Mandaue

Mandaue is a city in the Philippines, part of Metro Cebu. Mandaue is just north of Cebu City and, like that city, it is on Cebu Island. Just off the coast opposite Mandaue is Mactan Island with the city of Lapu-Lapu on it. From Mandaue two bridges lead to Lapu-Lapu and several good (if sometimes jammed) roads go to Cebu.

Understand
Mandaue is the least glamorous and least touristed of the three cities that make up the core of Metro Cebu, though it has quite a few resident foreigners because its housing costs are lower.

Cebu City is the main center, with better shopping and a wider range of hotels and restaurants, and Lapu-Lapu has the airport and quite a few high-end resorts and condos. Mandaue is mostly residential and industrial; quite a few people live there and commute to work in Cebu.

On the other hand, Mandaue has almost 365,000 people (2020), so it does have all the services one might expect in a medium-sized city anywhere. There are even a few resorts along its coast.

Climate
Like the rest of the Philippines, Mandaue has a tropical climate. It has considerable risk of typhoons, though not as much as some other areas of the country. See Metro_Cebu for more detail.

Get in
The main airport of the region is Mactan-Cebu International Airport in Lapu-Lapu, and the main port is in Cebu City. Mandaue is easily reached by bus, taxi or jeepney from either.

Metro Cebu has two major long-distance bus terminals, the north terminal in Mandaue and south terminal in Cebu City.

Get around
See the Metro Cebu article for general information on getting around within the urban area that Mandaue is part of.

Within the town, most people travel by taxi or jeepney. Motorcycle rideshare by Angkas and car rideshare by Grab are also popular.

Go next
Mandaue is located between Cebu City and Lapu-Lapu and well connected to both by road; getting to either by taxi or jeepney is easy. Another possibility quite nearby is Olango Island, with birdwatching and diving, reached by ferry from Lapu-Lapu.

Going beyond those, anywhere on Cebu Island is readily accessible by road, and there are many buses. Metro Cebu has two main long distance bus terminals; the north terminal is in Mandaue and the south terminal in Cebu City.

For other modes of travel, Metro Cebu is the main hub for the Visayas region and has connections to many cities outside that region. Mactan-Cebu International Airport is in Lapu-Lapu. For travel by sea, the main port is in Cebu City.