Hotels in Cebu

Cebu is the Philippines' oldest city and the main hub of the Visayas, the point where Magellan landed in 1521 and where Spanish rule in the archipelago began. Today it combines a busy urban centre with some of the country's most accessible diving and island-hopping.

In the city itself, Magellan's Cross and the Basilica del Santo Niño mark the colonial beginnings, and Fort San Pedro guards the old harbour. Most visitors quickly head out to the island: whale sharks at Oslob, the canyoneering and waterfalls at Kawasan near Badian, the sardine run and thresher sharks off Moalboal and Malapascua, and the white beaches of Bantayan.

Mactan Island, connected by bridge and home to the airport, holds the resort strip. Ferries from Cebu City reach Bohol in two hours, making the two islands an easy pairing on one trip.