A quick online map search would tell you that the Baguio City Public Market is at 38 Rajah Soliman Street, Baguio City. However, the market stretches all throughout Magsaysay Avenue, which is the road that intersects with Lower Session Road.
It is located across Malcolm Square, and if you’re travelling by foot, the easiest way to get to the public market from Session Road is to cross the pedestrian overpass from the square.
Aside from Malcolm Square, another landmark you surely won’t miss on your way is the Maharlika Livelihood Complex. This is also located along Magsaysay Avenue and is recognizable due to its unique Cordillera roof design that’s unlike any other in the area.
Incidentally, Maharlika is also a treasure trove of local handicrafts, including silvercraft and wood carvings which you may not find at the public market, so you may want to explore this area too.
Some shops, especially those in the wet goods and vegetables section, open as early as 5:00 AM. The dry goods section will have some shops open at that time as well, but most of them do not open until around 6:00 to 7:00 AM.
Visitors simply cannot leave Baguio without bringing home fresh vegetables. The city is fortunate to be part of Benguet province, which is considered to be one of the top vegetable producers in Luzon. Different varieties of vegetables like carrots, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, and lettuce are brought to the city market daily, straight from the vegetable trading post in the nearby municipality of La Trinidad.
The cheapest vegetables can be bought at the Hangar area of the market. You will have to pass through the rice section of the market as well as the coffee section to reach this area. Although most vegetables are sold by kilo, you can also choose to buy their chopsuey pack for pasalubong. For gourmet food lovers, you can also find some fresh herbs in this section such as basil, rosemary, mint, and parsley.
If you do not have a chance to go to the Strawberry Farms in La Trinidad, the next best place to buy fresh strawberries is at the market. Most of the stalls that sell them are found in the area beyond the native handicrafts and T-shirts section. Sometimes, these stalls also sell bottles of strawberry jams and other food items that have strawberry in them.
The best time to buy strawberries is when they are in season, which is usually between November to April. The larger the size of the berries, the pricier they are. Also, make sure to buy the ones that are not too ripe, so they’d survive the trip back home. When transporting them, keep them away from moisture as this will cause them to spoil easily. Aside from strawberries, other fruits you can also try are the sweet Sagada oranges and the passion fruits.
Your friends’ and family’s sweet teeth will surely indulge in Baguio pasalubong and treats like lengua de gato (butter cookies), alfajor (caramel cookies), chocolate-coated corn flakes, sundot kulangot (coconut jam candy), ube jam (purple yam jam), and peanut brittle. You will find all these at the market, where you will also find fresh strawberries and other delectable treats you can bring home.
You take home a piece of the city’s indigenous culture whenever you buy handicrafts and other native products. Along with other gifts and goodies such as souvenir shirts and trinkets, you will find one section of the market filled with baskets, wooden plates, and other woodcraft. You can also buy in this section accessories made of handwoven fabric such as wallets, coin purses, and keychains. If you’re planning to buy lots of them to give to your friends, co-workers, and family members, you can get a good deal for bulk purchases. You will find this section of the market before reaching the strawberries and pasalubong area.
Most patrons can attest that ukay-ukay or shopping for secondhand clothes and accessories is cheaper at the Baguio City Public Market. This is mainly because renting stall space is cheaper here compared to stalls at Skyworld or Bayanihan. In fact, you can get blouses and shirts for as low as PhP30 per piece, jackets for PhP60, and jeans for less than PhP150. The best place to score a bargain is the part of the market that’s along Hilltop Road. From Kayang Street, go up the road past the meat market to see the ukay-ukay stalls.
Along Kayang Street, you will find the meat section where you can buy different types of sausages or longganisa (smoked sausages). Some local meat shops make their own longganisa, made available in garlic or sweet variants.
The butchers are located on the second floor of the building, while poultry sellers and some fish sellers can be found on the first floor. A few steps up Hilltop is where the seafood section is, where local Baguio residents get their daily fish supply.
Baguio’s proximity to the flower farms of Benguet means that you can purchase cheap cut flowers at the public market. For ready-made arrangements, you can visit the flower section near Abanao Square. If you want to save money and do the arrangement yourself, head on to the Hangar section, the area almost opposite Baguio Center Mall along Magsaysay, and buy the flowers as they are.
More than the bargains and the rare finds you can buy at the Baguio City Public Market, the reason this market is famous is because it’s one of the cleanest markets in the country. Here, you don’t need to worry about your shoes or sneakers getting dirty or muddy. Some visitors would even be so confident as to wear flip-flops while going to the market, not minding if they got dirt on their toes. Just come and see for yourself!
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