The University of the Philippines Diliman campus is one of the finest examples of mid-century institutional architecture in Southeast Asia. Designed in the 1940s and 50s, the campus plan has a distinctly American land-grant character — wide central lawns, long colonnaded buildings in the Modernist-Philippine style, and old acacia trees lining the main avenues.
The campus is open to the public and worth a morning's wander even if you have no academic business here. The Oblation statue at the main entrance is iconic. The University Library is a handsome building in its own right. The Vargas Museum, the College of Fine Arts galleries, and the National Institute of Geological Sciences collections are all accessible. The sunken garden hosts outdoor concerts and events throughout the year.
On weekends, the campus fills with families, cyclists, and skaters. The surrounding Katipunan Avenue has dozens of student restaurants and cafes — inexpensive and often very good.