What’s in Quezon province? It’s just a 3-hour drive from Manila but most of the time overlooked, underrated and almost non-existent in travel guides. Glad I somehow found a way to include this sleepy province in my #ISANGDAAN itinerary.
Me, Mela, Emely & Jennifer
I went to Lucban, Tayabas and the capital- Lucena City. Surprised of what these places offer to an intrepid traveler. Talk about cheap gastronomic food, old churches and heritage houses.
Quezon province is just there, offering each traveler more than he/she can imagine. This province south of Manila is a shocker, really, I was saying “WOW,” “HUWAW” in each stop over. Ohhh, don’t forget the sweet and helpful locals like Mela, Emely and Jennifer. No, I will not tell them that you worked under-time just to journey with me, how sweet! 🙂
Mini Lucban Church display, found inside the church
So for those who want to be surprised like me, here’s 10 of must-see-and-taste-and-experience while in Lucban, Tayabas and Lucena City, Quezon.
1. Count the Heritage Houses. I counted about 9 and I wasn’t that focus yet. I believe there are more waiting to be explored and stamped with National Heritage Institute. Price: Free, just walk
2. Explore Lucban Church. Heard of the colorful Pahiyas Festival? This is the very church where Pahiyas originated. It started when locals begin to offer a portion of their harvest to the parish church as their thanksgiving to St. Isidro Labrador. As the years go by the offerings are too much for the parish church to accommodate so the priest instructed the locals to just place their harvest in front of their houses while he roam around the town with the image of the patron saint. That’s is why the vegetables and kipings are displayed outside the Lucabanons’ houses- Pahiyas came into being. Price: Free
Now? Its commercialized and only a few make kiping and display their harvest outside their houses.
Lucban Church
Lucban Church's interior
3. Walk on Tayabas Church’s aisle. Tayabas church has the longest aisle in the country- that’s because of the continues repair of the church. So a lot of brides want to get married here, so they have more time to think if they would say “I do” to the groom. 😉 Priceless.
Tayabas Church facade
Tayabas church's aisle- the longest in the Philippines
Tayabas Church dome's exquisite painting
4. Buy a gallon of Lambanog. If Manila has SanMig Light, Samar has Bahalina, oldies has sioktong, Mindanao has tuba, Quezon is proud of its lambanog. Ohhh, I remember my highschool days when i first tried Lambanog- after a few seconds, I was literally snoozing. So if you want a stronger alcoholic drink without burning your pocket- lambanog is your bestfriend. The pasalubong is just at the back of the Lucban church. Price: Php75/liter
Lucban Pasalubong center. Mela, open it first! Can't wait?
Lambanog for sale!
5. Take home a dozen of Lucban longanisa. Php70 a dozen for small longganisa and Php140 for the bigger ones. Lucban’s mix is full of local garlic or bawang Tagalog. It burst with flavor the moment it sticks to your frying pan. Good pasalubong too to your mother-in-law too! 😉 A lot of longganisa can be found at the street at the back of Lucban church, They are just hanging in open air. Price: Php70-140/dozen
The making of the Lucban's longganisa
6. Buy some budin. Budin is their local name for cassava cake. Im a sicker for everything cheap, so this cassava cake went straight to my plastic bag as a snack for my trip to Marinduque. Good food for runners like me, heavy on stomach. There are lots of budin in Kalye Budin in Tayabas, Quezon. Price: Php25/cake
Budin or cassava cake
Kalye Budin- a street lined-up with all sorts of cassava cakes, longganisa and other local delicacies
7. Try the fried siopao. If you want to try a different texture of siopao, then this is the place to be! Manang Lydia is already an institution here. I saw lots of students and locals lining up for a freshly fried siopao. You must try it when you are in town. Price: Php15/piece
Fried siopao in Lucban, Quezon
8. Pancit habhab. Do as the locals do, eat it without using fork. Just eat it from the banana leaf. That is why they call it pancit habhab- hinahabhab para makain (I don’t knwo how to translate this in English). Price: Php10/order
That's how to eat pancit habhab. No fork, no touch!
9. Quezon Capitol. Quezon is formerly called “Kaliraya” (remember the famous Caliraya Lake?) then the capital was transfered to the town of Tayabas, where the province gots its name; it was renamed again to Quezon after the WWII in honor of Pres. Manuel L. Quezon, who is from Baler, which is a part of the undivided province before (now Baler is part of Aurora, which is named after Pres. Quezon’s wife). Whew! That’s for history buffs!
Tip: Go here during sunset to capture the reflection on the mad-made pond, the sky is bursting with golden colors.
Quezon Capitol in Lucena City
10. ___________. Keeping this blank for Quezon locals who wants to add the 10th must-do or must-see or must-eat in Quezon. Go ahead add number 10. 🙂
To all Quezon locals, be proud! To all Filipinos, raise your flag high and tell the whole world how beautiful our country is.
___ ___ ___
I toured around Quezon province during Day 27 of #ISANGDAAN Journey. Thank you again Mela, Emely and Jennifer for the warm welcome! Fried siopao pa! Huwaaaw!
#ISANGDAAN is a personal journey and challenge to backpack around the Philippines the cheapest way possible for 100 days. “Isang Daan” is a Filipino term that can mean either “one way” or “one hundred.”
If you want real time updates, you can check my facebook page: www.facebook.com/journeyingjames or follow me on twitter: @journeyingjames
If you want to follow my steps, I have an interactive map- ISANGDAAN Journey map.
ayos to james! will keep those things in mind pag nabisita rin ako
thanks pre! sabi ni gael, hello daw. buti medyo mahaba yung comment mo sa blog
nice post! proud Tagalog from Quezon 😀 my item #10: visit the “Kamay ni Hesus” in Lucban or go to some Quezon’s beaches :)) Sariaya beaches offer very nice sunrise view plus some beach activities, too. Island hopping in P. Burgos and Pagbilao.. Then the cagbalete Island in Mauban, Quezon.. There are also some scheduled healing masses in Kamay ni Hesus.. you can inquire thru this number (042) 540-2206 🙂 Oh, one more thing.. in my town.. Villa Escudero is another treasure. Quite expensive but the Museum, the Man-made falls, the creek, carabao ride, fishing, balsa ride, sumptuous food (experience eating on “bao” and using other wooden kitchen utensils) cultural show every weekend, the church, and the villages inside the plantation.. 😀
thanks rizza for the very informative comment! 🙂 wow, i think i need to go back to quezon someday soon.
uy ayos to ah. malapit lang. di naman mahirap ang commute from one town to another?
erick, lucban to tayabas is just 15mins away. tayabas is just 15mins away from lucena city.
I’ve been to Lucban last year napaka payak ng pamumuhay sa lugar na un and that church grabe ganda…. Na puntahan mo rin ba ang “kamay ni Hesus”?….
nope, i just saw it from the hiway. not a fan of that.. hahaha
nice one!! thanks James!! :))))
There’s more to Quezon than the Pahiyas Festival… great compilation James! 🙂
i concur! quezon is sooooo big, a day or two is not enough to explore it.
no. 10 ko kumain ng halohalo sa salud, Lukban or, visit beautiful falls in Real or, go to the white beach Kwebang lampas in pagbilao, or visit the exotic cave in HOndagua..
and why you guys didnt brought me to salud?
yung white beach ba, white talaga?
Mr. Journeying James, just to refresh your memory niyaya ka namn ni ate 🙂 pero sabi mo hindi na kakasya sa tyan mo ang halohalo, ikaw ang tumaggi!!.. hahaha :)))
10. Dine at Kamayan Sa Palaisdaan located at the boundary of Tayabas and Lucban.. Its restaurant with native ambiance and very good local foods.. and thats why it called “kamayan” you will eat there using you bare hands.. Cant wait to go home again 🙂
nice addition zandra! thanks, want to try that when i return
Elders in Baler still call Quezon province Tayabas till now, that is why if you are not a history buff you will get confused. :-). Maganda sa Quezon at ang lawak. Maraming hidden treasures 🙂
Eat halo-halo at Salud’s halo-haloan sa Lucban Quezon. :)) best tasting halo-halo ever. :))
True! Definitely a must-try. I suddenly missed Salud. 🙂
Thanks for sharing James. I’m adding this on my bucket list! 😀
madami pala pwede gawin at libutin. twice pa lang akong napunta sad to say na dumaan lang kami para kumain at dumiretso na sa bicol at yung last time naman dahil namatay ang kaibigan namin.
Good post. However, one of the words in the introduction caught my attention…”sleepy” province. Oh well, the experiences that Quezon Province especially in Lucban brought you has proven the cliche “Don’t judge the book by its cover.” In addition to your list for number 10, people can also visit the town of Lucban during holy week to visit Kamay Ni Hesus at the same time join the procession on Good Friday then you can pass by and eat at Palaisdaan in Tayabas.
#It’smorefuninQuezonProvince.
consider nxt tym the northern part of quezon like Real… there r more amzing places to offer… beaches, falls, hospitable people, foods….etc…
yes, will definitely explore more of quezon. thanks sir elmer
Quezon has a lot to offer, beaches of Sariaya,villa Escudero of tiaong,Graceland af Tayabas, pueblo porla playa af pagbilao,ka ay ni Jesus and downtown lucban,villa Anita of padre Burgos, borawan and kwebang Lagpas, bonpen beaches from padre Burgos to San francisco, cave and atimonan beaches, quezon national forest park also in atimonan, the island of balistar and alabat,beaches of capable te at the worl famous island of bales in which under development of alpha land, lucena has its own world besides quezon capitol , there’s cheap beaches from talaotalao to dalahican, south waters and 9wive pools of sulo riviera, must try food Chami tamis anghang, lucena batchoy and seafoods at dalahican fish port, as of now downtown lucena never sleeps.
hey bonoy, thanks for all these suggestions.
you have a lot in the list
Eat at “KAMAYAN Resturant”.. Food is so good yet affordable.. plus the nice ambiance.. you’ll dine in a balsa.. cool na cool… hehe
Eat at “PALAISDAAN RESTAURANT” in Tayabas.. Food is so good yet affordable.. plus the nice ambiance.. you’ll dine in a balsa.. cool na cool… hehe
*****correction. 🙂
buy lots and lots and lots of seafoods at dalahican!!!.. 🙂
AHHHAAA! I know your tour Guides. They are my co-WORKERS aha!
this is very beautiful place. i dream to see this place but not alone, with Elaiza Faller Barnes. i love here a lot. i dont know about her. if some one know her plz support me
thanks
why only with her cos she is from this province
Used to make an annual trip to Lucban with my loved one. In my opinion, it was better back then, climate wise. It seems warmer now, most probably due to the development around the town. If you can spare a few hundred pesos, you can try the restaurant after the grotto where one can dine on floating tables.
Hi James, this is gillian from Quezon Tourism Office. Thank you for writing your experience in our province. We’ll share this to our twitter account. Hope this is okay with you! thanks!
hi sir gillian! sure thing, share it po! i enjoyed quezon very much
The Philippines is such a wonderful place, I am sorry I didn’t discover it years ago! Now I’m afraid to tell people in case it gets spoiled with tourists like Thailand! (j/k) Seriously though, Filipinos have much to be proud of, the country is beautiful and the people are so welcoming and genuinely friendly. I’ll certainly be visiting Quezon Province on my next trip.
Very helpful post! I will go to Lucena tomorrow for work but I definitely plan to do a little sidetrip! Thanks for sharing =)
Si ate Carmela Padillo yung kasama diba?
yes
I spent a bit of my childhood going to and from places in Northern Quezon like Real (because my family had a fishpond there) and I definitely recommend it to tourists who wanna go out of the beaten path and experience a true taste of rural Philippine life on top of discovering unknown (to the greater public) natural wonders.
Hi James! Have you tried white water rafting in Kaliwa River located at Quezon?
not yet, first time i heard about it. do you have details? that sounds exciting!
Waaaa!! most places were from my hometown-Lucban, Quezon. Soooo proud!! 🙂
yep! because lucban is love! i want to food trip ulit dyan
wala ang Kamay ni Hesus Groto?
I want the readers to know that the tenth thing to do in Quezon could be a visit in Kamay ni Hesus and/or a treat at Kamayan sa Palaisdaan.
Nice article, but there are over 10 things to do in Quezon. Explore more kabayan 🙂
Pardon me if someone already said this. I can’t read all the comments.
The old name of Quezon province is KALILAYAN, not KALIRAYA. So it has nothing to do with Caliraya lake.
Ever heard of Borawan in Quezon? I haven’t been there before,(though i’m from Gumaca, a few hours away from Padre Burgos) but I suggest you try visiting the place. It was named Borawan because of its white beaches resembling Boracay and rock formations reminiscent of Palawan.
Thanks James.. We are heading to Quezon tomorrow to visit Kamay ni Hesus. Your info makes me more excited to explore the area. It was indeed very helpful for us. Really appreciate this…
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Im late too read this older article but was great to read. My gf lives in Quezon prov in Tayabas.
I plan to see her in May and was going to go elsewhere…maybe I should stay after ur great article!
Thank you.
I am Quezon Province there are so many hidden Paradise in Quezon Province not only on that places, there is Pagbilao Quezon,Mauban Quezon,Infanta Quezon, Real Quezon, lots of beaches, mountains if you wanted to relax and get closer to the nature, you can find a place for camping in Mauban Quezon if you love beaches you can try infanta and real, if you want to dive you can too. . you can visit Atimonan too. .Life in Quezon Province is very far to the life from the city.
Dear James….
You’re easily pleased with very little.
I’ve lived here for over a year and it’s all crap.
Your photos make it all look so nice, very different from reality.
I would definitely not recommend Quezon prov, nor Luzon, not even Philippines to anyone.
Before traveling here from anywhere, do a lot of research and don’t fall for this article.
If you’d like to know why, simply email me and I’ll be more than happy to oblige.
Will…
I’m curious…How have you managed to live for over year in a “crappy” place
(your word)? If you’re capable of such a sweeping indictment, maybe you can be more precise about your personal experiences that goaded you to declare such a ridiculous conclusion.
BTW…i assume you are still here? What’s keeping you from taking the next plane out of the Philippines. Still doing your research? What did you come here for in the first place?
Didn’t get what you were looking for? JUST ASKING….
Opps…..i didn’t realise his post was way back in 2015…..sorry. i just needed to immediate respond to avoid my spleen from bursting.
Anyway, i travel to Bicol often lately and have not gotten off the beaten track through Quezon. I’d live to take a stop over half way through. Would anybody make a recomendation? Nothing fancy. A decent resort hotel will do. Appreciate…..thanks.
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