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ILOILO CITY is a useful transit point to northern Panay and other Visayan islands, but otherwise of little interest. There's something hauntingly homogenous about the ramshackle nature of Philippine port cities. Apart from some graceful old houses in its side streets and a handful of interesting churches, Iloilo has little to distinguish it from other horrors of urban planning perpetrated throughout the archipelago. You can't help but wonder where all the nice buildings are. The city's handful of sights include the rather threadbare Museo Iloilo , behind the Provincial Capitol Building on Bonifacio Drive, which documents the history and traditions of the Western Visayas (Negros and Panay). West of the city in Molo district is a church built of coral blocks. If you are visiting in January the Dinagyang Festival adds some extra frenzy to the city during the fourth weekend.

Iloilo airport is about 8km north of the city and a taxi to the centre will cost about P100. A cheaper option is to take a jeepney marked "Iloilo Mandurriao". Ferries arrive at the wharf at the eastern end of the city, off San Pedro Drive.

The city's tourist information office (Mon-Sat 9.30am-6pm; tel 033/337 5411) is on Bonifacio Drive and the Bureau of Immigration is at the Old Customs House on Aduana Street, although visa extensions arranged here take time because they go through Manila. The post office is in the same building and has poste restante. For Internet access try Global Villagers (tel 033/336 9187) on General Luna Street, opposite the provincial Capitol Building.