Photograph: Plaza Salcedo, Vigan by Luzviminda7641, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Vigan is the capital of Ilocos Sur, on the west coast of Luzon facing the South China Sea, and its historic centre has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1999. It is a town for walking: a grid of streets lined with two storey houses of brick and wood, two long plazas, a cathedral and horse drawn carriages. Packing for Vigan means packing for long days on foot in heat and humidity, for a wet season that brings typhoons, and for a long journey north from Manila to get there.
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The photograph above shows Plaza Salcedo: an open, paved square framed by two yellow stairways with white balustrades, a statue of a man in a suit on a tall stepped plinth at the centre, a railed basin behind it, and a cream building with arched windows on the right under a sky full of broken cloud.
What the frame cannot show is the street Vigan is famous for. Calle Crisologo and its ancestral houses, the kalesas, the cathedral and its separate bell tower, Plaza Burgos and its food stalls, the fountain running at night and the potteries of Pagburnayan are all absent from it. The town's character is in the streets south of it.
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What Is Here: The Listing in UNESCO's Own Words
UNESCO's own description of why it inscribed Vigan is the best short summary of the place: "Established in the 16th century, Vigan is the best-preserved example of a planned Spanish colonial town in Asia. Its architecture reflects the coming together of cultural elements from elsewhere in the Philippines, from China and from Europe, resulting in a culture and townscape that have no parallel anywhere in East and South-East Asia."
The listed area is small, 17.25 hectares, holding 233 historic buildings along a grid of 25 streets. Its heart is the Mestizo district, which UNESCO says was settled by affluent families of mixed Chinese and Ilocano origin. Their houses are two storeys of brick and wood with steep roofs that recall Chinese architecture, and the upper floors are enclosed by sliding wooden window panels set with kapis shell instead of glass. Merchants traded from the ground floor and lived above, and UNESCO dates most of the buildings to between the mid eighteenth and late nineteenth centuries. It also notes that very few houses remain untouched inside, so expect shops, cafes and guesthouses behind old facades.
The town was a trading post for Chinese merchants before the Spanish arrived, and the Spanish captured and settled it in 1572 under the conquistador Juan de Salcedo, whose name the plaza in our photograph carries. Plaza Salcedo forms the long arm of an L shaped open space, with Plaza Burgos as the short arm, and the cathedral, the Archbishop's Palace, City Hall and the Provincial Capitol stand around them. Plaza Salcedo was also where the resistance leader Gabriela Silang was publicly hanged in 1763, after she took up the uprising her murdered husband had led. Today it holds a dancing fountain.
Calle Crisologo, the Cathedral and the Crafts
Calle Crisologo is the street most visitors come for, paved in stone setts and lined with preserved ancestral houses, with kalesas, the horse drawn carriages, working the historic district. Some of its houses burned during the Japanese occupation and were later rebuilt faithfully to their old design. Walk it twice, once early in the morning and once after dark.
The cathedral was built by the Augustinians around 1790 in the style known as earthquake baroque, designed to limit earthquake damage, with its eight sided bell tower standing apart to the south. That design has been tested: a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on 27 July 2022 damaged the cathedral and some of the old houses.
Two crafts are worth seeking out. At Pagburnayan, potters make burnay, the earthenware jars Vigan is known for, and at least one workshop lets visitors try their hand. The Padre Burgos House, part of the National Museum's regional complex, holds an exhibition of abel, the Ilocano woven cloth. The Syquia Mansion was the Vigan home of President Elpidio Quirino, who was born in the town.
Eat at Plaza Burgos, where stalls sell the Vigan empanada, a turnover of egg, local longganisa sausage and vegetables in a crisp rice flour shell. The longganisa itself is spicy, unlike some others in the country. The streets around Plaza Burgos are closed to motor traffic at weekends, depending on the weather.
When to Go
Vigan has a clear dry season from November to April and a wet season from May to October, according to the encyclopaedia, which also gives average humidity at around 81 per cent and seven to ten typhoons reaching the town in a year. The FCDO says around 20 typhoons hit the Philippines each year, mostly between June and November, and tells you to follow local authorities and track storms through PAGASA, the state weather agency. For walking the old town, the dry months are much easier.
Festivals fill the calendar. The Longganisa Festival around 22 January brings street dancing along Calle Crisologo, followed by the fiesta of Saint Paul on 25 January, and the Viva Vigan festival in the first week of May has exhibitions and a kalesa parade. Book ahead for either.
Getting There and Getting Around
Vigan is a long way from Manila: the traveller guide puts the drive at seven to ten hours, and several bus companies run the route. The nearest international airport is at Laoag, about an hour and a half away by car. The FCDO notes that road accidents are frequent and that safety standards on buses can be low, and advises against driving at night or in bad weather if possible, so a day bus with a reputable company is the sensible choice.
Within the town, you will walk, take a tricycle or ride a kalesa. Agree the price and the route before you climb into either, and choose a kalesa whose horse looks well cared for. On arrival in the country, the FCDO says UK visitors can stay up to 30 days without a visa but must register on the free e-travel system within 72 hours before arriving.
Is Vigan Safe for Women Travelers
Vigan is in northern Luzon, and nothing in Luzon is advised against. UK FCDO: the Philippines carries both grades of warning and the geography is entirely southern. ALL TRAVEL is advised against to WESTERN AND CENTRAL MINDANAO and the SULU ARCHIPELAGO. ALL BUT ESSENTIAL TRAVEL is advised against to the remainder of Mindanao, EXCEPT FOR CAMIGUIN ISLAND, DINAGAT ISLAND AND SIARGAO ISLAND, which the FCDO names as exceptions. The reason given is terrorist activity and clashes between the military and insurgent groups in the south. NOTHING NORTH OF MINDANAO IS RESTRICTED: Luzon, the Visayas and Palawan carry no advise-against at all, which is to say that almost everything a visitor plans is available. Read the advisory yourself before you book, because it is the geography rather than the grade that decides a trip here.
The FCDO also says terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks anywhere in the Philippines, naming places of worship and public transport among the kinds of places at risk, which in Vigan means ordinary alertness at busy festivals and in the cathedral rather than avoidance.
The FCDO records high levels of street crime and robbery, sometimes involving weapons and firearms, and it names the transport specifically: ARMED HOLD-UPS ON JEEPNEYS AND BUSES happen, particularly in Manila and other large cities, and in some cases have been fatal. On taxis it is blunter still, saying to use only a reputable company because SOME TAXI DRIVERS AND THEIR ACCOMPLICES HAVE ROBBED AND HARMED PASSENGERS, and to consider a hotel transfer from the airport instead. The practical reading is that ride-hailing is the default here rather than a convenience: the fare is fixed, the route is tracked and the driver is identified. Do not display cash or jewellery, and keep a phone out of sight on public transport.
The FCDO's sexual assault section for the Philippines names places, and it is short enough to quote in full: British nationals have reported RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULTS in some locations popular with backpackers, INCLUDING CORON AND SIARGAO. That is a short list and it is specific, so it should be read as information rather than as a reason to avoid either place. The pattern it describes is the backpacker-town pattern this library has met in Turkey, Egypt and the Dominican Republic: harm reported inside the holiday, by someone met during it, rather than by a stranger in an unlit street. The countermeasures follow from that and are concrete. Keep your own room key and room number private. Do not accept transport offered by someone who approaches you, particularly a man presenting himself as a boat or motorbike driver. Treat a drink you did not watch being poured as a drink you do not finish, which is also the methanol point below. And tell someone where you are going on an island day trip, because the boats leave mobile coverage within minutes.
Methanol in spirits is a named and current FCDO warning, and it kills. The advisory records an increase in cases of serious illness caused by alcoholic drinks containing methanol in popular travel destinations, states that EVEN SMALL AMOUNTS OF METHANOL CAN KILL, and says plainly that IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO IDENTIFY METHANOL IN ALCOHOLIC DRINKS BY TASTE OR SMELL. So the usual advice to trust your senses does not apply and the only real protection is the source: bottled beer and wine opened in front of you, sealed bottles rather than decanted spirits, and scepticism about free-pour cocktails and buckets on a beach. The signs to act on are drowsiness, confusion, blurred or lost vision, and vomiting hours after drinking, and the instruction is urgent medical attention rather than sleep.
Vigan is a compact, walkable town where much of what you want to see is within a few streets, which makes it straightforward to manage alone. The FCDO says you must be able to show identification if police ask, so carry a printed copy of your passport photo page and leave the passport in a safe. It notes that the Bureau of Immigration has warned foreign nationals against joining protests, and that possession of even a small amount of any illegal drug carries a mandatory prison sentence. The FCDO also lists earthquakes as a risk across the country; in an old town of brick and tile, know how to get out of your guesthouse and into open space.
The Vigan Packing List
Our merino base layers are 100% Australian merino at 17.5 micron, and a long sleeve merino wool base layer for women works harder here than you might expect: it covers your shoulders in the cathedral, keeps the sun off on a midday walk, and is the layer you will want on a long, air conditioned bus north from Manila.
For Walking the Old Town
Stone setts are hard on feet over a full day, so pack shoes you have already walked in, with cushioned Darn Tough merino hiker socks that stay comfortable in heat. A wide brim sun hat matters in the open plazas, and a Columbia Benton Spring II long hoodie keeps the sun off your arms without the heat of a jacket.
For the Wet Season and the Bus
In the wet months a packable Marmot PreCip Eco rain jacket is worth carrying. For a seven to ten hour bus ride, an Eagle Creek Pack-It Cube set keeps what you need for the journey separate from the rest of your bag.
Mosquitoes
The FCDO lists dengue among the health risks in the Philippines, with the highest risk in the rainy season from June to October, so pack a DEET insect repellent spray and use it by day.
Not linked, and why. Sunscreen and sunglasses are unlinked because our affiliate register carries no sunscreen and no eyewear. We left out a dry bag link to stay within our six link limit; a plastic zip bag will keep a phone dry in a downpour.
Recommended Tours and Experiences
Essential Resources for Women in Vigan
Emergency services: 911 for ambulance, fire and police, according to the FCDO's getting help page.
Medical care: the Ilocos Sur Provincial Hospital Gabriela Silang, in Barangay Tamag, is the main public hospital in the city and the referral hospital for the province. The FCDO keeps a list of medical providers in the Philippines where some staff speak English. Carry insurance that covers treatment, evacuation and repatriation.
Tourist information: the traveller guide places a provincial tourist information office just south west of Plaza Burgos. The UNESCO description of the site is on its World Heritage listing page.
US State Department travel advisory: the Philippines advisory. Read the current level there directly rather than relying on a figure printed in any guide.
UK FCDO travel advice: gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/philippines, and read the safety and security page rather than only the landing page, because that is where the substance sits.
Official health authority: the Philippine Department of Health.
US Embassy: the United States Embassy in Manila, is in Manila, a long bus ride to the south.
Official tourism authority: the Philippine Department of Tourism, covers the whole country.
Solo women safety assessment: Vigan is a small, walkable heritage town that is straightforward to manage alone. The realistic risks are the long road from Manila, the heat, the wet season and typhoons, and the national warnings on robbery, methanol and assault. Travel by day bus, keep to busy streets after dark, keep your drink in sight, and agree fares before you ride. Emergency 911.
Takeaways
Come in the dry months, walk Calle Crisologo early and again after dark, and wear shoes that can handle stone setts all day. Eat empanada at Plaza Burgos. Take the day bus north, and keep a copy of your passport on you.
Reading On
Vigan is a long way north of the capital, so start with the Manila packing list. In the mountains to the east, the Baguio packing list, the Sagada packing list and the Banaue packing list cover the Cordillera, and the Batanes packing list the islands at the top of the country. For other old trading towns in the region, compare the Hoi An packing list and the Penang packing list. The Philippines packing list covers the whole country, the Philippines travel guide for women carries the islands, ferries and seasons in full, and the tropical travel packing list covers heat and humidity in general. For why one wool layer works on a cold bus and a hot plaza alike, read the guide to merino wool base layers for women, and every destination we cover is indexed at the travel packing guide for women. The base layers themselves are in the Roman Trail collection.
If the outer journey is calling you, the inner one usually is too. Explore SoulMap at romantrail.com/blogs/soulmap.
