Marikina Sights and Landmarks Guide, Philippines

Also known as Manila’s Little Singapore, Marikina houses beautiful sights that will surely leave you enthralled by the city’s beauty. The culture aficionado will surely enjoy a number of museums that Marikina boasts.

The most famous of all is the Shoe Museum, showcasing thousands of shoes of different colors, designs and styles. The doll museum reveals dioramas displaying the history of Marikina, Filipino culture and traditions. The most recent are the Belen museum and the Miniature museum. The former illustrates the birth of Christ through different interpretations of his nativity in the Philippines and all over the world; the latter displays the interior design of a mansion in room boxes.

Children and adults alike will experience a completely new nature trip in the World of Butterflies, a 2,000-square-meter stretch of lush gardens that makes a perfect home for over 20 species of butterflies. Aside from simply chasing these butterflies, one can also learn about them through an animated video presentation in the Audio-Visual Room, which can accommodate around 100 people. Breeders and staff are on hand to give interactive lecturers and answer any pertinent questions that guests may have.  It’s more than a butterfly park; it can even serve as venues for weddings, birthdays and other occasions.

One may also be interested to visit the Kapitan Moy ancestral house. It is a product of architectural evolution and is a combination of the classic “bahay kubo” design and the modern house.

The Marikina River Park is a product of the selfless efforts to restore the city that was once a garbage dump. Today, the park is hailed as the biggest and most natural sports and recreational park in the country. Of course, one also could not miss out the fact that Marikina is dotted with several malls, restaurants, establishments and churches.

Yet, the most coveted eye candy is the world’s largest pair of shoes. An icon of the rich shoe industry of the Marikeños, the shoes measure 529 centimeters (5.29 meters) long and 237 centimeters (2.37 meters) wide. They are proudly made of genuine leather and can fit thirty people inside them. It also took the shoemakers 77 days to finish the pair.

Finally, Marikina visitors will fully enjoy the beauty of the city in a few days time, because a day is not enough for jam-packed action and fun in the Shoe Capital. Naturally, one wouldn’t want to miss all the good things.