BGC stands for Bonifacio World Metropolis. Situated in Taguig Metropolis, it’s probably not a correct metropolis however reasonably a small a part of Taguig underneath barangay Fort Bonifacio. 240 hectares, to be actual, it’s a mixed-use space developed partly by the Ayalas.
THE BONIFACIO GLOBAL CITY SKYLINE |
BGC was a army base, actually an empty grassland. Now, it’s one of many Philippines’ prime monetary districts, an upscale place to reside in with a number of posh condos, and a stylish place to hang around in with its quite a few parks, eating places, bars, and malls.
The BGC Excessive Avenue, a busy open-aired arcade comprised of outlets, eating places, open areas, and parks kind its coronary heart—the central hub of BGC.
HOW TO GET TO BGC
EMPTY WEEKEND ROADS AT BGC |
There are seven entry factors to BGC by automobile—from EDSA, by way of Kalayaan Avenue and McKinley Highway; from C-5, by way of the Higher East Gate, Sampaguita Gate, and Decrease East Gate; from the airport by way of Villamor Airbase; and from Ortigas by way of the Bonifacio World Metropolis–Ortigas Hyperlink Bridge.
BGC can be accessed by public transport—from EDSA Ayala, by way of the BGC bus terminal close to the MRT Ayala Station; and from EDSA Guadalupe, by way of jeeps and UV Categorical vans that go by Market! Market!
BEST TIME TO VISIT BGC
SUNRISE AT THE BALINGHAI SCULPTURE IN BGC |
Weekends are one of the best time to go to BGC, since they shut off components of the roads close to Bonifacio Excessive Avenue for pedestrians to get pleasure from. Particular packages and occasions are additionally normally held throughout today. The draw back to that is the group—it does get fairly thick throughout weekends.
For sure, if you would like a extra relaxed BGC expertise, your finest wager is to go to on a weekday.
BEST PLACES TO STAY IN BGC
SEDA BGC LOBBY |
Essentially the most handy location to remain in BGC, for those who plan to remain in a single day or perhaps a few days, is throughout the neighborhood of BGC Excessive Avenue. Listed below are among the resorts situated inside strolling distance:
WHAT TO SEE & DO IN BGC
MORNINGS AT BGC |
Throughout my final visits to BGC, I’ve come to the conclusion that BGC is the new Luneta. And that’s not a foul factor. It has now change into the go-to place for folks eager to spend their weekends on.
BGC has taken the Filipino mall-culture of consolation and comfort, and mixed it with conventional open-aired parks the place folks can hang around, mingle, and attend occasions. This place has all the pieces—outlets, eating places, inexperienced areas and plazas (that folks truly go to), museums, modern road artwork, and—trendy as it’s—even historical past.
Regardless of what detractors say about BGC being soulless and bland, this mini-city not solely works—however it works fairly nicely.
Listed below are among the attention-grabbing locations you may go to and actions you are able to do in BGC.
VISIT THE MIND MUSEUM
OPENING HOURS: 9:00AM TO 6:00PM, CLOSED MON & TUE | ENTRANCE FEE: FROM ₱190.00 | GPS COORDINATES MAP: 14.552256, 121.045642
THE MIND MUSEUM’S ULTRA MODERN FACADE |
The premier science museum within the nation, The Thoughts Museum is among the hottest locations in BGC. It has 5 themed galleries—atom, life, earth, universe, and know-how. A life-sized fossil duplicate of a T-Rex is a favourite amongst guests. A lot of the installations within the museum are interactive, an ideal approach to introduce children to the wonders of science. In addition they function a rotating gallery, which has been host to world-class installations like Da Vinci The Genius and Van Gogh Alive.
STROLL ALONG THE BONIFACIO HIGH STREET
OPENING HOURS: 24 HOURS, DAILY | ENTRANCE FEE: FREE | GPS COORDINATES MAP: 14.550791, 121.050378
NAKED EYE 3D BILLBOARD AT THE BONIFACIO HIGH STREET |
The coronary heart of BGC, the Bonifacio Excessive Avenue is a kilometer-long open arcade stuffed with outlets, eating places, open areas, and inexperienced areas. It’s divided into 4 sections—ranging from The Thoughts Museum and terminating at Serendra. It has fountains, picnic areas, playgrounds, an amphitheater, artwork installations, and only in the near past, a “naked-eye” 3D-LED digital billboard—ala Tokyo’s Shibuya Crossing and New York’s Occasions Sq..
EAT OUT, LITERALLY
OPEN PICNIC BENCHES AT HIGH STREET |
BGC has all the pieces your tummy craves for—identify it, they most likely have a restaurant that serves it. Most of those are situated throughout the Bonifacio Excessive Avenue. The good factor about consuming listed here are the out of doors tables and benches which can be open for anybody to dine on, picnic-style, be it from costly eating places or inexpensive fast-food joints.
There are additionally a number of meals locations inside malls and alongside the outer streets of BGC. Clusters of eating places may be discovered alongside Burgos Circle and Forbes City Middle. A couple of of the extra widespread eating places to take a look at are Wolfgang Steakhouse, Shake Shack, Hi there Kitty Café, Randy’s Donuts, and Din Tai Fung.
DRINK WITH FRIENDS
BAMBOO PERFORMING AT REVEL |
Watering holes abound in BGC, from common pubs and restobars, to rooftop bars and hidden speakeasies. For pubs and restobars, there’s Faucet Station, Tipsy Pig, and Tomatito Horny Tapas Bar. For an elevated expertise, attempt the rooftops of Seda’s Straight Up Bar, Grand Hyatt’s The Peak, F1’s BORA Bar, and O2 Rooftop Bar. For a extra non-public session, search for The Again Room, The Lodge Bar at Pink’s, Financial institution Bar, LIT Manila, and Sure Please.
GO CLUBBING
XYLO AT THE PALACE ~ PHOTO FROM THEIR FB PAGE |
With the pandemic nearly a reminiscence, the membership scene at BGC could be very a lot alive. The occurring space is at The Palace, a nightlife leisure complicated the place XYLO, Revel, Sure Please, Clubhouse, and The Island are situated.
WALK AND JOG AROUND PARKS
MORNING JOGGERS AT THE BONIFACIO HIGH STREET |
After an evening of meals and drinks, burn these energy off alongside BGC’s quite a few parks and jogging tracks. Moreover Bonifacio Excessive Avenue, there are Observe thirtieth and Terra twenty eighth—pocket parks widespread with morning walkers and joggers.
If you would like an extended run with minimal loops, there’s the linear BGC Greenway Park. At 1.6-kilometer lengthy, it’s stated to be the longest city park in Metro Manila. Tracing the jap border of the Manila Golf & Nation Membership, it traverses from McKinley Parkway all the way in which to the BGC Bus Depot on the north finish of BGC.
SPOT COOL STREET ART AND WALL MURALS
ONE OF THE NUMEROUS URBAN ART MURALS AROUND BGC |
In 2015, the Bonifacio Artwork Basis began the ArtBGC Pageant, commissioning native and worldwide artists to color the partitions of town just like these at Georgetown in Penang. These vary from life-sized road artwork to larger-than-life murals splashed throughout constructing firewalls throughout BGC. There was an precise guided tour for this, sadly, it has since been discontinued. You may nonetheless do it DIY although by downloading the ArtBGC DIY tour maps on Google Maps: ArtBGC Route 1 / ArtBGC Route 2
GO CAT-SPOTTING
THE CATS OF BGC |
BGC is residence to innumerable stray cats. You’ve most likely heard how cat-lovers went up in arms when a gaggle of cats went a-missing close to a fancy resort some years again. These strays, just a few of them with breeds, are well-loved and fed repeatedly by their by BGC hoomans (guests are discouraged from feeding them). In the event you’re a cat-lover, you’d really feel proper at residence in BGC.
MALL HOP
SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP IN BGC ~ PHOTO FROM MEGAWORLD |
BGC has a complete of 5 indoor procuring malls to splurge your cash on. From the mass market Market! Market! and SM Aura Premier, the Japanese Mitsukoshi BGC, to the high-end Uptown Mall and One Bonifacio Excessive Avenue. There’s additionally the tourist-popular Venice Grand Canal Mall, which is definitely not a part of BGC however is inside neighborhood.
RIDE A GONDOLA AT THE MCKINLEY’S VENICE GRAND CANAL
OPENING HOURS: 11:00AM TO 9:00PM – 11:00PM ON WEEKENDS | ENTRANCE FEE: FREE | GPS COORDINATES MAP: 14.534157, 121.051748
THE VENETIAN CANAL REPLICA IN MCKINLEY |
Once more, the Venice Grand Canal Mall, isn’t actually inside BGC, however because it’s so close to, you may as nicely embrace it together with your BGC itinerary. Its primary attraction is its fake Venetian Canal harking back to The Venetian Macao in China. And like its true counterpart in Italy, you may truly journey a gondola full with a gondolier steering your boat, for a payment—accordion gamers and singer, not included although.
MY STREET HIGHT STREET: WEEKEND OPEN STREETS
OPENING HOURS: ALL DAY DURING WEEKENDS | ENTRANCE FEE: FREE
PEDESTRIANS ENJOYING THE WEEKEND OPEN STREETS IN BGC |
Throughout weekends, BGC closes off components of the roads connecting the sections of Bonifacio Excessive Avenue and close by parks, filling it with curious kiosks and pedestrian actions. thirty second Avenue specifically is an effective place for these with children as McDonald’s units up PlayStreet; a play space with mini bowling alley, an enormous tic-tac-toe, hoola-hoops and twine station, a constructing block space, and rentable go-karts.
UNLEASH YOUR INNER PLANTITA AT THE BGC COMMUNITY FARM
OPENING HOURS: 6:00AM TO 8:00PM, DAILY | ENTRANCE FEE: FREE | GPS COORDINATES MAP: 14.556020, 121.049533
FRESH PRODUCE AT THE BGC COMMUNITY FARM BY URBAN FARMERS |
Go to the BGC Neighborhood Farm, an empty-lot-turned-farmland proper inside BGC. They’ve rows upon rows of contemporary veggies, grown proper on the lot, and you should purchase them too. They’ve a greenhouse which may be changed into an occasions place, a store the place you should purchase pots, seedlings, and different plantita stuff, and on weekends, they maintain Farming 101 workshops.
EXPLORE THE FORT BONIFACIO WAR TUNNEL ~ SOON
THE FORT BONIFACIO WAR TUNNEL ~ PHOTO FROM MEGAWORLD |
Used as a battle materials and provide passage throughout World Battle II, the 1910 Fort Bonifacio Battle Tunnel spans 2.24 kilometers with a mean depth of 21 meters. A part of it sits under C5 highway close to Market! Market! however sadly, it’s nonetheless closed off to the general public. Plans have been made to rehabilitate the tunnel and open it to the general public as a historic vacationer spot sooner or later.
PAY RESPECT AT THE MANILA AMERICAN CEMETERY & MEMORIAL
OPENING HOURS: 9:00AM TO 5:00PM, DAILY | ENTRANCE FEE: FREE | GPS COORDINATES MAP: 14.540922, 121.050322
UNENDING WHITE CROSSES AT THE MANILA AMERICAN WAR MEMORIAL |
17,206 graves marked with stark white crosses on a inexperienced carpet of grass, the Manila American Cemetery & Memorial is among the largest burial locations for troopers who died throughout the Second World Battle. The seeming countless rows of crosses make it solemnly lovely. It’s open to the general public, however be respectful when visiting.
RENT A BIKE OR SCOOTER TO SEE THESE SIGHTS
BIKES AND SCOOTERS FOR RENT IN BGC |
And one of the simplest ways to see all of the attention-grabbing locations in BGC is by renting an e-scooter or a motorbike. These are available by way of Moovr PH. Obtain the app, register, discover the closest Moovr Hub, choose your journey, and scan the QR code to unlock it. Charges begin are at ₱1.00 per minute.