Walk around Liliw for History, Food, and Shopping

Liliw is a small town conveniently located 2 hours away by driving south from Manila, making it a perfect destination for a day drip. You’ll find some interesting things to do and the best part is you can get around this town simply by walking. This town has a beautiful old church, some good restaurants, a historical red brick road, and a main street lined with stores that sell fashionable shoes, delicious snacks and fruits, and different plants. 

The parking space in the town proper of Liliw is limited, so my advice: arrive early in the morning and head straight to Saint John the Baptist Parish and park your vehicle in the Church’s ground.

Visit Saint John the Baptist Parish

Pictures above are from the official Facebook page of Saint John the Baptist Parish – Liliw

This Catholic church was built in the 16th century and is well-preserved from its original state. It is interestingly made of red bricks that can be seen from its exterior. Inside the church you will instantly see the grand backdrop for the altar where different statues of saints are displayed. There is also a pulpit, a characteristic feature of old Catholic churches. I have personally attended a wedding at this church years ago and I would say the parish has done a good job at preserving its beauty and antiquity over the years.

From the Church’s grounds you can do take a short walk straight down to the Red Brick street.

Stroll along the Red Brick Street 

As the name implies, the road here is literally made of red bricks and the street is lined with old Spanish colonial houses that are mostly still privately owned. Some of these houses are well-preserved while others are starting to deteriorate. It is nice to walk along this street early in the morning while the sun is still low and the air is still a little cooler. Here you can have a feel of how Liliw must have looked like in the old days.

And from the Red Brick street, you can turn right on any of its branching streets to find Gat Tayaw street.

Shop along Gat Tayaw Street

This street is just parallel to the Red Brick street. While the Red Brick street offers a glimpse of the old town of Liliw, Gat Tayaw on the other hand, is like Liliw’s small commercial area where different stores line the street. Here, affordable, trendy, and durable shoes are displayed and sold. Liliw is, after all, the Footwear capital of Laguna. It’s interesting to know too that behind almost every shoe store in this street has a small back area where families and workers make the shoes. Some stores will allow you to get a glimpse of their back area while others do not. It’s best to ask for permission for this.

Pictures above are from the official Facebook page of Liliw Culture, History, Arts, and Tourism Office

Restaurants in Liliw

A few restaurants and bakeshops can be found on or near Gat Tayaw street.

One of those is Umpay’s, a restaurant which recently relocated to Gat Tayaw street. Meanwhile, on Rizal street, another parallel street to Gat Tayaw, is where you’ll find Arabela, another popular restaurant in Liliw. I wrote a separate post featuring Umpay’s and Arabela, two recommended places to eat at while in Liliw.

Now, right behind Arabela is the street where you will find vendors that sell snacks, fruits, and plants.

Shop for Snacks, Fruits, and Plants

I am not sure what the name of this street is but this tiny street is lined with vendors that mostly sells Filipino snacks and different fruits. Sometimes live snails and fresh pako (ferns) are sold around here. I highly recommend buying some snails and pako as these ones are rare to find these days even at wet markets and large grocery stores. Occasionally, sellers of plants join these vendors. Most of the products in this street are sold for a cheaper price compared to those sold in grocery stores and malls.

End of Walk

All the spots I’ve mentioned here are all located in Liliw’s town center and are about 5 to 10 minutes walking distance away from one another; you don’t need to take your car with you all throughout the day. And this is what makes Liliw a small but charming old town.