Ayala Museum
Ayala Museum
4.5
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
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- Ayala • 9 min walk
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See what travelers are saying
- WoldzQuezon City, Philippines318 contributionsThird time's the charmSince I've visited the Ayala Museum numerous times, I didn't really plan on visiting it again. But then, i felt that there might be something fresh in Ayala after just seeing the Met Museum in Taguig that very same day. And i was right, they were having the exhibit of Juan Luna's long-lost masterpiece. While the exhibit was really fantastic, I always still enjoy the museum's standard stuff, especially the archaeological finds. Despite the somewhat hefty entrance, the museum is well worth a visit overall. I paid 650.00 at that time because there was an exhibition. Even so, I think it was well worth it. Will definitely return if they have interesting and cool exhibitions.Visited June 2023Traveled with friendsWritten February 16, 2024
- ちっくるの妻Manila, Philippines5,414 contributionsVisit only the special exhibitionAdmission tickets must be purchased in advance. I thought I had purchased a ticket to view only the permanent exhibition, but when I got there, I found out that the ticket only allowed me to view the special exhibition. The special exhibition was interesting, so it turned out to be a good experience, but next time I'd like to visit the permanent exhibition area.Visited February 2024Traveled with familyWritten February 24, 2024
- Brian VPalawan Island, Philippines7 contributionsEnjoyThe Ayala Museum is providing a rich and engaging exploration of Philippine history and culture. Whether you’re a history buff, an art enthusiast, or simply curious about Filipino heritage, the museum offers a well-rounded and enriching experience. Its thoughtful exhibits, modern facilities, and commitment to education make it a standout destination for both locals and visitors.Visited October 2023Traveled with friendsWritten July 31, 2024
- ReslimpanRayong, Thailand3,743 contributionsGreat museumGreat museum to understand the Filipino history in greater detail. The exhibit of the Surigao treasure was fascinating. The indigenous textile arts showcased some very beautiful pieces. The dioramas picking important event from history was good. Nice museum, well worth visiting.Visited December 2024Traveled soloWritten December 17, 2024
- Abovetheclouds2,489 contributionsHighly recommend. Very interesting. Easy to navigate.Really good. I enjoyed this a lot. Staff are very friendly and helpful. Good layout, and easy to navigate with staff directing you. Start on the 4th floor and work your way down. You have the permanent exhibitions and then other exhibitions, which are subject to change. I really enjoyed the Indigenous textile arts and gold collections. This brought together priceless and historically important artifacts from the country’s two preeminent precolonial gold collections. The Diorama Experience of Philippine History was also really interesting. This features sixty dioramas, which are designed to be a comprehensive approach to Philippine history, presenting a visual narrative of the story of the Filipino people. By doing this, the history was explained in a way that was informative, simple and 'fun'. The displays were great for children too. Nice way to learn. Information is in English. I spent around 2 hours there. I would allow this much time at least, but this also depends on your interests. Entrance fee was not that cheap by Filipino standards. January, 2025 for 1 adult and the ticket price was PHP 750. However, it was a good museum and I learnt a lot. The Museum Shop was closed when I went. They have complimentary WIFI which actually works and it is fast! Clean. One thing, if you are like me and freeze when air conditioning is too high, then bring a throw or something! Highly recommend.Visited January 2025Traveled soloWritten January 3, 2025
- DiFBrisbane, Australia10 contributionsA “must do”Incredibly interesting. You could spend the best part of a day here, and be so much wiser about the history and culture of the Philippines and its first peoples. I loved it, and wished I’d gone at the beginning of our Philippines trip rather than the end.Visited January 2025Traveled soloWritten January 21, 2025
- Mo EspirituUnion City, California16 contributionsWonderful Museum ExperienceThis was my second visit to the Ayala Museum and I enjoyed this visit as much as the first time. My companion and I were able to explore most of the exhibits but went specifically to see the Gold of Ancestors: Pre-colonial Treasures in the Philippines exhibition, which I understand will run until 2050. I visited back in 2013 and was blown away by the extensive gold jewelry, funerary masks, and other items created from gold before the Spaniards ever set foot in the islands. I wanted to share what I had experienced with him but the updated exhibition seemed far larger and included several tech upgrades making the experience even more engaging. During our visit, there was also a beautiful exhibition focused solely on the preeminent painter Juan Luna's masterpiece “Hymen, oh Hyménée!". Several galleries were connected and let visitors through Luna's artistic process from his beginning sketches to the final painting. Also, don't miss the huge diorama depicting the history of the Philippines beginning from the prehistoric period to contemporary times. It's enormous and winds around the lower level of the museum on your way out. Definitely check it out if you're unfamiliar or have marginal knowledge of Philippine history - or even if you know about Filipino history and politics. It's massive and educational. In addition, there was gorgeous exhibition of precolonial clothing, a gallery full of the artwork of young Filipino artists in university, and a gallery of all sorts of artwork on loan by private collections including a couple of Amorsolo pieces. If you're staying in Makati, I highly recommend you dedicate a few hours to check out the museum. If you work up an appetite after hours of strolling the Ayala Museum, head over to Greenbelt Mall for a bite to eat and a drink or two at one of the lovely restaurants with outdoor dining. It'll be a memorable day!Visited February 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten January 23, 2025
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
877 reviews
Excellent
434
Very good
346
Average
73
Poor
13
Terrible
11
shelob
Manila, Philippines273 contributions
Jan 2023 • Friends
What I love:
Four floors of well connected exhibits from precolonial Philippines to colonial Philippines and a general overview (diorama) at the end.
Touching, well written descriptions on the complexities of the Filipino culture.
Very senior citizen and disability friendly.
What could be better:
- Prepare a water station on the first floor
- Upgrade what's sold at the museum shop. Poor choices. I would suggest you visiting the Crocker Art Museum shop in Sacramento California or the Boston Tea Party Museum shop in Boston as museum shop inspirations ☺️
Four floors of well connected exhibits from precolonial Philippines to colonial Philippines and a general overview (diorama) at the end.
Touching, well written descriptions on the complexities of the Filipino culture.
Very senior citizen and disability friendly.
What could be better:
- Prepare a water station on the first floor
- Upgrade what's sold at the museum shop. Poor choices. I would suggest you visiting the Crocker Art Museum shop in Sacramento California or the Boston Tea Party Museum shop in Boston as museum shop inspirations ☺️
Written January 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Roving601720
1 contribution
Oct 2022 • Solo
Outstanding. One of the best museums I've been to! The dioramas provide a fantastic visual history and the gold display is beyond anything I expected. I now have a much stronger understanding of the history of The Philippines.
Written October 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brian T
Las Pinas, Philippines2 contributions
Apr 2022
I always love to visit different kinds of museum. Ayala Museum a newly renovated museum is a treasure trove of exquisite artifacts from different eras of Philippine history. Definitely a go-to place for properly educating students about the richness of Philippine heritage and get their historical facts straight.
Written May 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Woldz
Quezon City, Philippines318 contributions
Feb 2020
It was my second time visiting the museum. I was alone the 1st time but i asked a friend to join me the second time. We're still in awe at the Philippine golds that were excavated in Butuan. National Museum of Anthropology has a lot to offer as a whole (and it's free to visit) but the Ayala Museum is more secured from potential breach.
Written November 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John R
Sarasota, FL6 contributions
Aug 2022
I have been to many cultural heritage displays in the Philippines, but this is the best one I've encountered. Very well done, clean, comfortable, excellent displays, good information, very informative and educational. Worth the visit for sure.
Written September 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Abovetheclouds
2,489 contributions
Jan 2025 • Solo
Really good. I enjoyed this a lot. Staff are very friendly and helpful. Good layout, and easy to navigate with staff directing you. Start on the 4th floor and work your way down. You have the permanent exhibitions and then other exhibitions, which are subject to change. I really enjoyed the Indigenous textile arts and gold collections. This brought together priceless and historically important artifacts from the country’s two preeminent precolonial gold collections. The Diorama Experience of Philippine History was also really interesting. This features sixty dioramas, which are designed to be a comprehensive approach to Philippine history, presenting a visual narrative of the story of the Filipino people. By doing this, the history was explained in a way that was informative, simple and 'fun'. The displays were great for children too. Nice way to learn. Information is in English. I spent around 2 hours there. I would allow this much time at least, but this also depends on your interests. Entrance fee was not that cheap by Filipino standards. January, 2025 for 1 adult and the ticket price was PHP 750. However, it was a good museum and I learnt a lot. The Museum Shop was closed when I went. They have complimentary WIFI which actually works and it is fast! Clean. One thing, if you are like me and freeze when air conditioning is too high, then bring a throw or something! Highly recommend.
Written January 3, 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Violaine07
Dublin, Ireland56 contributions
Mar 2019 • Couples
This museum is located in Makati shopping center. The shopping center is massive so better come prepare to find the entrance!
The collections inside are amazing!!!
I will remember all my life the beautiful funeral jewelry! It was very well presented with some special lenses to see things bigger, so that tiny details are visible.
There was a large pottery collection too.
We spent so much time there and we did not have a chance to visit the shop sadly.
The collections inside are amazing!!!
I will remember all my life the beautiful funeral jewelry! It was very well presented with some special lenses to see things bigger, so that tiny details are visible.
There was a large pottery collection too.
We spent so much time there and we did not have a chance to visit the shop sadly.
Written July 2, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CrispNClear
Manila318 contributions
May 2019 • Solo
As a retired senior citizen (after spending 20+ years in the US) i have been a student and participant in the country's history - but more recent than the Diorama that Ayala Museum has intricately woven into a tapestry of events that shaped Philippine Society.
From the pre-Christian era when Muslim datus, Chinese traders, the galleon trade, to the creation of the Commonwealth, Filipino American war, :grant" of independence and martial law, the figurines illustrate vividly how the country and its people had journeyed from then till the late 70s.
The Museum is reachable from Antipolo City, by taking the Point to Point Bus terminal at SM Masinag. Senior citizens pay only 64 Philippine pesos, less than $2. The bus leaves on time and traverse the traffic route from Marcos Highway to Ortigas Extension, then to EDSA and finally right on Ayala Avenue and Greenbelt 5. The Greenbelt 5 Terminal allows access to the mall up to the Landmark and Glorietta. But that's for another stroll.
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There is a minimum entrance fee and there are no camera use allowed on the 4th floor. On the rest of the floors from 2nd to 3rd, you may take photos, but videos are not recommended.
Greenbelt 5 has more than meets the eye and mind, even more culinary adventures before or after taking the histrollic journey.\ ("stroll through history")
There are golden relics from pre-Christian past when gold and Gods rule in that order. Rulers must possess gold when passing on to the next life to be welcomed into the next beyond.
Visitors are instructed to start from the 4th floor and work their way down to the 2nd floor - where a number of Chinese boat replicas abound
The Museum's offering stopped during the country's martial law era, the assassinjation of former Senator Benigno Aquino and the ouster of dictator Marcos and family,
The present and future now witness the return of the Marcoses in power but not the ill gotten wealth, nor an apology for the bundreds of thousands who suffered, disappeared and were victims of the martial law regime.
History may be written by winners, but in this case, the democratic movement may have wielded the pen, but the ink that rewrites history is fueled by the wealth of those who activelly participated in the country's plunder.
From the pre-Christian era when Muslim datus, Chinese traders, the galleon trade, to the creation of the Commonwealth, Filipino American war, :grant" of independence and martial law, the figurines illustrate vividly how the country and its people had journeyed from then till the late 70s.
The Museum is reachable from Antipolo City, by taking the Point to Point Bus terminal at SM Masinag. Senior citizens pay only 64 Philippine pesos, less than $2. The bus leaves on time and traverse the traffic route from Marcos Highway to Ortigas Extension, then to EDSA and finally right on Ayala Avenue and Greenbelt 5. The Greenbelt 5 Terminal allows access to the mall up to the Landmark and Glorietta. But that's for another stroll.
)"st
There is a minimum entrance fee and there are no camera use allowed on the 4th floor. On the rest of the floors from 2nd to 3rd, you may take photos, but videos are not recommended.
Greenbelt 5 has more than meets the eye and mind, even more culinary adventures before or after taking the histrollic journey.\ ("stroll through history")
There are golden relics from pre-Christian past when gold and Gods rule in that order. Rulers must possess gold when passing on to the next life to be welcomed into the next beyond.
Visitors are instructed to start from the 4th floor and work their way down to the 2nd floor - where a number of Chinese boat replicas abound
The Museum's offering stopped during the country's martial law era, the assassinjation of former Senator Benigno Aquino and the ouster of dictator Marcos and family,
The present and future now witness the return of the Marcoses in power but not the ill gotten wealth, nor an apology for the bundreds of thousands who suffered, disappeared and were victims of the martial law regime.
History may be written by winners, but in this case, the democratic movement may have wielded the pen, but the ink that rewrites history is fueled by the wealth of those who activelly participated in the country's plunder.
Written May 9, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kevvyj
Moe, Australia37 contributions
Jul 2015 • Couples
You need to be a history buff to take it all in! Dioramas take Philippine history through each important stage from Cave Men to the end of the Marcos tyranny. You need half a day to do it justice as it is spread over several floors and there are audio-visuals to sit through. I have been twice, and at the end you are in Greenbelt, with numerous shops and restaurants.
Written July 29, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
pat s
Denver, CO8 contributions
Dec 2014 • Solo
I visited this museum in Dec, 2014. For a standard foreigner, the price is about 450 pesos, or around $10. there are 4 floors of exhibits. One floor is devoted to the use of gold as adornments throughout the history of the Philippines and other islands in that area of the Pacific, and how the relics discovered help tell the story of migration, lifestyles and class distinction in the people there. The other exhibit worth seeing is a beautifully done set of dioramas and accompanying descriptions depicting key events in the history of the Philippine Islands up through the Marcos regime.....Lastly, there is a display of etchings, wood cuttings, and paintings by one of the leading artists of the Philippines. There is additionally a display of projects to teach everyone, especially children, basic survival skills prompted by the events of last years super typhoon...it was well worth the afternoon spent there learning so much about the history and culture of the people of this Island Nation...
Written December 8, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Can you let me know how much the private tour was.
Did you do anything else in Makarti
Written December 31, 2016
I can't recall as I didn't do that. I would check the website (there must be one). General admission was reasonable, but when you're used to free museums it's a bit galing to pay. Museum is self explanatory.
I was in the area one night and half a day, so nothing of note. it was a bit seedy and girlie bar type of places round there.
Hope this is a teeny bit helpful.
Written January 1, 2017
Your excellent review is outdated already. I went back to the Ayala Museum, during the third week of January, and the gold is all back! It is ironic that I live in New York City, but missed seeing the display of those pieces while they were here.
Written March 12, 2016
The third floor, far opposite the gift shop, is used for changing exhibits. If closed, that means that a temporary exhibit was being mounted or dismounted. The ground floor also has a gallery used for temporary exhibits. Fourth floor (gold) and second floor (history dioramas and ship models) are permanent exhibits.
Written March 14, 2016
Hi!
I always pass by this museum, and I am interested in visiting it. But I am used to just touring myself around museums. Is it possible kaya to tour on my own? I find it more relaxing and solemn without tour guides. ;) And how much is the entrance fee, and does it have a time limit or something? Thanks!
Written June 26, 2015
There is no time limit just explore at your pace. The ticket counter, you can purchase certain floors for seeing, I forget how many pesos it cost.
Written March 14, 2016
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