🇵🇭 Philippines
Sweet spot May, Dec. Peak Jan–Apr. Skip Aug–Oct.
When to go
Philippines, month by month
Updated August 2026 · How we decide →
Typical weather
What Manila is usually like
What a typical day looks like, hour by hour: 8am when you get up, 2pm in the afternoon, 8pm when you are out in the evening — on Philippines’s own clock, at Manila. Ten-year averages (2011–2020) measured at the capital, so this is Manila, not the whole of Philippines, and a mountain or a coast a few hours away can be nothing like it. Averages, not a forecast: a typical January rather than any particular one.
| ✓January, peak season | 25.5°C | 29.1°C | 26.1°C | 49 mm | 11h 21m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓February, peak season | 25.7°C | 30°C | 26.5°C | 20 mm | 11h 40m |
| ✓March, peak season | 27.1°C | 31.6°C | 27.7°C | 23 mm | 12h 02m |
| ✓April, peak season | 28.9°C | 33.6°C | 29.4°C | 12 mm | 12h 27m |
| ★May, cheap sweet spot | 29.7°C | 33.7°C | 29.7°C | 103 mm | 12h 48m |
| June, in-between | 28.9°C | 31.9°C | 28.7°C | 225 mm | 13h 00m |
| July, in-between | 27.8°C | 30.3°C | 27.6°C | 342 mm | 12h 55m |
| ✕August, avoid | 27.6°C | 29.8°C | 27.4°C | 307 mm | 12h 37m |
| ✕September, avoid | 27.6°C | 30.2°C | 27.5°C | 293 mm | 12h 13m |
| ✕October, avoid | 27.6°C | 30.5°C | 27.7°C | 189 mm | 11h 49m |
| November, in-between | 27.6°C | 30.7°C | 27.6°C | 80 mm | 11h 28m |
| ★December, cheap sweet spot | 26.6°C | 29.7°C | 26.9°C | 176 mm | 11h 17m |
Twelve months in order. Tap any heading to sort by it — the driest month, the longest day, the afternoon closest to the one you like.
The colour is the month, not the weather: ★ cheap sweet spot · ✓ peak season · in-between · ✕ avoid.
Temperature and rainfall are ERA5. Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026; neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use of this information. Daylight: MET Norway, measured on the 15th of each month — the sun does not change, so that figure is exact rather than an average. Rainfall is a monthly total; daylight is sunset minus sunrise.
Right now
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Dry season Jan–April; typhoon season peaks Aug–Oct.
A closer look
Philippines in a bit more detail
English everywhere, thousands of islands, and prices that stay low outside Manila.
What it costs — our estimate
These are estimates, not quotes. Researched by hand in pounds for two people travelling together, August 2026. A figure like this can never be exact — it moves with the season, the exchange rate and how you travel — so treat it as a starting point and put your own numbers into how long would your money last.
What it's like
Cebu is the usual base — cheaper than Manila, far easier to get around, and the jumping-off point for the islands. English is spoken almost everywhere, which makes it one of the softest landings in Asia. Manila traffic is genuinely among the worst in the world; most long-stayers plan around it rather than through it.
Worth knowing
Around twenty typhoons cross the Philippines in an average year, concentrated in the second half. The month strip above is built around that.
One of four countries we've researched in depth so far, because they're the ones we're going to first. Visas, entry rules and health are deliberately not covered here — they change constantly and getting them wrong matters, so we link to the official pages instead of restating them.
Getting in, and staying safe
Visas, entry rules and health — the official pages
Entry rules, visa requirements, vaccinations and safety advice for Philippines all live on the pages below. Each one goes straight to Philippines, not to a search box.
We link to official sources and stop there. We do not check, summarise, rank or verify them — always read the official page itself before you travel, and read the one for your own nationality. We are an independent site with no government connection.
At a glance
The practical bits
| Plug types | A, B, C |
|---|---|
| Voltage | 220V |
| Emergency numbers * | 911 |
| Currency | Philippine peso (PHP ₱) |
| Language | English, Filipino |
| Dialling code | +63 |
| Driving | On the right |
| Coastline | 36,289 km of coastline |
Loading either connects your browser to Google Maps.
See Philippines on Google Maps ↗
* Emergency numbers can change, and can vary by region within a country. Always confirm with your accommodation or the nearest embassy before you travel.
One way to see it
AdOrganised tours and day trips in Philippines, on Viator — a way to see what is bookable and what other people rated. We earn a commission if you book through that link, and you pay exactly the same either way. We do not choose, rank or check what appears there, and nothing on this page changes because of it.
Worth knowing
The bits you learn in your first week
Getting around
- Grab is king in Manila and Cebu — meters and street taxis exist but Grab removes every argument.
- Jeepneys and tricycles are the local experience for pennies — have small notes ready.
- Island hopping is ferries and prop planes: 2GO and OceanJet for boats; Cebu Pacific and PAL for hops. Book ferries a day ahead in season.
- Manila traffic is world-class awful — allow double the time Google says, or plan around the coastal cities instead.
Money and ATMs
- Standard ATM fee is 250₱ (BDO, Security Bank and most others); BPI charges ~$3.50 or 1.75%.
- HSBC machines charge nothing and allow up to 40,000₱ — but they only exist in Manila and Cebu. Use them when you're there.
- Everywhere else the per-withdrawal cap is a mean 10,000–20,000₱, so the fees bite — plan withdrawals like a heist.
- Cards work in malls and hotels; cash rules everywhere else, especially the islands.
- Always decline peso-to-pounds conversion at the machine.
Staying online
- Airalo for arrival; then a Globe or Smart local SIM — data is cheap and the sari-sari shop top-up system is everywhere.
- Island internet can be patchy. If you need to upload anything big that week, check the accommodation's Wi-Fi before you book rather than after.
A few words of Filipino (Tagalog)
| English | Filipino (Tagalog) | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | Kumusta | koo-moos-ta |
| Thank you | Salamat | sa-la-mat |
| Thank you very much | Maraming salamat | ma-ra-ming sa-la-mat |
| Yes / No | Oo / Hindi | oh-oh / hin-dee |
| How much? | Magkano? | mag-ka-no |
| English | Filipino (Tagalog) | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | Kumusta | koo-moos-ta |
| Thank you | Salamat | sa-la-mat |
| Thank you very much | Maraming salamat | ma-ra-ming sa-la-mat |
| Yes / No | Oo / Hindi | oh-oh / hin-dee |
| How much? | Magkano? | mag-ka-no |
| Too expensive! | Ang mahal! | ang ma-hal |
| Delicious! | Masarap! | ma-sa-rap |
| Where is the toilet? | Nasaan ang CR? | na-sa-an ang see-ar |
| Help! | Saklolo! | sak-lo-lo |
| Sorry / Excuse me | Paumanhin | pow-man-hin |
| The bill, please | Yung bill po | yoong bill po |
| Water | Tubig | too-big |
| I don't understand | Hindi ko maintindihan | hin-dee ko ma-in-tin-dee-han |
| One / Two / Three | Isa / Dalawa / Tatlo | ee-sa / da-la-wa / tat-lo |
| Goodbye | Paalam | pa-ah-lam |
| You're welcome | Walang anuman | wa-lang a-noo-man |
Researched by hand, last checked Aug 2026. Fees, licence rules and app coverage change often — treat this as a starting point and check anything that would cost you money or cover.