Traveling to Vigan
Vigan is very accessible. For those who would like to visit the sights and experience life in this UNESCO World Heritage Site, they can opt to avail of either land or air transportation. From Manila, cars and buses travel on 400 kilometers of road that go through the quaint towns of Northern Luzon, until they reach this oldest existing Spanish colonial center in the Philippines. Travel by land takes around seven hours. Passengers may choose from a number of bus lines that regularly service travelers to Vigan — Aniceto Transportation, Dominion Bus Corp., Partas Trans. Co., Maria de Leon Transit and the Philippine Rabbit Bus Line. These bus lines also bring passengers directly to Baguio and Laoag, and back to Manila.
The Dominion Bus Line, Partas Bus Company and Philippine Rabbit Bus Line all have a bus station in Cubao, Quezon City. Passengers in the Manila area can take their ride at the Philippine Rabbit Bus station in Rizal Avenue or at the Maria de Leon Transit station in Sampaloc. For those who want to travel fast, there are regular flights to and from the Laoag International Airport by Philippine Airlines. From the Laoag Airport, passengers need to spend around one and a half hours in commuting to Vigan. The distance from Laoag to Vigan is 80 kilometers. There is a secondary airport in Brgy. Mindoro, but it is only currently being used by private planes and chartered ones.
Once visitors arrive in Vigan, they will have plenty of choices when it comes to transportation. There are jeepneys, tricycles and calesas or horse-drawn carriages to bring people around the city. The tricycle transport system is color-coded according to the municipality that they operate in. For places of interest a little off Metro Vigan, there are mini-bus lines in operation. Vigan has around 39 barangays, but its historic, recreation and shopping areas are located within a relatively small area that one might even want to just walk around instead. The well-preserved Spanish architecture can be seen from Plaza Burgos, down to the streets of Plaridel and Crisologo, going towards the cemetery. Plaza Burgos is also a great area for shopping, as well as Plaza Salcedo.
However, going around Vigan in a calesa is most recommended as it gives visitors the feeling of being transported back to the Spanish period. Calesas charge about 150 pesos per hour.
It is best to visit the provincial tourist information office near Plaza Burgos, just beside Café Leona to get maps and helpful information on the other must-visit places and how to get there. Once visitors have planned the sights they want to go to, they can best plan to walk or choose from the many kinds of rides available.