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/00_000035.html

• For sample itinerary, CHECK OUT MY POST:

• 7 days in Osaka: My Travel Guide and Itinerary
• 7 days in Tokyo: My Travel Guide and Itinerary

8. FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS

IF APPLICANT WILL SHOULDER ALL OR PART OF HIS TRAVEL EXPENSES:

a. Original bank certificate

• Validity of Bank Certificate is three (3) month from the date of issue.
• According to Rajah Tours, savings account is the preference of the Embassy of Japan.
• If you are applying for a multiple entry visa under the category of abundant financial capacity, Rajah tours recommends that the savings account must exhibit at least 7 digit figures.

b. Clear photocopy of the applicant’s latest Income Tax Return (Form 2316)

IF GUARANTOR WHO LIVES IN THE PHILIPPINES WILL SHOULDER PART OR ALL OF THE APPLICANT'S TRAVEL EXPENSES:

a. Guarantee Letter signed by the guarantor

• You can find in word format the sample guarantee letter form that you can fill up at: https://www.ph.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/00_000035.html

b. Proof of relationship between guarantor and applicant like birth certificate, marriage certificate, employment certificate, etc.

c. Original bank certificate of the guarantor with the same requirements as the bank certificate mentioned above

d. Clear photocopy of the guarantor’s latest Income Tax Return (Form 2316).

9. LETTER REQUEST FOR MULTIPLE ENTRY VISA

• Fill up the following letter request form: https://www.ph.emb-japan.go.jp/files/000386521.pdf

10. OTHER DOCUMENTS THAT YOU THINK WILL SUPPORT YOUR APPLICATION

THE JAPAN EMBASSY STRESSES: It is applicant’s responsibility to ensure that he/she meet the requirements for the grant of a visa. Submission of any supporting documents not listed above is encouraged (e.g. applicant’s economic or social ties with the Philippines, urgent reasons for visit: medical certificate, wedding invitation).

Although optional, I also submitted a certificate of employment stating position, tenure of service with gross annual income.

VISA CHECKLIST FOR THE NON-WORKING SPOUSE:

1. Current valid passport
2. All old passports
3. Completed application form
4. Photo
5. NSO issued birth certificate
6. NSO issued marriage certificate
7. Daily schedule/itinerary of activities
8. Guarantee Letter of the Husband who is covering the travel expenses
9. Original bank certificate of the husband/guarantor
10. Clear photocopy of the husband/guarantor’s latest Income Tax Return (Form 2316).
11. Letter request for multiple entry visa

VISA CHECKLIST FOR THE DEPENDENT CHILD:

1. Current valid passport

2. All old passports

3. Completed application form

4. Photo

5. NSO issued birth certificate

6. NSO issued marriage certificate of parents

7. Daily schedule/itinerary of activities

8. Guarantee Letter of the parent who is covering the travel expenses

9. Original bank certificate of the parent/guarantor

10. Clear photocopy of the parent/guarantor’s latest Income Tax Return (Form 2316).

11. Letter request for multiple entry visa

WHAT DOCUMENTS OR REQUIREMENTS YOU CAN PREPARE: 

6 MONTHS BEFORE SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION:

Note: Do not fill up the date of the document until it's near the day of the application.

1. Current valid passport

2. All old passports

3. Completed application form

4. Photo

5. NSO issued birth certificate

6. NSO issued marriage certificate

7. Daily schedule/itinerary of activities

8. Guarantee Letter

9. Clear photocopy of the latest Income Tax Return (Form 2316).

10. Letter request for multiple entry visa

2 MONTHS BEFORE SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION:

Note: Do not fill up the date of the document until it's near the day of the application.

1. Original bank certificate of the applicant or guarantor.

• The bank certificate is considered only valid for 3 months.

RIZAL: Visiting the Angono Binangonan Petroglyphs and Pinto Art Museum: My Travel Guide and Itinerary

RIZAL: Visiting the Angono Binangonan Petroglyphs and Pinto Art Museum:

My Travel Guide and Itinerary

Why Visit the Site:

Angono Petroglyphs: To see the oldest known artwork in the Philippines dating back to circa 3000 BC.
Pinto Art Museum: To see Philippine contemporary art.

Length of Visit:

Angono Petroglyphs Site: 1 hour
Pinto Art Museum: 1 1/2 hours

Entrance Fee:

Admission Rate for the Angono Petroglyphs: Free
Admission Rate for the Pinto Art Museum: 200 pesos for adults, 100 pesos for students

My Tip: Make sure to bring your student ID or show any photo of your student ID to avail of student discount. They accept clear photos shown through your smartphone.

Meals:

Don Day Restaurant: Meals range from 239 pesos to 399 pesos.
Monte Cafe Restaurant: Average cost of meal is 800 pesos for 2 people

Map of the Itinerary

10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Travel time from the Antipolo Cathedral to Angono Petroglyphs


10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Visit the Angono Petroglyphs

CHECK OUT MY POST FOR MORE PHOTOS AND HISTORICAL DETAILS: 

My Guide to the Angono Binangonan Petroglyphs Site


11:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Travel time to Monte Cafe or Don Day Restaurant


12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Lunch at Monte Cafe for pasta, rice meals and dessert

or 

Lunch Don Day Restaurant for Korean buffet and unlimited samyeopsal

Monte Cafe 

1:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Travel to Pinto Art Museum

1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Visit the Pinto Art Museum