Top 10 Places to Go in Laoag City (Part 1)

Laoag City Tourist Spots

Laoag City is the capital city of the Province of Ilocos Norte. Some of its popular tourist spots are as follows:

1. Ilocos Norte's Provincial Capitol
2. Aurora Park
3. Museo de Ilocos
4. Laoag City Hall
5. Tobacco Monopoly Monument
6. Sinking Tower of St. William Cathedral
7. Fort Ilocandia
8. Malacanang of the North
9. Ilocos Norte Convention Center
10.Lapaz Sand Dunes

For this page, I will be posting about the 1st seven spots, and the rest in a subsequent page .^_^

The 1st 6 spots are just within walking distance so all you need to do is to ride a tricycle to any one of them, then just walk on from there.

Ilocos Norte's customized tricycle

Ilocos Norte Provincial Capitol

The capitol is, of course, the seat of the provincial government of Ilocos Norte. It is located in JP Rizal Street, Laoag City. Just in front of it is the scenic Aurora Park and the Museo de Ilocos.

Aurora Park

What I like about the Aurora Park is its location. The picturesque town plaza is just in front of the Provincial Capitol, the Laoag City Hall, the Museo de Ilocos, and just a short distance away from the Sinking Bell Tower and St. William's Cathedral. Also, it is just beside SM Mall. It is also where the Tobacco Monopoly Monument stands.

Below is a view from the park of the Ilocos Norte Provincial Capitol.

I love this fountain! :D

                                                                             
                                   Museo Ilocos Norte

Too bad for us, we were not able to visit this museum since it was still closed during the time that we were there and we had to move forward to visit other places. Also known as Gameng Museo, this museum showcases historical artifacts and other articles descriptive of the Ilocano culture. It is open from Monday-Saturday starting at 9 am to 5 pm.

                                     Laoag City Hall
Just on the other side of the town plaza is the Laoag City Hall. I really dig its brick walls! The building itself is quite small, just commensurate I guess with the average number of transactions.

                                                            Simple yet beautiful

Tobacco Monopoly Monument

        As stated in WikiPilipinas, the Tobacco Monopoly Monument was a landmark constructed at the foot of the Marcos Bridge, over the Laoag River, which commemorates the lifting of tobacco monopoly in the Philippines in accordance to the royal decree of June 5, 1881 of King Alfonso XIII in 1881. It was built in gratitude for the said King whom without his order, will not end the agonies of the Ilocanos who are forced to plant tobacco. The tobacco monopoly was established in 1782 by Governor Jose Basco y Vargas by virtue of the royal decree of February 9, 1780. It aimed to bring in large profits for the government and make the Philippines the leading tobacco producer of the world. Although it was abolished during the incumbency of Governor Fernando Primo de Rivera in 1881, tobacco remains to be a major cash crop in the province. 

Just in front of the monument is a very big LAOAG sign which changes colors from red, to green, to pink, to blue, to white, etc. 

Sinking Bell Tower

     What's unique about this belltower is its far distance from the St. William's Church since belfries are usually near, if not connected to the church building. As the story goes, this belltower sank and is still currently sinking (approx. 1 inch per year) because it is said to be constructed on a sandy foundation which could not support its very heavy weight. Although a part of it is already underground, it still looks quite gigantic.  Yet, it continues to be functional until today, to signify the start of masses.

The different facades of the tower

This side has an orange-y tint on its walls

This is the side facing the street leading towards the church

St. William's Cathedral

     After checking the belfry, we went to the Cathedral next. The Italian Renaissance designed church was built in 1612 by Augustinian friars and has an Earthquake Baroque style. The original church was constructed using lime mixed with molasses big stones, gravel, and sand. 

Fort Ilocandia

      As claimed in its website, Fort Ilocandia is the only 5-star deluxe resort hotel in northern Philippines sprawling over 77 hectares of land amidst gentle sand dunes and pine forests with a 2 kilo-meter sandy beach facing the South China Sea. It is located in the heart of the city of Laoag and the province of Ilocos Norte. The resort is a complete service complex resort hotel. It’s a 10 minutes drive from Fort Ilocandia Golf & Country Club at Paoay and from the Laoag International Airport.

For the next part of our Laoag City Tour, just click on this link Top 10 Places to Go in Laoag City (Part 2).
Also check out other popular destinations to go in Ilocos Norte:
Top 4 Places to Visit in Paoay, Ilocos Norte
Top 11 Tourist Spots to Visit in the Northern Part of Ilocos Norte