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Voykit pocket guide · Philippines
Pasig
Base in Ortigas Center for malls, food and metro links; give the old downtown half a day, not a night. Two nights is enough.
Pasig is a Metro Manila city of two halves: Ortigas Center, a walkable business and mall district shared with Mandaluyong, and the old downtown around the cathedral and public market, which keeps a low-rise, market-town feel. Most visitors sleep in Ortigas for the hotels and food streets, then cross the river for the historic core. It is a city to use as a base, not a sightseeing destination on its own.
- Country
- Philippines
- Best months
- Dec–Apr (dry season)
- Avoid
- Jul–Sep (wet season, typhoon risk)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- PHP
- Money
- Philippine pesos (₱) in small notes for jeepneys, market stalls, tips and taxis; malls and hotels take cards.
- Daily spend
- Budget ₱1,500–2,500 excl. bed · Mid ₱2,500–5,000 excl. bed · High ₱5,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Globe and Smart sell SIMs at airports; SIM registration with passport is required by law.
- Emergency
- National emergency 911
- Plugs
- Types A, B, C · 220 V · 60 Hz · US flat pins common; check your devices for 220 V.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: 10% if no service charge.; Grab / taxi: Round up.; Boat crew: ₱100–200 per tour.; Massage: ₱50–100.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap; refill stations cheap.
- Toilets
- Called 'CR' (comfort room); bring tissue; many lack toilet seats.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | ₱120–200 |
| Noodle or rice meal at a market stall | ₱80–180 |
| Restaurant main in Kapitolyo or Ortigas | ₱300–700 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can at a convenience store | ₱150–300 / ₱60–120 |
| 5 km (3.1 mi) Grab ride3.1 mi (5 km) Grab ride | ₱150–300 |
| Jeepney ride | ₱13–20 (check) |
| Museum or attraction entry | ₱50–300 (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- MNL · Ninoy Aquino International
- About 30–60 min by car to Ortigas Center outside rush hour; 1.5–2 h in traffic (check)
- CRK · Clark International
- Far north; only worth it for a cheaper fare, then 2–3 h by road (check)
Typical fares
- MNL airport → Ortigas Center, Grab
- ₱500–900, 30–60 min off-peak (check)
- Jeepney ride
- ₱13–20 (check)
- Grab, 5 km
- ₱150–300
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Jeepneys and tricycles cover most routes and start from the public market downtown; fares are low and paid in cash. Ortigas Center and the area around city hall are the two walkable pockets. C-5 and Ortigas Avenue are main roads with heavy traffic — use them by vehicle, not on foot. Grab works across the city; metered taxis are hit and miss.
See and do
Known for
- Ortigas Center
- Pasig Cathedral
- Pasig City Museum
- Capitol Commons and Estancia
- Kapitolyo food streets
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Manila (Intramuros and Rizal Park) | Grab or taxi via Ortigas Avenue and EDSA | 45–90 min |
| Makati | Grab or taxi via EDSA | 30–60 min |
| Quezon City | LRT-2 from Marikina-Pasig station, or Grab via C-5 | 40–80 min |
| Taguig (BGC) | Grab or taxi via C-5 | 30–60 min |
| San Juan | Grab or taxi via Ortigas Avenue | 20–40 min |
| Pasay | Grab or taxi via EDSA | 45–90 min |
Sleep
- Ortigas Center
- Business district with the densest hotel choice, malls and walkable food streets; best for a first stay.
- Capitol Commons / Kapitolyo
- Mixed-use blocks and low-rise restaurant streets; quieter nights, 10–15 min walk to Ortigas Center.
- Downtown Pasig (city hall, cathedral)
- Historic core with markets and cheap eats; few hotels and rougher streets after dark.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Salamatsa-LA-mat |
| How much is it? | Magkano?mag-KA-no |
| Where is the toilet? | Nasaan ang CR?na-SA-an ang see-ar |
| Please stop here | Para popa-RA po |
| I don't want any | Ayaw koa-YAW ko |
| Help | TulongTOO-long |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Smile, handshake; 'po' to elders; avoid: Loud confrontation
- Beckoning: Palm down, wave; avoid: Palm up (used for animals)
- Invitations: Accept food offered or decline politely; avoid: Refusing bluntly
- Time: Expect 'Filipino time' socially; avoid: Lateness for flights and boats
- Churches: Covered clothes; avoid: Loud tours during Mass
Scams and watch-outs
- Traffic on Ortigas Avenue and C-5 can turn a 5 km hop into an hour at rush hour.
- Sidewalks are uneven and often blocked; walk on the road edge with care.
- Use Grab or a hotel-arranged car at night rather than hailing on the street.
- Keep bags zipped in markets and on jeepneys; phone snatching happens.
- Flooding closes low streets in the wet season — check before a jeepney ride.
Ortigas Center is comfortable day and night; the old downtown and market areas are fine by day but take a Grab after dark. The real risks are traffic, uneven pavements and phone snatching, not violent crime.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Pasig yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Ortigas Center
- Pasig Cathedral
- Pasig City Museum
- Capitol Commons and Estancia
- Kapitolyo food streets
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Pasig City government: pasigcity.gov.ph/
- Department of Tourism — Philippines: www.tourism.gov.ph/
- Wikivoyage: Pasig, revision 5338156 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5338156
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Pasig
Sa address na ito, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- National emergency911
Most embassies are in Manila or Makati; the US embassy is in Manila (check the address).
Jeepney and tricycle fares are cash-only; keep small notes.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/pasig). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.