Taal

Taal is a municipality of 61,000 people (2020) in Batangas. The old downtown (Poblacion) is noted for its Spanish colonial architecture, and is designated as a National Historical Landmark by the Philippine government.

Being about a two-hour drive from Metro Manila, Taal is an easy getaway from the concrete jungle and chaos there, a much closer alternative to the better-known heritage town Vigan. There are many tourist-oriented businesses; you may find a heritage house with a cafe or a bed and breakfast in it. Even the 7-Eleven store near the basilica is built in colonial-style architecture to blend with the surroundings.

Taal is just across a small river from the larger town of Lemery. Most of Taal, including the downtown, is inland on higher ground to the southeast, but Butong barangay is along the coast south of Lemery.

Understand
"Taal" can be ambiguous; it can also refer to Taal Volcano and the surrounding Taal Lake. This guide covers the town of Taal; the lake and volcano are covered separately as Taal Volcano.

This page also covers the smaller municipality of San Nicolas. The original Spanish town &mdash; founded by Augustinian friars in 1572 and the original capital of Batangas, then called Bonbon &mdash; was in that area and was destroyed by the 1755 eruption of Taal Volcano. After that, the capital was moved to what is now Batangas City, and a new town of Taal built near the Our Lady of Caysasay Shrine. The nearby municipality of San Nicolas was formed out of the northernmost barrios (present-day barangay) of Taal, on the south shores of Taal Lake.

Orientation
The downtown (Poblacion) area contains the historic landmarks, the major public market, and the town hall. The Taal-Lemery Bypass or Diversion Road runs along the hypoteneuse of an approximately right triangle where one of the other sides goes through downtown Taal and the third side through downtown Lemery. It is a developing area, with hotels and residential subdivisions. It also has a large new hospital; Lemery has others but Taal does not.

Along the highway between downtown Taal and Flying V are most of the balisong knife manufacturers. That area also has several new subdivisions.

Climate
Taal has a dry season between November and April, with precipitation for the rest of the year.

Get in
Travel from Manila to Taal takes about two hours, or longer depending on traffic conditions. By car the usual route is taking STAR Tollway, exit to Jose P. Laurel Highway (Route 4) in Lipa, then follow the highway between Lipa and Santa Teresita (Route 433) and Route 436. Alternately, travel via Tagaytay on the Diokno Highway, then Route 436 to reach Taal. However that route is not for the faint of heart; the Diokno Highway is scenic, but also dangerous due to many ravines, some of them not protected by guard rails, and the narrow winding road.

From Batangas City, there is a direct highway (Route 436), about an hour's travel.

There are many buses that go to Lemery, where one can easily get a tricycle to Taal; see Lemery for further info and listings. Some bus and jeepney routes (e.g. from Lipa) pass through Taal. Others take the Diversion Road and can drop you at the Flying V intersection where that branches off from the highway that goes into downtown Taal; tricycles are usually available at that intersection.

Get around
The heritage town area of Taal follows a rough grid plan, typical in Spanish-era town centers, characterized by narrow streets intended for foot and animal traffic. Some streets maintain the cobblestone pavement, where others have been repaved as concrete roads. Most visitor destinations in Taal can be reached by walking.

Tricycles operate in the heritage town, and throughout the rest of Taal and Lemery. Fares generally run, depending mainly on distance but also on bargaining.

Jeepneys (mainly on Lemery-Lipa or Lemery-Batangas routes) pass through the town and provide a cheaper way to reach destinations on major roads. For example, a tricycle between downtown and the Food Streat will cost but jeepney is  per person. If you are going into Lemery, a jeepney will get you into the town but you will likely need a tricycle (perhaps ) to get to your final destination; it is easier to just get a tricycle all the way (around, though they may ask for ).

Heritage houses
Taal has many houses built in the bahay na bato architectural style; most are ancestral homes for prominent families. Some well-known ancestral houses:

Museums and galleries
There is also a motorcycle museum in nearby Lemery.

Festivals

 * El Pasubat Festival - from the abbreviation of Taal's local products, namely empanada, longganisa, panutsa, suman, Barong Tagalog, balisong, tapa, tamales, tawilis, and tulingan, this annual festival, during April, showcases the local industries of the town.
 * Feast of St. Martin of Tours - Religious observance dedicated to the town's patron saint, Saint Martin of Tours, November 11th. Celebrations begin at the Taal Basilica, where children recite poems and images of St. Martin are presented. Horse-drawn carriage racing is done at the lakefront of San Nicolas, where racers from parts of Luzon participate. A candlelight procession is held at night, where the images of St. Martin are paraded through the old downtown.

Beaches
While the entire waterfront of Taal (mostly lying within the Barangay of Butong) is described as a "beach" (at least, most seaside accommodations have the words "beach resort" in their names), most of it is not actually swimmable, because the water is very shallow most of the day. During the low tide, if so inclined, you can walk into the ocean for hundreds of meters, among coconut-sized and boulder-sized corals, and it won't get any deeper than knee depth.

One swimmable section of Taal's beach is some 100-200 meters south of the Church of St Peter (aka the Butong Parish Church, or Kapilya Ni San Pedro). In this area the sea bottom becomes decently deep fairly close to the shore, and the bottom is soft (dark gray) sand, without many rocks. During the winter, the sea is very flat, without big waves.

Buy
One gets the impression that everyone in Taal must get married at least twice a year, since there are so many shops selling wedding dresses in the market area. (One can, indeed, often see them worn at the weddings in the nearby Basilica of St Martin of Tours.) Most are decorated with embroidery, applique and/or bead work; the work is generally of high quality and often quite elaborate. Most shops also offer other formal wear, dresses for women and Barong Tagalog embroidered shirts for men. Some also have other embroidered items such as cushion covers or wall hangings, and a few have Western-style formal mens' wear. In many shops the work is done on the premises and most of these will be happy to create made-to-order items. Prices are substantial by local standards, but travellers may find them quite reasonable.

There are only two ATMs in downtown Taal that take foreign cards: BDO on Calle Ananias Diokno opposite the market, and Landbank in the market building (southwest corner, furthest from the cathedral).

Batangas province has its own variety of coffee called kapeng barako. Many visitors find it quite palatable. It is available in many of the local coffee shops, and if you want to brew your own there are several shops selling it in the corner of the market near the ATM, a kilo. The Lemery market has it for slightly less.

Taal has three Japan surplus stores, all on the highway toward Batangas. Two are on opposite sides just beyond the Flying V intersection, and the third is a few km further out on the right.

Balisong knives
The Batangas region is famous for balisong knives (butterfly knives); in particular, these were a popular souvenir for American servicemen in World War II and in the Vietnam War era. Balisong are folding knives that can be flicked open with one hand, though it takes skill. Learning how to do it with a sharp knife often leads to cut fingers, so most vendors also sell safer 'practice knives'; new balisong users should get one of these as well as the real knife. Flick knives are illegal in many countries; if your country is one of those, then trying to bring a balisong knife home as a souvenir is not a good idea. It may be confiscated by Customs and charges might even be laid.

Taal is the main center for their manufacture. They can be found in the market area or at the factories; there are several of these along the highway between downtown and the Flying V intersection, in Balisong barangay (after which they are named) and the adjacent barangays, Tierra Alta on the town side and Buli around Flying V.

These knives come in a considerable range of types; the commonest type is as illustrated, but some have bone or horn handles and a few have larger blades. Most of the balisong shops also have other types of knife, at least Chinese-style cleavers and the special knives used for cutting sugar cane.

Eat and drink
Taal is known for certain foods which can be found in the market, and often elsewhere as well. Most of these are found throughout the Philippines, but Taal has its own variant of each:


 * Empanada - ground meat, potatoes, onions or chives wrapped in sweet wheat flour dough, and baked or fried.
 * Longanisa - a kind of pork sausage.
 * Panutsa - Filipino peanut brittle
 * Tamales - the Filipino version of the original Mexican, also wrapped in banana leaves but with a rice-based dough instead.
 * Tapa - smoked meat, usually beef
 * Tawilis - a species of freshwater sardine (Sardinella tawilis) found only in Taal Lake.

There are many small cheap places serving these and other Filipino food in and near the public market.

That area also has several more upmarket eateries. The road coming up the hill from the Lemery bridge toward the market has several coffee shops and several small cheap Filipino food vendors mainly serving the student market. There are other places east of the market area:

Sleep
Accommodations around Taal are generally upmarket, as one room can cost above a night, but cheap by international standards. Nearby Lemery offers cheaper alternatives, with rates from up. Most tourists visit Taal in the day, and find accommodation elsewhere in the province. Bed and breakfast places are cheaper, but still steep by Filipino standards.

The downtown area is inland, but there are beach resorts along the highway going south from Taal or north from Lemery.

Connect
Cell phone coverage is good anywhere in the municipality, including out on the more rural edges.

Go next
Just across the Pansipit River is the municipality of Lemery, which has more shopping options and less expensive hotels. It is possible to walk across the bridge, or to drive or take a jeepney, but the commonest way is by tricycle. There is a police checkpoint at the bridge; you will be stopped if you are without a COVID face mask or riding a motorcycle without a helmet.

There are some beaches just south of Taal, around San Luis, and others just north of Lemery. Further afield are Mabini (take the highway toward Batangas City and turn off for Mabini), or Calatagan, Nasugbu, and Lian (go through Lemery or bypass it, then follow the highway west).