Sightseeing in Makati City

Aside from being the financial district of Metro Manila, Makati City also offers several tourist attractions. Visit the following places when sightseeing in Makati.

Fort Bonifacio

Fort Bonifacio area is near North Forbes Park and Millionaire’s Village. Formerly only a military camp, a great portion has been converted into a commercial area, called The Fort. There are still military facilities remaining there, as well as memorials and centers where war records and war maps are kept. To recharge the body with fresh air after some hectic sightseeing in Makati, check out the forested training camps and parks, like the “Libingan ng mga Bayani” or Memorial for Heroes in Fort Bonifacio, suitable as picnic grounds and jogging areas.

The Fort

It’s a vast area (about 25 square kilometers) of bustling and classy commercial establishments inside Fort Bonifacio and a major destination for sightseeing in Makati. Global City or The Fort is designed like an American suburb with wide, clean, and well paved roads and avenues lined up mostly with big-time food shops and restaurants. There are also bars, night clubs, condo units, hotels, banks, and foreign eateries. It was among lands formerly acquired by the US Government but were turned over by virtue of the bases conversion plan finalized in 1949.

Libingan ng mga Bayani

Also inside Fort Bonifacio is Libingan ng mga Bayani or Memorial for Heroes. This sprawling memorial park is a first-class interment ground exclusively for veteran and officers of the Philippine Army who died in service. Heroes who perished in Bataan, Corregidor, and else where in the country in World War II—some 33, 500 of them—are buried here. Many modern day heroes who died while in military service after the war are also buried here. This picturesque park is an interesting place to see when sightseeing in Makati.

Guadalupe Ruins

For a tour that would take visitors back to 1629, the Guadalupe Ruins along Bernardino Street near J. P. Rizal Avenue in Guadalupe Viejo, Makati is an ideal place. The Ruins is actually a centuries-old church—Nuestra Senora de Gracia Church—typical of the Doric style of architecture popular in the 17th century. Here, tourists are treated to amazing sights of the original hewn stones that were cut to size at a Guadalupe quarry, formed into church walls and vaults and buttressed for extra support to withstand the test of time. When sightseeing in Makati, most tourists, regardless of religious creed, visit this place.

Ayala Museum

A favorite arts and history museum among tourists out for educational sightseeing in Makati is Ayala Museum. It is at the corner of Dela Rosa and Makati Avenues right in the center of the financial district. It was built by the Ayala Foundation, Inc. in 1967. Tourists and students having a field trip enjoy sights of Philippine History in detailed diorama presentation, interesting displays of miniature Filipino indigenous water crafts, paintings by 19th century Filipino artists, collections of ethnic tools and utensils, and art collections of masterpieces by world renowned Filipino masters. There’s a Museum Café on the ground floor for interesting creative dishes.

Makati Museum

There’s an old building at the corner of J.P. Rizal and A. Mabini Streets that used to house the municipal hall until in 1956 when it became a public library. Today, it is called Makati Museum and keeps in its care a set of pre-historic animal teeth found within the locality, among many other artifacts and relics. It is a museum “dressed up” differently each year, depending on a theme highlighted. This year it celebrates military uniforms of the Philippine Army since the 19th century revolution against Spain.

These are just among numerous places in Makati City worth including in sightseeing in Makati.