Baguio City, Philippines one of the country's prestigious destination that all people desired. It is truly undeniable that Baguio is the perfect place for seeking pleasures and relaxation for those people who wants to be independent and far from stress and problems. 

The name Bagyo is not spelled Baguio, and it is not based on the name of the city Baguio. It is based on the plant that grew on the Benguet plateu called “bagiw”. Bagyo as a word has been in used even before Baguio was ever used. Baguio City, Philippines is one of the very good places blessed with a cool climate. On regular, Baguio City is at least eight degrees cooler than any places in the lowlands. Not amusingly, Baguio City earn the title and become the “Summer Capital” of the country. It is nurtured with different varieties of cultural, historical, scenic and romantic attractions which make it necessary, fascinating and a impressive destination.

The City of Pines is not only known to its cool climate and beautiful tourist spots but also known to its famous foods and goodies that being enjoyed by the people of Cordillera and lowland provinces. One of their delicacies is the pinikpikan, a chicken dish cooked with sayote and bitter gourd. This is famous because of the preparations they do to the live chicken before cooking. Another one is the etag, on the other hand etag is a smoked pork meat cured in salt and is often cooked with some vegetables but others prefer to fry it and dip it in vinegar. A dog dish is also served in some restaurants because they believe that eating dog’s meat creates a w2arm sensation throughout their bodies. And for those who love sweet delights carrot cake is one of the foods they also crave in Baguio because of its sweet delectable taste.

One of the things tourists enjoy is buying goodies and Baguio has all that. Who would not know their famous peanut brittle, ube jam, sundot kulangot, strawberry jam, and a lot more? These are just few of the goodies in which Baguio is known for and people of different places enjoy.

So let’s start and explore the different destinations in Baguio City, Philippines here are the list of tourist spot that can be seen there:

"Lion's Head"

is a famous attraction along Kennon Road, a major highway in Luzon, Philippines that leads to the city of Baguio. Located in Camp 6, the Lion's Head measures 40 ft (12 m) in height. It was conceptualized by the Lions Club members of Baguio City, during the term of Luis Lardizabal as mayor of Baguio City from 1969 to 1970 and as the club's president, to become the club's symbol or imprint in the area. Prior to the artistic sculpting, the limestone was prepared by a group of engineers and miners, then the "actual artistic carving of the façade" was rendered by Reynaldo Lopez Nanyac, an Ifugao artist and woodcarver from the Cordillera Administrative Region. The construction project began in 1968 but was interrupted. The project was continued in 1971 by another Lions Club president, Robert Webber, and was unveiled in 1972.

The Lion's Head is one of the side trip attraction along Kennon Road with its unique gigantic,color, and  size of statue.

2.)"Burnham Park"

Burnham Park - is a 32.84 hectare urban park located at the heart of the Baguio, in the Philippines. It was named after the

American architect and urban planner, Daniel Hudson Burnham who laid the plans for the city. Several stretch of roads around the park lead to Camp John Hay, a former recreational base of the United States Armed Forces in the Philippines.

American architect and urban planner, Daniel Hudson Burnham who laid the plans for the city. Several stretch of roads around the park lead to Camp John Hay, a former recreational base of the United States Armed Forces in the Philippines.

At the southern part of the park, a skating rink was constructed. The Melvin Jones Grand Stand and Football Field at the eastern part of the park are normally used for several activities like parades, concerts, and political rallies. The Children's Park and the Orchidarium is located at the western part of the park. There are also bike rentals if one so wishes. You can rent either single bikes, tandem bikes or even bikes with side cars. They even have small bikes for the little kids of both two and three wheel versions.

Burnham Park one of the perfect places to spend time with your friends,relatives and etc. Like Luneta Park/Rizal Park in Metro Manila this park also one of Baguio City's most visited place there because of the amenities of the park and the environment is easily to adopt

3.)"Mines View Park"

Mines View Park- is an overlook park on the northeastern outskirts of Baguio in the Philippines.

Located on a land promontory 4 km from downtown Baguio, the park overlooks the mining town of Itogon, particularly the abandoned gold and copper mines of the Benguet Corporation, and offers a glimpse of the Amburayan Valley.The observation deck is situated below a winding stone-covered stairway close to the parking area.

On the top of the Mines View Park, can be seen the beautiful Cordillera Mountain Range. The gazebo is a little run down but is a still much photographed structure for its unique shape. Aside from that there you see a cordillerans or igorots from with their traditional costume..

4.)"The Mansion"

The Mansion House - (also known as the The Mansion) is the official summer residence of the President of the Philippines. The mansion is located in the summer capital of the country, Baguio, situated around 5,000 feet (1,500 m) asl in the Cordillera Central Range of northern Luzon.When the 1990 Luzon earthquake killed more than 100 people in Baguio, many homes were destroyed, leaving many displaced people seeking refuge in Burnham Park.

5.)"Baguio Cathedral"

Our Lady of the Atonement Cathedral, better known as Baguio Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral located at Cathedral Loop adjacent to Session Road in Baguio, the Philippines, and is the see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baguio. Dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Atonement, its distinctive pink exterior, twins pires and stained glass windows make it a popular tourist attraction in Baguio.^[1] It served as an evacuation center under the Japanese Occupation during Second World War.

6.) “The White House”

The Laperal White House looks like a charming, quaint Victorian house when viewed from the street. Located in #14 Leonard Wood Road, the white house has been a significant landmark in the area for many years now. The house is known for its alleged spirit infestation, which has attracted many people on a quest for paranormal haunts.  During All Saints’ Day, the house is a popular destination for tourists. Despite its reputation, the Laperal White House retains its own charm of mystery and intrigue.  Here are five things about the mysterious Laperal White House:

  1. The Laperal Clan The house was built by one of Baguio’s oldest clans, the Laperal family. It was built in 1920 on a 4-hectare property that used to be owned by the Laperal clan. The house is made of narra and yakal, fashioned in Victorian style with its wooden planks and gables and steep roof. Don Roberto and Doña Victorina Laperal, the head of the clan, used to occupy the house. She was said to be fond of her fortune plants in the garden. 

2. War and Neglect When the war broke out, the Japanese forces seized occupation of the house and used it as a temporary garrison. According to the accounts of Lito Calvo, a long-time housekeeper, he was told by a previous caretaker that the house witnessed brutal acts of torture and killings while it was under the hands of the Japanese forces. Alma Ramos, another caretaker of the house, said that the women were raped and the men beheaded under suspicion of being spies. Don Victorina died during the years of war, but while Don Roberto survived, he suffered an untimely death after having slipped and hit his head in the front yard of the house. 

3. Resilience Over the Years The house transferred ownership after the death of the head of the Laperal clan. It was adequately maintained but despite having closed its doors to most of the public over the years, it did not stop the persistent rumors of the unearthly sightings spotted near the house. The house withstood many natural and man-made qualities, such as the deadly earthquake in 1991 and many more, but its affinity for the paranormal had been cemented permanently. 

4. Restless and Damned  If the stories are true, there are plenty of reasons why the house gained its infamous reputation. Some taxi drivers refuse to pass by this part of the Leonard Wood Road, in fear of the apparitions. Most of them beep their car horn while passing through as a way to excuse themselves to the restless spirits. Passing visitors report of having seen curious figures among the windows. Guards have reported mysterious entities of coming and going to the house, even if the doors were locked. There are incidences where visitors report of a couple of these mysterious entities of having followed them back home. More than just the supposedly spiritual hauntings, there are also traces of the brutality its occupants endured during the war. Lito Calvo once found a skull cap while digging in the garden. 

5. Gallery of Bamboo Business tycoon Lucio Tan bought the property sometime in 2007. Since then, the house has been maintained and restored. In 2013, it was transformed into a gallery of Filipino artworks based on bamboo and wood. The Ifugao Bamboo Carving Gallery is a joint project of the Tan Yan Kee Foundation and the Phillippine Bamboo Association. For an entrance fee of Php 50.00, visitors are welcome to take a look inside the house.  Today, the house is the home of bamboo artworks and installations. It’s a must-visit for bamboo craft enthusiasts. But despite its renovation, many people are insistent of the gloomy atmosphere that pervades the house, especially for those attuned to the supernatural.

7.) “Session Road”

Session Road is the main thoroughfare of Baguio in the Philippines and is the main hub of what is called the Baguio Central Business District. Located at the city center, it is actually divided into two parts:

• Lower Session Road, extending eastward from Magsaysay Avenue (opposite the Plaza or Kilometer 0 and Malcolm Square) running through the BCBD until the intersections of Father Carlu Street (towards the Baguio Cathedral and Upper Bonifacio Street) and Governor Pack Road. This is the area where businesses are located, among others banks, shops, restaurants, bakeries, hotels, newsstands, boutiques, and studios.

• Upper Session Road, extending from Post Office Loop, Leonard Wood Road, and the foot of Luneta Hill (where SM City Baguio is located) to the rotunda cutting toward South Drive (towards Baguio Country Club), Loakan Road (towardsCamp John Hay, Loakan Airport, Philippine Military Academy, Baguio City Economic Zone, and the mine areas of Itogon, Benguet), and Military Cut-Off (towards Kennon Road)

Session Road derives its name from the fact that it used to lead up to the old Baden-Powell Hall, where the Philippine Commission held its sessions from April 22 to June 11, 1904 and officially initiated the use of Baguio as the Philippine Summer Capital. The Commission was composed of Governor General Luke E. Wright, president, and Commissioners Henry Ide, Dean Conant Worcester, T. Padre Tavera, Benito Legarda, Jose de Luzuriaga, James Francis Smith and William Cameron Forbes. A marker by what is now Baden-Powell Inn, right beside the enormous bus terminals on Governor Pack Road, stand as the only visible evidence that anything of historical significance ever took place on Session Road.

Nowadays, the only session that regularly take place in the vicinity are the jam sessions at Ayuyang, a favorite watering hole of reggae, folk, and indigenous Filipino music fans and artists alike. A local Philippine band called session road based their name on the famous thoroughfare.

“Wright Park”

Wright Park, which is located at the eastern part of the city and fronting the main gate of the Mansion, is one of the many scenic parks in Baguio City. Its main features are a shallow elongated rectangular body of water known as the "Pool of Pines" and the park circle which is on one end of the park. Postcard-type photographs are usually taken at both ends of Wright Park and when going there it is best to bring along a camera.

Tall pine trees and decorative street lights line both sides of the access road beside the pool. There are times that you will find at the park some Igorots dressed in their native attire and regalia who are willing to pose for a photograph ... of course, for a fee. Native handicrafts are also sold at the Mansion end of the park by a few Igorot peddlers. From the park circle is a walkway which leads to a wide stairway made of stones that descend to an area where ponies are rented out.

“PMA or Philippine Military Academy”

The Philippine Military Academy (PMA, Filipino: Akademiyang Militar ng Pilipinas) is the Philippine military school of the Armed Forces of the Philippines PMA was established on December 21, 1936 by the virtue of Commonwealth Act № 1 or the National Defense Act. The Academy is located in the city of Baguio, Benguet. It is the training school for future officers of the AFP.

The Philippine Military Academy traces own its history back to the Academia Militar which was established on October 25, 1898 in Malolos, Bulacan which, until its closure at the onset of the Philippine–American War had been the first all-Filipino military academy to be opened under the First Republic. During the period of the Revolution officer training was done in the field and prospective officers had to be commissioned on the spot. The Academy's brief existenced allowed for full officer training following the model of European military academies of the time.

An Officer's School of the Philippine Constabulary was established on February 17, 1905 within the walls of Intramuros in Manila. This school was later relocated to Baguio on September 1, 1908, at Camp Henry Allen where it would stay for many years to come. After the Philippine Legislature passed Act No. 3496 on September 8, 1926, the school was renamed the Philippine Constabulary Academy and courses were lengthened from nine months to three years. Just as the PC started with American and Filipino officers, the school had American and Filipino officer cadets in its student body.

When the National Defense Act was approved on December 21, 1935, the Philippine Constabulary Academy was renamed Philippine Military Academy and was permitted to grant its graduates Bachelor of Science degrees after completion of their four-year curriculum. PMA was modeled after the United States Military Academy with officers from the Philippine Scouts and regular United States Army as instructors and members of the general staff.

“Baguio Botanical Garden”

The Baguio Botanical Garden is located east of Baguio's downtown area. You will find it between Teacher's Camp and the Pacdal Circle. Its main entrance is along Leonard Wood Road and just across the street from Gilberto's Hotel and Baguio Vacation Hotel. It is quite a large park and about the same size as Burnham Park.

Also known as the Igorot Village, the Botanical Garden features native huts typical of the type of Igorot dwellings found in the Cordilleras. The village is said to capture the ethnic spirit and cultural legacy of the Igorots and being tranquil and quiet, it is a nice place to just sit down and relax, take a leisurely stroll along its narrow and winding pathways and also enjoy the landscape where you will find numerous plants and trees.

Some years back Igorot dances and rituals were held in an improvised outdoor stage within the village. Local students go to the Botanical Garden for a day of retreat or just enjoy the outdoor environment. When visiting the Botanical Garden, you will usually find a group of Igorots at the main entrance who are dressed in their authentic native attire and regalia. They will be more than happy to pose with visitors for a souvenir picture ... of course, for a fee.

“Bell Church”

The Bell Church is located north of the downtown area of Baguio along the road leading to the town of La Trinidad, Benguet. Within its compound are intricately designed arches and buildings adorned with flags, bells and dragons.

It has a pagoda, and beautifully landscapped gardens. There are some artifacts about Buddhism that you will find at the Bell Church as well as some literature about the history of China.

It is during the Spring Festival or what is more commonly known in the West as the Chinese New Year that local and foreign Chinese tourists flock to the Bell Church. Like all Chinese festivals, the date of the new year is determined by the lunar/solar calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar. The observance of the holiday falls on a different date each year and it usually varies from late January to the middle of February. This Chinese public holiday is usually observed for 3 days although the festival traditionally starts with the new moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.

“Panagbenga Festival”

Panagbenga Festival (English: Flower Festival) is a month-long annual flower festival occurring in Baguio. The term is of Malayo-Polynesian origin, meaning "season of blooming". The festival, held during the month of February, was created as a tribute to the city's flowers and as a way to rise up from the devastation of the 1990 Luzon earthquake.^] The festival includes floats that are covered mostly with flowers not unlike those used in Pasadena's Rose Parade. The festival also includes street dancing, presented by dancers clad in flower-inspired costumes, that is inspired by the Bendian, an Ibaloi dance of celebration that came from the Cordillera region.

Aside from boosting the economy through tourism, the festival also helped the younger generation of indigenous people to rediscover their culture's old traditions. The indigenous people were first wary with government-led tourism because of the threat that they will interfere or change their communities' rituals.

The A. Lim of the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA). Entries from the annual Camp John Nichol Sibug art contest gave its official logo: a spray of sunflowers. The festival was set in February to boost tourism as it was considered as a month of inactivity between the busy days of Christmas season and the Holy Week and the summer season.

In 1996, archivist and curator Ike Picpican suggested that the festival be renamed as Panagbenga, a Kankanaey term that means "a season of blossoming, a time for flowering"

"Strawberry Taho"

Strawberry Taho When you’re in the Summer Capital of the Philippines, Baguio, never ever miss to try their famous “Strawberry Taho”.  Yep, it's Pinoy's all time favorite “Taho” with a twist -  made from soya beans (fresh soft/ silken tofu), topped with sago pearls or tapioca and sweetened with generous amount of strawberry jam instead of  the usual arnibal or caramelized sugar syrup.

"Sundot Kulangot"

Sundot Kulangot or Calamay There are in fact coco candies [actually, pinch of “kalamay” or glutinous rice cooked with coconut milk and brown sugar] stored within the small coconut- looking shells. When I saw them the last time I went to Baguio City in the North, I bought some as they reminded me of my childhood. They used to be commonly sold in Manila alongside “matamis na bao” or coco jam packed in cellophane.