A travel & adventure blog by Kara Santos
NOTE: Updated April 2023
Typical museums in the country only appeal to history buffs and art enthusiasts. Visitors are expected to just look at artwork hanging on walls or stare at artifacts behind glass cases, learn historical facts, and that’s it. In most museums, photography isn’t even allowed, leaving visitors with no visual proof of their visit.
International travelers have returned to the Philippines and social gatherings are back to normal. For tourists in transit in Manila for a few days and urban dwellers who need to entertain visiting balikbayans and relatives near the Intramuros area, the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) complex’s three central museums, namely the Museum of Fine Arts, Anthropology and Natural History, are worth a visit.
Entrance is free and no reservations are required to visit the three museums, which are located within easy walking distance of each other. These three major museums are fairly large, and contain over four to six floors each. Going around each museum could easily take 1-2 hours.
Continue reading “GUIDE: National Museum of the Philippines – Fine Arts, Anthropology & Natural History + Site Museums”NOTE: The article below and most photos were taken during various pre-pandemic visits, but I’ve updated the latest guidelines and rates with information available as of January 2023.
After years of excavation and clearing, and months of pandemic-induced delays, the El Deposito Underground Reservoir is now finally open to the public! Visitors can walk back in time through a portion of the Spanish-era tunnels just sitting underneath the sprawling public park in San Juan City.
Interactive art museum Art in Island in Quezon City has finally reopened to the public starting Saturday (October 23, 2021).
The biggest 3D Interactive Art Museum in Asia, known for letting visitors become “part of the art” and pose and play with its paintings and exhibits, has been closed for 19 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the moment, only fully vaccinated guests are allowed to visit the art gallery as per IATF and Quezon City guidelines. Children (17 years old and below) are still not allowed to visit.
Continue reading “Art in Island has reopened: New Guidelines (October 2021)”With the shift to Alert Level 3 in various areas in the Philippines, museums around Metro Manila have been given the go-signal to reopen, with limits on the number of visitors and online reservations systems in place. One of the 27 history museums under the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) that recently reopened is the Presidential Car Museum (Museo ng Pampangulong Sasakyan) inside the Quezon Memorial Circle.
Looking for ideas where to go in the near future? Just in time to mark Museums and Galleries Month this October, museums and art galleries in areas under the National Capital Region (NCR) and other parts of the Philippines have started to reopen their doors with the shift of community quarantine levels to Alert Level 3.
Based on latest guidelines from the IATF, most museums are only accepting FULLY VACCINATED visitors with pre-booked reservations. Minors are still not allowed in indoor attractions and museums. Some museums are operating at a limited capacity. All National Museums are FREE to visit.
Here’s a roundup of some museums and art galleries that have reopened to the public around the country as of October 19, 2021.
Continue reading “LIST: Museums that have reopened in Metro Manila and around the Philippines (October 2021)”Do you miss traveling and going to museums? The Book Museum and Ethnology Center in Marikina announced that they’re finally reopening on July 18, 2021 (Sunday) at 50% capacity. This colorful and quirky museum offers an interesting visit for book-lovers and avid travelers. The museum contains a collection of limited edition books and published materials from all around the world, including travel artifacts from different regions of the Philippines.
When you think of museums to visit in Rizal, the Instagram hotspots of Pinto Art Museum and Art Sector Gallery and Chimney Café are the first two museums that immediately come to mind. But it’s always nice to visit and revisit the older and more established museums around the country.
Museums have just started to reopen again in Manila at a restricted capacity, with limits on the number of visitors and online reservations systems in place. One of the country’s top museums that recently reopened is the National Museum of Natural History, one of the three main museums inside the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) complex, which also includes the Museum of Fine Arts and Museum of Anthropology.
My last visit to the Museum of Natural History was before the pandemic hit, but I’m sharing the latest guidelines and new features as of June 2021 for reference for those who are looking for somewhere new to go in the metro.
Continue reading “National Museum of Natural History in Manila: New Guidelines (June 2021)”
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