Ilocos - Ilocos Sur: The Experience Day 1

Calle Crisologo

Finally, after 7 hours of travel by Bus, Ron and I was able to reach Vigan City. This was our first stop during the course of our first year anniversary trip in Ilocos. It was 5 in the morning that time and we were a bit tired from the number of hours that we traveled. Upon alighting off the bus, there were a number of tricycle drivers who offered to drop us off our inn. Back when I was planning our itinerary, i read from several blogs across the net that the tricycle ride would only cost Php 15.00 per person. But we were charged Php 50.00 for the two of us.  That is a Php 20.00 diff still but because we were so tired then that morning and it was still dark, we gave in to it and rode all the way to Cordillera inn. It didn't even take us more than 5 minutes to reach the place. The tricycle brought us right in front of Calle Crisologo and right across it stood Cordillera inn.

Ron at Calle Crisologo

Lanterns at Calle Crisologo

Tricycles are not allowed to pass the cobble stoned road. It was too early and we're not sure if we could already check in as early as 5 in the morning. It was just a few days before Christmas and you can really see about 10 to 20 people walking on this road. I guess they were all heading towards St. Paul Cathedral for the "Simbang Gabi". The place looks very romantic at night. We love the place. The street lights and the lanterns gave the place its rustic 1800's look. 
But we were really tired so we headed up to the inn to check in and made some arrangements. The place has its ancestral look and we loved it.  

Inside Cordillera Inn

It's just situated along Calle Crisologo and for me that's their edge over the rest of the hotels in Vigan. So the moment you step out of this inn, you're there in one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Philippines. Our room is big enough and the beds are comfortable.  AC worked perfect as well as their hot and cold shower. For Php 1500.00 per night, I believe that we got what we paid for. We stayed probably an hour to freshen up and to charge the battery of my camera. After an hour we went out to walk along the streets of Crisologo and it's nearby attractions. I find everything we visited in the morning just a walking distance so there's no need to get a tricycle. The first place we visited was St. Paul's Cathedral also known as The Vigan Cathedral. 

Right in front of it stood a very tall Christmas tree. We went inside the church to pray but we hardly understand the preach since it was being delivered in the native Ilokano dialect. We took some pictures and just walked around wherever our feet brings us. Again, everything is just a walking distance.


1. Arzobispo de Nueva Segovia

2. Plaza Salcedo

3. Elpidio Quirino Monument

4. Ilocos Capitol

5. Plaza Burgos

6. Calle Crisologo

7. Kusina Felitas at Grand Pa's Inn

8. House of Padre Burgos

9. Island Souvenirs


We decided to have our lunch somewhere in the plaza. There is an area in the place where there are "carinderia" stalls which offer Native Ilocano dishes like Sinanglao and Pinakbet. 


Sinanglao is a beef innards and skin soup, flavored with bile and kamias specialty of Vigan. Sinanglao are served at street side eateries "carinderia" in the morning.


After eating, we started our afternoon trip. We took a calesa which brought us to places a little bit distant from Calle Crisologo. They charge a flat rate of Php 150.00 per hour and it took us 3 hours to cover all the places written in the itinerary. If you were on a budget you may also want to take a tricycle to tour you around Vigan. 

These were the places we have gone to:


1. Bantay Bell Church:
This took us just 5 minutes to reach the place and it's very near Calle Crisologo. They said that the tower closes at 5:00 p.m. so we decided to visit this one first. 

Scenic View from the tower

2. Next stop: Baluarte ni Chavit.
Now this place is a little bit far from Bantay Bell church but it's worth visiting the place.

3. Third stop: The Hidden Garden

4. Fourth Stop: Pagburnayan
The Pagburnayan is where the old and authentic methods of pottery are still being applied. Called "Burnay" or terracotta by the natives, these factories are clustered in the southwestern part of the Poblacion along Liberation Boulevard in Vigan, Ilocos Sur. Too bad the son of the National Artist Fidel Go or his son Eduardo Go was not there when we went there.

After this calesa tour we decided to try their famous Vigan Empanada and Okoy at Vigan Empanadaan. I felt that our trip would be incomplete without trying this famous Ilocano delicacy. We went to Vigan Empanadaan located in the plaza to have our share of this empanada. I guess what I didn't like was the time we had waited to get what we ordered. Seriously, it's almost an hour! Good thing it really tasted good. There were tons of people ordering the empanada with some even ordered more to bring home.

After we had our merienda, we really felt full which is why we did not take our dinner anymore. Instead, we just strolled around the place at night where Calle Crisologo is at it's most romantic ambiance with it's cool breeze that passes along the famous street. That ends our day 1 in Vigan. =)