The seven lakes are the reason to come. Sampaloc Lake, the largest, has a broad concrete path circling its shore — good for an early morning walk or a rented bike. The twin lakes of Pandin and Yambo, 10km north of the city centre, are more secluded; bamboo raft tours (around 30 minutes on the water) are the way to see them, with local guides from the lakeside community.
The AERA Memorial Museum has a wide-ranging collection: religious artefacts, oil paintings, full-scale dioramas of indigenous peoples, antique furniture, wartime material, and a substantial natural history section with thousands of pinned beetles and butterflies. Villa Escudero, 20km south near Tiaong, is an operating coconut plantation turned heritage site and resort with a museum on Philippine history and a waterfall restaurant where guests eat with their feet in the river.
Lakeside restaurants and fish farms around Sampaloc Lake serve fresh tilapia and catfish cooked to order.