Bacoor
Introduction
Bacoor is a component city in the province of Cavite, Philippines. It is the second largest city in Cavite after Dasmariñas, and one of the more populous cities in the country.
Before you go
Bacoor is a large, sprawling city just south of Metro Manila, shaped by the rapid suburbanization that turned a quiet fishing and farming municipality into one of Cavite's most populous cities. Its car-dependent urban sprawl means getting around is easiest by road, and most activity is concentrated around Zapote-Talaba, Panapaan, and Molino rather than the old town center, which holds the old Catholic church and town hall along General Evangelista Street near the coast. Before you go, plan around the rainy season: Bacoor is low-lying and vulnerable to flooding, made worse when high tide in Manila Bay coincides with heavy rain. If you want to connect your visit to the city's history, note that Bacoor's old parish church was served for decades by Mariano Gomez, one of the Gomburza priests, and that the town was among the first to rebel against Spanish rule, with the Battle of Zapote Bridge fought nearby in 1897. The Cuenca Residence, a heritage home, was a meeting site for the Katipunan.Getting there
Bacoor sits roughly 15 minutes from Manila and the airport, which makes it an easy add-on to a trip based in the capital. The city's main artery is Aguinaldo Highway, and designated bus stops line it; the most useful is the one near SM City Bacoor at the junction of Aguinaldo and Tirona highways. Talaba junction is another handy stop, since that's where you'll find the jeepney terminal serving Bacoor poblacion via Gen. Evangelista Street. Buses to and from Manila all use the Manila-Cavite Expressway, and minibuses known locally as "baby buses" run in from the coastal towns, terminating just outside SM City Bacoor.
From Metro Manila, jeepneys reach Bacoor from Baclaran in Parañaque via Zapote. By car, the main entry point from Manila is the toll Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX, still often called Coastal Road), with an exit at barangay Longos. Other approaches from Metro Manila include Quirino Avenue from Las Piñas, which meets the often congested Alabang-Zapote Road and crosses into Bacoor over the historic Zapote Bridge; Daang Hari, a multilane east-west road running from Ayala Alabang in Muntinlupa to Imus, linked to the South Luzon Expressway by the toll Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway; and Aguinaldo Highway itself, which traverses the city north to south. Note that Bacoor enforces license plate number coding and the Cavite government has a province-wide travel restriction, both on weekdays except national holidays.
Getting around
Bacoor is well served by everyday Philippine public transport, and for most trips jeepneys, buses and tricycles will get you where you need to go. Jeepneys ply all the major roads through town, with routes reaching Molino Road, Tirona Highway, the Emilio Aguinaldo Highway/Tirona Highway intersection, and onward to Imus, Dasmariñas, Silang, Muntinlupa and Parañaque; from Metro Manila they run to Bacoor from Baclaran in Parañaque via Zapote. Loading and unloading is restricted to a few designated stops, so you cannot hail a jeepney just anywhere or ask the driver to drop you outside a stop. Major jeepney hubs include SM Bacoor and Zapote, and at Talaba junction you'll find the terminal for jeepneys heading to Bacoor poblacion via Gen. Evangelista Street. Tricycles fill in the short local trips. A multicab also runs between SM City Bacoor and SM City Molino, but space inside is tight, with limited head room and leg room, and it carries only about half what a jeepney can, so expect a crowded ride.
Buses ply Aguinaldo Highway, the city's main street, and all of them use the Manila-Cavite Expressway to and from Manila. The most useful designated stop is near SM City Bacoor, at the junction of Aguinaldo and Tirona highways; Talaba junction is another handy one. Minibuses known locally as "baby buses" run to Bacoor from the coastal towns, with a terminal just outside SM City Bacoor. There is no rail, metro or tram network of your own here, so if you want the Manila rail system you would first travel by road toward Metro Manila and connect there. Driving is far from the best way to get around: the malls are best accessed by car, but parking rates can be burdensome and space becomes limited during weekend sales, and traffic is nerve-racking unless you are used to Filipino driving behavior. Number coding restricts road travel by license plate number, and a province-wide travel restriction also applies on weekdays except national holidays. If you do drive, prepare for rush-hour delays and clogged main roads, especially on routes connecting to Metro Manila; leaving early, checking live traffic updates and considering alternative routes can help. Main entry points by car include the Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX), with an exit at barangay Longos; Quirino Avenue from Las Piñas, which crosses into Bacoor on the historic Zapote Bridge; Daang Hari; and Aguinaldo Highway. Ride-hailing is best treated as a supplement to public transport rather than the primary way to get around, since journey times are governed by the same congestion.
Where to stay
Bacoor's accommodation is practical rather than resort-style, with options spread across the town's commercial strips and subdivisions. Along A. Evangelista Street in Kalinisan, Talaba, you'll find a branch of the Hotel Sogo chain occupying the fourth floor of FRC Mall Bacoor; it follows the chain's familiar red-and-yellow look and caters mainly to couples. A second Hotel Sogo sits further out at the corner of Aguinaldo Highway and Bacoor Boulevard in Molino, run in the same love-motel style.
- Hotel Sogo Bacoor – A. Evangelista Street, Kalinisan, Talaba, on the fourth floor of FRC Mall Bacoor.
- Hotel Sogo Molino – Aguinaldo Highway corner Bacoor Boulevard.
- One Serenata – Tirona Highway, Dulong Bayan. Furnished rooms with flat-screen TV, free WiFi, breakfast and parking, plus a van shuttle service from Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
- Dragonfly Apartments and Transient House – 226 Chico Street, Justinville Subdivision, Panapaan VII. Check-in 2PM, check-out 10AM.
If you'd rather base yourself in a residential subdivision, Dragonfly Apartments and Transient House in Justinville Subdivision, Panapaan VII, offers transient-style stays with an afternoon check-in and a mid-morning check-out. For more conventional hotel comforts, One Serenata on Tirona Highway in Dulong Bayan provides furnished rooms with flat-screen TVs along with free WiFi, breakfast and parking, and can arrange a van shuttle from Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Food & drink
Molino Boulevard is the spine of Bacoor's eating and drinking scene, with several options clustered along it and inside NOMO Center. For dim sum at any hour, Kowloon House keeps its doors open around the clock, while Kenji Ramen House serves ramen late into the night and Watami Grill & Sushi Bar covers grilled dishes and sushi during the day and into the evening. Bossjuan Kitchen, also on Molino Boulevard, pairs food with a night band and attentive service. Cafés are scattered across the city, from Bacoor Boulevard and Molino to Queensrow and Gen. Evangelista Street. Along Bacoor Boulevard you'll find Coffee Gus•to Bacoor Blvd at Soluna Homes and Bueno Expresso Café at Paseo De Bacoor in Molino III, while Kopikayo Cafe sits at Soluna and Coffee Project Islands occupies a spot on River Drive. Elsewhere, AE Cafe is in Dulong Bayan on Gen. Tirona, Hidden Brew is tucked into Queensrow Subdivision, two:am cafe is on Avenida Rizal in Bahayang Pagasa, Sognare Cafe is on Gen. Evangelista Street, and Kahel Cafe rounds out the list. Most open in the morning or late morning and run through the evening, making them easy stops between meals.What to see and do
Bacoor's history is written into its landmarks, and the most storied of them is Zapote Bridge at the boundary with Las Piñas. Two battles were fought here — one during the Philippine Revolution in 1897, won by Filipino forces, and one during the Philippine-American War in 1899, when American gunboats devastated the Filipino positions. The old arch bridge has since been bypassed by a modern six-lane span, but a National Historical Marker at its middle commemorates both encounters. In the Poblacion, Bacoor Church (Saint Michael the Archangel Parish) on General Evangelista Street is a Spanish-era church first built in the 18th century and rebuilt several times after wars and earthquakes; Mariano Gomez, one of the Gomburza, served as one of its parish priests before his arrest in 1872 and execution in Bagumbayan. A historic marker honours him in front of the convent, and a plaza sits beside the church. Nearby on General Evangelista Street in Barangay Tabing-Dagat, the Cuenca Ancestral House is one of the few remaining bahay na bato residences from the Spanish era; it briefly served as the first headquarters of the Philippine revolutionary government after the declaration of independence in 1898, and later as the temporary seat of the Roman Catholic Church in Bacoor. For open-air time, the Emilio Aguinaldo Tirona Highway Park at the corner of Aguinaldo and Tirona Highways is open around the clock.When to go
Bacoor has a tropical savanna climate, so expect heat and heavy humidity no matter when you visit. The dry season runs from late December through April, bringing little rain and hot, humid days. Humidity makes the air feel much warmer than the thermometer suggests, but this stretch is the most comfortable time for sightseeing and outdoor plans.
The wet season covers the rest of the year, with frequent rain and high humidity. From June to September, the southwest monsoon, known locally as the Habagat, can flood parts of the city, so travel during these months means coping with wet conditions and possible disruptions to your plans.
Three days in Bacoor
Day one: Start in Bacoor itself, in Cavite, and get your bearings in the old centre. Walk General Evangelista Street and look for the Cuenca Residence, a house tied to the Katipunan and the revolutionary period. From there, follow the story of Mariano Gomez, one of the Gomburza priests executed under Spanish rule, and take in the Catholic heritage that runs through the town. If you want a break from history, head to SM City Bacoor for food and air conditioning before the afternoon heat settles in.
Day two: Push deeper into Cavite's past. Go to Zapote and the Zapote Bridge, where the Battle of Zapote Bridge was fought, and let the site carry the weight of the revolution against Spanish and later American forces. Loop back through Talaba and Panapaan, quiet barangays that show you how Bacoor spreads out from its historic core. In the evening, return to the Bacoor side and eat where the locals do along the main roads.
Day three: Use Bacoor as your base for the wider province. Take the Aguinaldo Highway toward Dasmariñas, or head north toward Metro Manila if you want the contrast of the capital. Buses run from Metro Manila into Cavite via Baclaran and Parañaque, and the Cavite Expressway, also called CAVITEX or the Coastal Road, makes the trip from the metro quick. End your stay with a last look at Manila Bay, then plan your route out through Longos or back up the highway.