Known as the Queen City of the South, Cebu is the fifth largest city in the Philippines and the oldest in the country. Tourists come here to learn about its history and visit its museums. It is also considered the birthplace of Christianity in the Far East and there are many churches and temples there. To enjoy a different, calmer and more picturesque environment, continue to Dumaguete. This city also has some interesting churches and architecture, but it has more of a coastal feel than Cebu. Dumaguete is the perfect place to dive, explore nature parks and relax. Read on to see what transportation options are available to get from Cebu to Dumaguete.
OceanJet Ferry at Cebu Passenger Terminal © Valentin Ayupov / Shutterstock.com
Travel options from Cebu to Dumaguete
Traveling from Cebu to Dumaguete is relatively quick and easy. The flight covers a distance of 130 kilometers. By road, the distance increases to 170 kilometers, so the journey is not particularly long in any of the transport options. Depending on your preferred mode of travel, it can take up to half a day to travel from Cebu to Dumaguete, although the flight is even faster. Buses are a popular option as they are very cheap, but you can also take a ferry. Since Dumaguete is on a different island, if you choose not to fly, you will still have to make part of your journey by boat. Read on for all the information on transportation options.
Cebu to Dumaguete flights
Cebgo ATR aircraft. Cebgo operates Cebu Pacific propeller plane for short-haul inter-island flights © Rainier Ampongan / Shutterstock.com
Dumaguete Airport or Sibulan Airport as it is officially known is a fairly small domestic airport, but large enough to handle flights from Cebu and Manila. The airport is located north of the city and the taxi ride to the center is quite quick. You can also choose typical jeepneys and trikes, cheaper options to save some money. The good thing is that Dumaguete is a very small city, so getting from one place to another is always easy and cheap.
The airline CebGo offers flights from Cebu to Dumaguete twice a day. You have an early flight, exactly at 5:00 in the morning, and another one in the afternoon, at 16:50. The flight time is only 50 minutes, so whatever you choose, you’ll arrive in Dumaguete with time to explore the city. Even with an afternoon flight, you’ll have plenty of time to check into your hotel and go out to dinner in town.
You might think that flights from Cebu to Dumaguete are much more expensive than a ferry or bus ticket. Buses are always the cheapest option, but the truth is that a plane ticket can be cheaper than a ferry ticket because CebGo usually offers very cheap tickets. Therefore, flying from Cebu to Dumaguete is a viable option for any traveler, even if you are traveling on a budget, as flights are cheap and fast.
You can buy air tickets from Cebu to Dumaguete online through the website 12Go.asia. Search for travel options between two cities and you’ll see flight and ferry results, so you can easily compare prices and schedules at a glance and book with instant confirmation.
From Cebu to Dumaguete by ferry
Tagbilaran Harbor on the island of Bohol
If you are taking a bus from Cebu to Dumaguete, you will need to take a ferry to Negros Island where Dumaguete is located, although you can also make the entire trip by ferry only.
As mentioned earlier, you can book a ferry through 12Go. This way you can have your ticket in advance, which we recommend especially in high season. The ferries are operated by OceanJet and you need to use two different boats to get to Dumaguete. First of all, you need to take a ferry from Cebu to the port of Tagbilaran, which is located on Bohol. After approximately 50 minutes, the second ferry from Bohol to Dumaguete will depart. Considering the waiting time, the total travel time is around 5 hours if you take the ferry from Cebu to Dumaguete. You can buy combined ferry tickets through 12Go to cover your entire trip.
There are a few more ferry options with different companies you can check out if you want to compare prices and timetables. Weesam Express operates this route once a day and the journey is expected to take 3 hours and 15 minutes. There are also two slow ferries, from Cokaliong Shipping Lines and George and Peter Lines, but the journey is much longer and they don’t run every day.
From Cebu to Dumaguete by bus
Ceres bus on a street in Cebu © Atevern / Shutterstock.com
If you are thinking of taking a bus from Cebu to Dumaguete, we recommend taking the direct bus. This is the best option as the ticket usually includes the ferry crossing to Negros Island. This way the trip is much easier because you can have everything booked in advance. Tickets must be booked with Ceres Liner, the only bus company that operates direct buses from Cebu to Dumaguete. The trip should take 6 hours in total and is the cheapest alternative. Buses depart from Cebu South Bus Station and arrive at Ceres Bus Station in Dumaguete.
If you like to travel a bit more on your own, you can book bus and ferry tickets separately. There are frequent buses from Cebu to Liloan, so you have a little more flexibility in your schedule. These public buses leave Cebu from 4:00 AM and run approximately every 30 minutes throughout the day. In Liloan you will need to buy a ferry ticket to cross and then find a way to get to Dumaguete. It’s easy to do this last part of the way by jeepney as there are always plenty of them.
Since Cebu to Dumaguete flights are so cheap, flying is the best option if you want to get there in a short time. However, if you like to relax and enjoy the scenery along the way, a ferry or bus might be a better alternative. If you want to save money, don’t forget that the bus is the cheapest means of transport.