How to Get To Silay City

From Manila, Silay is 50 minutes and 30 minutes from Cebu by plane. Three airline companies fly daily (10 flights) from Manila and Cebu. Silay City is also accessible via Bacolod from Manila (18 hours) and by fast craft from Iloilo (50 min.) From Bacolod, Silay City can be reached within 10 minutes. There are taxis and public transportations available

By land via "Roll-on, Roll-off" from Cebu, Silay is approximately six to eight hours away.

Best Time Of The Year to Go and Why

1. Summer (March-May, best time for walking tours around the historic city center)

Major Destinations And Cultural Activities

1. Hugyaw kay Kansilay Festival and Charter Day Celebration (June 6-12)
2. Commemoration of the Cinco de Noviembre Revolution and Fiesta de San Diego (November 5-13)
3. Silay Christmas Village and Festival (December 6-January 6)

Must Do’s In The City

1. Eat. Drop by El Ideal Bakery, the oldest in the City and savor the best delicacies Silay has to offer or visit the home of Emma Lacson and sample her bestseller Fresh Lumpia de Silay and pili squares. The feast of gastronomic delights continues in the lore of the manug-libod or street vendor, selling Silay’s traditional delicacies passed down from generation to generation. Or better yet, catch up and feast at the early morning barter-trade at the side of the public market for a truly Silaynon experience. If you want to have a quick escape from the bustle of the city, there’s the seaside Barangay Balaring. Its sought after shoreline restaurants offer the freshest seafood. Find time to see the Balaring Mangrove Rehabilitation Project, a canopy of mangrove tree species accessed by bamboo bridges that culminates in a tower, providing breathtaking views of the Guimaras Strait
2. Pray. Designed by Italian architect Lucio Bernasconi in 1920, the San Diego cathedral’s silver-colored Byzantium dome was inspired by St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Its architectural grandeur and treasury of religious art are testaments to the people of Silay’s deep faith and religiosity. The ruins of the old church whose foundations date back to 1776, is located at the back of the present church and is now an adoration chapel.
3. Love. Thirty twokilometers from the City proper is Barangay Patag. An adventurer’s complete getaway, this eco -tourism destination has a lot to offer. From over a hundred waterfalls noteworthy are Pulang Tubig and Dumalabdab that will bring you to the brim of excitement. For the more adventurous, a long trek to enchanted Tinagong Dagat, an open space in the middle of lush forests and high peaks will surely test the spirit. But it is not all endurance and thrills in Patag, for the less adventurous, a quite dip in the pool fed by spring water or a picnic will always be the perfect time to bond with family and friends.
4. Observe and Imagine as thepast comes alive in the architecture and fine craftsmanship of Silay City’s 29 surviving ancestral homes, all recognized by the National Historical Commission. A confluence of foreign and local ingenuity, these palatial dwellings tell the tale of an era made sweeter by the sugar produced and the colorful life lived. It is sugar that made Silay one of the richest towns in the country and the hacienderos spared no expense in the construction and furnishing of their homes.
5. Observe and Imagine as thepast comes alive in the architecture and fine craftsmanship of Silay City’s 29 surviving ancestral homes, all recognized by the National Historical Commission. A confluence of foreign and local ingenuity, these palatial dwellings tell the tale of an era made sweeter by the sugar produced and the colorful life lived. It is sugar that made Silay one of the richest towns in the country and the hacienderos spared no expense in the construction and furnishing of their homes.

For more travel information, please contact the Silay City Tourism Office, Negros Occidental, Philippines at telephone nos. (63-34) 495-5553 and fax at tel. nos. (034) 495-0848. Email at silaycity_tourism@yahoo.com. Like Silay City in Facebook, search Silay City.

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