Maria Clara at Ibarra Filming Locations

As a fan of both Jose Rizal’s novels, it has always been a dream of mine to have his novels adapted. So when news about GMA’s Maria Clara and Ibarra – a retelling of Rizal’s novels through the perspective of a Gen Z – broke, I got instantly excited. Of course, it’s one thing to read these books. But it’s another thing to see the events come to life. Then came the first episode, and I was already hooked. Apart from the stellar cast, cinematography, and direction, I was also amazed by the Maria Clara at Ibarra filming locations. The show was everything that I always wanted and more.

Maria Clara at Ibarra: An Overview

To those unfamiliar with this series, Maria Clara at Ibarra is a historical portal fantasy series showing in GMA 7. It follows a nursing student named Klay (Barbie Forteza) who got transported to Noli Me Tangere after failing to submit her requirements to her teacher. Much to her surprise, the characters who were once in the book are now alive, particularly Maria Clara (Julie Anne San Jose) and Crisostomo Ibarra (Dennis Trillo). Since she is inside the book, she must follow where the story takes her to understand what really happened in Rizal’s first novel.

The cinematography of the series so entranced me since it felt like I was watching a foreign series. Zig Dulay’s direction is also top-notch, making it a worthwhile watch. Although I saw some Filipino TV tropes, they faded into the background thanks to the production of Maria Clara at Ibarra.

Since I am from Vigan, I immediately noticed that many scenes were filmed in Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte. That excited me since I could recognize some of the Maria Clara at Ibarra filming locations. From the famous Calle Crisologo in Vigan City to the village of Sitio Remedios in Currimao, Ilocos Norte, these locations made the series look like it was shot in the past.

Let us together explore the different Maria Clara at Ibarra filming locations that I was able to recognize (of course, I had to research the others). Also, since this series is ongoing, I will be updating this article time and again once a new episode comes out. You can watch Maria Clara at Ibarra every weekday on GMA 7 or through their YouTube page. Credits to GMA Network for all the photos in this article.

Maria Clara at Ibarra Filming Locations

Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (Intramuros, Manila)

Klay is a Nursing student at Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM), a university that is situated in the historic district of Intramuros. According to its website, PLM is the first and only chartered and autonomous university. The series features the university in the first episode before Klay enters the portal to Noli Me Tangere.

Skygarden by the Bay Korean Restaurant & BBQ Grill (Malate, Manila)

Klay works at CrispyBasil Grill, which is the Skygarden by the Bay Korean Restaurant & BBQ Grill in reality. Skygarden by the Bay prides itself as the first ever outdoor Korean Restaurant in the Metro with stunning views of Manila Bay. On the other hand, the name of the fictional grillhouse is a play on word of Crispin and Basilio.

Calle Crisologo (Vigan City, Ilocos Sur)

Because of its well-preserved heritage houses and streets, it is not surprising that Vigan City became one of the primary filming locations of Maria Clara at Ibarra. Throughout this article, you will encounter several establishments in Vigan City where they shot important scenes.

The historic city of Vigan is the only UNESCO World Heritage City in the Philippines. It is the home to ancestral houses that reflect the intermarriage of Spanish, Filipino, and Chinese cultures. Because of its rich history and well-preserved structures, Vigan was recognized as one of the New7Wonders Cities of the world.

The most popular attraction in Vigan is the Calle Crisologo, a cobblestoned street that consists of well-preserved ancestral homes. This long stretch of bahay-na-bato boasts of an ambiance that would really take you back in time. In the series, Calle Crisologo serves as the backdrop for early Manila.

We first encounter the street when Ibarra arrives in the Philippines. The next time the series shows the street, it is when Tenyente Guevarra approaches Ibarra and reveals more information about the death of Ibarra’s father. I guess they only used the latter part of Calle Crisologo, particularly in front of Cafe Evelyn.

Hotel Luna (Vigan City, Ilocos Sur)

Hotel Luna, also in Vigan City, transforms into Cafe La Campana, a restaurant that was also mentioned in Noli Me Tangere. Located along the cobblestoned street of Calle De Los Reyes, Hotel Luna stands on what used to be a two-story structure built in 1882. This four-star hotel prides itself as the first and only museum hotel in the Philippines.

In the series, we first encounter the exterior of Hotel Luna when Ibarra arrives in the Philippines. We got to see it again after Ibarra and Klay left the cafe.

The next time we get to see Hotel Luna, we will see a part of its interior, particularly the Comedor. It is here where the scene where Ibarra meets his friends at Cafe La Campana is filmed.

Hotel Veneto de Vigan (Vigan City, Ilocos Sur)

Hotel Veneto de Vigan transforms into La Fonda Francesa de Lala Ary, a hotel where Ibarra (and eventually, Klay) temporarily stayed after arriving from Europe. La Fonda Francesa de Lala Ary was a famous French hotel in Binondo during the time of Rizal. According to a Facebook post, Rizal stayed there for some time. Which was probably why he incorporated it in Noli as Fonda de Lala.

Located along Calle Bonifacio, Hotel Veneto de Vigan used to be an ancestral house built in the 1700s. It is located in front of Vigan City’s post office.

My Vigan Home (Vigan City, Ilocos Sur)

My Vigan Home became the backdrop of the scene where Klay realized that she was transported to Rizal’s book. Contrary to some online posts, the house behind Klay is actually a hotel located at Calle Plaridel corner Calle Bonifacio.

Due to its strategic location near Calle Crisologo and other popular spots in Vigan City, My Vigan Home is a popular hotel in Vigan. Originally a family home from the early 19th century, the house was later on restored and converted into the present hotel.

Villa Angela Heritage House (Vigan City, Ilocos Sur)

The Ibarra mansion in Maria Clara at Ibarra is filmed at Villa Angela Heritage House in Vigan City. Villa Angela was built in the 1870s, making it a fitting location for the series. According to the Vigan City website, this house is part of a property that the prominent Versoza family owns. At present, this heritage house serves as a depository of the family’s mementos. It is also a hotel and an events place.

The show utilized the main living room area, as we can see in the image above. They also used the dining area of this heritage house.

It’s also amazing how they maximized this location. The room of Maria Clara from the beaterio and the hotel rooms at Fonda de Lala were all filmed in the rooms available at Villa Angela Heritage House.

Casa Caridad (Vigan City, Ilocos Sur)

In the early episodes of the series, we saw Capitan Tiago hosting a dinner party in Binondo to honor Ibarra’s arrival in the Philippines. While I am still unsure about the shooting location of the internal scenes, I’m pretty sure they filmed the exterior scene of Tiago’s Binondo house at Casa Caridad in Vigan City.

Located along Calle V. de los Reyes corner Calle Bonifacio, Casa Caridad is one of Vigan’s most prominent ancestral houses. Outside the walls, there is an inscription that writes 1872, implying that this ancestral house was built during the said year.

Saint Augustine Parish Church Bell Tower (Bantay, Ilocos Sur)

In the very first scene of the whole series, we see a distraught Maria Clara crying on a belfry. This scene was filmed at the Saint Augustine Parish Church bell tower, more popularly known as the Bantay Bell Tower. Constructed in 1591, the bell tower served as the watchtower of the town. It is one of the most visited attractions in Vigan, but the magnitude 7 earthquake last July badly damaged this bell tower.

Santa Monica Parish Church (Sarrat, Ilocos Norte)

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After leaving the beaterio in the second episode, Klay began to explore the old city. Here, she met Lucia (Chai Fonacier), who lent her a newspaper with a date – 11 de Mayo de 1884. The establishing shot of the church where this scene occurred was filmed at Santa Monica Parish Church in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte.

More commonly known as Sarrat Church, it was constructed in 1779 and features Earthquake Baroque and Neoclassical architecture.

Also constructed in 1779, the convent of the church (also known as Casa del Palacio Real) served as the exterior of the beaterio.

The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption (Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur)

The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption or Santa Maria Church in Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur served as the exterior of the Church of San Diego in the series. Established in 1769, the Santa Maria Church features a Baroque style architecture. Because of this, it has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the different Baroque Churches of th Philippines.

The show filmed several scenes around the church, such as the scene when Ibarra confronted Salvi and the scene when Klay met Crispin and Basilio. If you notice the scenes where there are grand stairs leading to a church, they were also filmed here.

The old graveyard and chapel where Ibarra went to find his father’s remains is also near Santa Maria Church. This is a Spanish-era cemetery that you can find at th far eastern portion of the church.

Sta. Monica Parish Church (Minalin, Pampanga)

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The interior of the Church of San Diego takes us from Ilocos Sur to Minalin, Pampanga, particularly the Santa Monica Parish Church or the Minalin Church. It is also a Baroque Church that was completed in 1834. In 2011, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the National Museum of the Philippines declared the Minalin Church as a National Cultural Treasure.

Sitio Remedios Heritage Village Resort

The Sitio Remedios Heritage Village Resort in Currimao, Ilocos Norte, transformed into the town of San Diego for several scenes of the series. It is a well-curated collection of Ilocano ancestral houses that were retrieved from all over the province. Each of the houses has its own name. The grassy courtyard above even has its own name – Plaza San Miguel, after Saint Michael.

You can book for an overnight stay at one of their houses at Sitio Remedios. A walk around the resort would really transport you to the past.

We first saw Iglesia San Miguel (the chapel at Sitio Remedios) when Klay encountered Pilosopo Tasyo for the first time. The next time we saw the Plaza San Miguel, it was when Maria Clara and Crisostomo met again.

Maria Clara’s house also happened to be at Sitio Remedios. The house that they used as a backdrop to her house was Balay Batac.

Casa Don Jose Bautista (Malolos City, Bulacan)

While the exterior of Maria Clara’s house was filmed at Sitio Remedios, the interior takes us to the Kamistisuhan District of Malolos City, Bulacan, particularly at Casa Don Jose Bautista. According to Philippine One, this is the ancestral house of the Bautista family that already serves as a museum. Originally built in 1855, it was further renovated in 1877 following a Neoclassical style.

Fun fact: Traveler on Foot mentioned that Rizal went to this house in 1892 to present his plan of organizing La Liga Filipina to Don Jose. Later on, the house served as the office of the Ministry of Interior Affairs during the Malolos Republic.

Tambuan River (Doña Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan)

They filmed the picnic scene at Tambuan River at Doña Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan. According to a Facebook post, Tambuan River got its name because, in the 1950s, the plant used to make walis Tambo was abundant around the river.