Bacolod Sights and POI

Inundated with culture and heritage and saturated in fascinating history, Bacolod is pure nirvana for history buffs and those who treasure artefacts, monuments and stories of times gone by.

The Ruins

The Ruins is probably the most photographed attraction within the city. Branded as the ‘Taj Mahal of Negros’ because of its backstory and enduring testament to the love that Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson had for his wife, this monument is a must see for all those who enjoy history, architecture and fairy-tale romance.

As the name suggests, The Ruins is the remnants of a World War II mansion, deliberately burned down by the family who owned it to prevent the Japanese invaders from using it as their headquarters. No longer abandoned and forgotten in a sugar plantation, it is all yours for the admiring and photographing.

Opening times to The Ruins are from 8.30am to 8pm daily. Entrance fees are PHP60 per adult and PHP40 per child or student. I greatly recommend that you try and schedule your visit around sunset times. As the sky changes colour from dusk to twilight, the building will sparkle ever so slightly. This is as a result of the concrete being mixed with egg yolk during construction.

Masskara Festival

Close your eyes and picture a mass of vibrant, dazzling colours while crowds dance energetically for hours on end in a true test of stamina and magnificence. A twirling, pulsating blur of colour and sound, the Masskara Festival held in October is surely the highlight of travellers visiting Bacolod. Street parties, dancing parades of beaming, masked dancers; and all night festivity, makes attending the Masskara Festival bucket-list material.

However, because many tourists visit Bacolod throughout the year and not only for the month-long celebration in October, there is always the Jojo Vito Designs Gallery (see below) for those who don’t want to miss out on the magic and mayhem of Masskara.

Jojo Vito Designs Gallery

This gallery allows those tourists who miss the festival, a chance to experience the delight and wonder of Masskara year round. This gallery houses an astonishing array of masked paraphernalia. There are wonderful interactive activities such as painting your own mask, glimpsing the renowned artists in action, taking masked selfies, buying souvenirs or having your own party mask customized. There is no entrance fee into the gallery and opening hours are from Monday to Saturday, 9am – 5pm.

Punta Taytay

Simple, humble and modestly lovely: this unassuming attraction is one big shout out to all travel photographers and enthusiastic lovers of seafood. Punta Taytay is a coastal community within Bacolod City and the ideal spot to watch the sunset and savour a scrumptious seafood dinner.

This is a charming spot to observe the local fishermen at work, immerse yourself in your surroundings and relish the wind in your hair and the smell of the ocean. It’s the everyday, bustling life that you are lucky enough to observe from your outside table, that remind you that where you are is not just a traveller’s dream, but a flourishing community. Delightful, friendly and sincere, it is the people of Bacolod who enthral and ultimately capture the hearts and fondness of travellers.

Visit stunning churches

Exquisite architecture and refined interiors are prominent within the churches found in Bacolod. In downtown Bacolod, San Sebastian Cathedral, a late 19th-century church, can be explored. White, high ceilings with intricate gold details guide the viewer’s eye to the resplendent alter as you enter the cathedral. San Sebastian’s beauty, somewhat stifled by an excess of power lines, is wonderfully illuminated in the evenings and the suggest time for visiting. Opening hours are from 8am to 12.30pm and 5pm to 8pm. Entering the cathedral is free of charge. San Diego Cathedral in Silay and the Church of the Angry Christ in Victoria City are also well worth a visit.