Luneta, Manila

Also known as Rizal Park, Luneta is one of the city’s premier attractions being the most famous park in the country. From its former name, Bagumbayan (new town), wherein the Philippine’s national hero Jose Rizal was executed last 1896, Luneta is a great place of historic archives. The roster includes the execution of the Gomburza in 1872, official proclamation of the country being a fully independent republic in 1946, a mass was held here by Pope John Paul in 1995, and the opening and closing of the 2005 Southeast Asian Games.

In Luneta, you’ll find Quirino Grandstand, the Chinese and Japanese Gardens, the main office of the Department of Tourism, the National Museum, National Library, Orchidarium, Planetarium, Butterfly Pavilion, an open air auditorium and a chess plaza. The flagpole located in front of the Rizal monument is the Kilometer Zero which means it is the starting point for all measurements in distances in the Philippines.