Inside Fort Santiago, stop by stop

What are the attractions at Fort Santiago?

The main gate, Plaza de Armas, the Rizal Shrine, the bronze footprints, the dungeons, the White Cross, the ruins of the barracks, the theatre and the royal warehouses, the Baluarte de Santa Barbara and the Visitors Center. One ticket covers all of them.

• The main gate: a carved relief of Saint James, Santiago, on horseback above the arch. The gate was rebuilt after 1945.
• Plaza de Armas: the old parade ground, now a wide lawn with shady acacia trees.
• The Rizal Shrine: a museum in a rebuilt Spanish barracks, with Rizal's cell and the trial room.
• The footprints: bronze footprints set in the ground trace Rizal's last walk.
• The dungeons: low stone vaults, first powder stores, later prison cells.
• The Baluarte de Santa Barbara: the highest bastion, with old cannons over the river.
• The Visitors Center: models of old Intramuros, a short film, a cafe and restrooms.

Is Fort Santiago a museum?

Not exactly. It is a fort and a park that holds a museum, the Rizal Shrine, and it is a National Shrine. Most of the visit is outdoors, among walls, lawns and ruins.

The fort was declared a National Shrine in 1951, and the Intramuros Administration has managed it since the 1990s. Indoors, you have two places with exhibits: the Rizal Shrine, run by the NHCP, and the Intramuros Visitors Center, with its models and short film. The rest is open ground: the gate, the lawns, the bastion and the ruins, with signs along the way. Come ready for sun rather than air conditioning.

Where should you go in Fort Santiago, and in what order?

Start at the ticket booth, cross the moat to the main gate, walk through Plaza de Armas to the Rizal Shrine, follow the footprints, then see the ruins, the dungeons, the White Cross and the bastion over the river. Finish at the Visitors Center.

The table follows that route. The times are our own estimates for an unhurried visit. If you like context first, see the film at the Visitors Center at the start instead of the end. On a Monday the Rizal Shrine is closed, so the route is shorter.

What will you see in the Rizal Shrine?

The cell and the trial room linked to Rizal's last days, the alcohol stove that hid his farewell poem, a vertebra with bullet damage, his personal belongings and a large mural of his martyrdom by Carlos Francisco.

The shrine sits in a rebuilt Spanish barracks beside Plaza de Armas. José Rizal was held at Fort Santiago for 56 days, from 3 November to 29 December 1896. On his last night he hid his poem Mi Último Adiós in a small alcohol stove and gave it to his sister Trinidad. The stove is on display. The next morning he walked out to Bagumbayan, now Rizal Park, where he was executed on 30 December 1896. The bronze footprints outside trace that walk.

The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, 9 am to 4 pm, and it is closed on Mondays. The IA page for Museo ni Rizal has more detail. The whole story, day by day, is in Rizal in Fort Santiago.

What are the dungeons at Fort Santiago?

Low stone vaults that were first built as powder magazines and later used as prison cells. Visitors aged 13 and over can go in, in small groups and in silence.

From 1942 to 1945 the fort was a prison of the Japanese military police. Hundreds of prisoners died in the dungeons in February 1945, during the Battle of Manila. Near them, the White Cross stands over a mass grave: about 600 bodies were found around Intramuros after the battle. You may hear that prisoners were drowned by the rising tide; the Intramuros Administration calls the story that prisoners were drowned by the tide a hoax.

The space is low and close, so skip it if you dislike tight spaces. Keep your voice down. Opening times for the dungeons can vary, so ask at the entrance.

One hour inside Fort Santiago only, with a guide at the dungeon, the barracks ruins and Rizal's cell. One review so far (5.0), which praises a gentle telling of the darker history. Check whether the ticket is included.

★ 5.0 (1) · 1 hour · Full refund up to 24 h ahead

Explore the one-hour Fort Santiago tour →

Is there a tunnel under Fort Santiago?

No tunnel is open to visitors. The underground part you can see is the dungeons, former powder stores.

Wartime maps mention tunnels under Intramuros, but none is part of a visit, and no route through them is open. If a guide or a video talks about secret passages, it is about the story of the walled city, not something you can walk through today. The dungeons, with their low arched vaults, are the closest you get.

What can you see from the Baluarte de Santa Barbara?

The Pasig River, the city skyline across the water and old cannons on the parapet. It is the highest bastion of the fort, and the best viewpoint inside it.

The bastion guards the corner where the river once met the bay. On the way, you pass the Almacenes Reales, the ruins of the royal warehouses that stored ship cargo and supplies for the fort, and the Rajah Sulayman Theater, an open-air stage among ruins used by the theatre group PETA.

The ground you stand on has a long history. Rajah Sulayman had a palisade here before 1571. Miguel López de Legazpi founded Spanish Manila on 24 June 1571. The first wooden fort was destroyed in the attack of the pirate Limahong in 1574. The stone fort was raised in the early 1590s under Governor Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas. The British captured it in 1762 and held it until 1764, and the American flag was first raised here on 13 August 1898.

How long does it take to see everything inside?

2 to 3 hours for a full visit at an easy pace. With a guide, about an hour covers the highlights; on your own, allow time for the Rizal Shrine and the film.

The Visitors Center is the place to pause: it has the models, the film, a cafe and restrooms. Plaza de Armas has shade under its acacia trees; most of the rest has little, so bring water and a hat. Early morning or late afternoon is the most comfortable time. If you want the stories as you walk, the Viva Old Manila walking tour spends about an hour inside the fort before going on to the cathedral and San Agustin, and the night walk does the same in the cooler hours. How the fort fits into a day in Intramuros is in is Fort Santiago worth visiting.

Three hours with a DOT-accredited guide: the fort, the dungeons and the bastion first, then Manila Cathedral, Memorare Manila 1945 and San Agustin Church. Admission fees included. Rated 4.9 from 197 reviews.

★ 4.9 (197) · 3 hours · Full refund up to 24 h ahead

Explore the Viva Old Manila walking tour →

Frequently asked questions