Things to see in Manila

One of the oldest and most dramatic colonial buildings in the Philippines, Fort Santiago was built to guard the entrance to the Pasig River around 1571. Its most famous prisoner was the national hero, José Rizal, who spent his last days at this site before his execution by the Spanish in 1896. Perhaps the height of architectural grandeur is the 1589 gate decorated by motifs of St James, the Slayer of Moors. The Japanese used Fort Santiago as their final redoubt against American forces and the fort was correspondingly damaged.

In close proximity, these two monolithic museums can comfortably be seen together. The National Museum of the Philippines feels a little empty given its size but it hosts important artistic works by Filipino masters such as 19th-century painter Juan Luna. Meanwhile, the star turn of the National Museum of the Filipino People’s historical and anthropological exhibits is the preserved wreckage and treasures of the San Diego, a Spanish galleon sunk in Philippine waters in 1600.

Stunning baroque church dating from 1587 making this one of the oldest in the Philippines. It miraculously survived the wartime devastation and is now the standout highlight of Intramuros in Manila. Trompe l’oeil murals decorate its interior and a small museum in an attached monastery contains some exquisite ecclesiastical artefacts such as altarpieces and screens. Don’t miss Father Blanco’s garden.

Founded in the 1850s, Manila’s Chinese Cemetery was designated as the resting place for Chinese citizens denied burial in Catholic cemeteries. The cemetery has an array of ostentatious tombs including some outfitted with air conditioning, flushing toilets, chandeliers and modern conveniences for the well-off corpses. Guards will offer impromptu tours to the pick of the tombs for a small consideration. On All Saints Day (1 November), lavish feasts honouring the dead take place here.