Naga City, Camarines Sur. The Heart of Bicol.

The Heart of Bicol, this is what Naga City is. It is a vibrant city located in Camarines Sur, Bicol Region. I lived in this city for several years and Naga City was my home during my college years. I enjoy staying at this city and this is sort of my second home. This is where most of my friends live and this where I always go when I feel a little bit bored. You know, in Naga City there’s a lot of things to do. You’ll never run out of things to do while you’re in the city. I love this city because it’s a lively city. Most of the things that I want and need are available in this city. There are a lot of shops, malls, restaurants and other business establishments in the city.

Malabsay Falls, Brgy. Panicuason

Malabsay Falls, Brgy. Panicuason

Naga City is one of the oldest cities in the Philippines. In fact, it is one of the earliest Spanish settlements in the Philippines just like Cebu and Manila. Naga City is the third Spanish royal city in the Philippine islands, after Cebu and Manila. There are 3 Naga in the Philippines. One is in Cebu Province and the other one is in Zamboanga Sibugay province. Naga City in Camarines Sur province is considered as the Heart of the Bicolandia since it is strategically located in the center of the Bicol Region. Naga City is also the economic center of the Bicol Region. There are a lot of businesses and economic activities in Naga.

Naga City Public Market

Naga City PNR Station

Naga City is also the educational center of Bicol due to fact that there are a lot of universities and colleges located in Naga. Some of these schools are Ateneo De Naga University, University of Nueva Caceres and Universidad de Sta. Isabel. As a trivia, Universidad de Sta. Isabel is the first normal school for girls in the Philippines. This school was established in 1867.

The city has a lot of tourist destination and one them is the majestic Mt. Isarog, which is also shared amongst several other municipalities in Camarines Sur. One of the destinations in the city is the Malabsay Falls located in Barangay Panicuason, Naga City. A waterfall tucked in the lush forest of Mt. Isarog. An hour hike from Malabsay Falls is another waterfalls called Nabontolan Falls. There’s also a beautiful resort near Malabsay Falls, the Stonehouse Resort. If you don’t want the cold waters of the waterfalls, then you have that option to go to the nearby hotspring called Panicuason Hot Spring Resort. The last time that I got there, the entrance fee was 200 pesos per person and that was a year ago. Barangay Panicuason can be reached from the city proper by riding a jeepney bound for Panicuason. The travel time is about 30 minutes. And then in order to reach Malabsay falls, you’ll need to hike for at least 30 minutes.

Panicuason Hot Spring

There are also several resorts in Naga City. And if you go to the mountain barangays of Naga City, you’ll have several resorts to choose from. A new adventure park in Naga City is now operational. It is the Haciendas de Naga Adventure Park located in Barangay Carolina, Naga City. It is just a 20 minutes jeepney ride from downtown Naga City. The adventure has its pili tree plantation, a zipline, and a 9-hole golf course.

Peñafrancia Shrine

In downtown Naga City, you’ll have plenty of sites to visit and most of them are historical sites. Visit the Naga City Metropolitan Cathedral, the Basilica Minore, the San Francisco Church and the Penafrancia Shrine. Every third week of September, Naga City celebrates the Feast of Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia, popularly known as the Peñafrancia Festival in honor of Our Lady of Lady of Peñafrancia. This is one of largest religious festival in the Philippines. Hundreds of thousands of devotees and tourists flocks to the city from different parts of the world to witness and experience the fiesta. Most of the devotees flock to Naga City to visit Our Lady of Lady of Peñafrancia.

  

Plaza de Nueva Caceres

Basilica Minore

Basilica Minore

There are also a lot of restaurants and malls in the city. You can hop from one restaurant to another to satisfy your food cravings. The Magsaysay Avenue is one of the places where you can indulge on a food trip. There are a lot of restaurant to choose from. There are bicol cuisine, Filipino and international cuisine.  There are also lot of hotels in this city, and the hotel boom started when Camarines Sur, the CWC and Caramoan started gaining popularity in the tourism sector. And since Naga City is the nearest city from the airport, most tourists will drop by and stay at Naga City upon arrival at CamSur or before going out of Camarines Sur.

Surely, this city won’t disappoint you. And I can say that this city is also the busiest city in the Bicol Region. This is my second home and I love Naga City. So guys, if you’re planning for your next vacation, how about considering Naga City as your next destination.  You’ll surely love Naga City. As what Nagueños always say, “Dagos po kamo sa Maogmang Lugar.” Oh, by the way, dagos means welcome and maogma means happy.hehehehe!

Naga Metropolitan Cathedral

Plaza Quince Martires

Porta Mariae, Naga Metropolitan Cathedral

How to get to Naga City:

By Plane:

Cebu Pacific and Air Philippines have several daily flights to Naga Airport. From Naga Airport, located in the town of Pili, you can ride a bus, jeepney or a taxi bound for Naga City. The airport is about 15 to 30 minutes ride to Naga City. If you’ll be commuting to Naga City from the airport, then ride a pedicab going to the national highway, that’s about 5 to 10 minutes ride, the fare is 10 pesos. From the highway, there are a lot of jeepneys and buses bound for Naga City and you can choose what mode of transportation you want. For buses, the travel time is 20 to 30 minutes and the fare is 10 pesos.

By Bus:

From Manila, there are several buses bound to Bicol region. Ride a bus going to Naga City. There are a number of bus terminals in Cubao, Quezon City, that have buses bound for Naga City. There are also bus terminals in Pasay City, near Pasay Rotonda. The usual travel time from Metro Manila to Naga City is 8 to 10 hours. The fare ranges from 500 to 1200 pesos for air-conditioned buses and 350 to 500 pesos for non-airconditioned buses.

By Train:

The PNR has a daily train schedule for the Manila-Naga City route. The train departs at Tutuban Station in Manila every 6pm and 8:30pm and arrives at Naga City at around 4am the next day. The usual travel time is 10 to 12 hours. In Naga City, the train departs for Manila at around 6pm and 8:30pm also.