Fort San Pedro

Located three blocks from the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño, Fort San Pedro was built by Legazpi roughly forty years after Magellan's arrival, at the same time as the construction of the Basilica. Besides being a fortress built by the Spaniards, the fort served as a prisoner-of-war camp and was a city zoo before ultimately becoming a Cebu landmark with partially ruined structures and a small museum. The triangular fort is also the oldest and smallest fort in the Philippines. Another of the fun places in Cebu to visit is the small Fort San Pedro. Originally built in 1565 by the Spanish as a stronghold against pirates and Portuguese raiders, it was upgraded from wood to coral and stone and today hosts a small tropical garden and gallery. Free personal tours are available and our friendly guide LJ showed us around, explaining the history of the fort and pointing out and explaining the various plants and flowers along the way.