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A Look at Lucban: More Than Just Pahiyas

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Central nave of San Luis Obispo De Tolosa Church exuding baroque style

“Yanong rikit, baling ganda” (So unique, so beautiful)

True to its motto, Lucban is not your ordinary town. After all, it is the home of the famous Pahiyas Festival, one of the most colorful festivals in the country. Much like its famed festival, the town and its nearby attractions are packed with rich history and stunning beauty, both natural and man-made. These attractions can be visited anytime of the year.

If you decide to visit Lucban for a quick trip or even just for a stopover, here are some must-see spots that are historic and IG-worthy.

San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Parish Church

Front façade of San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Parish Church showing its exquisite stone exterior

Dating back to 1595, the San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Church is one of the oldest churches in the country and the largest church in Lucban. Featuring Corinthian columns and niches on its façade, the church is an imposing structure at the center of the town. The church’s interiors are styled in baroque, with beautiful lyre paintings bordering the central nave, and golden chandeliers that accentuate the aisle. The church is dedicated to Saint Louis of Toulouse, with several statues of the saint placed at the façade.

Buddy’s

‘Kipping’ the Festive Vibe All Year: Kipping, the centerpiece of Pahiyas Festival decors, is displayed all year round at Buddy’s.

After visiting the church, you can take your lunch at Buddy’s, a 3-minute walk from the church and is located in the town plaza. Buddy’s is famous for their pancit habhab and Langgonisang Lucban- the town’s local delicacies. It is decked with Pahiyas decors all year round – perfect for experiencing Pahiyas vibes no matter the time of year.

The Essentials

Kamay ni Hesus

Kamay ni Hesus is a complex of churches and prayer areas with a 50-foot high statue of the Ascending Christ as its centerpiece.

A 10-minute drive from the town proper, Kamay ni Hesus is a religious complex with several churches and prayer areas. Its main attraction is an entire mountain with a 305-step staircase. A 50-foot high statue of the Ascending Christ await devotees at the peak.

Throughout the staircase, statues of scenes during Christ’s crucifixion are installed chronologically, with the Last Supper at the start of the staircase and the Ascending Christ statue serving as the last station. At the peak, one can see the entire complex below and the town of Lucban.

Bukid Amara

Offering picturesque flower beds, Bukid Amara is perfect for tourists who want to savor the provincial life.

Five minutes from Kamay ni Hesus, Bukid Amara is a scenic flower garden that was founded in 2019. The flower garden boasts a wide variety of imported flowers from Thailand including cosmos, sunflower, celosia, marigold, and gomphrena. It also has a fish pond with carp, tilapia, and koi fishes that visitors can feed with fish pellets sold at the entrance of the farm for only Php10.

Visitors can also opt to ride a bamboo raft to go into the middle of the pond free of charge. Bukid Amara also has a beautiful restaurant that offers refreshments and flower salad made with flowers freshly picked on site. The farm also caters to events such as weddings and baptism for a minimum of Php 3,500.

The Essentials

How to Go to Lucban

You can take different routes going to Lucban. One is through SLEX, which will pass through the towns of Los Banos, Bay, Victoria, Pila, Sta. Cruz, Pagsanjan, Cavinti, and Luisiana. Commuting to Lucban is also convenient as there are bus terminals located in Cubao or Buendia-Taft Avenue that offer daily trips to Lucena City where you can ride a jeep bound to Lucban.

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