Diliman and Katipunan

Diliman and Katipunan Avenue are the two university towns of Quezon City, housing two major rivalling universities, the University of the Philippines Diliman and the Ateneo de Manila University.

Understand

Quezon Hall of University of the Philippines Diliman

Diliman, named after the Tagalog name for Stenochlaena palustris, a species of medicinal fern, formed parts of the towns of Marikina and San Juan, then parts of Rizal province; when Quezon City is created, their governments supported the handover of those areas as part of the new capital of the Philippines that time. Formerly one barangay, Diliman has been since split up into eleven barangays, but its name survives in many addresses around the area, and is a de facto district.

Get in

By bus or jeepney

Commonwealth Avenue, which runs through this area, is served by numerous bus routes; buses can take you here from most corners of Metro Manila. Major bus and jeepney stops are Philcoa (nearest to Maguinhawa Street), UP Technohub (nearest to University of the Philippines Diliman), Central Avenue, Tandang Sora, Luzon Avenue, Ever Gotesco, Batasan Road, and Litex. If you take a bus, the conductor will call out the next stop.

By train

Diliman will be served by the future MRT Line 7, with one new station, University of the Philippines, at the middle of Commonwealth Avenue in front of Ayala Technohub. Katipunan, meanwhile, is served by LRT Line 2, with Katipunan station at the corner of Katipunan and Aurora Avenues.

By car

Diliman is served by two major thoroughfares:

• Katipunan Ave (Rtes 11 and 129), the main north-south artery. It changes to Luzon Avenue or Tandang Sora Avenue to the north as it crosses Commonwealth Avenue. It is part of C-5 (Circumferential Road 5), which serves as an alternate route to the congested EDSA.
• Commonwealth Ave (Rte 170), an 18-lane avenue which provides access to the northeastern areas of the city. It indirectly connects with EDSA through the Elliptical Road, a giant circular road with Quezon Memorial Circle in the middle.

See

• 1 UP Carillon Bell, Osmeña Avenue, UP Campus (At Washington SyCip Garden of Native Trees). (updated Dec 2018)
• 2 Oblation. The iconic statue, sculpted by Guillermo E. Tolentino, that symbolizes the University of the Philippines and its tradition of the Oblation Run. (updated Dec 2018)
• 3 Parish of the Holy Sacrifice, Apacible Street, UP Campus, ☏ +63 2 926-9496. Chapel inside the University of the Philippines Diliman campus with distinctive architecture designed by Leandro Locsin, and hosting works from five National Artists. Designated a National Historical Landmark since 2005 (updated Dec 2018)
• Quezon Hall (Behind the Oblation Statue). The centerpiece and gateway of the University of the Philippines campus (updated Dec 2018)

Do

Activities

• Academic Oval. Composed of Roxas and Osmeña avenues, this 2.2-kilometer (1.4 mi) one-way road forming an oval around the University of the Philippines Diliman has space for walking, jogging, and biking, and popular for everyone. (updated Dec 2018)

Buy

• 1 UP Town Center, 216 Katipunan Avenue, Diliman, ☏ +63 2 795-9595. M-Th 11AM-9PM; F-Su 10AM-10PM. Open-air shopping mall built over the former site of U.P. Integrated School (updated Dec 2019)
• Eastwood City, Eastwood Central Park Lagoon, Bagumbayan Quezon, Metro Manila, ☏ +63 2 8709 9888. 10AM-7PM. (updated Nov 2020)

Eat

The Diliman area hosts Maginhawa Street, a four-lane street through the residential areas near UP Diliman turned into a food-tripping hub. Not only Maginhawa is the food hub; other major streets in Diliman have rows of restaurants within meters apart.

• Blissful Belly 2nd Floor Llanar Bldg. 77 Xavierville Avenue, Quezon City. Phone: 426 6363. Continental restaurant and café. Very vegan/vegetarian friendly. Cakes, bread and juices are also available. (updated June 2022)

Kamias Road

• Vegemix, 15-B K-H Street, West Kamias, ☏ +63 2 435-3465. This vegetarian restaurant also has its own store where you can buy everything from mock meats to vegetarian sauce. (updated Dec 2018)

Katipunan Avenue

• Banapple, Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights. This once hole-in-the-wall, almost home-run restaurant cum bakeshop serves some of the best cakes and pies in town and serves mostly the intellectual crowd from the nearby universities of UP and Ateneo (who drive over just for lunch/dessert). Be sure to secure seats as a lot of students flock the place (especially during lunch, early afternoon and dinner) to sample their latest cakes (according to season) or to go for their classic Banoffee pie. (updated Dec 2018)
• Wok Dis Way, Loyola Heights. While the food here is not particularly inspired nor something to rave about, this place stocks some good takes on Asian flavors (mostly Chinese food but Filipino style) and is a popular option for groups of friends and students. Usual customers are students from the nearby schools of Ateneo or UP who are taking dinner before moving upstairs to the bar. (updated Dec 2018)
• Manang's Clubhouse, Covered Courts Area, Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights. This open-air and eco-friendly dining place has some of the best home-style Filipino cooking to be found in the Ateneo campus. Green lovers will take pride in knowing that the clubhouse takes part in the major environmental footprint reduction initiatives of the university (though their food is far from the green organic diet strongly associated with tree huggers). Sample their liempo (grilled pork belly) (one of the best in town) or their lechong kawali (pan-fried pork with skin) and feel your arteries constrict with every bite. Clean up as you go after. (updated Dec 2018) .

Sleep

Budget

• Ginhawa, #100 K-6th St, Kamias, ☏ +63 2 441-0658. This place is not the usual accommodation for tourists, but very accessible to public transportation and truly affordable at the cost of y. Ginhawa, which in English literally means comfort or well-being, is a half-way house for itinerant beings searching for deeper meaning and broader perspective of the Philippines in their travel experiences through cultural immersion and relational bonding with healers, transformation facilitators, environmentalists, student leaders and professionals. The house, which is some 15 minutes away from the premiere University of the Philippines, is also a well-maintained community center for integrative or complementary renewal and transformation work which draw from both eastern and western traditions, such as Reiki Healing, Dance Movement Therapy, Body-based Meditation, etc. A pick-up arrangement from the airport, anytime, any day, can be arranged at a cost of ₱500 per person. The center’s service vehicle may also be used to bring the guests to the nearest Metro Station, upon prior arrangement with the guest house administrators. From ₱350 per night. 
• 1 One Liberty Hotel, 12 Kalayaan Avenue (Beside New City Restaurant). Basic rooms with free WiFi, cable TV, in-room bathroom, and free breakfast. Has coffee shop on first floor From ₱1,110. (updated Dec 2018)
• 2 The Studio 89 Residences, Esteban Abada Street, Loyola Heights (The 6-storey building beside the Kimberly), ☏ +63 2 8920 3888. From ₱1,100. (updated Dec 2018)
• 3 Yuj Inn, 65 Maguinhawa Street, U.P. Village, Diliman, ☏ +63 917 444-4795. Basic A/C rooms with cable TV, free WiFi, and free breakfast. ₱795-1,150. (updated Dec 2018)
• 4 Maya Residence Inn, 44 Matino Street, Malaya. Provides anytime check-in, free WiFi and café and pastry shop below. ₱1,310-1,390. (updated Dec 2018)
• Fersal Hotel Kalayaan, #130 Kalayaan Ave. Diliman, ☏ +63 2 8924 2689. It offers fully air-conditioned guest accommodation, cable television, a mini-bar and telephone. Some of its facilities and services are Some of its facilities and services are private toilet and bath with centralized hot and cold shower. From ₱1,865. 
• The Oracle Hotel and Residences, 317 Katipunan Avenue Loyola Heights, ☏ +63 2 8926 7777. Standard, Superior, Deluxe and Suite Rooms, all equipped with electronic lock system and 24-hour broadband internet connectivity. Ballroom and gym also on premises. From ₱1,985. (updated Feb 2017)

Mid-range

• The Sulo Riviera Hotel, Matalino Road, Diliman, ☏ +63 2 8924 5051. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. Amenities include swimming pool, babysitting services, air conditioning and television with cable in every room. Standard room rates start at ₱2,775. 
• 5 Microtel by Wyndham UP Technohub, Commonwealth Avenue (At UP-Ayala Technohub), ☏ +63 2 804-6888. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. Has free breakfast, swimming pool, laundry, and conference rooms. From ₱3,135 (children under 12: free). (updated Dec 2018)