How to get to La Unión? As we tell you in Things to do in La Union, this is one of the surf meccas in the Philippines. This province located north of Manila, on the island of Luzon, is one of the typical weekend getaways for Manila residents, as it is accessible by road. If you are thinking of coming here from anywhere in the country, keep reading because we explain how to get to La Unión.
Location of La Unión, Philippines
La Unión is a province situated on the island of Luzon, in the north of the Philippines. It belongs to the Ilocos region and is 269 kilometers northwest of Manila.
As we mention in Where to stay in La Unión, our advice is to base yourself in Urbiztondo or San Juan de La Unión. These municipalities are located north of San Fernando, the capital of La Unión.
The first thing you need to know is that La Unión cannot be reached by plane. The nearest airports are Manila and Clark. From there, you will have to go overland. If you are exploring other places in Luzón, we also explain how to get to La Unión from them.
How to get to La Unión from Manila
If you are in Manila, the first thing you need to do to get to La Unión is go to the Partas company station in Cubao (here) or the one in Pasay (here). From these, buses depart to San Fernando La Unión or to Vigan/Laoag (stopping in Urbiztondo or San Juan). Keep in mind that from Cubao they are much more frequent and, in addition, you will face less traffic leaving the capital.
There is no central bus station in Manila; instead, buses are concentrated in the Pasay and Cubao areas, but each company has its own terminal. It is a bit confusing, so we have marked the locations for you on Google Maps.
Prices are around 500–600 pesos, depending on the type of bus, as there is even a “luxury” version with individual screens. You can buy them at the ticket office (watch out on weekends, as they sell out) or online at the following link:
As for the schedule of buses to La Unión, they leave roughly every hour, 24 hours a day. You can also ask at Dominion Bus (here) or Viron Transit (here), which also have some departures and are also in Cubao.
The travel time depends greatly on the traffic entering or leaving Manila. With no traffic, it can take 4 hours, but it is common for there to be heavy congestion. Therefore, do not be surprised if it takes you 6 or 7 hours. A good idea is to try to leave at dawn to avoid traffic.
To reach the bus terminals in Manila, we recommend using Grab (the Uber of the Philippines). Keep in mind that, thanks to Manila traffic, it is not unusual for it to take up to 2 hours to get to Cubao. If you arrive in San Fernando, you can take a jeepney to Urbiztondo or San Juan for just 11 pesos per person. This last stretch will take about 25 minutes.
How to drive from Manila to La Unión
Of course, if you have a car or plan to rent one, you can also go from Manila to La Unión by car. The time it will take depends on the area of Manila you are in and the traffic, but the usual is around 5 or 6 hours.
The most common route is: North Luzon Expressway (NLEx), then Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx), and then Tarlac-Pampanga-La Union Expressway (TPLEx). You will need to exit at Pozorrubio. As you can see, several tolls are involved, since they are expressways. You will pay around 600 pesos.
How to get to La Unión from Clark/Angeles
If you arrived at Clark International Airport from another country or another destination in the Philippines, take a taxi to DAU Terminal and then one of the buses that go to San Fernando La Unión. Partas and other companies do this route in about 4–5 hours for around 300 pesos. There is no fixed schedule.
Partas also has a couple of buses from the airport to Vigan (passing through San Fernando) at 10:00 and 17:00. Even so, we encourage you to contact them via Facebook or by phone to make sure.
How to get to La Unión from Vigan
If you are visiting beautiful Vigan, you can easily reach La Unión by taking one of the buses heading to Manila and getting off in the area you prefer. They leave almost every hour and the ticket costs between 250 and 350 pesos. It will take a little over 2 hours.
The same goes if you are in Laoag (further north of Vigan). Take a bus to Manila and get off in Urbiztondo or wherever you are staying. It will take about 5 hours. By the way, Laoag also has an airport, but domestic. It is another alternative if you want to avoid passing through Manila and perhaps visit Vigan along the way.
How to get to La Unión from Banaue/Batad
It is not going to be easy, but it is doable. You have 2 options:
- Via Baguio: first you need to take a van or bus (these are operated by the Ohayami company) to Baguio. Vans are faster and more frequent, but also more uncomfortable. They leave at 7:30, 9:30, 11:30, 13:30, 15:30, and 17:30 and cost 360 pesos. The bus leaves at 17:30 and costs 430 pesos. The journey takes about 6–7 hours. Once in Baguio, from Gov. Pack Road, frequent buses depart to Vigan or Laoag that pass through San Fernando and Urbiztondo. This leg takes about 3 hours and costs around 100 pesos.
- Via Bontoc, Tagudin, and Cervantes: first take a van or a bus to Bontoc (2 hours/150 pesos; they leave when full), then you need to go to Cervantes (there are buses and jeepneys from Bontoc market; it is 2 hours, costs around 100 pesos, and they usually leave at 9:00). In Cervantes, take a van to Tagudin (2 hours/about 150 pesos). There, wait for any bus heading toward La Unión. This last stretch can take 1.5–2 hours.
As you can see, we have also explained how to go from Baguio to La Unión and how to go from Bontoc to La Unión.
How to get to La Unión from Sagada
If you are in Sagada, you only need to take a jeepney toward Bontoc and follow the steps we indicated above. They charge 50 pesos and start leaving at 6:30.
Remember that this article is part of our La Unión Guide, where you can find more information about this corner of the Philippines.
We hope this guide on How to get to La Unión was useful. If you have any questions or updates, we will be happy to read you in the comments. Happy travels!
