How to get to Tagaytay

Getting to Tagaytay via public transportation is easy. Here's the commuting route we took when we went to Tagaytay for our Taal Volcano trekking adventure:

• ride a bus to Araneta Center Bus Terminal, behind Shopwise, in Cubao, Quezon City (tell the conductor/driver to drop you off at Farmer's Market)
• at the terminal, look for the San Agustin bus with Mendez-Tagaytay signboard (the fare is Php114 - we asked the conductor to drop us off at Mendez Crossing/Junction, near the place we stayed at)

The Mendez-Tagaytay bus traverses Coastal Road and Aguinaldo Highway so we had to endure a 3-hour bus ride. It's better to ride  a bus to Nasugbu or Balayan to Tagaytay because travel time only takes 1.5 hours on the average. 

Before hopping on any bus, always check with the driver/conductor if it will pass by your desired destination.

Taal Volcano trekking - not horseback riding!

The Taal Volcano Crater Lake and the tiny island of Vulcan Point.

The weekend getaway plan to travel 10 hours via the Bicol Express train to Naga  and explore the city was replaced with a three hour bus ride to one of the nearest (to Manila) and most favorite escape place of city dwellers - Tagaytay City. We were not going to Tagaytay just to admire the beauty of the Taal Volcano in a distance, our mind was set on seeing the world's "largest island in a lake on an island in a lake" and the "largest lake on an island in a lake on an island".

The plan changed just a day before the actual trip when I learned that train tickets to Naga should be reserved at least two weeks in advance (what were we thinking?!? Getting a train ticket to Naga is not like taking an MRT or LRT ride).

Moving on, we were lucky to get a room in a nice old house overlooking Taal Lake. One of my friends who joined this trip have stayed there about a year ago and recommended the place. The room was big enough for the four of us; it has a queen sized bed, an extra mattress, bathroom (no hot showers) and a great view of Taal Volcano and Lake. For Php1500 a night, it was a bargain considering that we stayed there during a long weekend.

The view from our room as the sun rises.