Quezon City tourist spots and attractions
What to see and do in Quezon City? A lot, if you are indeed talking about the largest city in Metro Manila. It is also the richest and most populous city in the Philippines. Quezon City is so big that the widest roads in the Philippines are found here, including EDSA, Commonwealth Avenue, Elliptical Road, Kalayaan Avenue, Quezon Avenue, Araneta Avenue, Mindanao Avenue, East Avenue and Aurora Boulevard.
Quezon City is also home to some of the richest communities and subdivisions in the country, including Corinthian Gardens, New Manila, White Plains, Loyola Heights, Filinvest, La Vista, Philam HOmes, the Scout area, Santa Mesa Heights, the Sto. Domingo area, to name a few. President Benigno Aquino III lives at the West Avenue Triangle area.
In fact, two of the largest shopping malls in Asia are located side by side in Quezon City. SM North EDSA and the Trinoma shopping malls, emerging like giant structures along EDSA and separated only by North Avenue, draw the most number of shoppers in a single day.
It would take a whole day for shoppers to navigate all the stores, boutiques, department stores, restaurants, service centers, sites and attractions of SM North EDSA, its annex buildings and its upscale complex called the Block as well as the modern stores, boutiques and restaurants at Trinoma, which is operated by Ayala Land, the same company behind Greenbelt and Glorietta shopping malls at Ayala Center in Makati City.
Cubao in Quezon City is the first shopping town in the Philippines. It is still a favorite destination for tourists, residents and transients alike. Among the shopping malls in Cubao are Gateway Mall, SM Cubao, Rustan's, Marikina Shoe Expo, Fairmart and Farmer's Plaza.
Cubao is also a major dining destination, with dozens of restaurants offering from fastfood to fine dining. Araneta Center has restaurants that serve the needs of thousands of people watching concerts, basketball and other sporting events held at Araneta Coliseum or the Big Dome.
Banaue, an exciting Chinese district that is considered as a hub for automotive parts trading, is also a diners' paradise
, thanks to its restaurants that serve Chinese and oriental cuisine. Hundreds of restaurants are also located along the stretch of West Avenue, Visayas Avenue, Quezon Avenue, Congressional Avenue, Timog Avenue, Tomas Morato Avenue and Roces Avenue. Katipunan also has several good restaurants.
Tomas Morato Avenue and Timog Avenue form the so-called tourist belt because of the hundreds of restaurants and bars located in these areas. These establishments are frequented by Filipino movie and television celebrities because of their proximity to ABS-CBN and GMA 7 television stations.
West Avenue, Quezon Avenue and Visayas Avenue have their own charms. Eastwood in the southeastern side of Quezon City is also emerging as a commercial district, with tall office buildings and commercial establishments. Thanks to the flourishing call center and BPO industries, new commercial districts have also emerged, including the Ayala Technohub in Diliman and the 12-hectare Eton Centris at the corner of EDSA and Quezon Avenue.
A top destination in Quezon City is the Quezon Memorial Circle, a 27 hectare park surrounded by the Elliptical Road. At the center of the park is the 66-meter Quezon Memorial Circle Shrine. Aside from being a park, Quezon Memorial Circle has several good restaurants.
Just a stone's throw away from the Quezon Memorial Circle and the Quezon City Hall is the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife, a zoological and botanical garden that also features a manmade lagoon.
Amoranto Stadium along Roces Avenue is a sports stadium with a track and field frequented by joggers and runners. The 450-hectare campus of the University of the Philippines in Diliman is also an ideal jogging track, with tall and ancient trees. Celebrity Sports Club in Capitol Hills is also ideal for sports fanatics.
La Mesa Eco Park is another favorite destination for walking, biking and fishing. La Mesa Dam is the largest water reservoir in Metro Manila that sources its water from rivers up north.
There are several churches and museums worth visiting or glancing at in Quezon City, including Museo ng Buhay Pilipino at the Central Bank Mint Building along East Avenue, the Iglesia Ni Kristo Museum and Gallery along Commonwealth Avenue and the Sto. Domingo Church along Quezon Avenue.
The northern parts of Quezon City also have their own charms including Fairview and Novaliches, where hundreds of thousands of people live.
New hotels are expected to rise in Quezon City, particularly those in Eastwood and near SM North. Currently, top Quezon City hotels include Great Eastern Hotel along Quezon Avenue, Imperial Palace Suites at the corner of Timog and Morato Avenues, Hotel Rembrandt near ABS-CBN, Sulo Hotel near Quezon City Hall and Eurotel along EDSA and across SM North.