Intramuros at Night (Walking Tour) 2023

Intramuros boasts great aesthetics with its historical architectures confined within its walls, amidst the bustling metro. The daylight promises a retrospect of the long gone decades but with significant stories of the past etched in the buildings, walls and stone paths which have withstood various catastrophe and the test of time. Every door, every gate is open to the curious souls to give them a chance to time travel through the curated well-preserved artifacts, replica and monochromatic photographs on display.

Come dusk.

Postigo De La Nuestra Senora De Soledad

Darkness starts to fall and envelop the city. A different color of life unfolds a feast for the senses. Vibrancy reflects on the tranquility of the rivers. The architectures dramatically glow with all the installed lights. Some details are lost in the dark; others are revealed in the warm light.

Some museums and points of interest inside the walled city are open only up to 5:00 or 6:00 in the evening. However, There are ones that are open to public even up to late at night and some can be best enjoyed even just from the outside. Even the streets are promising at night making it an ideal spot for photo shoots. Below are the suggested spots in and out the walled city to look forward to on a DIY Intramuros at Night Walking Tour.

Fort Santiago was named after St. James the Moor-slayer also known as Santiago Matamoros. It used to be the Spanish Military Force’s headquarters in Manila in 1571. The fort was originally built out of wood, logs and earth until it was devastated by the Chinese lead by a pirate during the siege of Manila in 1574. During the Spanish occupation after the siege, it was reconstructed using volcanic ash. It served as a headquarter of the different foreign empires who colonized the Philippines including the  Spanish, British, Japanese and Americans.

Mondays to Sundays – 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM 

Regular – Php 75.00

Student/ Senior Citizen/ PWD – Php 50.00

At the gates of the American Military Barracks

The US Embassy recently collaborated with the Intramuros Administration in commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Manila. A gallery with the theme “Allies for Freedom” showing portraits of Filipino and American Courage during World War II was launched on March 4, 2020 and it will be up until May 31, 2020.

Important Historical Points inside Fort Santiago
1. Plaza Moriones
2. Baluartillo De San Francisco Javier
3. Reducto de San Francisco Javier
4. Guadalupe Chapel
5. Marty’s wall
6. Moat & Bridge
7. Fort Santiago Gate
8. Baluarte de San Miguel
9. Plaza Armas
10. Rizal Shrine
11. Dungeons
12. White Cross
13. Baluarte de Santa Barbara
14. iMake History Fortress Learning Center
15. Falsabraga Media Naranja
16. Falsabraga Santa Barbara
17. Postigo De La Nuestra Senyora de Soledad
18. Rajah Sulayman Theatre
19. Medio Baluarte de San Francisco
20. Almacenes Reales

One of the recently sought after point of interest inside Intramuros is the dungeons. It was restored and recently opened to the public. It is situated at Baluarte de Santa Barbara, by the bay area of Fort Santiago.

The dungeons was initially a storage area of ammo and gunpowder during the Spanish occupation. However, the tunnel was usually damp which makes it not an ideal place to store gun powder; hence, it was turned into a prison cell instead. During World War II, particularly, the Japanese occupation in the country, around six hundred people were said to be left to die inside this dungeon. These bodies were buried en mass at the area just outside, where the white cross stood.

A statue of a Japanese from the Imperial Force guarding the dungeons

The visitors are requested to tone their voices down and treat the place with respect.

Every corner of the dungeons are lit. The passageways are low-beam.

included in the Fort Santiago Entrance fee

After the Dungeon experience, you may want to hang out for a bit at the bay area as it the view couldn’t be more lovely at night! The city lights from the skyscrapers reflecting on the calm surface of Pasig River is quite a view that is not to be missed.

Manila Cathedral, also known as Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, was built during the Spanish era specifically in 1571. It withstood catastrophic events since then including wars, typhoons, fires and earthquakes.

Though the church is closed at night, the patio in front is quite a place to hang out to admire Manila Cathedral’s facade. However, its lights are turned off too at around 9:00 or 10:00 PM. Best time to visit and witness Manila Cathedral from the outside is around 6:00 PM – when the sky is not completely pitch black yet. The sky melting into pink and blue shades is quite a back drop for the facade with the lights on. You may want to take note of Manila Cathedral’s mass schedule shall you want to see the church from the inside.

Mondays to Fridays – 7:30 AM and 12:10 NN

Saturday – 7:30 AM

Sunday – 7:00 AM, 8:30 AM, 10:00 AM, 11:30 AM, 6:00 PM

After exploring the whole of Intramuros, you may also want to walk outside to see and cross the Pasig River through the William George A. Jones Memorial Bridge or simply, the Jones Bridge. The P20 million worth of restoration of this historical bridge is said to be part of Manila Mayor Francisco  ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso’s mission to preserve the historical and cultural heritage of the city. In the last quarter of 2019, the fully restored Jones Bridge, with great consideration of its original design, was inaugurated.

At the end of Jones Bridge lies the Filipino-Chinese Friendship Arc of Binondo, Manila – the China Town of the Metro. A new one was built but the old arc remained intact just a few meters behind the taller and grander one. The new arc shines brightly at night as it has colorful light installations.

Refrain from trying to take photos and posing at the middle of the arc especially when there are vehicles passing through.

Liwasang Bonifacio Musical Dancing Fountain

Fountain Show at Liwasang Bonifacio Photo by Jameson Go

One of the best ways to end the Walking Tour is through witnessing the Dancing Fountain Show at Liwasang Bonifacio. The 15-minute Musical Water and Light Show happens everyday from 6:30 PM to 10:30 PM. Fountain closes at 12:00 AM. Below is the schedule of the Fountain Show:

6:30 PM
7:30 PM
8:30 PM
9:30 PM
10:30 PM

Intramuros can be best enjoyed through a DIY Walking tour or through Bambike. Bambike Ecotours offer a tour from the sunset that extends to an evening cycling tour around Intramuros. You can book your Intramuros trip with Bambike Ecotours here.

Where to Eat

Sample Intramuros at Night Walking Tour Itinerary

After visiting the historical and cultural spots, we roamed around the streets of Intramuros