Manila is distributed into 16 territorial districts, which are all original towns except one, the Port Area District. All of these original towns except Port Area have their own churches and several of these districts have attained identification in their own right.
Map of Manila with its Districts (click to see the larger details)
The eight districts north of the Pasig River are:
Binondo ? country's Chinatown before the arrival of Spaniards in 1571 and the city's main center for business, finance, wholesale trade and exotic delicious foods
Quiapo ? Hometown of the Black Nazarene and also a place which offers cheap prices on items ranging from electronics to native handicrafts, plus pirated DVD films
Sampaloc ? means tamarind fruit is the district wherein the University of Santo Tomas, Asia's oldest university and the famous Dangwa Flower Market is located (near Windsor Inn at Maceda Street).
San Miguel ? known as the University Belt District and the location of residence of the Philippine Government, Malacañang Palace
San Nicolas ? shares Divisoria Flea Market with other co-district is the hub for the adventurous shoppers that may venture for cheap buys
Santa Cruz ? is on the edge of Chinatown, which is the district of usual frenzied mix of commercial and residential premises
Santa Mesa ? from the Spanish term Holy Mass, this district marks the first shot of the Filipino-American War
Tondo ? the largest, historically 1100 years old, it is one of the first provinces to be established and rebelled against Spain and is now the Southeast Asia's Most Densely Populated District
Ermita ? one of the two Tourist Belt (another is the Malate district), it is the former Red District but now with all kinds of bars, nightclubs, cafes and also offers numeorus coin, art and antique shops. It has a lively and diverse nightlife. Ermita is also where the American Embassy is located, also Rizal Park, and Manila Bay Hostel is in the 4th floor of a pre-war building across Museo Pambata children's hospital and beside Miramar Hotel.
Intramuros ? taken from the Latin, intra muros, literally "with in the walls", the History Town of the Philippines and considered as Old Manila itself during Spanish times, just beside Ermita
Malate ? known as the center of bohemian night life in the city and in the metropolis and beside Ermita
Paco ? lies city's historic but mysterious octagonal park cemetery
Pandacan ? district home of many of the country's literary and musical geniuses
Port ? the country's chief seaport consisting of North and South Port where one can witness the dramatic sunset of Manila Bay
San Andres Bukid ? was previously part of Santa Ana, this district has a touch of Moslem culture and has a mosque
Santa Ana? known as Sapa in ancient times, this district is the old capital of Namayan Kingdom which is the precursor of modern Metro Manila
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Manila
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Manila - updated May 2024
SAVE up to 75% on Last Minute deals! Search for discount Manila hotels, motels, apartments, hostels, guest accommodations and vacation resorts. Book now and pay at the hotel. Instant email confirmation!
Manila Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
