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Getting There By Air:

Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL)
Tel: (02) 877 1109.

Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA, pronounced ‘na-EE-ya’) is located in Parañaque City, 12km (7 miles) southeast of Manila. It has two working terminals: Terminal 1 has aging and cramped facilities, while Terminal 2 (named the Centennial Airport) is more modern, but exclusive to Philippine Airlines. A third, more modern terminal has been completed, but a legal battle has kept it padlocked.

Airport facilities: These include duty-free, souvenir shops, banks, ATMs, foreign exchange facilities, a post office, tourist information offices, left luggage, restaurants, car hire from Avis and Hertz, and hotel representative counters. Free telephones in the baggage claim areas allow visitors to phone ahead to confirm or arrange accommodation. Business centers with Wi-Fi access are available.

Transport to the city: NAIA is located at the southern edge of Metro Manila. From the airport, it is 30 to 60 minutes’ drive to the City of Manila; 30 to 45 minutes to Makati; 30 to 60 minutes to Pasig and 60 to 90 minutes to Quezon City. Travelers are advised to take a taxi with a Department of Tourism (DOT) accreditation. Flagging a taxi on the road outside the airport is notoriously expensive. Some hotels also offer airport shuttle services.


Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) (or Clark International Airport)
Tel: (045) 599 2888.
Website: www.clarkairport.com

Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) is located 85km (53 miles) northwest of Manila in Clark Field, Pampanga (a former US military air base).

Airport facilities: These are limited to a few snack bars, but a few hundred meters away at SM Mall you can find banks, ATMs, a grocery and restaurants.

Transport to the city: Philtranco (tel: (02) 832 2456; website: www.philtranco.com.ph) runs a shuttle service to the city center (journey time - 45 minutes). The shuttle terminal is at Megamall, Pasig City.


Approximate flight times to Manila: From London is 15 hours 30 minutes; from New York is 17 hours 30 minutes; from Los Angeles is 12 hours 35 minutes; from Toronto is 17 hours 20 minutes and from Sydney is 7 hours 40 minutes.

Getting There By Water:

The port area in Manila is simply called Pier (pronounced as ‘pee-YER’) and is sometimes referred to as Port Area. It is divided in the North and South Harbour. The South Harbour is located off Bonifacio Drive and the Muelle de San Francisco Street. The North Harbour is on Marcos Street in the Tondo district. Ferries arrive at South Harbour and leave from North Harbour. Port facilities are basic - some food and drinks stalls and a seating area. Tourists are advised to secure their baggages and wallets in this area. Philippines Port Authority (tel: (02) 527 4856 or 4844; website: www.ppa.com.ph) provides further information.

Ferry services: Aleson Lines (tel: (02) 991 2687 or 4258) carries passengers between Malaysia and Zamboanga City, part of Mindanao island in the south. EPA Shipping Lines (tel: (083) 380 3591) operates a cargo boat that shuttles between General Santos in Mindanao and Indonesia. From there, you can travel to Manila by ship or plane. These services are not recommended to tourists however.

There are frequent inter-island ferries. The three major (and most reliable) operators cover almost the same destinations. Negros Navigation (tel: (02) 243 5231 or 244 0408; website: www.negrosnavigation.ph) travels to most of the southern islands like Palawan, Mindanao and Negros. Other operators include SuperFerry (tel: (02) 528 7000; website: www.wgasuperferry.com) and Sulpicio Lines, 415 San Fernando Street, Binondo (tel: (02) 241 9701-07; website: www.sulpiciolines.com). Car ferries (RORO or roll on, roll off) are available, but trips usually take longer.

The Philippines has had a couple of maritime accidents, often involving overloaded ferries. In general, travelers should exercise caution by asking around and observing the condition of the boats.

Getting There By Road:

The two main roads in and out of Metro Manila are NLEX (North Luzon Expressway) and SLEX (South Luzon Expressway), both of which are toll operated. NLEX leads to Bulacan, Pampanga (Mt Pinatubo), Angeles (Clark Field) and Baguio City. SLEX leads to Laguna, Tagaytay, Batangas, Quezon Province and Legazpi City (Mayon Volcano).

Drivers are relatively better behaved on these expressways, especially on NLEX. NLEX is better maintained and secured, and patrolled regularly by traffic police. SLEX is currently being widened, causing heavy traffic at rush hour. Repairs are expected to be completed by late 2008.

Traffic drives on the right and the minimum driving age is 18 years. Signs are in English but some roads lack proper signage.

In the city, the speed limit is 60-80kph (37-50mph), but traffic slows down anyway during rush hour. The speed limit on expressways is 80-100kph (50-62mph). There are laws on drink driving and wearing seat belts.

Foreign and international driving licenses are valid for 90 days from arrival in the country but it is unlikely that you will be asked for your license once the vehicle is hired. No other documentation is needed apart from your passport.

The Automobile Association of the Philippines, 683 Aurora Boulevard, Quezon City (tel: (02) 723 0808; website: www.aaphilippines.org) operates a 24-hour emergency breakdown and towing service that covers Metro Manila and neighboring provinces (for an extra fee).

Emergency breakdown service: Automobile Association Philippines (tel: (02) 723 0808).

Routes to the city: EDSA (Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue) is the main road in Metro Manila. It spans north to south of the metropolis, allowing access to the major cities and the airport. EDSA begins in the south, along Manila Bay, and ends in the north at Monumento, Caloocan City.

EDSA intersects the following roads from south to north: Ayala Avenue (Makati City), Shaw Boulevard in the mid-section (Pasig City and Ortigas Center) and Quezon Acentervenue (Quezon City) in the north. The latter two roads stretch from east to west of Metro Manila and provide access to the Malate district and Intramuros, both located in the western portion of Manila.

Approximate driving times to Manila: From City of San Fernando, Pampanga - 45 minutes; Angeles - 70 minutes; Baguio - 5 hours; Laguna - 60 minutes; Batangas - 2 hours; Quezon - 6 hours; Legazpi - 12 hours.

Coach services: Major coach operators Philtranco (tel: (02) 832 2456; website: www.philtranco.com.ph) and Victory Liner (tel: (02) 833 0293; website: www.victoryliner.com) offer good coaches with air conditioning, audiovisual entertainment and snacks.

Philtranco runs a service south to Legazpi, Sorosogon, Davao on Mindanao Island and Tacloban on Leyte. Victory Liner operates services north to Baguio, Alaminos, Tuguegarao, Olongapo, Iba and Dagupan. There is no central bus terminal in Manila and bus companies maintain their own locations around the city - Philtranco and Victory Liner have terminals in Quezon City and Pasay City.

Getting There By Rail:

The Philippines had one of the first extensive rail systems in Asia, built to carry agricultural produce from remote farms into the port of Manila, where it was then traded all around the world. This fell into disrepair in the 1970s and is only now being revived.

Philippine National Railways (tel: (02) 287 3062 or 365 4716; website: www.pnr.gov.ph) is the national rail service provider. Service is basic and facilities at the main railway station (Tutuban station) are limited, but the adjacent Tutuban Mall has banks and other facilities.

Rail services: Trains connect Manila with the southern provinces in Luzon, ending at Legazpi City on the Bicol Peninsula (journey time - 12 hours). Northwards, the railway extends to San Fernando in La Union Province.

Getting Around:

Public Transport
Metro Manila’s public transport is a mix of light rail, buses, jeepneys and taxis. There are three light rails: LRT1, LRT2 (website: www.lrta.gov.ph) and MRT3 (website: www.dotcmrt3.gov.ph), all giving access to major destinations around the metropolis. Although the trains join at some point, ticketing is still separate (the effort to unify the ticketing is still under way). Trains generally run from 0500 until 2200.

LRT1 and MRT3 reserve the first car of the train exclusively to women, senior citizens and children. Security requires passengers to open their bags for a check at the entrance. During red alerts, guards require passengers to open gift-wrapped boxes. Watch out for pickpockets.

A project has started to extend MRT3 to connect to the northern end of LRT1, at Monumento in Caloocan, but this is not yet completed. Of the three trains, LRT2 is the best-maintained and least stressful ride. MRT3 has the worst-maintained trains; avoid these during the rush hours, as trains often break down and cars are jam-packed.

The colorful but controversial jeepneys are simultaneously famous and annoying. They are a testament to Filipino ingenuity: the first jeepneys were assembled out of broken vehicles left over by the US after WWII and repainted with a typical penchant for bright colors.

Today, they are decked with various bright and shiny stainless steel accoutrements with handmade artwork created from carefully sliced reflective stickers. Drivers often play blaring music and blow horns frequently. Most of the jeepneys are not well maintained and spew smoke in the streets. Some citizens have actually petitioned to ban them. Major routes in the city have jeepneys 24 hours a day, but late-night rides are not recommended for tourists.

Manila is served by a plethora of large and small private bus companies. There are no uniform bus passes. Local buses are useful for major roads, such as the EDSA, but are not allowed into most streets in the center of town. Cost varies depending on destination and whether the bus is air conditioned - tickets are available from kiosks, stations and some shops. There are no bus schedules; most buses run from around 0500 until 2330 every day but EDSA has buses available round the clock, although tourists are advised against taking these.

Taxis
Taxis, including the larger FX taxis (all-purpose utility vehicles) that can carry between seven and 10 people, can be flagged down almost anywhere in the city. Coupon taxis are available at the airport. Passengers should beware of being overcharged and should only travel if the driver uses the meter.

Reputable and trustworthy fleets include Avis (tel: (02) 831 2701), 24-7 Taxi (tel: (02) 642 3525), Basic (tel: (02) 900 1447), Dollar (tel: (02) 927 8718) and EMP (tel: (02) 293 5930). Some companies charge an additional booking fee of P50. Tipping is discretionary and usually handled by rounding up the fare to the nearest P10.

Driving in the City
Driving behavior in Manila has slowly improved in recent years, but visitors are still discouraged from driving on their own, as it is not for the faint-hearted. Most drivers change lanes without signalling. This is especially true for public buses, jeepneys and taxis. Buses may suddenly swing to the left, even from a stationary position. Some drivers will pass through the road shoulder, especially during traffic.

Watch out for Yellow Lanes - the outer lane of main roads marked with a yellow line and reserved only for public transport (vehicles with yellow license plates). Driving inside Yellow Lanes is a traffic offence. A recent proliferation of careless motorcycle riders has also led to high traffic accident rates in Manila.

To alleviate severe congestion, Metro Manila imposes a car ban based on the last number of vehicle license plates. Plates ending in 1 or 2 are banned on Mondays, 3 or 4 on Tuesdays and so on, with 9 or 0 banned on Fridays. Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays are exempt from the car ban. The metro-wide ban takes effect from 0700-1000 and resumes at 1500-1900. Note that in Makati City, the car ban is for 24 hours.

Car Hire
Avis (tel: (02) 742 2871; website: www.avis.com) and Hertz (tel: (02) 897 5151; website: www.hertz.com) are the most reliable providers. The minimum age limit is 25 years for these major chains, although many local companies will not insist on this. The only required documentation is a valid international license. Agencies should also furnish drivers with photocopies of the car registration papers and tax receipts.

Local providers, such as JB Rent-A-Car (tel: (02) 526 6288) may offer cheaper rates. Cash payment requires a deposit, usually around 150% of the estimated hire fee.

Bicycle Hire
Bicycles and scooters are available for hire in some parks, but are not allowed to go beyond park grounds. There is also a high risk of accidents related to motorbikes, so their use is not recommended.

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