Cebu · Things to do

Home of the Santo Niño image, the country's oldest religious relic, and the centre of the devotion the Sinulog festival is built around every January. Free to enter; expect long queues at the relic on Fridays and through Sinulog week.

The small domed kiosk a minute's walk from the basilica, housing the cross associated with the 1521 arrival of Magellan's expedition. It takes five minutes and costs nothing; combine it with the basilica rather than making a trip of it.

Housed in the 1910 Aduana, the old customs house on A. Pigafetta St. in Barangay San Roque, designed by American architect William Parsons. National Museum sites are free to enter, and group tours can be arranged in advance by phone or email.

The small triangular Spanish fort by the old port, begun in the 16th century and later rebuilt in coral stone, now enclosing a garden and a few exhibition rooms. A modest entrance fee and half an hour covers it.

Turquoise river falls in the south-west of the island, roughly three hours from the city by road or bus. Most visitors arrive on a guided canyoneering trip that starts in Alegria and finishes by jumping down the river; guides, helmets and life jackets are compulsory and the river closes after heavy rain.