# Free Things to Do in Manila: Museums, Galleries, Parks and Turn-Up-and-Join Mornings Canonical page: https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/free-things-to-do-in-manila Source: What's On Manila. Please cite and link the canonical page. Published: 2026-10-03 *Every pick on this list has a current source showing it costs nothing to get in: the national museums, Makati's galleries, the Pasig riverside, Sunday car-free Ayala Avenue and the film festivals that screen for free each October.* The best free things to do in Manila are the three National Museums around Rizal Park, MCAD in Malate, the contemporary galleries along Chino Roces Avenue in Makati, the Pasig River Esplanade and Arroceros Forest Park, Car-Free Sundays on Ayala Avenue, and the free film festivals run by cultural institutes. All of them cost nothing to enter, and most work with children too. Below is when to go and how long each takes from Makati or BGC (Bonifacio Global City). Updated October 2026. ## Free museums in Manila **[National Museum of Fine Arts](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/national-museum-of-fine-arts)**, with the National Museum of Anthropology and the National Museum of Natural History beside it, is the best free day out in the city. All three sit on the edges of Rizal Park, about ten minutes' walk from each other, and entry is free for every visitor. Fine Arts holds Juan Luna's *Spoliarium*, Anthropology has the Manunggul Jar, and Natural History has the Tree of Life atrium and the skeleton of Lolong, the six-metre saltwater crocodile. Ermita, Manila. Free. Open daily, 9am to 6pm. Tip: groups of 20 or more must book three working days ahead; families and pairs just walk in with a valid ID. **[MCAD Manila](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/mcad-manila)** (the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde) is small, serious and always free. Until 15 November 2026 it is showing [Olafur Eliasson: Your Curious Journey](https://whatsonmnl.com/event/olafur-eliasson-your-curious-journey), the Icelandic-Danish artist's first solo show in the Philippines. Malate, Manila. Free. Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 6pm, Sunday 10am to 2pm, closed on holidays. Good to know: MCAD uses timed entry, so book a slot on its visit page first. From Makati, allow 30 to 45 minutes by car. **[Manila American Cemetery and Memorial](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/manila-american-cemetery)** is the quietest free place in BGC and a museum as well as a memorial: the visitor centre has displays on the war in the Pacific, and staff run free guided tours on request. Fort Bonifacio, Taguig. Free, no booking. Daily 9am to 5pm, closed 25 December and 1 January. Tip: bring a photo ID; the flag lowering happens 15 minutes before closing. ## Free galleries in Makati The commercial galleries off Chino Roces Avenue Extension charge nothing to walk in, and the shows change every few weeks. Two compounds, Karrivin Plaza and La Fuerza, sit five minutes apart, so you can see four galleries in an afternoon. Our [first-timer's guide to gallery row](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/manila-gallery-row) has the full route, and [this season's shows](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/art-exhibitions-manila-autumn-2026) lists what is up now. **[Silverlens](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/silverlens)** shows established and mid-career contemporary artists in a large, high-ceilinged space. Makati. Free. Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm. **[The Drawing Room](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/the-drawing-room)** and **[Artinformal](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/artinformal)** share Karrivin Plaza, so they make a natural pair. Makati. Free. Tuesday to Saturday; The Drawing Room is open 11am to 6pm, Artinformal 10am to 5pm. **[Vinyl on Vinyl](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/vinyl-on-vinyl)** in La Fuerza Compound leans younger, with illustration, design and pop-influenced work. Makati. Free. Tuesday to Saturday, 11am to 6pm. Skip if it is a Sunday or Monday: all four galleries are closed. ## Parks, walks and the river **[Pasig River Esplanade](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/pasig-river-esplanade)** is a flat, lit riverside walkway of nearly two kilometres from Fort Santiago in Intramuros to Arroceros Forest Park, open to everyone with no ticket. Start around 5pm for the last light on the water; the lamps come on at about 6pm. From Friday to Sunday evenings, Binondo Church across the river runs a three-minute projection show on its facade every half hour from 7pm to 9:30pm, which you can watch from the riverside. Intramuros and Ermita, Manila. Free. Food kiosks trade from 3pm to midnight. Good to know: Fort Santiago itself charges a separate entrance fee. **[Arroceros Forest Park](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/arroceros-forest-park)** is a small urban forest at the end of the esplanade, with more than 1,500 trees and around 30 kinds of birds. It is shaded and cooler than the street. Ermita, Manila, a short walk from LRT-1 (Light Rail Transit Line 1) Central Terminal. Free. Tip: sign the guest book at the gate; outside food, drinks and pets are not allowed. **[Ayala Triangle Gardens](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/ayala-triangle-gardens)** is the green centre of the Makati business district and the easiest free hour in the city: paths, lawns, and good people-watching once the offices empty out. Makati. Free. Tip: go early morning or in the evening, when it is cooler. **[Washington SyCip Park](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/washington-sycip-park)** in Legazpi Village is a small, shaded garden a short walk from the Sunday market, a good place to eat your market breakfast. Legazpi Village, Makati. Free. ## Markets you can browse **[Salcedo Saturday Market](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/salcedo-saturday-market)** has run in Jaime C. Velasquez Park since 2004. Walking in costs nothing, and browsing the cheese, coffee and cooked breakfasts is half the point. Salcedo Village, Makati. Saturdays, 7am to 2pm. Tip: arrive between 7:30am and 9am, before the heat; carry small cash, since some stalls prefer it. **[Legazpi Sunday Market](https://whatsonmnl.com/event/legazpi-sunday-market)** is the Sunday counterpart a few blocks away, in the Corinthian carpark area of Legazpi Village, with international food stalls, fresh produce, plants and home goods. Legazpi Village, Makati. Sundays, from about 7:30am or 8am to 2pm (check the market's latest post). For seasonal markets, see our [Christmas bazaars calendar](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/christmas-bazaars-manila-2026) and the [markets hub](https://whatsonmnl.com/markets). ## Free film, concerts and workouts **Free film festivals.** October is the busiest month for free cinema in Manila. *Película>Pelikula*, the Spanish film festival run by Instituto Cervantes, screens 23 films free from 4 to 11 October 2026 at Power Plant Cinema in Rockwell and Casa Azul in Intramuros ([event page](https://whatsonmnl.com/event/pelicula-pelikula-25th-manila-spanish-film-festival)). The Goethe-Institut's KinoFest shows German films with English subtitles free from 15 to 18 October at GH Ortigas Cinema, Greenhills Mall. The Japan Foundation's Japanese Film Festival is free for all screenings; in Metro Manila it plays SM Megamall to 4 October, SM Manila from 16 to 25 October and SM North EDSA from 20 to 29 November. Tip: seats are first come, first served, so arrive 30 minutes early for weekend screenings. **Rizal Park programme.** The National Parks Development Committee (NPDC) runs free concerts, history walks and ceremonies at Rizal Park through the year. Check the monthly schedule on the NPDC Facebook page. **Car-Free Sundays on Ayala Avenue.** Every Sunday from 6am to 10am, a 2.3-kilometre stretch of Ayala Avenue closes to cars and fills with runners, cyclists, skaters and dog walkers, around 30,000 people a week. No sign-up needed. **Run clubs.** BGC sportswear stores host weekly group runs, and the Founders Running Club meets on Saturdays at 6am at Opus Mall in Bridgetowne, on the Quezon City side of Ortigas, with free entry listed on its event pages. Our [Manila running guide](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/running-clubs-manila) has clubs, routes and how to join. See also the [train hub](https://whatsonmnl.com/train). ## Free things to do in Manila with kids **National Museum of Natural History** is the one to start with: the Tree of Life atrium and Lolong the crocodile hold most children's attention, and an hour is enough. **The Pasig River Ferry** is free for all passengers. Board at Guadalupe, near MRT (Metro Rail Transit) Guadalupe, and ride downriver to Escolta or Lawton, which puts you near the esplanade. Trips run Monday to Saturday, from 7am, with the last departure from Guadalupe at about 4:15pm. Adults need a valid ID. Trips are suspended in bad weather, so check the MMDA (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority) Pasig River Ferry Facebook page first. **Car-Free Sundays** gives children a whole avenue to ride a bike or scooter on, with Ayala Triangle Gardens next to it for a rest. For more family ideas, see [Halloween with kids](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/halloween-for-kids-manila-2026) and the [things to do hub](https://whatsonmnl.com/things-to-do). ## Before you go - **Traffic.** Rizal Park, Intramuros and Malate are 30 to 60 minutes from Makati or BGC by car, depending on the hour. The LRT-1 to Central Terminal or the free river ferry avoid the worst of it. - **Bring an ID.** The museums, the cemetery and the ferry all ask for one. - **Check the day.** The four galleries here close Sunday and Monday; the markets are weekend only; Car-Free Sundays ends at 10am; the ferry does not run on Sundays. - **Heat and rain.** Do the outdoor picks before 10am or after 4pm. From June to November, afternoon rain is common, so keep a museum or gallery as the backup. - **Cash.** Entry is free, but small market stalls and riverside kiosks often prefer cash. Carry small notes. ## Questions people ask ### Are there free museums in Manila? Yes. The National Museum of Fine Arts, the National Museum of Anthropology and the National Museum of Natural History in Rizal Park are free for everyone and open daily, 9am to 6pm. MCAD Manila in Malate is also free (timed entry), as is the visitor centre at the Manila American Cemetery in Taguig. ### Is the National Museum of the Philippines free for foreigners? Yes. Admission is free for all visitors regardless of nationality. Groups of 20 or more must book three working days ahead online. ### What can I do for free in Manila on a Sunday? Go to Car-Free Sundays on Ayala Avenue from 6am to 10am, then the Legazpi Sunday Market and Washington SyCip Park nearby. In the afternoon, the National Museums are open and free, and MCAD is open until 2pm. ### Where can I watch free films in Manila? At the cultural institute festivals: Película>Pelikula (Instituto Cervantes, 4 to 11 October), KinoFest (Goethe-Institut, 15 to 18 October) and the Japanese Film Festival (Japan Foundation, at SM cinemas to 29 November) are all free. ### Is the Pasig River Ferry free? Yes. The MMDA ferry is free for all passengers, with a valid ID for adults. It runs Monday to Saturday between Guadalupe and Escolta, with stops including Lawton, and trips can be suspended in bad weather.