Where It Is, How to Get There
Vigan is a seven-hour bus ride away from Manila, but the long haul trip is worth it if you're a fan of Old World European architecture. Buses ply the Ilocos Highway north to Vigan from Manila and back. The town can also be reached via flights that land in the nearby city of Laoag.
Why Visit?
No site in Southeast Asia encapsulates the European colonial experience as purely as Vigan. Recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, Vigan is a very well-preserved Spanish colonial town, complete with cobblestone streets and a design sensibility that fuses European colonial architecture with Asian designs appropriate to the climate.
It's not all old buildings, though - the governor's fortress nearby features a mini-zoo with exotic animals; old calesas (horse-drawn carriages) offer rides through the Vigan streets; the Pagburnayan (burnay jar factory) will let you try your hand at making one of these huge traditional clay jars.
