Cebu Province Ultimate Travel Guide

Blog Updated on June 3, 2025 by Aldrick ‘chiki’ Agpaoa

Being one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Philippines, Cebu Province still is one of the places to beat when it comes to tourist activities and tourist spots – for me at least! As this is my 1st province in my personal quest for #Project82PH, going back here is always a surprise. Here’s how you can go round and about this province!

Cebu Province Overview

Dubbed as “The Gateway to a Thousand Journeys,” Cebu is one of the largest and the most popular provinces in the Visayas Island group. This is the central hub connecting almost all the provinces and islands in the Visayas and is a melting pot of the Visayan culture. The province consists of 44 municipalities, 3 independent cities, and 6 component cities. It is also home to the oldest image of the Child Jesus (Santo Niño de Cebu), home to the popular Lechon Cebu, birthplace of the Sinulog Festival, and home to the oldest street in the Philippines (Calle Colon).

Read more: Things to do in Cebu (during a layover) 

Best time to travel to Cebu

There are generally two seasons in the province: the dry season (November to May) and wet season (June to October). The best months to go to Cebu is from March to May where the temperature is bearable to warm at times, with the least probabilities of rain. The temperature range is from 27-30 °C (81-86 °F).

How to get to Cebu

By Air

As the province is the premier gateway to the Visayas, there are numerous domestic and international flights going in and out of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (IATA: CEB). Here are destinations flying in and out of CEB:

Domestic Flights

LUZON	VISAYAS	MINDANAO
Clark	Bacolod	Butuan
Coron (Busuanga)	Boracay (Caticlan)	Cagayan de Oro (Laguindingan)
El Nido	Borongan	Camiguin
Legazpi (Daraga)	Calbayog	Davao
Manila	Catarman	Dipolog
Masbate	Dumaguete	General Santos
Puerto Princesa	Iloilo	Ozamiz
	Tacloban	Pagadian
		Siargao (Del Carmen)
		Surigao
		Zamboanga

International Flights (Direct)

Bangkok (Don Mueang)

Busan

Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)

Hong Kong

Osaka (Kansai)

Seoul (Incheon)

Shanghai (Pudong)

Singapore

Taipei

Tokyo (Narita)

The airlines that service Mactan-Cebu International Airport are: Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Philippines AirAsia, Air Busan, Asiana Airlines, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, EVA Air, Jeju Air, Jetstar, Jin Air, Korean Air, Scoot, Starlux Airlines, and United Airlines. MCIA is a major aviation hub and one of the busiest airports in the Philippines.

By Land

Traveling in and around Cebu province is easy. There are a lot of transportation options to choose from. The most popular of which are the multicabs (smaller version of the jeepney) with a minimum fare of ₱ 13-15 pesos, depending on your destination. Within the Metro, there are also tricycles (minimum fare at ₱ 15) and taxis (flagdown rate starts at ₱ 50) around. For long distance routes, there are public buses (minimum fare at ₱ 15 for the first 5 kilometers) and transport vans, i.e. “black bus” and “UV Express” that go in and around the municipalities and cities of the island. There are also TNVS services (ride-hailing apps) available on the island – Grab, Angkas, InDrive, and MoveIt.

The roads in and around the province are generally paved, with some land pavements in rural and remote areas.

By Water

Since Cebu is an island province, it is also a major naval transport hub in the Visayas. It services mostly all the provinces in the area, including some ports in Mindanao and Luzon. Here are some of the destinations that service the Port of Cebu and other ports found in the province:

Agusan Del Norte (Butuan (Masao), Nasipit)	Lanao Del Norte (Iligan)	Samar (Calbayog, Catbalogan)
Biliran (Naval)	Leyte (Bato, Baybay, Hilongos, Ormoc, Palompon)	Siquijor (Larena)
Bohol (Getafe, Tagbilaran, Talibon, Tubigon, Ubay)	Manila	Southern Leyte (Maasin)
Cebu (Argao, Danao, San Francisco, Sta. Fe)	Masbate	Surigao Del Norte (Surigao)
Dumaguete	Misamis Occidental (Oroquieta, Ozamiz, Plaridel)	Zamboanga Del Norte (Dapitan, Dipolog)
Iloilo	Misamis Oriental (Cagayan de Oro)

Things to know when visiting Cebu

Land Area	4,943.72 km2 (1,908.78 mi2) *slightly bigger than the US State of Rhode Island
GPS Coordinates	10°19′N, 123°45′E
Languages / Dialects spoken	Filipino English Cebuano Forohanon Bantayanon
Cellular Signal	Globe (excellent to fair) Smart (excellent to good) Dito (good to fair (in rural areas))
Socket Standard, Voltage (V), Frequency (Hz)	Socket Type A (2 flat parallel prongs) Socket Type B (2 flat parallel prongs and grounding pin) 220 V 60 Hz
Modes of Payment	Cash / Online Transfer (GCash, Maya, etc.) / Debit and Credit Card
Currency used	Philippine Peso (PH₱)

Dishes and delicacies found in Cebu

“Probinsiya sa Sugbo” is a melting pot of cultures, a wide array of dishes and delicacies also abound in the province. Here are some of the famous (and delicious) dishes and delicacies that you can try when visiting the province!

Dishes

Cebu Lechon

If there is one food synonymous to the island province – it is definitely Cebu Lechon! One of the most celebrated foods found here is this slow roasted pig filled with unique herbs and spices that will give you a crisp and flavorful meat. This is one of the must-trys when visiting Sugbo!

Pork Humba

Nilarang Bakasi

Danggit

Your Cebu trip would not be complete if you have not tried even one of these popular Cebuano delicacies! I suggest you do a mini food crawl, especially around downtown CEB!

Delicacies

Binignit

Akin to the tagalogs’ ginataang bilo-bilo, Binignit is a hearty merienda made with several fruits and tubers slowly cooked in coconut milk. This delicacy is popular in the Visayas islands.

Ngohiong (similar to lumpia)

Dried Mangoes

Pintos

Ginabot (Chicharong Bulaklak)

Pinaypay na Saging (Banana Fritters)

Puto Sikwate

Rosquillo

Masareal

Otap

Ampao

Cebu Province Photos

To keep you enticed about this popular province, here are some photos from my most recent to my previous trips.

Turista Boy Trivia: Cebu is the very first province I have visited outside Luzon (25 March 2011) as part of my college field trip and is the precursor for me to pursue and continue my #Project82PH!

We’re born to travel!