Philippines
Republic of the Philippines
South-Eastern Asia · PHL
Editorial Snapshot
Why Go To Philippines
The Philippines suits travelers who want island scenery first and cultural sightseeing second, with enough range to support either a simple beach-heavy trip or a broader route that adds heritage and nature stops. Most first visits are stronger when kept to one island group or one pairing of stops, rather than trying to turn a huge archipelago into a short itinerary.
Popular For
Things To See
- Manila
- Historic City of Vigan
- Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras
- Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park
- Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park
- Baroque Churches of the Philippines
Best Months
Know Before You Go
- January through April is the easiest broad window in the current brief.
- The country is too spread out for a one-size-fits-all route, so most first visits should stay focused on one part of the archipelago.
- Beach-heavy island trips and heritage-led routes around Manila and Vigan are both viable, but they do not need to be forced into the same short itinerary.
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Flights
Hotels & Accommodations
Compare stays across major booking options
Open hotel and accommodation options for Philippines.
Guidebooks
Tours & Activities
Country Data
Stats At A Glance
Practical travel, safety, climate, and quality-of-life stats for Philippines.
Quick Facts
- Capital
- Manila
- Population
- 114,123,600
- Area
- 342,353 km²
- Region
- South-Eastern Asia
Languages
- English
- Filipino
Currency
Philippine peso (₱)
PHP
1 USD = 60.76 PHP
Cost of Living (World Bank)
33.8
Price level index (US = 100)
- Groceries
- 35.4
- Restaurants
- 19.7
- Rent
- 7.8
Safety & Peace
higher score = safer everyday environment · derived from World Bank homicide data
lower score = more peaceful · 1.0–3.5 scale
Monthly Climate Averages
These weather averages are based on data for Manila (14.60°N, 120.97°E).
LGBTQ+ Friendly
28/100
Traveler LGBTQ score
- Legal protections
- 20/100
- Lived safety
- 44/100
This score blends legal protections with lived-safety context so strong laws alone do not automatically push a country to the top of the ranking.
- Homosexuality legal✅
- Relationship recognitionNone
- Adoption recognition❌
- Anti-discrimination laws❌
- Employment protections❌
- Legal gender recognition❌
- Conversion therapy ban❌
Human Development Index (UNDP)
0.720
High human development
- 5-year change
- +0.020
- 10-year change
- +0.033
- Trend
- improving
- Data year
- 2023
- Gender Dev. Index (GDI)
- 0.984
- Gender Inequality Index (GII)
- 0.351
- Planetary-adjusted HDI (PHDI)
- 0.680
UNESCO World Heritage Sites (6)
- 🌿
Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary
Inscribed 2014
- 🌿
Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park
Inscribed 1999
- 🏛️
Historic City of Vigan
Inscribed 1999
- 🏛️
Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras
Inscribed 1995
- 🏛️
Baroque Churches of the Philippines
Inscribed 1993
- 🌿
Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park
Inscribed 1993
Natural Beauty (World Bank)
- Protected land area
- 16.0%
- Forest cover
- 24.5%
Source: World Bank.
Wildlife & Birdwatching
- Threatened mammal species (IUCN)
- 42
- Threatened bird species (IUCN)
- 91
Source: World Bank / IUCN Red List. Higher counts indicate richer biodiversity, typically in tropical rainforest, island, and savannah ecosystems.
Food & Cuisine
40/100
Food and dining score
Built from two layers: dining-scene breadth and open prestige signals. We combine restaurant density, cuisine diversity, distinguished restaurants, and gastronomy-city recognitions from open data sources.
Luxury Infrastructure
86/100
Luxury & premium accommodation score
Based on OpenStreetMap luxury hotel density and World Bank international tourism receipts.
US Travel Advisory
Reissued after periodic review with minor edits. Exercise increased caution in the Philippines due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory. Do Not Travel to: The Sulu Archipelago, including the southern Sulu Sea, due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping. Marawi City in Mindanao due to terrorism and civil unrest. Reconsider Travel to: Other areas of Mindanao due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping. Country Summary: Terrorists and armed groups have carried out kidnappings, bombings, and other attacks targeting public areas like tourist sites, markets, and local government facilities in the Philippines. Violent crimes are also common in the Philippines such as robbery, kidnappings, and physical assaults. Protests happen in the Philippines and could turn violent and/or result in traffic jams and road closures with limited capacity of the local government to respond. Due to the risks, U.S. government employees working in the Philippines must obtain special authorization to travel to certain areas of the country as stated below. Read the country information page for additional information on travel to the Philippines. If you decide to travel to the Philippines: Monitor local media for breaking events and adjust your plans based on new information. Avoid demonstrations. Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency. Review the Country Security Report for the Philippines. Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist. Visit the CDC page for the latest Travel Health Information related to your travel. We highly recommend that you buy insurance before you travel. Check with your travel insurance provider about evacuation assistance, medical insurance, and trip cancellation coverage The Sulu Archipelago and Sulu Sea – Level 4: Do Not Travel Do not travel to these areas for any reason. Terrorist and armed groups in the Sulu Archipelago and the Sulu Sea have historically engaged in kidnappings for ransom on land and at sea, in addition to bombings and other attacks. These incidents often target foreign nationals, including U.S. citizens, local government entities, and security personnel. Due to the risks, U.S. government employees working in the Philippines must obtain special authorization to travel to Sulu Archipelago and Sulu Sea. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in these areas. Visit our website for Travel to High-Risk Areas. Marawi City in Mindanao – Level 4: Do Not Travel Do not travel to these areas for any reason. Civilians face risk of death or injury from ongoing clashes between terrorist group remnants and Philippine security forces in Marawi. Due to the risks, U.S. government employees working in the Philippines must obtain special authorization to travel to Marawi City. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens there. Visit our website for Travel to High-Risk Areas. Mindanao (except Davao City, Davao del Norte Province, Siargao Island, and the Dinagat Islands) – Level 3: Reconsider Travel Terrorist and armed groups in Mindanao have historically engaged in kidnappings for ransom, in addition to bombings and other attacks. These incidents often target foreign nationals, including U.S. citizens, as well as civilians, local government entities, and security forces. Due to the risks, U.S. government employees working in the Philippines must obtain special authorization to travel to areas outside of Davao City, Davao del Norte Province, Siargao Island, and the Dinagat Islands. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in those areas. Visit the U.S. Department of State's country reports on terrorism to learn more. Visit our website for Travel to High-Risk Areas.
Read full advisory →Data current as of May 2026 and subject to change. Travel advisory information is sourced from the U.S. State Department and reflects conditions at the time of data collection, not real-time conditions. Do not rely solely on this information for travel decisions. Always check current government advisories for your nationality. Terms of Use · About our data