I’ve always wanted to visit the old churches in Laguna but never had the chance to until today! We are touring our auntie and uncle since they came to visit our province in Lucena. Laguna is just about 2 hours away from our location so we’ve decided to go.

From Lucena, our first stop was Calle Budin in Tayabas to buy some snacks while on the road. Of course, a must-buy is their budin, and nilupak! There’s a lot to buy there and everything is definitely good. You can also stop by here to buy pasalubong like broas, shing-a-ling, meringue, longganisang Lucban, and a lot more!

If you are coming from Manila, you can easily check Google Maps on where you can go first.

Liliw Church

Our first stop was the Saint John the Baptist Church or commonly known as Liliw Church.

A Baroque parish church was built in 1605 to honor St. John the Baptist.

It is made with red mud bricks and adobe. The church is dedicated under the patronage of Saint John the Baptist and is notable for its red-bricked facade.

After visiting Liliw Church, we walked nearby and had lunch at White House Bistro 1983. White House Bistro is an ancestral house turned into a restaurant serving local delicacies. It is one of the classics and most recommended restaurants to go to if you are in Liliw, Laguna.

If you walk just a bit more, you can explore or buy pasalubong in the area. Don’t forget to check out their tsinelas (slippers) which are the products of Liliw! After all, they are the Tsinelas Capital for a reason.

Santa Maria Magdalena Church

After Liliw, Laguna, we went straight to Santa Maria Magdalena Church.

The church was located in front of a plaza near the municipality of Magdalena and is one of the oldest Spanish-colonial era churches in Laguna.

Unfortunately, the church was closed at the time we went so we weren’t able to go inside.

The church was built in 1820 using wood and cogon which are abundant in the area and was later on rebuilt using stone, bricks, and adobe.

Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery

Not a church but this is near San Bartolome Apostol Parish Church.

Another famous destination in Nagcarlan, Laguna.

It is the only underground cemetery in the Philippines that is being maintained by the National Historical Commission. It was also declared a national historical landmark in 1973 and 1978.

The Underground Cemetery was built at the foot of Mt. Cristobal in 1845 by Vicente Vello, a Franciscan priest. It was designed as the final resting palace for Spanish friars and rich Catholic families in Nagcarlan.

I wasn’t able to take photos and videos inside since we were told that it is not allowed. The guard even told us that it wasn’t allowed since ghosts are often seen in videos and photos. So, I didn’t even tried to.

The cemetery was built together with the San Bartolome Apostol Parish Church.

San Bartolome Apostol Parish Church

More commonly known as Nagcarlan Church.

San Bartolome Apostol Parish Church was dedicated under the patronage of Sain Batholomew the Apostle. It was first built with light materials and was later on reconstructed in 1752 and 1845. Now, the church is made with dark stone, adobe bricks, and ceramic tiles.

Its four-story high bell tower was constructed in 1781 and it became popular after it was featured in “Kampanerang Kuba” in the 1974 movie and the TV series remake in 2005.

Among the churches we have visited, for me, this has the most stunning altar and interior.

The side of the church has multiple niches housing various saints.

Here’s the route we took that you can follow or tweak depending on you: Google Maps of Laguna Churches. There are a lot more churches in Laguna that you can visit but we wanted our trip to be just short since we want to be home for dinner.

Other churches in Laguna that you can visit are:

Saint Paul the First Hermit Cathedral in San Pablo City, Laguna
Saint Gregory the Great Parish Church in Majayjay, Laguna
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Pagsanjan, Laguna
Saint James the Apostle Parish Church in Paete, Laguna

On our way home, we passed by Ferns Cafe in San Pablo, Laguna where we had our merienda. Very nice ambiance and their food is quite good as well!