Planning a Trip to Taal, Batangas

Taal is a place not a lot of people know. We usually associate Taal with the famous volcano viewed from Tagaytay. But the only similarity Taal Town has with Taal Volcano is they’re located in the same province. Taal was once the capital of Batangas, which means the prominent, powerful and rich were the residents of the area. Its grandeur is evident even today, with the magnificent houses, the massive basilica and the prominent individuals who once called Taal, their home.

Before going to Taal, research the places you may want to visit. Google doesn’t have a street map of Taal town, so we just asked around to get to the places we wanted to see. I found this website that has an extensive and informative list of interesting places and they recently added a map: http://taal.com.ph/

There are two possible routes from Manila to Taal, either through Tagaytay or Lipa City. I don't think one is faster than the other; both can get pretty heavy traffic. So we based our choice on the other stops we wanted to make on our road trip.

If you're using the Lipa route, like we did, you can stop by the town of Balisong, located just before Taal, and get yourself a butterfly knife or two. There are quite a number of choices in terms of design, material and size. I got a nice pen that also has a small knife (or a very sharp letter opener) inside, for just Php100. It's definitely a unique souvenir.

You’ll know you’re close to Taal because there are already a couple of old houses (bahay na bato as we call it) in Balisong. Soon, we saw the sign for the Town of Taal.

Taal Posts:
Planning a Trip to Taal, Batangas
The Forgotten Heritage Town of Taal
Galleria Taal: Mecca of Vintage Cameras
The Way They Lived – Apacible Ancestral House