Manila to Cebu by train, bus, and plane

I visited the Philippines in April 2026, and my main purpose was to ride the remnants of the South Main Line railway from Manila to Legazpi. Rather than backtracking to Manila, I got a flight to Cebu.

These are my notes and observations on the various transport modes I took on this trip.

Ninoy Aquino International Airport

Manila International Airport (Ninoy Aquino International Airport) has the worst reputation for airports in Southeast Asia, so I was curious to see if it has improved since it was privatised in 2024.

The biggest improvement has been the addition of egates. My last time here took about an hour to get through immigration, so passing through immigration in under 5 minutes made a big difference in my arrival mood.

Having dedicated Grab taxi areas also takes the stress out of haggling over a taxi.

NAIA is not connected to the urban rail transit system of Manila, but there are plans to extend Metro Manila Subway (MRT-9) to the airport.

[Map by Itsquietuptown via Wikimedia.]

Manila: Vietnamese electric taxis

I had a short stay in Manila, and I visited Bonifacio Global City on one of my days.

While walking around Manila, I was surprised to see so many Green SM electric taxis.

Xanh SM is a Vietnamese taxi service that competes with Grab in the ride-hailing business. The company was founded by Vingroup, thus it exclusively uses Vinfast electric cars.

The company has been expanding across Southeast Asia, and it is rebranding as Green SM (xanh = green in Vietnamese), though the cars are more turquoise than green.

After my visit, it was announced that Green SM would expand with nearly 18,500 VinFast vehicles in the Philippines.

Train: Calamba-Lucena

The Philippine National Railways (PNR) South Main Line used to run from Manila to Legazpi. The line of approximately 500 km has deteriorated over the years, and there are now only two sections that are operating.

The Manila-Calamba section has been closed down to allow for the construction of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR), so I got a bus from Manila to Calamba.

In preparation for NSCR construction, the Calamba Station had also closed down, and the train now starts at Halang Dos Flagstop in Calamba.

The railway is a single-track line, and part of the reason it is so slow is that it passes through urban areas.

The train to Lucena is timed for commuters, though I did meet a family of local tourists who were riding the train for the sake of it.

Here is my review of that trip: Riding the remnants of the Philippines South Main Line.

Lucena: Jeepney travel

Lucena has a few historic buildings and a gridded central business district that is easy to walk around. Lucena is about 150 km from Manila, so it would be too far to consider as a commuter city even if the new trains are built.

The long-distance bus station is outside the city centre, so I got a jeepney to the station to find out how to get to my next destination.

I was the first in the jeepney, so I had to move down the bench seat until I was next to the driver. Fares are collected upon boarding, and passengers pass the fare to other passengers, who then pass it to the driver. Being next to the driver meant that I was handling money for much of the trip.

There is a lot of nostalgia for the jeepney, but it has long since become an outdated mode of transport. There are plans to replace jeepneys as part of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program.

Bus: Lucena to Naga

There is a big gap of abandoned railway between Lucena and Naga, so I had to get the bus for this section.

According to Google Maps, the distance between Lucena and Naga is 261 km, and the travel time is 6h 31m. That’s about 40 km/h.

The bus was coming from Manila, so I wasn’t sure if there would be seats available. The bus also stops at small towns on the way and picks up passengers. I got on early enough to secure a seat, but the bus still kept picking up passengers when the seats were filled.

The main road is the Pan-Philippine Highway (AH26).

The name and substantial thickness on the map make it sound like it is going to be an easy trip through Luzon. The reality is that most of the road is 2 lanes.

I followed the route on the map and noticed that the highway follows a similar path to the railway, and occasionally crosses paths.

Another section of the road travels along the coast, and it looked scenic from the glimpses I saw through the curtained windows.

I wondered how many small towns on the coast could become tourism destinations if they were accessible by rail.

Train: Naga to Lupi Viejo

Naga has two train services:

– Naga to Legazpi

– Naga to Lupi Viejo

The Naga to Legazpi service was knocked out of service by a typhoon in 2025. I have been following the news of its repair, and the last update in late 2025 said that the line would be operational by March 2026.

I knew that it was not going to be repaired by then, but I had this ideal travel window to visit in April (before the rainy season), so I booked the trip and hoped for the best. At the time of this post, it was still not operational.

I stopped in Naga to give myself a break from the bus and to see the commuter railway that runs from Naga to Lupi Viejo (about 50 km).

Bus: Naga to Legazpi

The bus from Naga to Legazpi was an easier trip than the Lucena to Naga bus. It’s a good road, and the frequent services mean you can just turn up to the station and get on a bus.

The road follows a similar path to the railway, so I was able to see when we crossed the tracks.

It’s a scenic route by road, and I would like to come back and see it by train.

Legazpi: End of the South Main Line

Legazpi Station is in the old part of the city near the waterfront. The station is closed, though it is still staffed with security guards and cleaners.

Part of the reason I wanted to see the old South Main Line was to be able to say that I have taken a train in every country in Southeast Asia that has a railway. The Philippines was the last country on that list.

I also wanted to see what the South Main Line looks like before its possible transformation into the PNR South Long Haul.

The new line is planned to have a top speed of 160 km/h. The line would also extend to the far south of Luzon, so this line could open up the region for tourism.

[Map by Philippine Railways Institute, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.]

I went for a walk along the seafront near the station. This area is a working residential area, and there are no shops or cafes. The road is called Legazpi Boulevard, but there is nothing grand about this road.

Legazpi Boulevard has a great view of Mayon Volcano, and this city would be a bustling tourist hub in other countries if it had a view like this.

Cities in the Philippines remind me of Indonesia, where I have wondered why there are no great coastal cities.

I will write a report on Legazpi at Nomadic Notes.

Bicol International Airport

Bicol International Airport opened in 2021 and serves the greater Legazpi area. They weren’t joking when it was described as the “most scenic gateway“

The view of the volcano is mesmerising, and it still baffles me that this area isn’t a tourism powerhouse.

Despite being an international airport, it only has flights to Manila and Cebu.

Mactan-Cebu International Airport

Getting out of Mactan-Cebu International Airport was a hassle. It didn’t help that my eSIM plan ran out a few hours beforehand. I had bought the plan with enough juice to get me to Cebu, but I miscalculated the expiry.

I didn’t have internet to book a Grab taxi, and the Grab stand was too far from the terminal to use the airport’s Wi-Fi. There was an attendant at the Grab stand who was assisting people without an app, so I used that service instead. After about 20 minutes of waiting, they said there weren’t enough cars.

With no prospect of getting a Grab, I walked to the taxi stand. I checked what the rates should be the night before, and the consensus was that it should be about 400 PHP to the city centre.

I was approached by a driver from a rank of yellow taxis. It’s always a bad sign if a taxi driver approaches you at the airport, and the fact that there was no one in the queue for the yellow taxis was another red flag. I asked if the fare was metered, and then he mentioned high fuel prices and said 800 PHP.  I said no, and the price went down, but I already felt like I was being overcharged. Meanwhile, there was a long queue at the white taxi stand, so the Cebuanos knew which taxi to use.

I ended up getting the airport bus, which is what I would have done in the first place, except that it doesn’t go to where I was staying in the old city area. I got the bus for 50 PHP and a taxi for 300 PHP. I overpaid for that taxi, but I didn’t know what the rate should be without having Grab as a comparison.

Having internet and the Grab app saves a lot of hassle in haggling when you don’t know what the going rate is. For comparison, my return Grab taxi to the airport cost was 400 PHP.

I had a late afternoon departure flight, so I checked out of my hotel and spent a few hours at the airport to have a look around.

Mactan-Cebu International Airport won the ASQ Best Airport in the 5–15 million passengers category in the Asia-Pacific region in 2025.

I can confirm that Cebu Airport deserves its accolades. The wooden beams and abundance of natural light give the departures area a relaxed vibe. I has happy enough to nurse an overpriced airport coffee and crack open the laptop for a few hours of work.

Cebu has terrible traffic, so I was glad to get to the airport early. It’s always a worry when the taxi driver asks what time your flight is when you are stuck in traffic.

Cebu would be a great city if it had a metro system, and there is a plan to build a metro that would connect the airport to the city and the coastal region of the island.

I will be writing more about my visit to Cebu in future posts.