> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://blog.fizen.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # What's New in Cebu for Travellers Right Now (2026) - URL: https://blog.fizen.io/whats-new-in-cebu-philippines-for-travellers-2026/ - Published: 2026-10-26T07:06:51.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-26T07:06:51.000Z - Description: Cebu is having a busy autumn: a new Michelin list lands on 29 October, the south is getting its own night out, the airport wants you to hop on to five more islands, foreign arrivals are up by more than a quarter, and Kalag-Kalag fills the cemeteries on 1 and 2 November. - Author: Quinn Dao - Tags: Travel & Nomad, Guides **Quick answer:** The newest things for travellers in Cebu this autumn are the MICHELIN Guide's second Philippine edition on 29 October 2026, a live-music bar scene growing in Talisay City, the #FlyViaCebu push to use Mactan as a hub for Panglao, Siquijor, Guimaras, Biliran and Boracay, and busier islands, with foreign arrivals up 27% this year. Visitors can pay QR Ph codes from USDT with Fizen QR Pay, and an eSIM keeps maps and Grab working between the city and the ferries. **Key takeaways** - **A new Michelin list lands on 29 October.** Eat at the current Cebu Bib Gourmands, like Esmen's larang in Pasil, before the new list shifts the queues. - **The south has a new night out.** Bar 07 at SouthScape in Talisay City pairs live Cebuano bands with cocktails and pizza. - **Cebu wants to be your launchpad.** #FlyViaCebu, signed on 23 October 2026, links Mactan to five other islands, with transfers from 35 minutes and bags sent through. - **Bantayan is busier than you think.** Santa Fe was Cebu Province's second most visited town from January to August 2026. - **Plan around Kalag-Kalag.** On 1 and 2 November, roads near Cebu City's cemeteries are restricted and full of families and vendors. On the first two days of November, Cebu City's cemeteries fill with families honouring their dead, crowded streets and busy vendor stalls, and the city needs a traffic plan with 553 people to keep it moving. It is one of the most Cebuano moments of the year, and it arrives right after a week in which the island gets a new Michelin list and a new pitch from its airport. Everything below comes from reports dated October 2026, plus last year's Michelin list for context. At the end, how a visitor pays and stays online: Fizen is building the stablecoin neobank for people on the move, a wallet you own, local QR payments and travel data in one app. ## What is Cebu's food scene waiting for this week? The MICHELIN Guide returns to the Philippines for its **second edition on 29 October 2026**, with the ceremony at the Manila Marriott Hotel at Newport World Resorts. The first edition included Cebu, and its Bib Gourmands are the best food reason to come right now, before the new list shifts the queues: - **Esmen, Rallos Street, Pasil:** a family-run eatery serving larang, Cebu's hot and sour seafood stew, with fish like porcupine fish or eel, eaten with mais (corn grits). **Skip it if** you need air-con and polish; this is where locals eat. - **Pares Batchoy Food House, C. Rodriguez Street:** generous bowls that fuse beef pares and batchoy, plus a lechon pares. **Skip it if** you are not hungry. ## Where are Cebuanos going out in the south? With fuel prices up, more Cebuanos are eating close to home, and Talisay City is answering. SunStar's 23 October review of **Bar 07, on the ground floor of SouthScape in Talisay City**, found live bands (Cebuano rock band RIO played the night of the visit), a strawberry and lemon gin signature called the Double 07, a basil-scented take on the Bramble and a Quattro Formaggi pizza from a cook trained by Italian chefs. The writer also points to a new bakehouse on San Isidro Road and rooftop dining in Tabunok. **Skip it if** you are staying in Mactan or IT Park and do not fancy the drive south in evening traffic. ## Is Cebu now a launchpad for other islands? That is the plan. **#FlyViaCebu**, launched with a memorandum signed at Mactan-Cebu International Airport on 23 October 2026, pitches Cebu as a gateway to six destinations: Lapu-Lapu, Panglao, Boracay, Siquijor, Guimaras and Biliran. The airport's **CEB Connects** service handles transfers across 28 domestic and 13 international destinations, with minimum connection times of 35 minutes domestic to domestic and 60 minutes between domestic and international flights, and bags transferred automatically. **Our pick:** Siquijor for waterfalls and local traditions, Biliran for quieter island escapes. **Skip tight connections** in the rainy months; give yourself a buffer. ## Where do Cebu's crowds actually go? Cebu Province counted **1,080,809 tourist arrivals from January to August 2026**, up 12.78%, and foreign arrivals rose 27.28% to 242,108, with South Korea the biggest source market. The busiest towns tell you where the weekend crowds are: Cordova (171,552), then **Santa Fe on Bantayan Island (120,197)**, then Daanbantayan (59,435). **Skip Bantayan on a long weekend** if you want an empty beach; go midweek instead. ## What happens on Kalag-Kalag, and how does it affect you? Kalag-Kalag, All Saints' and All Souls' Day on **1 and 2 November**, is when Cebuano families spend the day at the graves of their dead. The Cebu City Traffic Office is deploying 553 personnel across the major cemeteries. The biggest team, 25 people, covers **Carreta and Doña Pepang cemeteries along Gen. Maxilom Avenue and M.J. Cuenco Avenue**, with jeepneys, trucks and buses restricted except on the Mabolo route. Calamba cemetery has rerouting and vehicle restrictions, Talamban has road closures, and vendors are kept to marked roadside areas. **Skip driving past the cemeteries** those days. If you walk by, do it slowly and respectfully; it is a family day, not an attraction. ## How do you pay and stay online in Cebu? Carinderias, bakeries and market stalls often show a QR Ph code. If you are visiting (not a Philippine resident), **Fizen QR Pay** pays QR Ph codes from USDT: create or import your Fizen wallet (non-custodial), get USDT on Solana or BNB Chain into it, deposit from the wallet into QR Pay (KYC per wallet and per device), then scan and confirm the amount in pesos. BNB Chain deposits need no gas; on Solana keep a little SOL. Limits: US$800 per payment, US$1,000 per week. Steps: [QR Pay guide](https://docs.fizen.io/help-center/fizen-app/faq/how-to-use-qr-pay?ref=blog.fizen.io). For ferries, Grab and island maps, install an eSIM before you fly. When checked on 26 October 2026, Fizen's Philippines plans ran on Globe (4G and 5G) and regional plans on Smart 5G. New users get US$10 of eSIM credit in the Fizen app's eSIM tab. ## Frequently asked questions #### When is the 2026 MICHELIN Guide Philippines ceremony? The second Philippine edition is unveiled on 29 October 2026 at the Manila Marriott Hotel at Newport World Resorts. The first edition included restaurants in Cebu. #### What is #FlyViaCebu? An initiative signed on 23 October 2026 at Mactan-Cebu International Airport to use Cebu as a gateway to Lapu-Lapu, Panglao, Boracay, Siquijor, Guimaras and Biliran, with CEB Connects transfers and automatic baggage transfer. #### Is Bantayan Island crowded? It is popular. Santa Fe, on Bantayan, was Cebu Province's second most visited town from January to August 2026, with 120,197 arrivals. Weekdays are calmer than long weekends. #### Should I avoid Cebu City on 1 and 2 November? Not the city, but the roads around the big cemeteries. Kalag-Kalag brings closures and restrictions near Carreta, Calamba, Talamban and other cemeteries, so plan routes around them. #### Can tourists pay QR Ph codes in Cebu with USDT? Yes, with Fizen QR Pay, funded with USDT on Solana or BNB Chain. It is for visitors and foreigners only; people who live in the Philippines cannot use it in the Philippines. #### What happens if I send USDT on the wrong network to QR Pay? USDT on another network, or another token, cannot be deposited into QR Pay. Swap and bridge it to Solana or BNB Chain in the Fizen app first. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/ee/04eee3a6-7d95-474c-80a5-48f84338363b/content/images/2026/10/whats-new-in-cebu-philippines-for-travellers-2026.png) #### Pay Cebu's QR Ph codes as a visitor Fizen QR Pay works for travellers and foreigners in the Philippines. Fund it from your Fizen wallet with USDT on Solana or BNB Chain, scan the QR Ph code and confirm the amount in pesos. Travel eSIM data is in the same app, payable with USDT or by card via Stripe. [Get the Fizen app](https://link.fizen.io/s/B3Aenpj7fz?ref=blog.fizen.io) ### Terms and conditions - **Information only.** This article is information only. It is not an offer or a sale, and it is not financial, legal or travel advice. Venue details, event dates, transport rules and visitor figures come from the sources listed and can change; check before you go. - **For readers in the United States.** This is information only, not an offer or sale, and not advice. Fizen products and services are not offered to US Persons. - **QR Pay availability.** QR Pay is for cross-border use by travellers and foreigners in Vietnam and the Philippines only, and is not available to residents of those countries in their own country. It is funded only with USDT on Solana or BNB Chain; USDT on another network, or another token, cannot be deposited. The Fizen wallet is self-custody; USDT you move into QR Pay is governed by the Fizen QR Pay Terms, so only move in what you plan to spend. KYC applies. - **Independent.** Fizen is not affiliated with the restaurants, bars, airport, authorities or publications mentioned. Acceptance of any payment method at a given venue is not promised. ### Sources - [MICHELIN Guide, second Philippine edition on 29 October 2026](https://guide.michelin.com/ph/en/event/save-the-date-michelin-guide-philippines-2027?ref=blog.fizen.io) - [SunStar Cebu, complete list of MICHELIN Guide 2026 awardees in Cebu, 14 November 2025](https://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/complete-list-michelin-guide-2026-awardees-in-cebu?ref=blog.fizen.io) - [SunStar Cebu, Bar 07 in Talisay City, 23 October 2026](https://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/a-taste-of-the-good-life-down-south?ref=blog.fizen.io) - [Context.ph, Fly Via Cebu: six islands, 25 October 2026](https://context.ph/2026/10/25/fly-via-cebu-six-islands-countless-visayas-adventures/?ref=blog.fizen.io) - [The Freeman, Cebu tourist arrivals top 1 million, 5 October 2026](https://www.philstar.com/the-freeman/cebu-news/2026/10/05/2561058/cebu-tourist-arrivals-top-1-million?ref=blog.fizen.io) - [The Freeman, Cebu City traffic plan ahead of Kalag-Kalag, 21 October 2026](https://www.philstar.com/cebu-news/2026/10/21/2564746/city-set-roll-out-traffic-plan-ahead-kalag-kalag?ref=blog.fizen.io) Events, venues, routes and arrival figures checked against reports dated 5 to 25 October 2026 (Michelin Cebu list from November 2025); eSIM networks checked in the Fizen catalog on 26 October 2026. ### Related reading - [The Philippines in November](https://blog.fizen.io/philippines-in-november-2026/) - [Best travel eSIM for the Philippines](https://blog.fizen.io/best-travel-esim-for-philippines-2026/) - [Paying for tricycles, jeepneys and sari-sari stores](https://blog.fizen.io/tricycle-jeepney-sari-sari-how-to-pay-philippines-2026/) - [QR Ph for foreigners](https://blog.fizen.io/qr-ph-for-foreigners-philippines-2026/)