Fort Santiago

Fort Santiago is the citadel of Intramuros, the walled city that the Spanish built on the south bank of the Pasig River after they founded colonial Manila in 1571. The first fort on the site was made of palm logs and earth, and it was rebuilt in stone between 1590 and 1593 under Governor-General Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas. Later centuries added the ornate front gate in 1714 and further bastions and gun platforms in the 1730s. The fort was occupied by the British from 1762 to 1764, used as a prison by Japanese forces in the Second World War and badly damaged by shelling in February 1945.

Today it is a National Historical Landmark managed by the Intramuros Administration. The main gate is a reconstruction, rebuilt in 1982, with a relief of Saint James, the fort's namesake. Inside, the grounds open out into lawns, ruins, the remains of the moat and the river walls, with views across the Pasig. The walls are about 6.7 metres high and the perimeter runs to roughly 620 metres, so a slow circuit does not take long.

The emotional centre of the visit is the Rizal Shrine, which displays memorabilia of José Rizal, the writer and national hero who was imprisoned here before his execution in December 1896. Bronze footprints set into the ground trace his final walk from the fort towards the execution ground at what is now Rizal Park. The old dungeons and cells, used in both the Spanish period and the Second World War, are a sobering counterpoint to the gardens.

The fort is open from 8am to 10pm on weekdays and from 6am to 10pm at weekends, with last entry at 8pm on weekdays and 8.30pm at weekends. There is a modest entrance fee, with a reduced rate for students, senior citizens and visitors with disabilities. The early weekend opening is the best time to come if you want cooler air and softer light for photographs, while the evening hours suit anyone who would rather avoid the midday heat.

Allow one to two hours. Wear comfortable shoes and bring water and sun protection, because much of the site is open to the sky. The fort sits at the northern tip of Intramuros, a short walk from Manila Cathedral, so it combines easily with the cathedral, San Agustin Church and Casa Manila on a half-day walk through the walled city. It suits history lovers, families and first-time visitors alike.