Things to Do in Cebu

The best things to do in Cebu sit in five zones: Cebu City’s Spanish-era heritage, the resorts and island-hopping boats of Mactan, the south coast with its whale sharks, sardine school and canyon, the northern tip with its thresher sharks, and the outer islands of Bantayan and Camotes. The south-coast sights are 105 to 130 km from Cebu City, two and a half to four hours each way by road, so the sleeping base decides how much of the trip is spent on a bus.

Where to Base in Cebu: Five Zones and Their Distances

Each zone has a base town, a short list of sights within reach, and a different road or boat to get there. Buses to Moalboal, Oslob and Badian leave from Cebu City’s South Bus Terminal, and buses to Maya (for Malapascua) and Hagnaya (for Bantayan) leave from the North Bus Terminal.

Cebu City Heritage: Magellan’s Cross, the Basilica and Fort San Pedro

The old city packs the 1521 landing, the 1565 settlement and the 1738 fort into a few blocks near the port, and a half day on foot covers them.

• Magellan’s Cross. An octagonal coral-stone kiosk on Plaza Sugbo, beside the basilica, houses a tindalo-wood cross. The original cross sits encased inside it, a cover added in 1835 to stop visitors chipping off pieces.
• Basilica Minore del Santo Niño. Augustinian friars Andrés de Urdaneta and Diego de Herrera founded the church in 1565, and it holds the title of the oldest Roman Catholic church in the country. It keeps the Santo Niño image that Magellan gave to the Cebuano ruler in 1521, and the novena masses before Sinulog are held here.
• Fort San Pedro. Construction began in 1565 under Legazpi, and the current stone structure dates from 1738. It is a historical park run by Cebu City, with a museum in the lieutenant’s quarters and an open-air theater in the inner court. Entry is PHP 30 (~USD 0.5). The 30 September 2025 earthquake damaged the fort.
• Casa Gorordo Museum. A house museum at 35 Eduardo Aboitiz Street in the Parian district, built in the 1850s and opened as Cebu’s first public museum in December 1983. It shows how a 19th-century Cebuano elite family lived, and it was the home of Juan Gorordo, the first Filipino bishop of Cebu.
• More city stops. The Heritage of Cebu Monument, the Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House, Colon Street, the Taoist Temple and Carbon Market round out a city day.

Busay Hills: Temple of Leah, Sirao Garden and Tops Lookout

The Busay hills above Cebu City hold three viewpoints. Sirao Garden is about 45 minutes from the city.

• Temple of Leah. Entry is PHP 120 (~USD 2) on weekdays and PHP 150 (~USD 3) on weekends.
• Sirao Garden. Entry runs PHP 100 to 150 (~USD 2 to 3), and one guide lists the gates as open from 6 AM to 5 PM.
• Tops Lookout. Entry is PHP 100 (~USD 2).

Oslob Whale Sharks: Fees, Hours and the Welfare Record

Oslob sits 116 km from Cebu City on the south-east coast, and registration opens at 6 AM. Each group gets about 30 minutes in the water, and sessions run until late morning or noon.

• Snorkel rate. PHP 500 (~USD 9) for Filipinos and PHP 1,000 (~USD 18) for foreigners. Fins cost about PHP 100 (~USD 2), and a camera rental PHP 300 to 500 (~USD 5 to 9).
• Dive rate. PHP 1,000 (~USD 18) for Filipinos and PHP 1,500 (~USD 26) for foreigners.
• Rules. No touching, riding or chasing the sharks, no flash, no sunscreen in the water (wear a rash guard), and no diving under a shark. Only the designated feeders feed.
• Getting there. The drive takes 2.5 to 4 hours: about 4 by Ceres bus from the South Bus Terminal and 3 to 3.5 by private van.

Fishermen lure the sharks with small amounts of shrimp each morning. A Royal Society Open Science study led by Legaspi found that 93% of tourists in 358 in-water surveys from 2015 to 2017 came closer than the legal distance, and Cebu marine biologists have called for the feeding to end. Donsol in Sorsogon runs regulated whale shark encounters between November and June, with sightings peaking from February to May.

Boat operators from Oslob also run trips to the white sandbar of Sumilon Island, which sits inside a marine sanctuary established in 1974 by Silliman University. Tumalog Falls, near Oslob, is the usual add-on.

Kawasan Falls and Canyoneering at Matutinao, Badian

Kawasan Falls is in barangay Matutinao, Badian, about 3 hours by car from Cebu City and about 40 minutes from Moalboal. Falls-only entry is PHP 200 (~USD 4), cash.

• Canyoneering price. PHP 1,500 to 2,000 (~USD 26 to 35) per person, a rate set by the Badian local government. It includes an accredited guide and gear. One operator guide also lists lunch, water shoes, a life jacket, a helmet and the habal-habal ride to the trailhead.
• Duration. About 4 hours from the canyoneering office to the falls.
• From Moalboal. A public bus costs about PHP 20 (~USD 0.4), and a scooter costs PHP 350 to 500 (~USD 6 to 9) a day.
• Weather. Heavy rain suspends canyoneering.

Osmeña Peak, in barangay Patong, Badian, is a 20 to 40 minute hike. Guides route to it through neighboring Dalaguete, and two guides list the fee at PHP 30 (~USD 0.5) and PHP 150 (~USD 3).

Moalboal: Sardines, Turtles and Pescador Island

Moalboal is 105 km from Cebu City on the south-west coast, 2 to 4 hours by bus from the South Bus Terminal. A fare is about PHP 180 to 220 (~USD 3 to 4). Panagsama Beach and White Beach are each 3 to 5 km from the main bus stop.

Every ranking guide lists the sardine school, which sits near Pescador Island, 3 km offshore. Pescador’s cave, called the Cathedral, is the most popular dive spot, and turtles are a second draw along the same coast. Moalboal is also the closest base to Kawasan Falls.

Malapascua Thresher Sharks and the Northern Tip

Malapascua sits 6.8 km across a shallow strait from the northern tip of Cebu, in barangay Logon, Daanbantayan. Take the North Bus Terminal bus to Maya port, then a passenger boat to Logon (one guide lists PHP 100 to 150, ~USD 2 to 3).

Monad Shoal, 7.8 km from the island and 30 to 35 minutes by boat, is where thresher sharks are seen at and just before sunrise. Divers leave in the dark.

The north was closest to the 30 September 2025 earthquake: magnitude 6.9, epicenter 12 km off the east coast of Daanbantayan, 79 deaths by 24 October 2025. It damaged five 19th-century coral-stone churches in Daanbantayan, Bantayan, Tabogon, San Remigio and Bogo, and coastal subsidence flooded part of Hagnaya Port at high tide.

Bantayan and Camotes: Two Island Escapes

• Bantayan Island. It lies off the northern end of Cebu across the Tañon Strait and covers 108.77 km2. Ferries run from Hagnaya (San Remigio) to Santa Fe, and one guide lists the fare at PHP 170 to 220 (~USD 3 to 4). Bus and ferry together take about 5 hours.
• Camotes Islands. Pacijan, Ponson and Poro lie 63 km from Cebu City. Ferries run from Danao to Consuelo and from Liloan to Poro, and sailings stop in rough seas and typhoons.

Mactan: Island Hopping Boats and the Lapu-Lapu Shrine

Mactan Island holds the Mactan-Cebu airport and the resort strip. Three guides list the same island-hopping stops: Hilutungan, Nalusuan and Caohagan. Lapu-Lapu’s warriors killed Magellan in the 1521 Battle of Mactan, and the Lapu-Lapu Shrine commemorates it.

Carcar Lechon, Larsian BBQ and Sinulog on 17 January 2027

Carcar, 40 km from Cebu City on the south road and about 1.5 hours by road, is known for lechon, chicharon and ampao, and calls itself the Heritage City of the South. Guides name Rico’s, CNT and House of Lechon for lechon in the city, and Larsian for grilled barbecue.

Sinulog falls on the third Sunday of January, which is 17 January 2027. The festival is centered on Cebu City with novena masses at the Basilica, a river procession and street dancing. Rooms in the city sell out months ahead, and the Flights to Cebu guide covers the fare peak that week.

Simala Shrine in Sibonga

Simala Shrine in Sibonga is a Roman Catholic pilgrimage site, also called Our Lady of Lindogon Shrine. The Marian Monks of Eucharistic Adoration built it in 1998, and it lies on the south road toward Oslob.

Getting Around Cebu: Buses, Jeepneys, Grab and Scooters

• Jeepneys. PHP 10 to 20 (~USD 0.2 to 0.4) a ride.
• Grab. One guide lists city rides at PHP 80 to 350 (~USD 1.5 to 6).
• Scooters. PHP 350 to 500 (~USD 6 to 9) a day on the south coast.
• Buses. South Bus Terminal for Moalboal, Oslob and Badian; North Bus Terminal for Maya and Hagnaya.

Cebu Routes by Base: 3 and 4 Days

• 4 days, south coast. Day 1: Cebu City heritage, then the bus to Moalboal. Day 2: sardines and Pescador at dawn, Kawasan Falls canyoneering after. Day 3: Oslob at 6 AM registration, Sumilon sandbar, then back toward Moalboal. Day 4: Carcar lechon on the way back to the city.
• 3 days, city and islands. Day 1: Basilica, Magellan’s Cross and Fort San Pedro, then Busay at sunset. Day 2: Mactan island hopping. Day 3: Bohol by ferry, covered in the Bohol day trip from Cebu guide.
• Add the north. Two nights on Malapascua cover the dawn thresher dive on the second morning.

The wider country guide, things to do across the Philippines, links the other island groups.