Cebu City is the Queen City of the South and when you mention Cebu to most tourists, they would easily associate it with the same things: lechon, danggit, chorizo, Sinulog, Sto. Nino, and Magellan’s Cross. Cebu City is all that and more. To me, Cebu City is a cultured, historic, and artistic city where most people are educated and has a collective sense of duty to make their city a better place especially for the needy. If you are bored of the typical Cebu City tourist destinations, here’s my not-a-Cebuana-but-a-local’s list of not your typical tourist things to do in Cebu City.

1. Cebu Farmers Market
2. Cebu Chinese Cemetery
3. Flower Picking in Busay
4. French Movies in Cebu City
5. Non-Mainstream Fashion Show
6. Art Exhibit Pop-ups
7. Mini Concerts of Local and International Acts
8. Photo Walks and Heritage Hunting
9. Surplus Hunting and Thrift Shopping
10. Hiking in Cebu City’s Mountain Trails

Cebu Farmers Market

Cebu Farmers Market, thankfully, is still alive, open on Wednesdays at the Banilad Town Center and Saturdays at the Vibo Place. The Cebu Farmers Market is also now available online via the PuroPresko store. The farmers market started in 2014 at the then Handuraw Cafe in Lahug but eventually moved to Vibo Place when the house occupied by Handuraw closed. Many farmers market have come and gone, including the SRP farmers market initiated by Tommy Osmena and the Cebu City Hall farmers market during Mayor Labella’s time. Only the Cebu Farmers Market is operating as of 2023 thanks to the active and strong membership. 

I love the Cebu Farmers Market because most, if not all, produce are organic. Through the years, the offering have evolved. While there are still fresh produce, I no longer see meat from NatFamco. I’ve also seen more bottled and preserved products, including kefir and kombutcha. The quality comes with a higher price, even compared to Lander’s or Rustan’s Marketplace, but this market is worth a visit if only to see what Cebuanos are doing about farming and food sustainability.

Cebu Chinese Cemetery

Cemeteries are definitely not your typical tourist destination — but cemeteries have a lot of history and if you want to know more about the history of Cebu, then the Cebu Chinese cemetery will interest you. The cemetery interests me for two reasons: (1) I have a grand-aunt who became the mistress of a somewhat affluent Cebunao Chinese, one whose tomb is in the Cebu Chinese cemetery, and (2) my grandmother always recalls that, when she was in college, come All Soul’s Day, she and her friends would walk to the cemetery because the Chinese families would be giving out hopis (or mooncake) to anyone who visits.

The Cebu Chinese Cemetery, whose gates are located in Mabolo, was established in 1909 by the Associacion Benevola de Cebu, which also runs the Chong Hua Hospital. The hospital used to be located at the front of the cemetery before the hospital relocated to midtown Cebu. Don Benito Tan Unchuan, one of the richest Chinese at that time, decided to establish the cemetery to provide a resting place for his fellow Chinese some of whose bones would later be repatriated to China.

The influence of the Chinese and the Chinese culture in Cebu is made very apparent in this cemetery.  You’d go around and poke into the names of the tombs and mausuleoms and you’d find that you probably heard of the names, or at least their family names.  The cemetery is the resting place for many successful Chinese in Cebu, like Dona Modesto Gaisano, Don Manuel Gotianuy (grandfather of Augusto Go, owner of the University of Cebu), Don Carlos Go Thong, Don Sulipicio Go, and Cebu’s first billionaire, Don Cayetano Ludo, owner of Ludo & Luym.

Flower Picking in Busay

In one of our anniversaries, Joel and I decided to go flower picking in Busay, one of the mountain barangays in Cebu City. There are now many flower farms to choose from — Sirao Flower Farm, Buwakan ni Alexandria, among many other flower farms in the area. But in 2012, these flower farms were still just farms and no throngs of tourists. In fact, at that time, there were not even locals who visited these farms for sightseeing.

Before we went to the random flower farm in Brgy. Busay, we had breakfast buffet at Marco Polo Hotel (my favorite and always a treat to me). The Marco Polo breakfast buffet is always value for money to me. Breakfast buffets are the best because I eat slow and so I will still have time and stomach to try almost all offerings. Then, we took an almost-an-hour ride to the mountains, to Brgy. Taptap, to buy vegetables and pick flowers. The vegetables were some pesos cheaper, and there was pig roasting in the sidewalk that would be ready on lunch time.

We also went flower picking (rather, I went looking at the flower beds, and the flower farmer went to pick the flowers for me). We paid P30 for these violet asters. The locals are not tilling lands they own (and I could only shake my head).

French Movies in Cebu City

I’ve always wanted to learn how to speak French, finding the language romantic and classy. More than a decade ago, I enrolled myself in a 3-month basic French language course with the Alliance Francaise de Cebu and my contact information remained with them. A couple of years later when they transferred to the “Pink House” and shared the same house with La Vie Parissiene (now La Parissiene), they started a monthly French movie night. Joel and I have seen several French movies here and, if you are in Cebu and wants to spend a night enjoying a French movie with French people living in Cebu, follow their Facebook page.

Non-Mainstream Fashion Show

When you’re in the know, there will be occassional non-mainstream fashion shows happening anywhere in Cebu City any time, just like the mini-fashion show of Maui Lezama and Chastity Manuel at Anya’s Place (formerly Abaseria). Maui and Chas are my college schoolmates and I’ve been a supporter of them and so I always try to be there whenever they hold shows.

The fashion show featured the two designers’ new collection (Maui for clothes and Chastity for accessories).  The theme for the night was “childhood” or clothes we’d wear when we were children. I wished I was as stylish as the models when I was a child. Both Maui and Chas are multi-hyphenates. They are, to me, ultimate creatives. Maui’s style is whimsy and feminine, while Chas’ is fun and quirky — just like their personalities. To contact or buy any of Maui’s clothes, check her Facebook page.  (Fast forward to 2015, Maui made my wedding dress, and fast forward to 2019, Maui made my sister’s wedding dress). To contact Chastity, check her Facebook page.

Art Exhibit Pop-ups

Cebu Design Week is a huge art event in Cebu City, but all throughout the year there will be exhibitions of lesser known artists like this art exhibit of my college schoolmate, Genevieve Ferrater. Gen is an artist but I do know there are very popular artists in Cebu like my college teacher, Professor Raymund Fernandez. You’ll find these pop-up exhibits anywhere, including the malls, hotels, schools, office buildings. If you are an art afficionado, going to these art exhibit pop-ups is not your typical tourist things to in Cebu but is one that’s definitely soul enriching.

Mini Concerts of Local and International Acts

It’s not only me but I’ve noticed that there a fewer mini concerts now in Cebu City than 10 years ago. There was a time when there was a Fete de la Musique and Christafari performed in La Vie. Reggae is the music of my soul and my heart. Corny, cheesy, but that is the least romantic way I can put it. Reggae has the ability to tear my heart out with every beat. I also read somewhere that reggae beat resembles that of our heart beat. I remembered the reggae music scene here in the city used to be alive and kickin, but I’m not very sure now, or maybe I’m just the one who’s out of the loop. And so I am always in when there’s a reggae band in town, like the time Big Mountain was in Ayala Center.

Photo Walks and Heritage Hunting

The Sinulog Photography Contest is a major annual competition in Cebu City. Both amateurs and professionals join because to be a winner will make you an famous photographer (sikat in Bisaya) so it’s no wonder you’ll find many photographers here in the city, including my husband. He used to join a group of photographers that used different cameras — from #35mm film, to lomography, to digital — and they used to do photo walks. I’ve also done photo walks in the city myself and my favorites are heritage buildings especially in the downtown area, like MC Briones and the Compania Maritima building in the images above.

Surplus Hunting and Thrift Shopping

You would be disappointed to have come to this blog and find that I did not include surplus hunting and thrift shopping / ukay-ukay in my list of not so typical tourist things to do in Cebu City. That is because you may have known me as a big thrifter. Carbon Market on Sundays is still the best ukay-ukay experience for me although nowadays the vendors are no longer technically in Carbon Market but are scattered around the vicinity. Surplus shop Nihon Mono in Apas, Lahug is the most premium Japanese surplus shop I’ve found in Cebu City and they sell luxury bags, vintage jewelry, premium home ware, and furniture. In between Carbon Market (downtown) and Nihon Mono (uptown), there are ukay-ukay stores and surplus shops aplenty.

Hiking in Cebu City’s Mountain Trails

I don’t always hike but Joel, a true blue Cebu City boy, has traversed most, if not all, of the hiking trails in the city. This may surprise tourists, but Cebu City has a national park and protected areas, all of which can be enjoyed by the public through hiking. The very short but nevertheless satisfying Celestial Garden trail in Banawa/Labangon is easy to access and easy to navigate for any age group.