Things to do in Naga
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Naga
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Least rainy months and the best general time for Isarog, falls and island trips.
Hottest month, with the Kaogma Festival season in Camarines Sur.
South west monsoon and typhoon corridor, with heavy rain and weather dependent boats and trails.
Penafrancia Festival month, wet and crowded but worth timing a trip around.
North east monsoon makes this Naga's wettest stretch, with the worst flood risk in November to January.
What's on
- Peñafrancia Festival 11-19 September
Traslacion on 11 September and the fluvial procession on 19 September, with parades and the Tagboan festival between.
- Kaogma Festival May
Camarines Sur foundation festival of cultural shows and street dancing, with dates announced each year.
- Holy Week March or April
A devotional peak at Naga's shrines and cathedral, with national transport booking up.
Best things to do in Naga
Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Peñafrancia
The present home of Ina and the finishing point of the September fluvial procession on the Naga River.
Our Lady of Peñafrancia Shrine
The intimate old shrine where the image lived for two centuries and where the Traslacion begins.
Naga Metropolitan Cathedral
The dark stone cathedral at the heart of Centro, home to the Peñafrancia novena masses in September.
San Francisco Church
The Franciscan church where Spanish forces surrendered to Bicolano revolutionaries in 1898.
Porta Mariae
The triumphal arch by the cathedral that marks the start of a Centro heritage walk.
Plaza Rizal
Centro's living room plaza, quiet in the morning and full of families and snack vendors after dark.
NHCP Museo ni Jesse Robredo
A free, moving museum about Jesse Robredo and honest local governance, and Naga's best indoor hour.
Naga City People's Mall
The city's big public market and the best value place to buy pili nuts and other Bicol pasalubong.
Where to stay in Naga
Magsaysay Avenue
food, evenings and first trips
Naga's restaurant row, walkable to dinner and a short ride from the basilica area.
Centro
heritage, the festival and budget rooms
Around the cathedral, Porta Mariae and the plazas, with the cheapest decent rooms in the city.
Triangulo
malls, transport and modern chain rooms
The Robinsons Place and highway district, practical for drivers and early departures but not walkable.
Think twice about
- Carolina and Pacol upland resort strip without a car
Remote and dark at night, with everything dependent on the property. Visit for golf or a resort day and sleep in town.
- Naga Central Bus Terminal perimeter
Transient first properties in a noisy highway setting. Use the terminal for buses and sleep in Centro or at Robinsons instead.
Best restaurants in Naga
Geewan
An air conditioned karinderya for a first Bicolano plate of pinangat, laing and Bicol Express.
Kinalas Twin
A Dayangdang Street shop for kinalas, Naga's rich head broth noodle soup with scraped meat and egg.
Bigg's Diner
Bicol's own diner chain, founded in Naga, serving tenderloin tips, fried chicken and big breakfasts.
White Bean Café
A pastel Centro cafe for coffee, matcha and pasta, and the best pause on a heritage walk.
Bob Marlin Restaurant and Grill
Naga's famous reggae themed grill, where the order is crispy pata with grilled marlin and cold beer.
1st Colonial Grill
A Bicolano restaurant best known for sili ice cream in graded heat levels, plus pili and rice flavours.
Red Platter
Naga's celebration restaurant, a semi fine dining room with Bicolano twists like laing pizza.
Taste Of Spice Naga
Naga's highest rated restaurant, an Indian table that is a welcome change of pace and good for vegetarians.
Outdoor things to do in Naga
Malabsay Falls
A cold, clear waterfall pool in the Isarog forest, reached by a short path from Panicuason.
Mt. Isarog National Park
A protected volcano of mossy forest, best climbed with a local guide over one long day or two.
Panicuason Hot Spring Resort
Forest hot spring pools at different temperatures with a cold stream, at the foot of Mt. Isarog.
Camarines Sur Watersports Complex
A six hectare cable wakeboard park near Naga Airport, welcoming to beginners on quiet midweek days.
Ocampo Deer Farm
A five hectare farm at the foot of Isarog where visitors feed a large herd of rusa deer.
Atulayan Island
An off grid white sand island off Sangay that works as a day trip or a simple overnight.
Matukad Island
Caramoan's emblematic island, with white sand, limestone and a small hidden lagoon, best on an overnight trip.
Haciendas de Naga
Bicol's only golf course, an upland hacienda with a driving range and views over Naga City.
Best hotels in Naga
The Avenue Plaza Hotel
Naga's flagship hotel, with a two level infinity pool and the city's strongest service reputation.
UMA Hotel & Residences
A modern Magsaysay hotel with spacious rooms and Mt. Isarog views from the upper floors.
Villa Caceres Hotel
A long established Magsaysay hotel with a pool, gardens and a free airport shuttle.
Robertson Hotel
A consistent mid range hotel near Centro, a good default when Magsaysay hotels fill up.
Summit Hotel Naga
A modern chain hotel inside Robinsons Place Naga, with a pool, gym and mall on the doorstep.
NagaLand Hotel
A simple, long running Centro hotel by Plaza Rizal, unbeatable for the shrines and the festival.
Go Hotels Plus Naga
A clean, compact budget chain hotel in the Robinsons complex, best for drivers and early departures.
Is Naga expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₱1,800 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₱3,500 a person |
| Splurge | ₱7,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Mt. Isarog National Park: a few days ahead
- Matukad Island: weeks ahead
- The Avenue Plaza Hotel: weeks ahead
- Red Platter: a few days ahead
- Grissini Ristorante: a few days ahead
- Casa Soriano Family Heirloom Cuisine: a few days ahead
- Book Centro and Magsaysay hotels months ahead for Penafrancia week in September.
- Arrange an Isarog guide at least the day before a summit attempt and bring your own food and gear.
- Book Caramoan transport and island hopping boats before setting off, and plan it as an overnight.
Is Naga safe?
- Watch bags and phones in Penafrancia crowds and agree offline meeting points during the Traslacion.
- At Malabsay Falls the water is deep and the rocks are slippery, so do not swim alone.
- Expect leeches, sudden rain and steep dark roads on and around Mt. Isarog.
- In the wettest months flooding can disrupt low lying streets and intercity roads across Bicol.
Naga travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Old itineraries sending you to Sabang Port for a Caramoan passenger boat are outdated, so go by road.
- Eating only in SM City Naga mall branches means missing the Centro and Magsaysay food scene.
- Ordering sili ice cream at volcano heat as a dare rather than a taste rarely ends well.
- Treating Naga as a beach stop fails, because there is no beach in the city itself.
Getting around Naga: public transport and more
- Tricycles are the default hop around town, so agree the fare before you ride and keep small bills.
- Jeepneys run to Panicuason for the falls and hot springs, then a habal-habal covers the last stretch.
- Naga Airport is in Pili, roughly 30 to 40 minutes from central Naga by car.
- Hire a car or van through your hotel for CWC, Isarog trailheads and day trips, especially in rain.
Who Naga suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Naga your trip
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