16 Hours In Dumaguete: Things To Do, Eat & See!

Welcome! If you came here from this post, then thank you! If you haven’t read this post yet and would like to know HOW we got to Dumaguete via landtrip, then please head on over there. But if you’ve already got that bit down and just need some suggestions of what to do while you’re visiting Dumaguete, then WELCOME!

Paolo and I arrived at Dumaguete around 8:00- 9:00 pm and were scheduled to drive to Bacolod the next day at around 1:00- 2:00 pm if wanted to reach our destination in time for dinner. We booked our hotel via Agoda at U Pension because it’s right smack in the middle of everything we wanted to do and well, it was pretty affordable. It was fairly decent and yes, extremely near everything so if you aren’t planning to bring a car and would like to explore the city on foot, you might want to consider U Pension.

As soon as we settled in, we decided to:

1. Head down to the Boulevard (find out it’s historical background here).

Everyone will tell you that if you go to Dumaguete, you HAVE to go to the boulevard and well, since we were already there, we did. We were under the assumption that there was street food there but chuckled to find out that they actually only served fish ball, tempura and balot so for the sake of being there, we ate. If you want the complete truth, there’s really nothing to do there except admire the view and Paolo and I placed it under the “mao na ni? unsa pa’y laing mabuhat diri” (is this is? what’s there to do here?) categories of tourist spots. Sorry if that offends anyone but you can literally just go there, eat the street food, look at it and you’re done.

2. Have dinner at Sans Rival.

Luckily, there are a lot of posh dining spots right across the boulevard where we could soothe our hungry stomachs and when in Dumaguete, you’ve gotta drop by San Rival Bistro, right? Yes, I know, we have it in Cebu but why pass off the opportunity to eat at the original one?

Sans Rival Bistro is famous for their desserts but their entrees are also something you shouldn’t miss out on. They are insanely affordable and the taste does not disappoint. I was too hungry to remember to take a photo of their menu but to give you an idea, the spaghetti cost P90.00 (whaaaat?).

3. Get Cultured at the Siliman Anthropology Museum

We weren’t in the drinking mood that night so we decided to call it a night and wake up early in the morning so we could tick off some things on our list. However, if YOU want to drink or check out the night life there, here’s a quick Google search for you to go through but everything is basically along the road.

The next morning, we got up, grabbed some Mickey D’s for breakfast then headed out to the Siliman Anthropology Museum which is a cultural center that displays a lot of artifacts about our Filipino culture. I always make it a point to visit a museum during my travels and I’m always glad that I do.

Note: This is not where the anthropology center is

The anthropology center is located at the Hibbard Hall (where you can find the church & outdoor auditorium) and requires an entrance fee and does not allow you to take photos but trust me, it’s one of those places you’d want to check out if you’re fascinated by facts, history and culture.

4. Complete Your Mini Field Trip at the Siliman Marine Museum

My papa joked and asked if Paolo and I were on an educational tour rather than on a vacation because we basically packed our morning schedule at museums. But honestly, Dumaguete is blessed with one of the finest schools of the country and of course I wanted to indulge in every moment I could of it!

The Siliman Marine Museum is comprised of about 3 parts: the marine mammal bone museum, the coral farm and the crocodile sanctuary. It costs less than P50.00 to get in and explore the area and though it’s no Disneyland, it’s still a pretty neat place to go to and explore. Let’s be honest, there aren’t a ba-jillion things to do in Dumaguete so we tried our best with the little time we had!

5. Grab Lunch at Kri Before Heading Out

Kri will always have a special place in my heart because their burgers are superb! They are in the mid range price but I swear, it’s worth it. I first visited there in 2013 during my very first visit there and I was so happy to return 4 years later to the same, if not better, taste of their juicy angus burgers and other dishes. It’s weird that I would eat burgers in Dumaguete but just trust me on this one!

My favorite features about Kri is that it’s also a semi- art gallery which means they often change the artwork that beautifully plasters its walls. I wasn’t able to ask whose artworks were displayed during my visit there but they were beautiful, nonetheless.