As we explain in our guide on How Many Days to Spend in the Philippines, we think 20 days is a good amount of time to discover a small part of this vast archipelago. However, you can also take a shorter trip and still enjoy it to the fullest. The most important thing is to plan everything carefully, factor in travel times, and not become obsessed with seeing too much. Don’t worry—you’ve come to the right place, because we’re going to help you plan your one-week Philippines itinerary for independent travel.
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PHILIPPINES TRAVEL ITINERARIES
Key features of this one-week Philippines itinerary
Before we start walking you through this one-week Philippines travel itinerary, we’d like to discuss a few basic points you need to consider:
- We’ve focused on Palawan to avoid wasting too much time traveling between destinations. When planning a travel itinerary, you lose a day every time you move on to a new destination. Visiting places that are very far apart would be crazy, so we’ve tried to keep transfers to an absolute minimum.
- This itinerary is designed to include 7 FULL days. In other words, we’re assuming that you’ve already arrived in the Philippines by day 1 and will leave on day 8. It could also be done another way, but the schedule would be extremely tight, and we wouldn’t recommend it.
- This is a medium-to-high-intensity trip. In other words, it isn’t the most relaxing itinerary, but you’ll have enough time to enjoy each place without feeling as though you’re spending all day in transit. If you want a 100% relaxing trip, you could stay in just one destination such as El Nido and perhaps split your stay between two places: El Nido Town and Nacpan Beach or somewhere similar.
- The starting point for this one-week Philippines travel itinerary is Manila, although you can also begin in Cebu, as there are flights to and from all the destinations on the itinerary. However, international flights to Manila are generally cheaper. Another good option is Clark, since this airport has plenty of direct flights to El Nido (which are no longer available from Manila).
- This is primarily a relaxing beach trip. Even so, it includes a dose of adventure, with trips aboard bangkas (traditional Filipino boats) and the possibility of an adrenaline rush from activities such as zip-lining or canopy tours. You’ll also be able to explore by motorcycle, visit the occasional waterfall, and even escape to a sparsely populated island. It all depends on how you plan it.
- Since this is a 7-day trip around the Philippines, we can’t stray too far from the most popular tourist destinations because they’re also the easiest to reach, and you don’t have time to get off the beaten path. Even so, there are always ways to avoid the crowds.
- If you enjoy scuba diving, bear in mind that this itinerary won’t take you to the country’s best dive sites. You’ll find a few suggestions among the alternative one-week Philippines travel itineraries at the end of this post.
One-week Philippines travel itinerary
Day 1: Manila – El Nido
Days 2 and 3: El Nido
Day 4: How to get from El Nido to Port Barton
Days 5 and 6: Port Barton
Day 7: Port Barton – Manila
Detailed 7-day Philippines travel itinerary
Don’t worry—we’re now going to walk you through this one-week Philippines itinerary step by step:
Day 1: Manila – El Nido
Magandang umaga! Good morning! We’re starting our 7-day Philippines itinerary by heading to El Nido. You have three options:
- Take a flight from Manila to El Nido (with a layover) or from Cebu to El Nido. Although this is the most expensive option, it’s also usually the fastest and, therefore, the one we recommend for a one-week Philippines itinerary.
- Go to Clark Airport (a 3-4-hour journey by land from Manila, with buses connecting both airports) and take a flight from Clark to El Nido. There are no longer any direct flights from Manila, but there are plenty from Clark.
- Take a flight to Puerto Princesa (90-120 minutes), followed by a van or bus to El Nido (4-6 hours). You can book it here. This is the cheapest option, but it’s also the slowest and will therefore take up a large part of your day.
As we mentioned, we encourage you to take an early-morning flight to El Nido. Within a few hours, you could be enjoying the beautiful sights of this iconic destination in the Philippines. Bear in mind that it gets dark at 6:00 p.m.
On the first day of your itinerary, after leaving your luggage at your chosen hotel, we recommend exploring the beaches of El Nido or trying one of the activities we recommend in our post on Things to Do in El Nido.
If we may offer a suggestion, we’d combine Nacpan Beach, Lio Beach, and Las Cabañas. The sunset at Las Cabañas is wonderful, and if you’re looking for a lively atmosphere or a bit of adventure, you’ll find several bars and a zip line there. To reach all these places, you can rent a motorcycle or hire a tricycle.
Recommended accommodations in El Nido:
- Good value for money: Bulskamp Inn
- For a touch of luxury: Maremegmeg Beach Club
- More recommendations on where to stay in El Nido
Days 2 and 3: El Nido
We hit the ground running yesterday, but these may well be the days you remember most fondly from your one-week Philippines travel itinerary.
For days 2 and 3, we recommend taking Tour A and Tour C, the two best-known El Nido island-hopping tours and, in our opinion, the most beautiful as well.
To enjoy them to the fullest, we recommend spending a little extra to book them as private tours. To make sure you find a guide who takes you to each place when it’s least crowded and turns the experience into something truly special, leave us a comment and we’ll send you all the information.
The boat tours usually finish at around 4:30 p.m., so you’ll have time to enjoy a magical sunset at one of the bars on Corong Corong Beach. And if you’re not tired, you can always go out for a drink at one of the many bars in El Nido Town, several of which are right by the beach.
Day 4: El Nido – Port Barton
We continue this one-week Philippines itinerary in the charming village of Port Barton, a place that leaves a lasting impression on every traveler. Its sandy streets, the beautiful beaches you can visit without needing to take a boat or ride a motorcycle, or simply its wonderful atmosphere will win you over.
You’ll find all the information you need in How to Get to Port Barton, but we can already tell you that the best way to get from El Nido to Port Barton is by shared van. The journey takes around 3.5-4 hours.
If we may offer a suggestion, we recommend booking the 8:00 a.m. van (the first one) so that you have more time in Port Barton.
After leaving your backpacks at the hotel, put on your swimsuit and head out to explore White Beach and Coconut Beach, two of the best beaches in Port Barton. You can walk or go by boat, whichever you prefer. Afterward, stay to watch the sunset on the village’s main beach—it’s sure to have a fantastic atmosphere!
Recommended accommodations in Port Barton:
- Affordable and clean: Nellie’s Tourist Inn
- Good value for money: Ausan Beach Front Cottages
- More recommendations on where to stay in Port Barton
Days 5 and 6: Port Barton
These two days in Port Barton will give you time to relax and instantly shake off any stress you may have built up.
We recommend spending one of them on one of the boat tours available. We cover everything in detail in Island Hopping in Port Barton, but our advice is to take a customizable Tour A and, if possible, make it private.
For your remaining day, you have plenty of options:
- Walk to Pamuayan Waterfall and the beautiful neighboring beach of the same name
- Rent a kayak
- Return to White Beach
- Visit Long Beach in San Vicente
You’ll find more details about all these options in our post on Things to Do in Port Barton.
Whatever you do, don’t miss your date with the sunset, and afterward, choose a cool place to eat in Port Barton.
Day 7: Port Barton – Manila
How you spend this day will depend on the departure time of your international flight home or to another country. If it’s the following day, you can make the most of the morning before taking the van from Port Barton to Puerto Princesa Airport. Bear in mind that the journey takes around 3 hours, so you can catch the last afternoon flight from Puerto Princesa to Manila.
If your flight home leaves in the afternoon, try to depart Port Barton as early as possible or even the day before.
If you have time in Manila, you can see it from above at one of our favorite bars. We recommend going out for dinner in the lively Poblacion neighborhood and ending the evening on the rooftop of the I’m Hotel with a toast to a wonderful one-week trip to the Philippines.
If you can, we recommend being in Manila at least one day before your international flight departs. Don’t worry—there are plenty of things to do in Manila.
We hope you’ve thoroughly enjoyed your one-week trip to the Philippines! We’re sure it has left you wanting more, so we hope to see you back again.
Recommended accommodations:
- In Poblacion (Makati): I’m Hotel
- If you need to spend the night near Manila Airport: Savoy Hotel
- If you need to stay overnight in Puerto Princesa: Wilnags Inn
You’ll find even more tips in Where to Stay in Manila, Where to Stay Near Manila Airport, and Where to Stay in Puerto Princesa.
Estimated cost of this one-week trip to the Philippines
Okay, everything you’ve told me sounds great, but how much could this one-week trip to the Philippines cost? Well, as you’ve probably guessed, the answer depends enormously on how and when you travel.
Here are some rough estimates for one person:
- International flight: $1,280
- Domestic flights: $240
- Accommodation for 8 nights: $384
- Food for 7 days: $256
- Tours: $160
- Travel insurance: $48
TOTAL: $2,368
Of course, you can make the trip much cheaper or more luxurious. If you travel as a couple or with friends, you’ll also be able to save a little on accommodations and transportation. You can read more details and work out your budget in How Much Does It Cost to Travel to the Philippines?
Tips for enjoying a one-week Philippines itinerary
- We recommend following this itinerary between January and May, when Palawan generally has the best weather. Even so, traveling to the Philippines at any other time of year is neither impossible nor crazy. You can read more about the climate in When Is the Best Time to Travel to the Philippines?
- Carefully calculate your airport layover times, especially when heading home. Our advice is to leave at least 6 hours between a domestic and an international flight and, if possible, fly to Manila or Cebu the day before. The Philippines is a developing country, and transportation doesn’t always run smoothly.
- Don’t bring too much luggage; you won’t need it on such a short trip. If possible, bring a backpack that can be used as carry-on luggage. As we explain in Airlines in the Philippines, most airlines have a cabin baggage allowance of 7 kilograms. You’ll find some helpful advice on deciding what to pack in Philippines packing list.
- You’ll find many more useful details in Recommendations and Tips for Traveling to the Philippines.
- Buy good travel insurance for the Philippines like the policy we use. Seriously, it can get you out of a very difficult situation, and the cost is minimal. Here’s a 5% discount on your policy.
Alternatives to this one-week Philippines travel itinerary
The possibilities for creating a one-week Philippines travel itinerary are almost endless, and although the one we’ve designed is quite realistic for the amount of time you have, here are a few alternatives:
1. Replace Port Barton with Coron
Don’t think Port Barton is right for you? That would be unusual, since few people fail to fall for this village’s charms, but Coron is a good alternative. Located in the same region and just 3 hours from El Nido by boat or 40 minutes by plane, it’s one of the most impressive destinations in the Philippines.
With spectacular island-hopping tours and world-renowned diving, we’re sure Coron won’t disappoint you. The only thing you need to bear in mind is that the activities in Coron are similar to those in El Nido. In other words, Coron Town (where most hotels are located) isn’t very attractive, so you’ll need to focus on boat trips or scuba diving, as there are no beautiful beaches nearby. Even so, trust us, it’s worth it—especially with our wonderful contact in Coron, who’ll help you enjoy it to the fullest.
Here’s an example of this alternative one-week Philippines itinerary:
Day 1: How to get from Manila or Cebu to Coron (if you arrive early, you can go island hopping or head out to explore everything covered in Things to Do in Coron)
Day 2: Coron (Ultimate Tour)
Day 3: Coron (Escapade Tour or scuba diving)
Day 4: How to get from Coron to El Nido (if you arrive early, we recommend visiting one of El Nido’s beaches)
Day 5: El Nido (Tour A)
Day 6: El Nido (Tour C)
Day 7: El Nido – Manila
As you can see, we’ve reversed the itinerary and saved El Nido for the end. This wasn’t an arbitrary decision: Coron Airport is a little more vulnerable to weather conditions, so delays and cancellations are more frequent. This approach slightly reduces the risk of an unexpected problem causing you to miss your flight out of the country.
If you have more days, we recommend adding them to your stay in El Nido so you can take your time enjoying all the activities it offers. The itinerary we’ve helped you plan here is pretty intense.
2. Take one day away from Port Barton and add it to El Nido
Some travelers may feel that their stay in El Nido is too short, especially if they arrive late on the first day and can’t enjoy beautiful beaches such as Lio Beach, Nacpan, or Las Cabañas. One alternative, therefore, is to remove day 5 or 6 from the Port Barton portion and spend it in El Nido instead.
In that case, we recommend that you skip the island-hopping day in Port Barton, keep both island-hopping tours in El Nido, and devote a full day of your one-week Philippines itinerary either to Nacpan Beach and Lio Beach or to Nacpan Beach and Las Cabañas.
This way, you’ll have almost 2 days in Port Barton: the day you arrive (at around 11:00 a.m.) and the following day.
3. Replace Port Barton with Puerto Princesa or Sabang
If you’re thinking of visiting Palawan from April to October and are excited about swimming with whale sharks in the Philippines, you’re in luck because it’s whale shark season in Puerto Princesa. Unless you have more days available, you can remove the Port Barton portion and use Puerto Princesa as your base. From there, you’ll be able not only to swim with the world’s largest fish, but also to take a tour to see one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature: Puerto Princesa’s Underground River.
Here’s what your 7-day Philippines itinerary could look like:
Day 1: Manila – El Nido
Day 2: El Nido
Day 3: El Nido
Day 4: El Nido and transfer to Puerto Princesa late in the afternoon (read more in How to Get to Puerto Princesa)
Day 5: Whale shark tour (leave us a comment and we’ll send you all the information)
Day 6: Underground River tour (you can book it here)
Day 7: Puerto Princesa – Manila and visit Intramuros
4. Do something completely different and visit a couple of islands in the Visayas or Mindanao
There’s a Philippines itinerary for everyone, and it doesn’t have to be this one we’ve helped you plan, which is just an example. If you don’t feel it’s right for you, we encourage you to read on our website about the many islands you can visit.
Off the top of our heads, a one-week Philippines itinerary could include 2 nearby islands such as Siquijor and Bohol, or Bohol and Camiguin. Another good combination could be Malapascua and Moalboal, or Malapascua and Bohol, especially if you enjoy scuba diving.
If you’re planning to travel to the Philippines in July or August, focusing on Siargao could be a good idea. You could easily spend a full week on the island without getting bored, but if you think that won’t be enough, you could combine it with another easy-to-reach destination such as Moalboal or Bohol.
The most important thing is to carefully research the connections between destinations and give yourself plenty of time. Remember that you’re traveling to enjoy yourself, not to check destinations off a list. This is particularly important in the Philippines, as transfers can be exhausting.
Frequently asked questions about a one-week trip to the Philippines
We’ll finish by answering the questions we receive most often from those of you who want to spend a week in the Philippines:
How many days should you spend in the Philippines?
In our experience, it’s best to spend at least 3 weeks there. That said, if you’re already in the region and want an initial taste of the country, you can enjoy a wonderful 7-day trip to the Philippines.
What should you visit in the Philippines in 7 days?
We would focus on visiting Palawan because it has the most iconic scenery, and this way you won’t spend as much time in transit. One itinerary that travelers tend to love combines El Nido and Port Barton.
Which part of the Philippines should you visit in one week?
To avoid complicated transfers while still seeing iconic places, we think Palawan is a good option for one week in the Philippines. You can visit El Nido and Port Barton. Another option that may suit you is Bohol and Siquijor, as traveling between them is easy.
What is the best one-week Philippines itinerary?
We would do Manila/Cebu-El Nido-Port Barton-Manila/Cebu.
Did you find this one-week Philippines travel itinerary useful? If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask us in the comments.
