Carcar, Heritage City of Cebu

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Known as the Heritage City of Cebu, the town of Carcar is home to various Spanish- and American-era houses and structures.

Carcar is also famous as Cebu’s shoe capital because of its long history as the province’s premier footwear manufacturer. Its native delicacies are also popular.

One of the most famous Spanish period structures in Carcar is the Saint Catherine of Alexandria Parish Church. The Greek Orthodox style inspires the main facade of the parish church because the domes of the two bell towers are similar to the bell towers of churches of the Greek Orthodox religion.

The parish church’s ceiling has beautiful symmetrical drawings and decorations. The concrete fence surrounding the church plaza has statues of saints standing on top of each fence column.

During the American period from 1922 to 1938, the then Mayor Mariano Mercado built several notable public structures in Carcar, including the Carcar dispensary, the Rizal Monument, and the Carcar Rotunda. All of them are still standing until now. The Carcar dispensary is now a public museum.

Located in the Carcar Plaza is the Carcar rotunda, a gazebo-like structure with intricate designs, stairways on four sides and two statues on top of its roof. During the last week of November, local and foreign tourists would flock to Carcar to watch the Kabkaban Festival, which is the town’s most famous yearly event.

Carcar’s most well-known industry is the making of shoes and sandals. The industry started in the 17th century when sandals were the first footwear made and then leather shoes came later. The footwear industry reached its height in the 1960s.

Since then, many shoemakers have closed down because of problems like intense competition from other shoemakers in Cebu and from foreign shoe imports. However, through the resilience and determination of the remaining shoe-making businesses, they continue to operate until now. You can buy  shoes and sandals in stores strategically located all over the town.

Carcar’s most famous native delicacies are ampao, bucarillo, and chicharon, which are just found all over the town. If you don’t have time to buy these delicious snacks, you can easily find them at the town’s bus terminal; you can also buy from vendors who  go inside jeepneys and buses.

How to Get There

The Municipality of Carcar is located about 40 kilometers from the south of Cebu City. If you want to go to Carcar via public transportation, you can head to the Cebu South Bus Terminal located on N. Bacalso Avenue. At the bus terminal, you can take the public buses with regular trips to Carcar. The estimated travel time from Cebu City to Carcar is about one hour. For a faster travel time, head over to the One Citilink Terminal and ride a v-hire. This option will be a bit more expensive, but it will also cut time spent on the road.

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28 Comments

1. 

   Everything Cebu

   May 31, 2012 at 4:06 PM

   Have fun on your stay in Carcar, Freek!
2. 

   Freek

   May 30, 2012 at 6:16 PM

   I am trying to reed as much as I can about Carcar, my wife comes from there and we will go to Carcar arround 18 Jun and will sty there for a 7 weeks.

   Greetings Freek
3. 

   Everything Cebu

   April 19, 2012 at 1:41 PM

   That sounds good, Davao Information Site! Have fun in Cebu!
4. 

   Davao Information Site davaoinfosite.com

   April 19, 2012 at 7:30 AM

   Excited to be there for the first time. Gonna board the plane going to Cebu from Davao in a few hours from now:).
5. 

   Everything Cebu

   February 17, 2012 at 11:21 AM

   Hi Glenly,

   Indeed, a lot of people pay a visit to Carcar probably because of its rich history and accessible location.
6. 

   glenly

   February 17, 2012 at 10:51 AM

   it so nice and many tourists are visiting
7. 

   neekul

   January 24, 2012 at 3:30 PM

   Leather Shoes Store,

   Thanks for your comment.
8. 

   Leather Shoes Store .com

   January 24, 2012 at 3:11 AM

   WOW just what I was looking for. Came here by searching for ancestral house
9. 

   Everything Cebu

   September 7, 2011 at 5:14 PM

   looking_for_contact, we are not privy to such information.
10. 

    looking_for_contact

    September 7, 2011 at 9:48 AM

    can’t find any contact number here,i.e. office of the registrar, peso, tesda…please provide. tnx
11. 

    Everything Cebu

    September 6, 2011 at 1:54 PM

    Leslie Requiestas, we hope our site has helped you in your assignment.
12. 

    leslie requiestas

    September 5, 2011 at 8:47 PM

    kakainis ang google ndi mahanap yung ass cu kainis aman n2ng google n2
13. 

    tish

    July 6, 2011 at 1:10 PM

    Hi, Captain Andy.

    We are not privy to such information but we suggest that you conduct a simple feasibility study for better projections. Good luck on your future business ventures!
14. 

    Captain andy

    June 17, 2011 at 8:43 PM

    Do you think there are enough expats and cebuanos with extra cash to support a Starbucks style coffeehouse in carcar? what about a steakhouse style restaurant? I am interested in everyone’s opinion on the matter, thank you!
15. 

    alex

    May 25, 2011 at 2:57 PM

    hello sheila,

    Thanks for liking the site. I’m really very sorry for the delay but it will cost you 45 pesos in going to Carcar.
16. 

    alex

    May 25, 2011 at 2:44 PM

    Hi jL,

    Unfortunately, there are no cheap hotels that are directly available in Carcar. You might want to check out this link: http://www.maplandia.com/philippines/region-7/cebu/carcar/hotels/ for other options.
17. 

    jL

    May 6, 2011 at 2:07 PM

    Just for short time….thanx
18. 

    jL

    May 6, 2011 at 2:06 PM

    Hi can someone knows how much I pay if used a room in travelers inn at carcar city cebu?,for just cheaper price?..and can I get there landlyn #?
19. 

    Sheila remyr.com

    March 13, 2011 at 7:20 AM

    How much is the fare to carcar?good site!
20. 

    mario lazarito visitconcepcioniloilo.com

    December 16, 2010 at 1:23 PM

    I have a group interested of visiting your heritage town in January. I need to contact someone. Do you have the contact of the tourism officer or office of the mayor staff? Thanks
21. 

    dayne enyad

    October 21, 2010 at 11:27 PM

    I had a GF there named Cinderella..and the most beautiful woman i had met in carcar,cebu.
22. 

    j

    September 29, 2009 at 3:47 PM

    Carcar is a city, its part of the Province of Cebu, I don’t know if this would be of much help; http://www.cebu.gov.ph/ there that is the website of the Province of Cebu.

    Yes Carcar, is rich with history and heritage, old colonial houses I hope they are protected by the government now, and inasal… I think its where ‘Leon Kilat’ died… murdered actually by pro -Spain people.
23. 

    troen

    September 24, 2009 at 6:19 PM

    right on. Carcar is a small but rapidly expanding city. perfect for setting up a small business.
24. 

    troen

    September 24, 2009 at 6:18 PM

    you can google Carcar for starters. however we’re planning to have webpages dedicated to info on each municipality.
25. 

    Dexter Donayre

    September 8, 2009 at 10:19 PM

    Carcar is enrich with* businesses and heritage from their history. Ideal place to study researches about economics in small and big scales.
26. 

    Dexter Donayre

    September 8, 2009 at 10:18 PM

    Carcar is enrich will businesses and heritage from their history. Ideal place to study researches about economics in small and big scales.
27. 

    criszile

    September 3, 2009 at 1:39 PM

    is thereany websites that can really describes the province of carcar??
    carcar is really a nice province in cebu. .
28. 

    jerazel

    June 26, 2009 at 7:48 AM

    Carcar is very nice!