Intramuros

Intramuros is the historic walled district of Manila in the Philippines established after the Spanish conquest of Luzon in 1571 and long served as the colonial administrative and religious core of the city.

The area contains a compact set of highlights including the stone fortification system, the 16th-century Fort Santiago, the centuries-old San Agustin Church, the rebuilt Manila Cathedral, and restored colonial streets and plazas. Museums such as Casa Manila and small heritage houses preserve furniture and artifacts from the Spanish colonial era. Walkable circuits around the bastions and moats give clear views of the defensive walls and inner plazas.

Spanish authorities constructed and expanded the walls, bastions and civic buildings from the 16th through the 18th centuries to protect the colonial seat. The district suffered massive destruction during the 1945 Battle of Manila; many structures were damaged or lost and large-scale postwar reconstruction and restorations took place from the mid-20th century onward.

Intramuros sits in the heart of the City of Manila, on the northern bank of the Pasig River immediately adjacent to Rizal Park; it is surrounded by dense urban districts of Metro Manila and is the historic core of the city.

• Best viewpoints: Located immediately north of Rizal Park and bounded on one side by the Pasig River, making the best walking circuits along the bastions and moat-lined promenades.
• UNESCO site: San Agustin Church is the only Intramuros church surviving intact from the Spanish colonial period and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing.

What to See #

• City walls: A 16th- to 18th-century system of fortifications, bastions and curtain walls that defined the Spanish colonial district; much of the visible stonework today is a mixture of original sections and postwar restoration.
• Fort Santiago: A 16th-century citadel and military garrison used by the Spanish; later a prison where national hero José Rizal was held.
• San Agustin Church: A stone church completed in 1607 and the oldest existing church in Manila; inscribed as part of the Baroque Churches of the Philippines World Heritage grouping.
• Manila Cathedral: The seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila located inside the walled district, rebuilt multiple times after earthquakes and war damage.
• Casa Manila: A museum recreating a Spanish colonial townhouse with period furniture and decorative arts, located on General Luna Street.