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Cebu transport guide: Mactan airport, piers and bus terminals
Mactan-Cebu airport is on Mactan island, about 15 km from Cebu City: MyBus runs to SM City Cebu for ₱50, a white metered taxi costs around ₱250 to ₱350 and Grab around ₱400 to ₱550. Boats to Bohol, Siquijor and Dumaguete leave from the Cebu City port, buses north from the North Bus Terminal at SM City Cebu, and buses south, for Moalboal and Oslob, from the South Bus Terminal.
Mactan airport and Cebu City's port and bus terminals
| Island group | Visayas |
|---|---|
| Airport | Mactan-Cebu International Airport (CEB) |
| Usual way in | Air into Mactan, or by sea into the Cebu City port |
| Terminals and ports | North and South Bus Terminals |
Mactan-Cebu airport to Cebu City: MyBus, taxi and Grab
By air. Mactan-Cebu handles both domestic and international flights, and MyBus, taxis and Grab link it to the city.
By sea. Boats from Bohol, Siquijor, Dumaguete, Leyte and Surigao come into the Cebu City port. The companies use different piers, and an office address is not always the berth: OceanJet lists its office at Pier 4 on McArthur Road. Lite Ferries' booking system sends its Tubigon boats from Pier 3 and its Tagbilaran boats from Pier 1, and 2026 listings put FastCat's Cebu terminal at Pier 2. Starlite Ferries' Surigao sailings leave from Pier 3.
The ports inside Cebu province are run by the Cebu Port Authority rather than the national Philippine Ports Authority, so its advisories are the ones that apply here.
Mactan-Cebu International Airport terminals
Mactan-Cebu International Airport (CEB)
Mactan-Cebu International Airport is on Mactan island, joined to Cebu City by bridges. Domestic flights use Terminal 1 and international flights Terminal 2, and there is no airside connection between them.
Getting into the city, as 2026 visitor guides agree:
- MyBus picks up outside both terminals and runs to SM City Cebu for ₱50, about every 20 to 30 minutes from around 07:30 to 21:40. A second MyBus route goes on via Ayala Center Cebu to IT Park, roughly hourly.
- White metered taxis come to around ₱250 to ₱350 to Cebu City. The yellow airport taxis charge more, and their flag-down went up to ₱115 for the first 500 metres on 28 September 2026.
- Grab picks up at arrival bays A to D or the North Wing drop-off at Terminal 1, and at the South Wing drop-off at Terminal 2, at around ₱400 to ₱550 to the city.
The bridges decide how long the ride takes, so leave generous time.
For the Bohol ferry, go to the Cebu City port, not the airport: no boat to Bohol leaves from Mactan.
Ferries, buses and flights from Cebu
By sea. OceanJet sails to Tagbilaran twelve times a day, the last at 17:40, and on to Siquijor and Dumaguete through Tagbilaran. FastCat and Lite Ferries sail to Tubigon on Bohol through the night, and Lite Ferries has a 22:00 to Tagbilaran. Towards Siargao, Starlite Ferries leaves Pier 3 every night at 21:00, for an overnight crossing to Surigao, and OceanJet sells a daytime fast craft to Surigao, 07:00 to 12:30. OceanJet's Tourist tickets include 10 kg of baggage and Business 20 kg, with trolley bags checked in.
OceanJet's fares went up on 21 September 2026 with a 10 percent fuel surcharge on all routes, which it calls temporary: Cebu to Tagbilaran is now ₱960 in Tourist and ₱1,440 in Business.
By bus. Which terminal you need depends on the direction. The North Bus Terminal is inside the SM City Cebu compound in Barangay Mabolo, where the provincial government moved it in 2020, not at its older site. It is where the buses leave for the ferries to Bantayan Island. The South Bus Terminal is on N. Bacalso Avenue and serves the south of the island, including Moalboal and Oslob; its buses move temporarily to the South Road Properties around the Sinulog festival in January.
By air. Nonstop flights from Mactan go to Siargao, Siquijor, Dumaguete and Caticlan for Boracay, among many others. Sunlight Air uses Cebu as one of its two bases.
Cebu to Dumaguete: flight, OceanJet, or bus and Liloan ferry
Three ways. Fly from Mactan-Cebu to Dumaguete in under an hour with Cebgo. Take OceanJet, which connects through Tagbilaran: 08:20 from Cebu, into Dumaguete at 15:00. Or go by road to Liloan in Santander and cross to Sibulan on Negros, a 20 to 30 minute boat that Maayo Shipping runs nine times a day.
| Usual way | Flight, or bus and the Liloan–Sibulan boat |
|---|---|
| Typical time | Under 1 hour flying; about 6½ hours by OceanJet |
| Where it departs | Mactan-Cebu airport, Cebu City port, or Cebu South Bus Terminal |
| Where it arrives | Dumaguete (Sibulan) airport, Dumaguete Port, or Sibulan port |
Flying. Cebgo and Cebu Pacific fly nonstop from Mactan-Cebu to Dumaguete's airport at Sibulan, about three flights a day, in about 45 minutes. It is the fastest way by several hours.
OceanJet. There is no direct fast ferry. OceanJet's timetable joins two legs through Tagbilaran, Cebu to Tagbilaran at 08:20 and Tagbilaran to Dumaguete at 10:40, and sold the pair for November 2026 as one ticket arriving at 15:00. Since 21 September 2026 OceanJet's own fares are ₱960 from Cebu to Tagbilaran and ₱1,080 from Tagbilaran to Dumaguete in Tourist, so a little over ₱2,000 for the two legs. Coming back, only the 13:00 from Dumaguete was on sale for November 2026, sold through to Cebu with arrival at 19:40.
Bus and the Liloan boat. The cheapest route is overland. Southbound buses from Cebu South Bus Terminal run to Liloan port in Santander, a ride of around four and a half hours. From there Maayo Shipping crosses to Sibulan, about 20 to 30 minutes, at 04:30, 06:00, 09:00, 12:00, 15:00, 18:00, 19:30, 21:00 and 22:30, every day, in its timetable at the end of August 2026. The base fare was ₱120 in July 2026, and a fuel surcharge and a terminal fee are added at the port. Sibulan is 15 to 20 minutes from Dumaguete.
The fuel surcharge is real money in 2026: MARINA raised the cap on fuel-related surcharges from 20 to 30 percent on 30 March 2026, so the counter price can sit well above any printed base fare.
Cebu North and South Bus Terminals
Cebu North Bus Terminal (CNBT)
In the SM City Cebu compound in Barangay Mabolo, not at the terminal's older site. Serves destinations in the north of Cebu island. Operated by the provincial government, which moved it to the mall compound in 2020.
Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT)
On N. Bacalso Avenue in Cebu City. Serves the south of the island. Bus operations move temporarily to the South Road Properties around the Sinulog festival in January, and a permanent transfer there has been discussed for years without happening.
Cebu Baseport Passenger Terminal 1 (Pier 1)
A fast craft terminal in the Cebu Baseport domestic zone, near Fort San Pedro. Which pier a given fast craft uses depends on the operator, so it is confirmed at booking rather than assumed.
Routes from Cebu
Ferries from Cebu
- Cebu to Bohol ferry: schedule, fares and ports
- How to get from Cebu to Siquijor: ferry, Oslob boat or flight
- Cebu to Dumaguete: flight, OceanJet, or bus and Liloan ferryA 45-minute flight, OceanJet via Tagbilaran, or a bus to Liloan and the short crossing to Sibulan.
- How to get from Cebu to Bantayan Island
- Cebu to Siargao: flights and the ferry via Surigao
Buses from Cebu City
- How to get from Cebu to Siquijor: ferry, Oslob boat or flight
- Cebu to Dumaguete: flight, OceanJet, or bus and Liloan ferryA 45-minute flight, OceanJet via Tagbilaran, or a bus to Liloan and the short crossing to Sibulan.
- Cebu to Moalboal by bus
- How to get from Cebu to Bantayan Island
Flights from Cebu
- How to get from Cebu to Siquijor: ferry, Oslob boat or flight
- Cebu to Dumaguete: flight, OceanJet, or bus and Liloan ferryA 45-minute flight, OceanJet via Tagbilaran, or a bus to Liloan and the short crossing to Sibulan.
- Cebu to Siargao: flights and the ferry via Surigao
- Cebu to Boracay flights to Caticlan
Van
Cebu's Santo Niño, the Sinulog and Moalboal's sardines
In Cebu City, the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño and Magellan's Cross stand together downtown: the church was founded in 1565 and the present building blessed in 1740. Its feast, the Fiesta Señor, runs from 7 to 17 January 2027, and the Sinulog Grand Parade is on Sunday 17 January 2027.
Further out:
- Moalboal, on the south-west coast: the sardine run off Panagsama, best from 7 to 9 in the morning, sea turtles, and half-day boat trips to Pescador Island. Kawasan Falls in Badian is 30 to 40 minutes away. The bus is on the Cebu to Moalboal guide.
- Oslob whale sharks, at Tan-awan: watching runs in the morning, best from 6 to 7, after a compulsory briefing, with no touching, no flash and no sunscreen in the water, and about 30 minutes in the water. The sharks are fed to keep them there, which makes it controversial.
Mactan airport, Cebu piers and bus terminals: FAQ
How do I get from Mactan-Cebu airport to Cebu City?
The cheapest way is MyBus, ₱50 to SM City Cebu, picking up outside both terminals. A white metered taxi is around ₱250 to ₱350 and Grab around ₱400 to ₱550. Traffic on the bridges decides the time.
Is there a bus from Cebu airport to SM City Cebu?
Yes. MyBus runs from both terminals to SM City Cebu for ₱50, about every 20 to 30 minutes from around 07:30 to 21:40. SM City Cebu is also where the North Bus Terminal is.
How do I get from Cebu airport to the pier for the Bohol ferry?
By road into Cebu City: a taxi or Grab to the pier printed on your ticket. No ferry to Bohol leaves from the airport, and the piers are spread along the port.
How do I get from Cebu airport to Moalboal?
Either book a private car, or get to the South Bus Terminal in Cebu City and take a Ceres bus signed Bato via Barili, about three to four hours from the terminal. The Cebu to Moalboal guide has the times, the fares and the sign to watch for.
Where is the Grab pickup at Cebu airport?
At Terminal 1, arrival bays A to D or the North Wing drop-off. At Terminal 2, the South Wing drop-off.
Which terminal at Mactan-Cebu airport is for domestic flights?
Terminal 1 is domestic and Terminal 2 international. There is no airside connection between them.
Which bus terminal do I need in Cebu City?
The North Bus Terminal, in the SM City Cebu compound in Mabolo, for the north of the island, including Hagnaya port and Bantayan Island. The South Bus Terminal, on N. Bacalso Avenue, for the south, including Moalboal and Oslob.
Who runs the ports in Cebu?
The Cebu Port Authority, not the national Philippine Ports Authority. Port advisories for Cebu come from it.
Cebu airport, port and bus sources
