Quezon City

Quezon City was conceived as the future capital of the Philippines under the Philippine Commonwealth government, as Manila had become overpopulated. Most of the city was planned by the urban planner, William E. Parsons. Most areas that are now Quezon City are acquired from various municipalities in Rizal. Many government buildings were built to house the agencies as they move from Manila. Only parts of the plan had come to fruition when the Japanese invaded the Philippines in 1941. After World War II, Quezon City further expanded by ceding parts of Caloocan to form the Novaliches district, resulting in the geographic division of the municipality.

The city has a tropical climate; daytime temperatures fall between 30s (86–102 °F), and has two seasons: dry and wet. Because of its location near the forested and rainy Sierra Madre, the dry season is rather cut short by the southwest monsoon. Average annual humidity is high, making the heat very unbearable, so dry season heat can take toll on your body; you will sweat easily on a short stay outside and do frequent changes in clothing.

Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL ^IATA) is to the south, straddling Pasay and Parañaque. From there, travelers generally take a taxi or bus.

• Taxi: All three terminals have taxi stands, served by yellow airport taxis, which charge double as the white ordinary taxis, which can only be used on trips to the airport and can only be hailed outside. It is also possible to just use the ride-hail service Grab from the airport.
• Bus: For comfort, there are premium point-to-point buses provided by UBE Express, which alight at Cubao. Cheaper, but possibly slower due to Manila's perennial congestion are city buses with more frequent stops, which terminate near Terminal 2.

As of 2022, provincial bus service only serve the Araneta City Bus Port bus terminal in Cubao, served by commuter routes from Bulacan and provincial routes from Central Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. From elsewhere in the north and south, buses terminate at the North Luzon Express Terminal (NLET) in Bocaue, the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) in Parañaque, and Starmall Alabang in Muntinlupa. All of these three terminals have connections with the Manila city bus network.

A huge majority of Metro Manila's bus routes serve Quezon City; general info is at Metro Manila#Get around

Privately-operated city buses are plenty in Quezon City, and there is also a government-run free-fare bus service.

• EDSA Carousel: BRT-like service running from the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) and Monumento (Caloocan) and uses a dedicated lane at the middle of EDSA. Serves Cubao and the Triangle areas.
• 2 Antipolo-Quiapo: Local bus service between Antipolo (PITX) and Quiapo (Manila via Aurora Boulevard. Major destinations served are Katipunan area, Cubao and New Manila.
• 6 PITX-Sapang Palay, 7 PITX-Fairview and 34 PITX-Montalban: Local bus services plying Quezon and Commonwealth avenues. 6 runs between Sapang Palay in Bulacan and PITX, 7 runs between PITX Fairview (with stops along Timog and East avenues) and 34 runs between PITX and Rodriguez (Montalban), turning off Commonwealth near the Batasang Pambansa.
• 18 BGC–North EDSA: Local bus service between SM North EDSA and Bonifacio Global City via Congressional, Luzon, Katipunan and E. Rodriguez avenues. This is one of 4 city bus routes that serve Eastwood to the southeast.
• QCityBus: intracity bus service operated by the Quezon City government, composed of 7 radial routes (QC1-QC6 and QC8) emanating from the Quezon Memorial Circle and 1 crosstown route (QC7 Katipunan–Welcome Rotonda). Services use air-conditioned coaches.

While covering only parts of QC, LRT Line 2 and MRT Line 3 run through the main points in the city, namely Cubao, North EDSA and Katipunan.

The MRT Line 7, nearing completion, will extend train coverage to Fairview, most of Commonwealth Avenue, the UP campus, Quezon Memorial Circle and North EDSA. Most of the line is already complete, opening 2023 at the earliest.

Metered taxis are probably the most comfortable option - just be wary of large taxi fares during rush hours and drivers being picky on their passengers (they try to avoid destinations in crowded areas).

Jeepneys, either traditional or modern ones, are most useful in areas of QC not already served by city buses such as UP Diliman, which is served by a loop service known as the "UP Ikot".

A lot of jeepney routes in QC also take the main roads primarily served by buses such as Commonwealth Avenue, but for trips that involve those roads, taking a bus is preferable.

Driving in QC is not recommended, especially if your destination is along EDSA. Traffic is badly congested, streets are often narrow, left turns are rare than rights, and parking can be expensive in the CBDs. Reckless driving, road rage and police corruption are also problems.

Main roads in QC are EDSA, C-5 (E. Rodriguez Jr., Katipunan, Tandang Sora, Luzon, Congressional and Mindanao avenues), Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon Avenue, and Quirino Highway. With the exception of Quirino Highway, most of them are wide avenues with a median divider, but these are expected to be snarled during rush hour. Left turns are often prohibited on those roads, with street intersections crossing the median closed and replaced by U-turns.

QC implements the regionwide road space rationing ("number coding") scheme, with window hours before and after noontime except along EDSA.

Parking can be elusive and/or expensive at key locations. Parking spots at malls are bound to be scarce during peak shopping periods and weekly sales.

Smaller lanes and roads in residential areas are plied with bicycles fitted with side cars, termed padyak or traysikel.

• Quezon Memorial Circle. A national park and shrine bounded by the Elliptical Road. At its center is a mausoleum containing the remains of Manuel L. Quezon, the second President of the Philippines. The park surrounding the shrine is one of the few green lungs in the city, and is a haven for joggers and bikers alike. There are also eating establishments within the park, for those who'd rather sit and people watch. A railway station is being planned for the park, but until then the best option for a tourist is to take a cab. 
• Mabuhay Rotonda - Known as "Welcome Rotonda" before the name was changed during the 1990s. Built in 1948 during the term of Mayor Ponciano Bernardo. Quezon City had been declared the capital of the Philippines on July 17, 1948 and so the monument was built to welcome people to the capital, hence “Welcome Rotonda”.
• Tandang Sora Birth Site - The place where the house of Melchora Aquino stood. It was in this site that she took care of the wounded Katipuneros and provided them food and shelter. Known as "Tandang Sora" she was officially adopted "Heroine of Quezon City" by a City Council Resolution. She died at the age of 107 on March 12, 1919.

• Santo Domingo Church - home to the statue of the Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, said to be more than 400 years old.
• San Pedro Bautista - one of the oldest churches in the country, housing the bones of the patron saint. There is also a catacomb in the basement of the church where the friars of the past were buried.
• Hearts of Jesus and Mary Parish Church - A quiet church near former President Cory Aquino and current President Noynoy Aquino in Brgy. West Triangle, Quezon City
• Capitol City Baptist Church - in West Avenue

• Tomas Morato and Timog Avenue Tourist Belt Area - where restaurants, bars, clubs, and other retail and entertainment establishments are found
• La Loma Cockpit - one of the biggest cockpit arena in the country where cock fighting or sabong is held during Sundays and holidays. This supposed sport results in a cruel forced fight to the death between 2 male 'cocks' which have blades strapped to their legs. This is a large form of careless gambling that occurs within the area.
• Ma Mon Luk - along Quezon Avenue and established in the 1920s, this restaurant is famous for its noodles and siopao (Chinese: 燒包; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sio-pau)
• Araneta Center - A mixed use residential and commercial complex housing several malls and budget accommodations. An ideal transport base as it's LRT-2 and MRT-3 stations connects 2 major lines which is a north to south line and an east to west line. Also houses several city and provincial bus terminals for travel within the metro or to other provinces. It is also home to the "Big Dome" which is the biggest arena in the country.

Visiting Manila may come to your mind after staying in Quezon City. Other options within the metro are:

• Makati – Philippines' financial capital, with towering skyscrapers, the glitzy Ayala Center, and high society, contrasting with the hassles of crowded residential districts.
• Marikina - The "Shoe Capital of the Philippines", not complete without visiting its Shoe Museum or strolling the Riverbanks.
• San Juan – Shop till you drop at the Greenhills Shopping Center, or if you're lucky to visit on June, join the Wattah-wattah Festival, part of the Feast of St. John the Baptist celebrations with water fights resembling Songkran celebrations, and get wet.

Quezon City is a hub for buses to northern Luzon.

• Alaminos – The Hundred Islands with its pristine beaches.
• Baguio – The "Summer Capital of the Philippines", with cool climate, pine trees, and mountains.
• Banaue – World-famous rice terraces and Ifugao culture
• San Fernando – Taste of Kapampangan cuisine and the spirit of Filipino Christmas.
• Vigan – Heritage city with a well-preserved downtown