Enjoy Different Attractions in Vigan City with your Family for FREE!

               My husband and I had been planning to go to Vigan and Pagudpud since we got married in 2008, and finally we were able to make it happen, well, just recently though. It was our family’s first summer adventure for 2014. Before we left Manila, our goal was to spend as little money as possible for the entire Ilocos trip, without compromising of course the kids’ happiness. And the  great thing that we noticed when we visited different tourist attractions in the City ; Calle Crisologo, Dancing Fountain Show, Burnayan Pottery, Hidden Garden and the  Baluarte Zoo.. is that there was no entrance fee, admission fee or whatever you call it. We even saw some tarps in the Baluarte Zoo, advising visitors not to give donations, reiterating that strolling around the place and interacting with different animals are totally free. Surprising right? “May libre pa pala sa Pinas!”

So here’s the full version of our Vigan adventure:

              What’s the first thing to do in Vigan?  Of course, to walk at the beautifully paved road of the historic Calle Crisologo! It’s amazing to see how the people in this village were able to preserve the ancestral houses. Only “Calesas” (horse-drawn carriages) are allowed to pass by the cobblestone street, so one could definitely look back at the old Spanish times.

                   Shaun loves to ride a horse, so when he saw plenty of them in the heritage street, he got very excited! and didn’t stoped asking us to ride the “calesa” (horse-drawn carriage). We thought it would be a unique and historic experience for our little boy so we agreed to take a horse ride going to the Hidden Garden of Vigan.

                 It’s such a big garden with a very relaxing environment and a perfect landscape design. The place was nice and clean everywhere I looked, plus the staff here were so accommodating. They do not charge an admission fee, thanks to Mr. Francis Flores, a retired Engineer who owns the garden.

               Afterwards, our “kutsero” (carriage driver) recommended that we watch the dancing fountain show at the Plaza Salcedo, (located at the end of the heritage street), so that was our next stop. At exactly 7:30pm the fantastic show had begun.

                    It was an amazing 30-minute display of lights and dancing fountain. On the other side of the plaza, is a ground fountain with some bright LED lights, where children are allowed to get wet. Really wet! Water splashed in many different patterns, dancing to the beat of both classic and pop music. The kids run, jump and dance through the spouts and sprays of water from the ground. It is truly a fun place to visit, especially since it is free!

                   We went back to Calle Crisologo, and the place looks even better at night..

               There are lots of dining places around the heritage village, from the fine dining restaurants to the fast food chains that we all know. But these restos are either full or by reservations only. Since we don’t want to waste our time waiting for a table, we decided to have a taste of their famous empanada and some fresh sugarcane juice instead while we walked back to the hotel; we just had dinner in our room.  And then a garlicky Longanisa rice meal was served at breakfast, at least we still got to enjoy their local food. The only delicacy that we opt not to try was the Crispy Bagnet, simply because we did not travel all the way from Manila to eat another pork dish. Hehe!

               We woke up early the next morning, and arrived at Baluarte Zoo at 7am. The place has fewer animals than I expected. Nevertheless, the kids definitely enjoyed interacting with different animals here without a fee! The staff even gave us some seeds, for the birds to come closer to our child.

                On our way to the hotel, we stop by at the Pagburnayan Pottery, again no fee to enter the place. They showed us how to make a nice little jar, the old-fashion way. It looks interesting and seemed very easy to do, so I tried it myself. The helper took care of the spinner for me, and so I played with the clay and turned it into a cute (but deformed) flower vase. Now I know, it’s hard to make! Lol

It was indeed a wonderful and inexpensive Vigan City experience for us!
Have a happy summer everyone! 

*I'll share with you our Pagudpud Escapade soon! :)

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