Visit Vigan, Philippines

The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Vigan is located in the northeastern part of Luzon. It was founded as a trading town in 1572 by the Spanish conquistador Juan de Salcedo.

It's now the best-preserved example of a planned Spanish colonial town in Asia, including the historical checkerboard street plan. Vigan differs from Spanish colonial towns in Latin America because its Latin tradition is tempered by strong Chinese, Ilocano and Filipino influences. The Vigan town fiesta is held in the third week of January and commemorates the town's patron saint, St Paul the Apostle.

Another good time to visit is the first week of May, which sees street dancing, fashion shows and parades as Vigan celebrates the Viva Vigan Binatbatan Festival, based around the removal of the cotton seeds in preparing yarn.