Taal Heritage Town & Taal Basilica
Bayan ng Taal
The best-preserved Spanish colonial town in Batangas, home to one of Asia’s largest Catholic churches and a cluster of historic houses.
Taal Heritage Town preserves many wooden and stone houses from the 19th-century Spanish colonial period. Visitors can enter the Agoncillo Ancestral House and the Marcela Agoncillo Museum, dedicated to the woman who sewed the first Philippine flag. At the town center, Taal Basilica (St. Martin of Tours Basilica) is about 96 meters long and is considered one of the largest Catholic churches in Asia. Visitors can climb the bell tower for views over Taal Lake. The town is about 2.5 hours from Manila and is often visited on the same day as Tagaytay Ridge and the Taal Volcano viewpoint. Local specialties include balisong (butterfly knives) and embroidered fabrics.
Opening hours
Church approx. 06:00–18:00; historic house approx. 08:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- Taal Volcano
- Tagaytay
- Rizal Shrine (Calamba)
- Enchanted Kingdom
- Las Piñas Bamboo Organ
- Corregidor Island
- SM Mall of Asia
- Manila American Cemetery and Memorial