Rizal Park

Rizal Park - the Luneta to most Manileños - is the city's central open space, a long rectangle of lawns, gardens and monuments running from Taft Avenue down to Manila Bay. Its meaning is political as much as recreational: this was Bagumbayan, the field where the Spanish executed José Rizal in December 1896, and the monument over his remains, guarded permanently, is the country's symbolic centre and the point from which distances in the Philippines are measured. Independence was proclaimed here in 1946 and the flag raised. The park holds a Chinese and a Japanese garden, an orchidarium, a musical fountain that runs in the evening, and the National Museum complex along its northern edge; the planetarium closed in 2021, and the relief map of the country that lay in a pool was demolished in 2023. It is busiest at dawn, when Manila comes out to exercise, and on Sundays, when families fill every patch of shade.

History

The Paseo de Luneta was completed in 1820 on marshy ground south of the walls of Manila, where the village of Bagumbayan had stood since 1601, and it became the centre of the city's social life. José Rizal was executed here on 30 December 1896, and in 1901 an act was passed to raise the monument that now holds his remains; the park covers 58 hectares (Wikipedia, Rizal Park).

What's there

• The Rizal Monument - the guarded memorial and burial site.
• The execution site - the sculptural tableau marking 1896.
• The musical fountain - the water show that runs in the evening.
• The gardens - Chinese and Japanese sections and the orchidarium.

When to go

December to February for cooler air; early morning or late afternoon at any time, since the park is largely unshaded at midday. The fountain show runs in the evening.

Good to know

Several sections - the gardens and some attractions - charge separate fees. It is crowded on Sundays and holidays. Watch belongings in the busier areas as in any large city park.

Nearby

Intramuros and Fort Santiago are just north; the National Museum buildings line the park's upper end.

Key facts