San Agustin Church & Casa Manila

San Agustin Church / Casa Manila (Plaza San Luis)

The country's oldest stone church, and a colonial mansion opposite

⚠ No sleeveless tops or short shorts

Hours

Monastery museum 8am–noon and 1–6pm. Casa Manila Tue–Sun 9am–6pm, closed Mondays

Tickets

Church free for services. San Agustin Museum ₱200; Casa Manila ₱75 adults, ₱50 students. Pay on site

Address

Corner of General Luna and Real streets, Intramuros; Casa Manila is across the road in Plaza San Luis

Finished in 1607, this is the one Intramuros church that came through earthquakes and the 1945 bombing in its original form, which is why it's on the UNESCO list of Baroque Churches of the Philippines. Look up inside: the flat ceiling is painted to look carved, and it fools you for a good minute. The monastery museum next door runs round a cloister lined with religious paintings and silver, and the best moment is looking down on the nave from the upstairs choir loft. Across the street, Casa Manila recreates a 19th-century merchant family's house, from the chandeliered sala to the long dining table and the wood-fired kitchen.