Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
particularly lively during the nine-day
Peñafrancia festival
in September, held in
honour of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, when as many as a million devotees and tourists
flood the streets.
Naga centre is focused on two main squares,
Plaza Rizal
and
Plaza Quince Martires
,
surrounded by fast-food restaurants, banks, convenience stores and pharmacies. The
main drag,
Elias Angeles Street
, runs north to south; to the east, along Panganiban
Drive, is the Naga River. Vibrant
Magsaysay Avenue
, to the northeast, running from
Avenue Square mall to City Hall, has many of Naga's best shops, bars and restaurants,
as well as a handful of hotels.
University of Nueva Caceres Museum
J. Hernandez Ave • Mon-Fri 8am-noon & 2-5pm, Sat 8am-noon • Free •
T
054 472 6100
Run by an enthusiastic curator who will willingly talk you through the displays, the
University of Nueva Caceres Museum
gives an overview on the city's history from the
ancient period to the present day. There is a very concise section on the Arab and
Muslim influence in the southern Philippines, and details on Chinese trade. Highlights
include Chinese porcelain and earthenware dishes that were bartered for local items,
as well as local dresses showing how three hundred years of Spanish rule influenced
the attire of Bicolanos.
Holy Rosary Minor Seminary
Elias Angeles Ave •
Archaeological Museum
Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat & Sun by appointment only with the curator (
T
0919 592 0724) •
P20 •
T
054 473 8297
One of the country's oldest institutes for higher learning, the beautiful red complex of
the
Holy Rosary Minor Seminary
was built in 1785 as a vocation house. It was declared
a National Historical Landmark in 1988, and to this day houses the dormitories of
priests and seminaries. Inside, the small, privately owned
Archaeological Museum
displays a lovely collection of trade wares from China, Vietnam and Thailand, along
with ancient relics - including the country's most extensive collection of primary burial
jars from the Bicol region, dating back to 200 AD. By far the most unusual displays are
dinosaur eggs from the Mongolian Gobi Desert, dating back 146-165 million years.
4
Metropolitan Cathedral
Elias Angeles Ave • Daily 7am-5pm
he
Metropolitan Cathedral
is the largest church in Southern Luzon and the seat of the
Archdiocese of Caceres. The original structure was built in 1595 near the Naga River;
after being destroyed by fire in 1758, it was rebuilt on this site, only to be damaged by
a typhoon in 1856, and subsequently an earthquake in 1887. The church was built in
Romanesque Baroque style using Spanish Royal funds - note the Spanish royal seal
above the door.
At daybreak on the opening day of the
Peñafrancia festival
, an image of the Virgin
- known as “Ina” (Bicolano for mother) - is taken from its permanent home at the
Peñafrancia Basilica Minore, east of town, and carried to the cathedral by barefoot
devotees (
voyadores
); she then spends the nine days of the novena at the cathedral
before being returned to her permanent home.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
NAGA
By plane
Naga Airport is 12km east of town, in the
provincial capital Pili; taxis connect the city to the airport
(15min; P350).
By bus
Buses to Naga arrive at the Central Bus Terminal in
Central Business District 2 (CB2) on Ninoy and Cory Ave,
which is across the river to the south of the town centre,
close to the SM mall; you'll have to take a tricycle from here
(10min; P8) to the centre. Many companies run the route
to Manila, including DLTB (6 daily; 8-10hr), stopping off
in Atimonan (for Quezon National Park; 6hr) and Lucena
(6hr). Most buses to Manila depart between 6-10pm.
There are also local buses to Legazpi (every 30min; 3hr)
and Daraga (every 15min; 3hr), although for both these
destinations it's quicker to catch a van.
