Biyahero

• Dingin Grotto, in Brgy. Dingin, is an ancient sambahan (religious site) where local folk occasionally dance the subli, which pays homage to the Holy Cross of Alitagtag.  It is located on a cliff face in Labangan Bay on Taal Lake’s southern shore. 
• Binukalan Shrine

• The Immaculate Conception Church was first built in 1579 by Franciscan friars.  The present stone church was built from 1748 to 1752 and was blessed in 1759 by Archbishop Rojo.  Its rectory is now the Immaculate Conception College.   The church is now listed as a National Cultural Treasure. 

• Balete has a good lakeside beach in Brgy. Malabanan.

• The Provincial Capitol Center, in Brgy. Kumintang Ibaba, is located 2 kms. from the city center.  Its Provincial Capitol, built in 1926, is a well-preserved specimen of American colonial architecture. 
• Laurel Park, at the Provincial Capitol Site, has the 40-ft. high allegorical and expressionistic monument Diwa ng Batangueno done in cut-formed-and-welded brass by noted Filipino sculptor Eduardo Castrillo.  Unveiled in January 1980, it celebrates Batangueno virtues such as nobility, industriousness, beauty and wisdom.
• Plaza Mabini, at the corner of P. Burgos and M.H. del Pilar St., has a bust statue of Apolinario Mabini (built in 1951 and redesigned in 1964), two fountains, a gazebo and public restrooms.
• The Basilica Minor of the Infant Jesus and Immaculate Conception, along M.H. del Pilar St., was first built in 1578 with makeshift materials.  It was burned in 1615.  The foundations of the new stone church and main nave was laid in 1686 by Fr. Jose Rodriguez and finished by Fr. Miguel de Buensuceso. The reef-stone transept was added in 1706 by Fr. Jose de San Bartolome and, after being burned by lightning in 1747 and repaired in 1756, it was demolished in 1851 and the existing Baroque-style basilica was erected in 1857 by Fr. Pedro Cuesanta.  The church was damaged by earthquake in 1863 and repaired and reinforced with walls and buttresses.  After the roof fell in 1880, it was repaired in 1884 by Fr. Bruno Laredo.  In 1936, old windows were changed and 23 chandeliers were added.  The facade collapsed during the April 8, 1942 earthquake and was repaired between 1945 and 1946.  It was declared a Minor Basilica by Pope Pius XII on February 13, 1945, the first basilica to be vested that honor and privilege in the Philippines and in the entire Far East.  The basilica houses the original Sto. Niño ng Batangan statue. The second and third stories of the belfry were completed in 1934.  The convent was first built in 1693 with reef stone and huge molave posts.  A new one was built in 1792 by Fr. Melchor Fernandez. It is now being used as a school building.  In a room beside the basilica's altar is the Msgr. Clemente Yatco Museum. 
• The Pastor-Acosta House, along C. Tirona St., is a turn of the century residence formerly owned by Mr. Alejo Acosta, barrio captain of Batangas in 1883.  Now owned by lawyer Tony Pastor, its huge antesala was used as a social salon during the American regime. It was the site of an assassination try on American Governor (and later U.S. President) William H. Taft.  The sniper's bullet is still lodged in one of the house's doors.
• The Rosales Ancestral House, along P. Panganiban St., houses memorabilia of Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales. 
• Batangas National High School (Rizal Ave., circa 1902)
• St. Bridget’s College (M.H. del Pilar St., circa 1912)
• Batangas Regional Hospital (circa 1928)
• Ilihan Beach, in Brgy. Ilijan, is located south of the city.
• Pinamucan Beach, in Brgy. Pinamucan, is located south of the city.
• The 987-m. high Mt. Banay is located in a rugged area southeast of the city
• The 681-m. high Mt. Pinamucan is located in a rugged area southeast of the city.
• Matoco Point provides a panoramic view of Batangas Bay.
• Ilijan Falls, in Brgy. Ilijan, is a 3-km.. hike inland from Ilihan Beach.  It has waters coming from a big mountain spring falling into seven huge bowls carved into a mountain side and arranged like a flight of stairs. 
• The 30-foot high Tingga Falls, in Brgy. Daang Ibaan, has a pool ideal for swimming.  
• Naugong Falls (Brgy. Daang Ibaan)
• The 8-km.. long, thickly vegetated Isla Verde (or Verde Island) has rugged cliffs and some white sand beaches.  A 1-hr. boat ride from the city, it is situated at the Verde Island Passage that separates Batangas from Mindoro.  Its Cuevo Sitio is a cool and shady rock-sheltered area ideal for picnics.  Mahabang Buhangin is an extensive white sand beach near Punta and Tinalunan where a plateau terminates in a rocky, weather-beaten cliff.  Pakaskas, a native delicacy made from the buli plant, is produced by the island’s residents.  All along Verde Island’s ledge are drop-offs and steep slopes where reef fish, pelagic fish and soft and hard coral are plentiful.  A local guide is recommended as currents are strong.  Diving season is all year round.  There are a number of dive sites off Verde Island. 

1. Pulong Bato, a 1.17-hectare fish-rich reef formation  and a protected marine sanctuary, is among the world’s best dive spots.  
2. San Agapito Point, located on the southeast, is done as a day trip.  There is a true wall 60 m. down from the surface with gorgonian sea fans and large soft corals.  
3. West Point is a good fast drift dive done as a day trip.  It has a rich coral slope teeming with fish life. 

• The Msgr. Clemente Yatco Museum, located in a room beside the altar of the Basilica Minor of the Infant Jesus and Immaculate Conception, houses a special, priceless collection including a recreated silver altar and paraphernalia and baptismal records dating back to the 16th century.  Open Mondays-Fridays, 8am-5pm, admission is free. Tel:  725-3456.  
• The Museo ng Batangas at Aklatan Panglalawigan, housed in the former Governor's Mansion at the Provincial Capitol Center, was created by Exec. Order No. 3039 and opened on September 24, 1993. Open Mondays-Fridays, 1-5pm. Admission is free.
• The Verde Island Passage, one of the busiest waterways in the country, is situated between Luzon and Mindoro and is about 100 kms. long and about 20 kms. across at its narrowest point.  In a joint study by the Smithsonian Institute in the U.S., it has been described as the “center of the center” of the world’s marine biodiversity.  It is also one of the most threatened marine areas in the world.  Though there is no commercial fishing in the area, its waters are plied daily by oil and chemical carriers while the shores of Batangas are lined with shipyards, oil refineries and chemical and petrochemical plants. Considered the marine counterpart of the Amazon River Basin, it is one of the worlds most spectacular areas for aquarium fish.  Its spectacular reef formations is home to more than 300 species of coral and its underwater rock canyons host nearly 60% of the world’s known shore-fish species.  The passage is located at the peak of the “Coral Triangle” which spans the Sulawesi and Sulu Seas in the southern Philippines and neighboring Indonesia.

• Bauan Cathedral was first built in 1667 by Fr. Jose Rodriguez, the second was built in 1689 by Fr. Nicolas de Rivera, the third in 1692 by Fr. Simon Martinez, the fourth, of wood and stone, from 1695 to 1697 by Fr. Ignacio Mercado, and a fifth from 1700 to 1710 by Fr. Blas Vidal.  The present church was built in 1762 by Fr. Jose Victoria under the direction of Don Juan Bandino.  Its facade was completed by Fr. Hipolito Huerta. The transept, continued by Fr. Huerta in 1856, was finished by Fr. Felipe Bravo in 1861.  Final decorations were applied in 1881 (by Fr. Moises Santos) and 1894 (by Fr. Felipe Garcia).   The stone fence of the atrium, with artistic wrought iron columns, was built by Fr. Manuel del Arco in 1848. The church houses the Holy Cross of Alitagtag, the patron saint of the town.  Found in 1595 by local natives in a place called Dingin, near Alitagtag, it was installed in Bauan's church.  Made of anubing (Artocarpus cumingiana) wood, it is 2.5 m. high with a 1-m. crosspiece.  A golden sun, with radiating rays and embossed with a human face, was added at the point where the cross's arms intersect. The adjacent massive, hexagonal and domed bell tower was first built by Fr. Jose Trevino in 1772.  A huge bell was installed by Fr. Alberto Tabores in 1788.  The tower, as well as the choir loft, was destroyed in 1870 and repaired in 1874 (a clock was also installed). 
• The convent was first built in 1762 by Fr. Jose Trevino.  The present one was built in 1848 by Fr. Manuel del Arco.  The first level has semicircular arcading while the second level has capiz shell windows.