Arrivals
A Manila layover is worth leaving the airport for only from about 8 hours: there’s no train, and the road to the old city is slow.
Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL), which everyone in Manila calls NAIA, is about 10 km by road south of Intramuros, the walled Spanish city where this guide’s plans go. Its three passenger terminals are separate buildings, a drive apart. Philippine Airlines flies its international flights from Terminal 1, and most other foreign airlines use Terminal 1 or Terminal 3. Several airlines changed terminal in 2026, so check yours on your airline’s website before you fly.
- Bags. Booked on one ticket, your suitcase is checked through and you walk out with just your cabin bag. Booked separately, you pick it up at the carousel, and NAIA lists no left-luggage service, so with a big case it’s better to rest at the airport than tow it round Intramuros.
- Money. Taxis and entry tickets are in pesos. Every terminal has ATMs and currency exchange, most of them open 24 hours, so take out a few thousand pesos before you leave arrivals.
- Phone. The terminals have free Wi-Fi, but only for 1 to 3 hours a day depending on the network you pick. For Grab and maps in town, set up an eSIM before you fly. The only SIM stand the airport lists is in Terminal 1 arrivals.
Terminals, Wi-Fi and what’s in arrivals: at the airport.
eSIM
Data before you land
The only SIM stand NAIA lists is in Terminal 1, and the free terminal Wi-Fi runs out after an hour or three. An eSIM set up before you fly keeps Grab and your maps working in the taxi and in town.
Get an eSIM from Airalo (opens in a new tab)Get a Saily eSIM (opens in a new tab)
Border
US, UK, EU, Canadian and Australian passports need no visa for the Philippines, but everyone arriving registers on eTravel first.
Not needed when you stay at the airport.
- Visa-free passports. US, UK, Canadian and Australian passports, and those of every EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, can stay up to 30 days without a visa. Your passport must be valid for 6 months beyond your stay, and you need your onward ticket.
- eTravel. Register free on the government’s eTravel site, etravel.gov.ph, in the 72 hours before you land, and keep the QR code on your phone. It never costs anything, so ignore sites that charge for it.
- India. Indian passports get 14 days without a visa with a hotel booking, proof of funds and an onward ticket, or 30 days with a valid US, UK, Schengen, Canadian, Australian, Japanese or Singaporean visa. The same rules say Indian nationals in transit need a Philippine visa, so check with your airline before you plan to leave the airport.
- Staying airside. Only one connection has a published airside route: Philippine Airlines international to Philippine Airlines international, inside Terminal 1. On any other connection, expect to pass immigration.
- Time. NAIA publishes no queue times, so allow about 75 minutes from landing to sitting in a taxi: the queue, the eTravel check, bags if you have them and the walk to the taxi kerb. A slow queue costs you time in town, never your flight: the time you must head back stays the same.
Who needs which visa: visa and transit rules.
Into Manila
A taxi is the way in: about an hour to Intramuros, at a fixed ₱530 by coupon taxi.
Not needed when you stay at the airport.
| Ride | Into town | Fare |
|---|---|---|
| Coupon taxi, the best for most | About an hour to Intramuros | ₱530, fixed before you set off |
| Grab, the ride-hailing app | About the same | Shown in the app; fixed up front with Airport to Anywhere |
| Yellow metered taxi | About the same | ₱75 to start, then by distance and waiting time |
Nobody publishes a drive time, so the hour is our estimate for Terminal 3 to Intramuros, about 10 km; it can be 45 minutes with clear roads or much longer in heavy traffic. That’s why the coupon taxi suits a layover best: you pay at the counter by the arrivals kerb before you leave, and a jam costs you time, not money. Staff hand you a dispatch slip: keep it, don’t give it to the driver, as it’s how you complain if something goes wrong. There’s no first or last ride to plan around: taxis and Grab work whenever you need them.
Every way in, with the pickup points at each terminal: getting into the city.
What to do
Intramuros is the one part of Manila worth the drive on a layover: Fort Santiago, Casa Manila and the National Museum are all a short walk apart.
Not needed when you stay at the airport.
The fastest plan for a short layover
- Clear immigration, buy a coupon taxi at the arrivals kerb and ride to Intramuros: ₱530, about an hour.
- Walk round Fort Santiago, the old fort at the north end of Intramuros: ₱75, from 8am on weekdays and 6am at weekends.
- Walk about 10 minutes to the Casa Manila museum house: ₱75, 9am to 6pm, closed Mondays.
- Take Grab or a taxi back, leaving Intramuros 3 hours before your flight.
It needs 8 hours, which leaves about 2.5 hours in town. With 9.5 hours or more, add the free National Museum and Rizal Park.
Flying Philippine Airlines? If both your flights are PAL international flights, the airline offers two things of its own, each needing a layover of at least 8 hours. The Transit Tour is a 4-hour guided bus tour, US$50 with entrance fees, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays; the morning tour goes to Intramuros and the National Museum. The City Layover is a free shuttle from Terminal 1 to the Newport World Resorts hotels and back, at set times. On either, PAL wants you back at the airport 2 hours before your next flight.
For any other airline, GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab) and Viator (opens in a new tab) list private and small-group tours of Intramuros. Check whether yours collects you from the airport, and what happens if you land late.
Watch the calendar
- Mondays. Casa Manila is closed, but Fort Santiago is open every day. The National Museum’s current listing says it opens daily, though older notices say Tuesday to Sunday, so check its page before a Monday.
- Weekends. Fort Santiago opens at 6am on Saturdays and Sundays, two hours earlier than on weekdays. PAL’s Transit Tour runs only from Friday to Sunday.
- Public holidays. Bonifacio Day (Monday 30 November 2026), Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day, Chinese New Year (6 February 2027) and Holy Week (25 to 27 March 2027) bring heavy traffic, and sights may change their hours: check before you go.
- Rain and typhoons. A heavy downpour can add an hour to the drive, so leave town earlier on a wet afternoon. A typhoon can close roads or the airport: check PAGASA’s warnings and your airline.
Timed plans from 8 hours, PAL’s two programmes, a plan for night arrivals and where to rest at NAIA: itineraries.
Layover tour
Manila tours
Private and small-group walking tours of Intramuros, for any day of the week. Check whether yours collects you from the airport and what happens if you land late.
See tours on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab)See tours on Viator (opens in a new tab)
Head back
Be back at NAIA 90 minutes before departure, with your onward boarding pass.
Not needed when you stay at the airport.
- Time. Leave Intramuros 3 hours before your flight: 90 minutes for the drive back, which is our allowance for the afternoon traffic, and 90 minutes at the airport. That makes 8 hours the realistic minimum, with about 2.5 hours in town; 10 hours gives about 4.5.
- Why 90 minutes is enough. With your boarding pass already issued and your bags checked through, you only need departure immigration and security. If you still have to check in, Philippine Airlines opens its Terminal 1 counters 6 hours before departure; on separate tickets, allow longer.
- The right terminal. Tell the driver which terminal your flight leaves from. Terminals 1 and 3 are on opposite sides of the airfield, about 20 to 30 minutes apart by road on our estimate.
- PAL’s programmes. On the City Layover and the Transit Tour, PAL’s own rule applies: back at the airport 2 hours before your flight.
- Late at night. There’s no last train or bus to miss. Coupon fares are for rides from the airport, so coming back, book a Grab or take a metered taxi. At night the drive is usually shorter, about 30 to 40 minutes on our estimate.
Time in town at each layover length: how much time you’ll have.
Departures
Best for your layoverStaying at the airport instead: a lounge past security, a capsule hotel in Terminal 3, or a hotel over the walkway next door.
- Lounges. Philippine Airlines sells one-time entry to its Mabuhay Lounge in Terminal 1 for ₱2,850 (₱1,750 in Terminal 2), from 3 hours before departure (seen November 2026). The other lounges in Terminals 1 and 3 are open 24 hours, but don’t publish walk-in prices.
- The Wings Transit Hotel & Spa. On Level 4 of Terminal 3, open 24 hours: a capsule costs ₱1,800 for 7 hours 30 minutes, with a shower (seen November 2026). It doesn’t say whether it’s before or after immigration, so if you can’t enter the Philippines, ask before you book.
- Hotels over Runway Manila. The Belmont, Marriott, Sheraton and other Newport World Resorts hotels are a short walk from Terminal 3 by a covered, air-conditioned bridge, about 5 minutes to the Belmont. You need to have entered the Philippines.
- PAL’s City Layover. On two PAL international flights with 8 hours or more, a free shuttle takes you from Terminal 1 to those hotels and back. The rooms aren’t included.
Rooms, lounges and moving between terminals: at the airport.
Hotel
Hotels beside Terminal 3
The Newport World Resorts hotels, among them the Belmont, Marriott and Sheraton, are a short walk from Terminal 3 over the Runway Manila walkway. You need to have entered the Philippines to reach them.