Things to Do in Manila Philippines with Kids
The Philippines is the epitome of hospitality and beauty. A developing country with thousands of tourist attractions and bountiful things to do, it is one of the hotspots for adventure and escapades. Manila is the capital city of the Philippines. Thus, you’ll get to land in the area first before you can travel elsewhere inside the country. Even though it’s a metropolis, you can still do a lot of fun activities in the city, and your kids will certainly enjoy it while also learning more about the country as a whole. If you are planning to visit the country anytime soon, you may want to check what great things are in store for you.
One thing to consider when travelling to The Philippines is to travel light. As one of the few countries inside the Pacific Ring of Fire, the country does not experience winter at all. This means that it is usually hot so you might want to skip your baggy clothes and go for thin ones as you will definitely sweat a lot; not only with the scorching atmosphere but with the enjoyable things you can do while staying in the country. When you still do not have an idea what’s on the plate, here are the tourist destinations you can visit while staying in the country’s capital:
Manila Ocean Park
Address: Quirino Grandstand, 666 Behind, Ermita, 1000 Metro Manila
Business hours: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm, weekdays; 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, weekends and holidays
Ocean parks are one of the many tourist attractions you can find in most countries. Home of deep-sea creatures and marine wildlife, the Manila Ocean Park showcases thousands of sea animals and lets everyone experience life below the ocean surface.
You can try classes and lots of activities inside the park. You can swim with mermaids with their Mermaid Swim Experience, meet the dogs at the sea with their Sea Lion Trainer Program, and get to dive with 277 species of marine life with the park’s Aquanaut Voyage. The Oceanarium is a sight of your underwater fantasies and endless adventures to go with!
Manila Ocean Park’s general admission starts at 12 USD / 15 AUD / 570PHP per head with 6 attractions you can go over. If you want something more fun and exciting, higher prices vary depending on the classes and destinations you want to join.
The Mind Museum
Address: JY Campus Park, 3rd Avenue, Taguig, 1364 Metro Manila
Business Hours: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm, Tuesdays to Sundays; closed on Mondays
The Mind Museum is a place for everyone where you get to venture into an out-of-this-world experience with your family. It is a museum for curious individuals for a time full of science to add up to your knowledge. It is a world-class museum known for its scientific demonstrations of physics, chemistry, astronomy, and wildlife conservation.
The Mind Museum has 5 galleries:
- Atom Gallery gives you a closer look at gravity, electromagnetism, and the counterintuitive quantum world
- Life Gallery presents the animal life living on the planet and all its forms
- Earth Gallery takes you back to the prehistoric world before humans were present
- Universe Gallery which introduces you to a fascinating outer space exhibit
- Technology Gallery indulges you in the science behind the innovation we are experiencing from the past down to the present day.
Need I say more for an educational kind of tour with your family?
For full access tickets to all galleries including special or travelling exhibitions, prices are at 52 USD / 68 AUD / 2,500PHP. Let the learning begin with Manila’s Mind Museum!
The Dessert Museum
Address: Seaside Boulevard, Coral Way, 1300 Pasay, (south of Manila)
Business Hours: 10:00am – 10:00pm, daily
A place for the sweet-toothed, the Dessert Museum is what you obviously think of it. It is an exhibit of gigantic sculptures of mouth-watering sweets; a cure for your sugar-coated dreams.
The museum is open to everyone of all ages, where you can slide, swing into a world of sprinkles and coats. Thus, it is basically a playground, but with an added candy on the side. What’s more, is that you’ll be greeted with samples of desserts that resemble the theme of each room and with trivia and basic knowledge on the dessert that you’re indulging in. Nevertheless, the Dessert Museum is also an Instagram-worthy place for those who like to be in an eye-candy wonderland.
Tickets are at 17USD / 22 AUD / 799 PHP. Yet, if you book online, you’ll get a 12% discount!
Museo Pambata
Address: Roxas Boulevard, Ermita, Manila, 1000 Metro Manila
Business hours: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, Tuesdays to Saturdays; 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm, Sundays; closed on Mondays
Museo Pambata or Children’s Museum in layman’s terms is a learning centre where your kids can enjoy the culture and tradition of the Filipino people. It is designed to introduce to kids how they can be better individuals to the rest of the world.
The Museum mainly inculcates development among toddlers and kids by providing them with materials on how they can protect the environment, administer growth for the future, and socialize better. Additionally, the museum holds venues for playtime and educational time, where your kids can delve into the history of Manila and some of the Philippines ’ prominent cities as well. More so, they also dig more into the imagination of the young, letting them have materials for scenarios on how the Filipinos do livelihood through their Market Place or “Pamilihang Bayan” and also with the artworks and tasks that are child-friendly to better maximize their capabilities in dealing with real-life situations. Thus, it is a centre for growth and development for kids to nurture morals and character which they can easily learn from.
The fun and learning begin at 5USD / 8AUD / 250PHP. It is relatively cheap for something fun and educational for your kids.
National Museum of the Philippines
Address: Padre Burgos Avenue, Ermita, Manila, 1000 Metro Manila
Business hours: 9:00 am – 12:00 noon and 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm, Tuesdays to Saturdays; closed on Mondays
With the various historical places and cultural sights found in the centre of the Philippines, surely the National Museum is one of the places you must visit. Home to artwork and life in the Philippines since the start of civilization, your kids will enjoy the art exhibits and wonderful scenery of the widest museum in the country.
The museum houses the Fine Arts collection and the National Archaeological and Ethnographic collections which serve as a gateway to knowing how art and culture go together. It does not only display how life in Manila was but depicts all historical traditions, culture, and life of all the Filipinos back then. You’ll also be amazed how sculptures are present in the museum, giving you a Michaelangelo and Picasso feel but in Filipino style.
If your kids love art in all forms, no need to budget if you plan to visit. The National Museum is free for everyone, including foreign individuals of all ages.
Binondo Chinatown
Address: Chinatown, Binondo, Manila, 1006 Metro Manila
Business hours: always open
Known as the oldest Chinatown in the world, the Binondo Chinatown is a home for Chinese culture, food, and tradition in the Philippines. It is a hotspot for everything that resembles the old towns in China, and you can’t dare miss how you’ll be amazed in seeing China in the Philippines.
Binondo is literally a home for the Chinese, letting your family savour the Chinese food and see red lanterns across all streets. Your family can also enjoy shopping for lucky charms and enjoy the wonders of each corner, letting you feel the atmosphere of Chinese life. As you visit Binondo Chinatown, prepare to indulge in food, a lot of shopping, and sightseeing that the whole family can enjoy.
Visiting Binondo Chinatown does not require any ticket at all. Just be sure to get ready in filling up your tummies and shopping baskets for an old town fun. Get ready to explore China in the Philippines!
Upside Down Museum
Address: Boom na Boom Grounds CCP Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay, 1300 Metro Manila
Business hours: 11:00 am – 9:00 pm, Tuesdays to Sundays; closed on Mondays
If your kids enjoy optical illusions and seemingly awkward things, then the Upside Museum might just be the perfect place to visit. The museum is an exhibit of gigantic sculptures of real things, letting them enjoy how the world looks upside down.
The only thing you can do in the Upside Down Museum is to enjoy the mesmerizing sight of things turned 180 degrees, snap a picture, and voila, the whole world is turned. This museum is an area for creativity, letting your family exercise their minds while taking pictures of memories that you can cherish. A picture-perfect museum is a wonderful place where your kids can enjoy family time together.
Tickets are sold at 10USD / 13AUD / 450PHP per head. Yet, senior citizens and persons with disabilities can get a 25% discount, while kids ages 3 and below can get in for free.
National Planetarium
Address: Rizal Park, Padre Burgos Avenue, Ermita, Manila, 1000 Metro Manila
Business hours: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm, Tuesdays to Sundays; closed on Mondays
More for educational purposes, the National Planetarium in Manila is a house for all your astrology and outer space extravaganza where your kids can succumb to the beauty of the universe.
The National Planetarium is an exhibit of astrology, orbits, and the galaxy where kids can boost their minds with how we see outer space nowadays. It’s a tremendous sight for all the sparkles and the wonders of the universe, which also provides your kids with trivia and facts about the solar system and the bountiful space explorations that have been done and discovered up to date. Moreover, you may also join short films starting from the discovery of the moon up to the finest galaxies everyone knew nothing about. Take pictures, enjoy the out-of-this-world scenery, and buckle up as you go on a trip outside our planet.
The entrance fee at the Planetarium is free of charge. However, shows are at 1USD / 1.4AUD / 50PHP for adults, and .80USD / 1AUD / 30PHP for kids. Up for another astronaut adventure? Visit the National Planetarium soon!
Philippine Air Force Aerospace Museum
Address: Philippine Air Force Aerospace Museum, Colonel Jesus Villamor Air Base, Gate 4, Sales Road, Pasay, 1309 Metro Manila
Business hours: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, Mondays to Fridays; 8:00 am – 12:00 noon, Saturdays
Are your children a fan of aeronautics and an aircraft buff? Then they will definitely love visiting the Philippine Air Force Aerospace Museum.
You might want to see the aircraft park that displays historic aircraft used in the Philippine Air Force or go through the museum’s Art Corner which gives you a quick view of the drawings and paintings of planes used throughout Philippine history. More so, take a good look at the aircraft mock-ups and miniatures in various eras and experimental projects where it can boost up your kids’ fascination in dealing with aircraft when they grow up through the Science and Technology Section. There’s just so much you can do in the museum that your family will be amazed at how aircrafts are made to work for the Philippines.
Have a glimpse of the tremendous aircraft designs for only 0.39USD/ 0.54AUD/ 20PHP. It’s so affordable, satisfying your aircraft fascination!
There are still a lot more when visiting Manila. Aside from the food and educational museums that your kids can enjoy, you can dive into the Philippine culture, food, and tradition with so many experiences you can never forget. As Manila is a fast-growing city, a lot of tourist attractions are currently made to drive in people from different countries. Nonetheless, the bottom line in visiting the Philippines is with the people’s hospitality, not to mention the affordable food and accommodation you can’t just deny.
Planning to visit the Philippines soon? Get ready for a new and exciting adventure with your family. But wait, don’t forget your sunscreen and to travel light, buddies!
