HomeBeyond IloiloNegros OccidentalBacolodBacolod City Guide for First Time TravelersBacolod City is one of the best destinations in the Philippines. Great food, peaceful and serene community, easy access to basic needs, hospitable people — Bacolod is all these and more. Known for being a relatively friendly city, it bears the nickname By Marcos Detourista. Updated on May 24, 2016.Bacolod City is one of the best destinations in the Philippines. Great food, peaceful and serene community, easy access to basic needs, hospitable people — Bacolod is all these and more. Known for being a relatively friendly city, it bears the nickname “City of Smiles.” Bacolod City is the capital and the largest highly urbanized mid-size Philippine city of the province of Negros Occidental. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. Bacolod City serves as the entrance of the sugar-rich cities and towns of the Province.Bacolod City is 45 minutes by air from Ninoy Aquino International Airport and 30 minutes by air from Mactan-Cebu International Airport plus approximately 20 minutes of travel by land since the new airport is now located in Silay City. The Port of Bacolod is a major seaport and has daily ferry trips to Iloilo City. By boat, Bacolod City is 18 hours from the Port of Manila and 45 minutes from the Port of Iloilo. By land, Bacolod City is approximately 3 hours from Iloilo City via Dumangas route.Bacolod has an upbeat local economy and unlimited opportunities for trade and investments because the city is home to a high percentage of the country’s top 20 corporations. Bacolod City is the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) hub of the Western Visayas Region of the Philippines. Among the notable BPO companies operating in the city are Convergys, Teleperformance and TeleTech.Bacolod City is known for its MassKara Festival held every third weekend of Octover. The festival is highlighted with the famous MassKara streetdance competition, where people from all walks of life triip to the streets to see colorful masked dancers gyrate to the infectious rhytm of Latin-inspired dance music, accompanied with a dazzling display of mastery, coordination, and stamina.Food is the main attraction of Bacolod City. There is a plethora of restaurants in Bacolod that serve delicious local dishes such as Bacolod Chicken Inasal (Grilled Chicken) or a wide range of international cuisines.Bacolod will charm you with the genuine warmth and hospitality of her people in harmony with their lilting melodious accent. The Bacoleños will delight you with food and cuisine that is as vigorous yet as subtle as the legendary Ilonggo gentility and taste for the good life.Sources: Wikipedia, Bacolod City Tourism OfficeDon’t leave yet. There’s more!Leave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment *Name * Email * Website ΔThis site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.Comments Brian saysApril 24, 2013 at 3:54 pmI will be visiting Bacolod for 2 day in Early May. I am 36 retired American and I live in La Union. I am just taking this trip to explore part of the country I have not seen yet. Would love if someone could tell me the best things to do in a 2 day visit. I will be taking the ferry from manila to make things more interesting. Ingat [email protected]Reply Marcos saysMay 7, 2012 at 5:01 pmComments moderated for messages that could potentially spur yet another never ending city vs city debate.Reply Jay Adrian Santos saysJanuary 17, 2012 at 10:57 amI hope I can go to Bacolod sooner or later…. I am excited to see its wonderful scenery, well-molded culture and rich heritage. Furthermore, I want to experience the reason behind the anchored lines as the City of Smiles. Lastly I want to know what Bacolod is because in this way i could tell the person that I love the most, JHAY JALBUENA that I am serious and I’ll be serious.God Bless and more powers to Bacolod City….. The home of my Beloved..Reply Ronny B. Gronli saysOctober 17, 2011 at 1:42 amHi! I will stay in Bacolod for a while. Could someone tell me if some of the citybanks do whitedrawl by the counter? (Bigger amount then the limit from the AMT machines). Thanks.Reply Tom saysDecember 18, 2010 at 11:43 amHave read many comments and Bacolod seems an interesting and nice place.I am planning to move to the Phils in July/August of 2011 and am looking for a suitable city in which to live. Had been considering Cebu City mostly but am becoming interested in Bacolod also.I am 69, single (divorced) and certainly not a rich American !! Would want to rent a furnished house for not more than P20,000………15,000 would be better of course.Would appreciate opinions as to whether this city would be suitable for a single foreign man such as myself ??Reply jef saysNovember 14, 2010 at 11:41 pmis there anybody in bacolod knows were to buy candle supply in there place? Please let me know… thanksReply Y saysOctober 9, 2010 at 8:34 pmHi guys! i encourage you to visit Bacolod. indeed its beautiful, as it has new exciting places, hotels & resorts to explore, especially this coming (october) “Masskara festival” alot of people will be coming from other places locally and international. you will surely meet lots of tourist and pretty ilonggas all over the place. and its a clean and safe place to go and unwind.Reply Michael saysSeptember 22, 2010 at 8:14 pmI was looking for some place new to go to in the Philippines. I believe I have found it !!! :) Can anyone tell me what else there is to do there ?? I’m planning for next year Oct for the Masskara Festival I would like to see the Ruins also Last I would like to get a hotel with a pool if possible I’m leaning to Check Inn Pension I just dont like the location for Palmas Del Mar :( It dose look nice tho !!Reply bambi saysAugust 10, 2010 at 10:55 pmThanks for the pictures. They were taken beautifully, it eases up my longing to go home. I miss Bacolod…Reply Ulysses saysMarch 19, 2010 at 10:50 pmWe’re visiting Iloilo this summer but would like to take a trip to Bacolod City and spend a day or two. Where would be a good place to stay and places to go?Reply beth saysFebruary 28, 2010 at 11:13 pmmay byahe po bang diretso ng bacolod to guimaras?at guimaras to iloilo?Reply nemiaordinal saysNovember 17, 2010 at 2:56 pmhmmmmmmmmmmmm i think meron from bacolod 2 guimarasReply Jenny Alarcon saysSeptember 29, 2009 at 3:56 pmHi, we’re planning to visit Bacolod this October 9-11, 2009. I’d like to know the must-see places of the province. It is very much appreciated if someone could email me travel guides within the province.Thanks, Jenny [email protected]Reply Bevs saysSeptember 19, 2009 at 12:34 amThere’s no place like home, thats why i never miss going back to Bacolod every year…Everything seems so cozy..the place..the food..the people sooo warm..This is where my heart is wherever I maybe….Reply shella saysSeptember 4, 2009 at 8:05 ammiss bong2 piyaya,INASAL NA MANOK which is our famous food in bacolod wow ilove bacolod in all places i really love bacolod im proud to be bacolonians miss maskara everythingReply shella saysSeptember 4, 2009 at 8:02 amwow that’s amazing lots of improvement in bacolod now we have sm now and planta hotel my gosh never heard about that wow im so excited to take vacation and explore in bacolod again i miss inasal na manok really and sea foods and sinigang my gosh wish i can eat that stuff now hehhehe but hopefully nxt year see yah bacolodReply ralph c. candole saysApril 25, 2009 at 12:13 pmit’s my first time to see bacolod city in the internet, many people told me that bacolod is the most wonderful place they’ve been through… so, i’m very much interested to go to bacolod someday and i really wish that what they told me are true………………..i hope to enjoy going to bacolod someday…………….Reply Lea Moghrabi saysFebruary 22, 2009 at 1:48 pmHi, this is a very interesting site, except there are no information regarding ferry costs and schedules to & from Bacolod to Iloilo. Are you able to post the fares & schedules on this site, if not, can you please direct me to a site that has these information? Thank youReply Marcos C. saysFebruary 22, 2009 at 10:58 pmI don’t have the exact rates/schedules but there’s an Iloilo-Bacolod fastcraft ferry leaving the Bacolod BREDCO port every hour, the cost is approximately P200-300 one way. You can also opt to ride a Bacolod-Dumangas(Iloilo) RO-RO vessel, which leaves the port every 1-2 hours. The cost is P40-P100 and the ride lasts 1.5-2hours.Reply
Brian saysApril 24, 2013 at 3:54 pmI will be visiting Bacolod for 2 day in Early May. I am 36 retired American and I live in La Union. I am just taking this trip to explore part of the country I have not seen yet. Would love if someone could tell me the best things to do in a 2 day visit. I will be taking the ferry from manila to make things more interesting. Ingat [email protected]Reply
Marcos saysMay 7, 2012 at 5:01 pmComments moderated for messages that could potentially spur yet another never ending city vs city debate.Reply
Jay Adrian Santos saysJanuary 17, 2012 at 10:57 amI hope I can go to Bacolod sooner or later…. I am excited to see its wonderful scenery, well-molded culture and rich heritage. Furthermore, I want to experience the reason behind the anchored lines as the City of Smiles. Lastly I want to know what Bacolod is because in this way i could tell the person that I love the most, JHAY JALBUENA that I am serious and I’ll be serious.God Bless and more powers to Bacolod City….. The home of my Beloved..Reply
Ronny B. Gronli saysOctober 17, 2011 at 1:42 amHi! I will stay in Bacolod for a while. Could someone tell me if some of the citybanks do whitedrawl by the counter? (Bigger amount then the limit from the AMT machines). Thanks.Reply
Tom saysDecember 18, 2010 at 11:43 amHave read many comments and Bacolod seems an interesting and nice place.I am planning to move to the Phils in July/August of 2011 and am looking for a suitable city in which to live. Had been considering Cebu City mostly but am becoming interested in Bacolod also.I am 69, single (divorced) and certainly not a rich American !! Would want to rent a furnished house for not more than P20,000………15,000 would be better of course.Would appreciate opinions as to whether this city would be suitable for a single foreign man such as myself ??Reply
jef saysNovember 14, 2010 at 11:41 pmis there anybody in bacolod knows were to buy candle supply in there place? Please let me know… thanksReply
Y saysOctober 9, 2010 at 8:34 pmHi guys! i encourage you to visit Bacolod. indeed its beautiful, as it has new exciting places, hotels & resorts to explore, especially this coming (october) “Masskara festival” alot of people will be coming from other places locally and international. you will surely meet lots of tourist and pretty ilonggas all over the place. and its a clean and safe place to go and unwind.Reply
Michael saysSeptember 22, 2010 at 8:14 pmI was looking for some place new to go to in the Philippines. I believe I have found it !!! :) Can anyone tell me what else there is to do there ?? I’m planning for next year Oct for the Masskara Festival I would like to see the Ruins also Last I would like to get a hotel with a pool if possible I’m leaning to Check Inn Pension I just dont like the location for Palmas Del Mar :( It dose look nice tho !!Reply
bambi saysAugust 10, 2010 at 10:55 pmThanks for the pictures. They were taken beautifully, it eases up my longing to go home. I miss Bacolod…Reply
Ulysses saysMarch 19, 2010 at 10:50 pmWe’re visiting Iloilo this summer but would like to take a trip to Bacolod City and spend a day or two. Where would be a good place to stay and places to go?Reply
beth saysFebruary 28, 2010 at 11:13 pmmay byahe po bang diretso ng bacolod to guimaras?at guimaras to iloilo?Reply
nemiaordinal saysNovember 17, 2010 at 2:56 pmhmmmmmmmmmmmm i think meron from bacolod 2 guimarasReply
Jenny Alarcon saysSeptember 29, 2009 at 3:56 pmHi, we’re planning to visit Bacolod this October 9-11, 2009. I’d like to know the must-see places of the province. It is very much appreciated if someone could email me travel guides within the province.Thanks, Jenny [email protected]Reply
Bevs saysSeptember 19, 2009 at 12:34 amThere’s no place like home, thats why i never miss going back to Bacolod every year…Everything seems so cozy..the place..the food..the people sooo warm..This is where my heart is wherever I maybe….Reply
shella saysSeptember 4, 2009 at 8:05 ammiss bong2 piyaya,INASAL NA MANOK which is our famous food in bacolod wow ilove bacolod in all places i really love bacolod im proud to be bacolonians miss maskara everythingReply
shella saysSeptember 4, 2009 at 8:02 amwow that’s amazing lots of improvement in bacolod now we have sm now and planta hotel my gosh never heard about that wow im so excited to take vacation and explore in bacolod again i miss inasal na manok really and sea foods and sinigang my gosh wish i can eat that stuff now hehhehe but hopefully nxt year see yah bacolodReply
ralph c. candole saysApril 25, 2009 at 12:13 pmit’s my first time to see bacolod city in the internet, many people told me that bacolod is the most wonderful place they’ve been through… so, i’m very much interested to go to bacolod someday and i really wish that what they told me are true………………..i hope to enjoy going to bacolod someday…………….Reply
Lea Moghrabi saysFebruary 22, 2009 at 1:48 pmHi, this is a very interesting site, except there are no information regarding ferry costs and schedules to & from Bacolod to Iloilo. Are you able to post the fares & schedules on this site, if not, can you please direct me to a site that has these information? Thank youReply
Marcos C. saysFebruary 22, 2009 at 10:58 pmI don’t have the exact rates/schedules but there’s an Iloilo-Bacolod fastcraft ferry leaving the Bacolod BREDCO port every hour, the cost is approximately P200-300 one way. You can also opt to ride a Bacolod-Dumangas(Iloilo) RO-RO vessel, which leaves the port every 1-2 hours. The cost is P40-P100 and the ride lasts 1.5-2hours.Reply