Negros Occidental Tourist Spots
NEGROS OCCIDENTAL TOURIST SPOTS | BACOLOD, TALISAY, SILAY, MURCIA, DON SALVADOR BENEDICTO + PANAAD SA NEGROS FESTIVAL
Contents
Negros Occidental Tourist Spots | Travel Guide is an updated guide from a Negrense Travel Bloggers. This post covers the following cities and municipalities: Bacolod, Talisay, Silay, Murcia, Don Salvador + the province’s biggest festivity, Panaad sa Negros.
NEGROS OCCIDENTAL TOURIST SPOTS
Negros Occidental is one of the most visited provinces in Western Visayas, Philippines. Every summer, the guests flock to the Island to visit various attractions.
One of the popular activity which happened every summer in Negros Occidental is the Panaad sa Negros Festival which is held every month of April.
In this article, I will outline a travel guide for your Negros Occidental visit which will highlight the Panaad Festival plus Bacolod, Talisay, Silay, Murcia and Don Salvador Benedicto.
Similar to this travel guide I already posted a Travel Guide for Panaad sa Negros Festival plus famous attractions in the Northern Negros covering Sagay City and Cadiz City.
Please click here for Panaad sa Negros Festival + Sagay City (Carbin Reef and Suyac Island) and Cadiz City (Lakawon Island)
I also created various travel guides in Negros Occidental with itineraries:
Don Salvador Benedicto’s Kali-kalihan Festival during the Panaad sa Negros Festival (Negros Occidental Tourist Spot/Attraction)
Why visit the Panaad Sa Negros Festival
Panaad sa Negros Festival is the biggest festival in Negros Occidental organized by the Provincial government. It has its own permanent site located in Brgy Mansilingan, Bacolod City.
The Panaad site houses the Panaad Stadium and permanent villas showcasing the best of each municipality and cities. If you wish to see all the festivals in Negros Occidental, you should visit this festival especially the showdown of Festivals of the province.
Must-Read Travel Guides:
Negros Occidental Tourist Spots
Why Visit Murcia, Negros Occidental
Murcia is a Municipality very close to Bacolod City. It is home to Mambukal Mountain Resort which is favorite weekend destinations of locals and visiting tourists.
Must-Read Travel Guides:
Negros Occidental Tourist Spots
Why Visit Don Salvador Benedicto (Negros Occidental Tourist Spot)
Positioned to be the Tagaytay of Negros Occidental because of its colder climate and beautiful vistas.
Must-Read Travel Guides:
Why Visit Bacolod City, Negros Occidental
Panaad sa Negros Festival is held in Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod City. This is an apparent reason why Bacolod City is included in this travel itinerary.
Must-Read Guides:
- Bacolod Travel Guide
- 12 Things to do in Bacolod City
- 3-day Bacolod City Travel Guide
- Where to Eat in Bacolod City | List of Resturants
- Where to Stay in Bacolod City | List of Hotels
Negros Occidental Tourist Spot/Attraction: Campuestohan Highland Resort
Why Visit Talisay City (Negros Occidental Tourist Spots)
The first city from Bacolod if you are going towards the north. The place has many beautiful attractions including the famed – The Ruins.
Must-Read Guide:
- Talisay City Travel Guide
- The Ruins
- Balay ni Tana Dicang
- Guerrero Farm
- Minuluan Festival
- Campuestohan Highland Resort
Why Visit Silay City
Silay City is hosting the main Airport of Negros Occidental, the Silay-Bacolod Airport. The place is dubbed as the Paris of Negros because of its heritage houses that are well beautifully preserved.
Must-Read Guide:
- Silay Travel Guide
- Patag Travel Guide
- Ilaya Mountain Resort
- Melken’s Seafood
- Punong Gary’s Place
- Balay Negrense
Negros Occidental Tourist Spot/Attraction: Talisay City’s Minuluan Festival during the Panaad sa Negros Festival
Negros Occidental Tourist Spots: Bacolod, Talisay, Murcia, Salvador Benedicto, Bacolod City + Panaad sa Negros Festival Travel Itineraries
These travel itineraries require a minimum of 4 Days including travel in and out. This is just a guide, so feel free to tweak and make an improvement on your own itinerary for your visit.
Day 1. Arrival, Bacolod Quick City Tour, Panaad sa Negros
Important:
As much as possible get a trip which will enable you to arrive in Bacolod City very early to Bacolod and leave late in the afternoon maximize your trip.
Please refer to “How to get to Bacolod City” section below.
If you can manage to arrive very early, you can just proceed to your hotel and leave your things. While some hotels might accept you when you come early. Most accommodation facilities check-in time is between 12nn to 2 PM.
Suggested places to visit for a day in Bacolod City:
Morning Quick Tour:
San Sebastian Cathedral
Bacolod Public Plaza
Pope John Paul Tower
Manokan Country
Negros Museum
Bacolod Capitol Lagoon and Provincial Capitol
For this tour, you can take a taxi/grab from your hotel going to the San Sebastian Cathedral. This 19th Century Church is located right in the downtown area in Bacolod City.
Fronting the church is the Bacolod City Public Plaza. The landmark’s official name is Plaza del 6 de Noviembre ( Negros Occidental Tourist Spots), which was named after the historic surrender of the Negros Island by the Spaniards to the revolutionaries of Negros.
From the Public Plaza, you can have a short walk going to SM City wherein the Pope John Paul Tower can be found just at the back of the Mall. You can climb to the tower and see a beautiful view of the city.
After your visit to Pope John Paul Tower, you can relax a bit inside SM Mall or have your lunch at the Manokan country which is home to Bacolod’s Chicken Inasal. The Manokan Country is just outside SM City Mall.
After your lunch, you can proceed by visiting the Negros Museum and the Provincial Capitol. For more convenience, you can take a taxi as it is not very far or merely take a jeepney. Just ask people around on what jeepney to take, any Bacolodnon would surely love to help you.
The Provincial Capitol and Negros Museum are both Negros Occidental Tourist Spots. These two important structures are standing closely with each other. The new Ayala Mall is located at the back of Provincial Capitol. So you can buy should you need anything.
After your Provincial Capitol and Negros Museum tour, you might want to go back first to your hotel and freshen up or continue with your trip. I suggest that you get a hotel within the City proper so that it would be easy for you to jump from one place to another.
After, resting in your hotel, you might be ready again to continue with your Bacolod Tour and your Panaad Festival visit.
The best time to visit the Panaad Festival is late in the afternoon towards the evening because it’s warmer and humid during the day.
So before you proceed to the Panaad site in Mansilingan, you can visit first our gallery, the Jojo Vito Designs Gallery. Our place is home to Bacolod Masskara Festival’s Masks. You can see in the place a multitude of masks ranging from the giant sizes masks displayed in the area down to the smallest magnet and key holder masks.
From the Jojo Vito Designs Gallery, you can take a taxi or ask them where to grab a jeepney going to Panaad site. I suggest that you save your energy by taking a cab since you will be walking a lot at the Panaad site. Panaad site is not very far from the gallery so the taxi fare wouldn’t be that much.
The taxi driver will drop you somewhere very close to the entrance of the site as there will surely be a lot of people visiting the festival and vehicles may not be allowed to enter.
I suggest that you eat your dinner at the Panaad sa Negros site and experience various Negrense delicacies. All cities and municipalities have their beautiful pavilions showcasing the best of their places and of course their special delicacies.
After your Panaad Festival Tour, just ask people from any of the Pavilions where to get transportation going back to your hotel.
Day 2. Negros Occidental Tourist Spots in Talisay and Murcia
For this trip you will need to rent a car should you wish to have a convenient and faster trip to Mambukal especially if you are visiting with a small group. However, Mambukal Mountain Resort can also be reached via public transportation. Jeepney Terminal for Murcia is located at Libertad market Bacolod City. Travel time from Bacolod to Murcia would take 30-45 minutes.
There are restaurants offering food in Mambukal, so you need not worry about your food.
If you plan to visit The Ruins after this visit, It would be best to get back to Bacolod at around 3 PM.
If you rented a car, the driver could bring you straight to the Ruins which is located in Talisay City. However, if you are traveling by public transport, you need to take a taxi to go to the Ruins. No public jeepneys are going to the place. It is also recommended that you ask your driver to wait for you when visiting the Ruins so that you will have a vehicle going back to your hotel afterward.
Day 3. Negros Occidental Tourist Spots in Don Salvador Benedicto
Don Salvador Benedicto can be reached via Ceres Bus which is passing the place on its way to Cebu. However, it would be difficult to get to various spots in Don Salvador if you have no car. It is highly recommended to rent a car when visiting the place.
Day 4. Negros Occidental Tourist Spots in Silay City, Going Home
This is your last day for this tour. Again, the airport in Negros Occidental is located in Silay City. So if your trip is in the afternoon, it would be best to have a quick tour around the city with its famous heritage houses and food destination.
From Bacolod City, take a jeepney bound for Bata and ask the driver to drop you to the jeepney terminal going to Silay City. You can ask the driver to drop you at the plaza of Silay. If it is on a weekday, it would be best to drop by the tourism office which is also located near the public plaza and ask for a map or list of heritage houses that you can visit. If you are not hiring a guide, you can also take a trike to bring you around.
There are also many places to eat in Silay City.
Negros Occidental Tourist Spot/Attraction: Kabankalan City’s Udyakan Festival during Panaad sa Negros Festival
How to Get to Bacolod City
Please click the link, for various ways to get to Bacolod City, Negros Occidental.
Negros Occidental Tourist Spot/Attraction: Jojo Vito Designs Gallery
2 Days tour in Negros Occidental
DAY 1: Arrival in Talisay/Bacolod
The Ruins (Talisay City)
San Sebastion Cathedral
Negros Museum
Bacolod Capitol Lagoon
Manokan Country (Lunch)
Calea
Campuestohan Highland Resort
DAY2: Sipalay City
Bugana beach and Dive Resort
(Island Hopping, Kayaking and Paddle boarding, Snorkeling)
We support Panaad!
thanks for the updates of panaad activities…. i am a photographer and that schedule will help me… thanks a lot
welcome don, hope you can share in this blog your photos of Panaad 🙂