Manila/Ermita

Ermita is a district in downtown Manila, the capital city of the Philippines.

Understand
Ermita takes its name from a hermitage (ermita in Spanish) containing a 16th-century image of Nuestra Señora de Guia that once stood on the site of today's Ermita Church.

Under American rule, this district became Manila's equivalent of Capitol Hill, with many important government structures rising around the large greensward of Luneta (now Rizal Park). Some of these government units have since moved out and the buildings turned into exhibition space for the National Museum and its sister institution, the Museum of the Filipino People (which occupy the old legislative building and the old Finance Department building, respectively).

By train
Ermita is served by three railway stations, all on the LRT Line 1. From the southernmost station, moving north towards the river:
 * Pedro Gil (on Taft Avenue). Near the Philippine General Hospital.
 * United Nations (on Taft Avenue). Near Rizal Park, the Supreme Court, and the National Bureau of Investigation compound.
 * Central Terminal (on Arroceros Street). Near Mehan Garden, the Manila Metropolitan Theatre, the Manila City Hall, and the eastern walls of Intramuros.

By water bus
The Pasig River Ferry stops at Quezon Bridge (Lawton) station, near - you guessed it - Quezon Bridge, which is not far from Liwasang Bonifacio and the old Metropolitan Theatre. The ferry service has reported to be suspended for an indefinite period.

By taxi
Taxis from Ninoy Aquino International Airport will cost you a poverty-inducing unless you insist on taking a car with driver from any of the rental car companies. Fares on the official yellow metered airport taxis starts at, but beware: some airport taxi drivers place meter tampering devices (batingting) to double the fare and extort money from unwary travellers. Regular metered taxis are also legitimate and can be had just by walking away from the airport a bit. As with the ride from the domestic airport, barring severe traffic, a trip to Ermita should not cost more than.

Do
Take a walk up and down Adriatico street. Bars, restaurants and some pretty nice sidewalk cafes.

Eat

 * Dads Saisaki Kamayan, 523 Merchant Bldg., Padre Faura St., +63 2 8528 1723. Kamayan literally means to eat with your hands in Filipino. Their native buffet has a wide range of Filipino food to offer for just under 10 US$/person. Specialties include the lechon (suckling pig) and grilled seafood. Kamayan also has branches in Makati and Quezon City and is usually located alongside its sister restaurants Dad's (Western food buffet) and Saisaki (Japanese food buffet).

Drink
There are bars and nightclubs literally left and right. Go bar hopping. If you're into strip clubs, they got those too.

L.A. Cafe - The district's biggest 'meat market'. It's open 24 hours per day. Two floors, live bands/music, TV screens. Good food, drinks and music.

Connect
The international telephone country code for the Philippines is 63. The area code for Metro Manila (including Ermita) is 2.

Go next
Within sight of Rizal Park is Ermita's famous next-door neighbour, the historic walled city of Intramuros.