Rent A Car With Driver In Manila
When you are ready to see all the great sights of the capital, you will want to rent a car with driver in Manila. The driver is a local. This means that he knows all of the best attractions to take in so that you can maximize your sightseeing hours here. The following attractions are ones he is sure to take you to see.
San Agustin Church and Museum in Intramuros
Intramuros in Manila was a part of the city flattened in the Second World War. The only real survivor was the San Agustin Church. Today’s church is the 1606 large Baroque stone construction built by the Spanish colonizers. It has outlasted invasions, earthquakes, typhoons, and even World War II over the centuries.
Today’s visitors here get to experience the beautiful trompe l’oeil ceilings, High Renaissance facade, and the monastary that was altered to be an interesting museum for ecclesiastical art and relics.
Aside from being an interesting structure in its own rights, the San Agustin Church has played a key role in the last 400 years’ history of the capital. Spanish Conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legaspi was buried here. The church suffered in a raid on the city and was sacked by the British in 1762. The Spanish surrender in the Spanish-American War saw the Spanish Governor General Fermin Jaudenes sign his terms of surrender in the vestry of San Agustin Church. Although the church outlasted the Second World War, its monastery did not.
The monastery burned down and rebuilt after the war. In 1973, they renovated it into a museum for religious art, relics, and treasures. By 1994 the church had been dedicated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Spain is helping to pay for the huge renovation project of the church.
Casa Manila
Intramuros also hosts an interesting museum of local life in the Spanish colonial era of the Philippines. This is the Casa Manila museum, an intimidating stone and wood constructed edifice from around 1850. This grand home of the Barrio San Luis lies in this one of four original Intramuros villages. It sits directly across from the surviving San Agustin Church. Besides Casa Manila, you can also take in the other two historic homes form this Spanish period, the 1650 Los Hidalgos and the 1890 Cuyugan Mansion.
Ayala Museum
A smaller museum found in Makati in the Metro area of Manila, the Ayala Museum sits in the aptly named Ayala Center near the Greenbelt mall. It is an imposing six story tall building that hosts archaeological and ethnographic exhibits covering Filipino art, culture, and history. The museum was opened in 1967 and has also showcased important overseas collections alongside its contemporary Philippine art to facilitate exchange and cooperation between the local and international arenas.
The museum has an impressive set of permanent local exhibitions. These include:
- The Diorama Experience – 60 handcrafted dioramas chronicle Philippine history from prehistoric times to the independence of the country in 1946
- Maritime Vessels – featuring a few oceangoing vessels that sailed the Philippine seas and had an important impact on the development of the country’s colonial economy and maritime trade
- Gold of Ancestors – over 1,000 individual golden objects from the prior cultures of the Philippines before the 1500’s colonial era began, many were found with 10th to 13th century export ceramics from China. Among the precious objects are golden necklaces, finger rings, earrings, anklets, bracelets, and sashes
- Philippines Art Pioneers – art dating from the late 1800’s to the 1900’s with pieces from Zobel, Amorsolo, and Luna
- Embroidered Multiples – a collection with rare embroidered sayasaya (silk trousers) worn by wealthy Filipino men, including women’s embroidered nipis blouses
- The Millennium of Contacts – Over 500 individual Southeast Asian and Chinese ceramics uncovered in the Philippines, these tell the historic story of the country developing commercial and social ties with its neighbors and China
Philippine National Museum
Many nations have an umbrella government organization that runs several premier museums, and the Philippines is no exception. The Philippines National museums are anthropological, ethnographic, visual arts, and archaeological collections. This umbrella became established back in 1998. It ensures that the critical cultural sites, properties, and reservations in the country are safeguarded, maintained, and restored.
The Philippine National Museum operates four important museums in the capital. These are the National Museum of Anthropology, the National Museum of Fine Arts, the National Planetarium, and the National Museum of Natural History. Each of these museums are based in the National Museum Complex in the capital Manila. When you rent a car with driver in Manila, your driver can take you to see other of their museums located around the Philippines if you wish.
Shopping/Mall of Asia
If you like to do a lot of shopping and buy things, then you may need to instead rent a van with driver in Manila. This would be helpful to have at the Shopping Mall of Asia. This impressive mall proves to be among the biggest ones not only in the Philippines locally, but also among the biggest ones internationally as well. The mall is a tourist destination unto itself, offering much to do between entertainment, leisure, and shopping activities.
The mall has an enviable scenic location overlooking Manila Bay. The structure is actually a sprawling complex that includes top notch facilities hosting an impressive and varied range of global and local Filipino brands. This makes it possible to spend several days shopping here. You can also come by for an evening drink in front of the bay, as do many tourists.
The Shopping Mall of Asia boasts a two story entertainment arena that includes the original Olympic sized ice skate rink in the Philippines along with movie theaters that are world class designed. Besides this, you have an impressive collection of dining choices that range from gourmet to fast food and many worthwhile shops. It is all almost overwhelming.
The Legazpi Sunday market and Seafood Dampa’s
Every Sunday, the Legazpi Village hosts the famed Legazpi Market. These weekend markets in the capital are justifiably famed for their fun fathering of stands and stalls that provide all of the typical delightful offerings you would expect to see in such a marketplace. They sell such handicraft goods as handmade accessories, housewares, slippers, and straw bags. You can enjoy fresh vegetables and fruits, international and local cuisine, prepared meals, tons of healthy foodstuffs and organic produce, and even potted plants.
Legazpi Market brings in foreigners by the droves as it is laid out in an enjoyable Farmer’s Market arrangement. This means that you can enjoy fresh seafood, home made fresh fruit juices, organic vegetables, as well as clothing, paintings, preserves, home decor, and still more. Foodies are fond of the wide assortment of prepared cuisines they offer. You can pick out and watch them freshly prepare for you grilled meats or seafood, as well as beloved local favorites (traditional Filipino street foods) like chicken innards and skewered pig.
Besides this, the Legazpi Market boasts an impressive range of international food choices. These are comprised of Malaysian, Thai, Mexican, Indian, Moroccan, and Japanese cuisines and dishes. It is no exaggeration to claim that the market offers some type of food that is sure to please most every palate. With so many food choices on offer, you may feel the need to rent a van with driver in Manila to carry them all back to your hotel for later.
Would you like to tour Manila with a rent a car with driver in Manila? Just complete our booking form and we will take you there.
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