Places to Visit When You are in Ilocos, Norte

Are you planning to explore the Philippines but couldn't decide yet where to begin at? Hmmm, why don't you start on the northern part? From the top. How about in Ilocos Region? At Ilocos Norte! Ilocos Norte is roughly a 10-hour drive away from Manila and 45 minutes if traveled by air. The province has a land area of no more than 3,500 square kilometers and composed of 22 municipalities which are characterized by amazing beaches, rock formations, old churches and more. This province is not only known for scenic landscapes but also for its rich history and culture.

How to get there?

By land, there are several bus lines that serves Manila-Laoag route. Some of these bus companies are Partas Trans, Autobus and RCJ buses. As what I stated above, travel time is more or less 10 hours. If you're not into long hours of drive or commute, you may book a flight at Philippine Airlines and/or Cebu Pacific. These airlines have daily Manila-Laoag-Manila flights.

As for this blog post, I'll try to cover some of unique tourist destinations and a must-visit spots in Ilocos Norte. Ready? Lets go!

The Church of Saint Augustine of Paoay, Ilocos Norte

The Church of Saint Augustine, commonly known as the Paoay Church, started its constructions in the year 1694 and was completed in 1710 in the province of Ilocos Norte. It is a supreme model of an Earthquake Baroque church which is designed to withstand earthquakes as Philippines’ has a reputation of an earthquake-prone country during that time.

Ever since I've been stung by the travel bug, I have been wanting to see Paoay Church. Just seeing the photos of this church in the internet and different SNS makes me wonder what more does it looks like up close and in-person. That's why when me and my friends booked a flight to this province, Paoay Church is one of the spots I've been looking forward to see. And when I was there already, it doesn't disappoint me. The beautiful structure and the mix of Gothic, Baroque and Oriental designs of this church makes me fall in love with it. This is by far the number 1 church on my list.