The Cebu Lighthouse at Il Corso, SRP: Visitor Guide (2026)

TL;DR: The Cebu Lighthouse is a new (April 2026) climbable lighthouse attraction at Il Corso, SRP: ₱150 (US$2.60) admission, open Tuesday–Sunday 2–10 PM, with a 700-square-meter Cebuano mural and 151 steps (or an elevator) up to sea views. Time it for sunset around 5:30–6 PM, then stay for the waterfront dinner.

Prices in Philippine Peso with US dollar equivalents. ₱58 ≈ US$1, July 2026.

Cebu City has never had a lighthouse you could climb — the working ones are off in Liloan and on far-flung islets — so when Il Corso unveiled The Cebu Lighthouse on its SRP waterfront in April 2026, it filled a niche nobody knew was empty: a proper tower, on the sea, in the city, built for going up. It’s not a navigational light; it’s an attraction, a collaboration between Filinvest Malls and Anjo World Theme Park, wrapped inside with one of the largest murals in the country.

At ₱150 it slots into that cheap-and-cheerful tier of Cebu attractions alongside Temple of Leah and Sirao — worth a detour, not a pilgrimage. This guide covers what the ticket actually includes, the verified hours (which differ from what some early write-ups reported), the smartest time to go, and how to build a full SRP evening around it.

What Is The Cebu Lighthouse?

The Cebu Lighthouse is a purpose-built, lighthouse-shaped tower on the waterfront of Il Corso, the open-air mall inside Filinvest’s City di Mare estate on Cebu City’s South Road Properties (SRP). It opened on April 18, 2026, launched by Filinvest Malls in partnership with Anjo World Theme Park — the Minglanilla theme park operator — with Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival among the ceremonial guests. To be clear about what it is and isn’t: it’s a cultural attraction and viewpoint, not a functioning aid to navigation.

Inside, the tower is organized as a bottom-to-top experience: The Gallery at the base with murals and artifacts, a café and souvenir shop level, then 151 steps (or an elevator) up past the artwork to the main viewing deck, Lamp Room, and Lighthouse Lantern at the top, looking out over the Cebu Strait. Filinvest’s Visayas mall head Thesbe Alonso framed the project simply at the opening: “The Cebu Lighthouse reflects how IL Corso continues to evolve as more than just a retail destination.”

How Much Is Entrance, and What Are the Hours?

₱150 per person, per the official Anjo World ticketing page — and the ticket is more inclusive than the price suggests:

Verified July 2026 against the operator’s official ticketing page. The operator notes the schedule can change — confirm current hours on The Cebu Lighthouse’s Facebook page.

One accuracy note, since this attraction is new enough that write-ups disagree: some early coverage listed “3 PM–10 PM daily” or extended weekend hours, but the operator’s own ticket page states Tuesday–Sunday, 2–10 PM, closed Mondays as of July 2026. We’re going with the operator. Either way, the afternoon-to-night window tells you what this place is for: golden hour and city-lights viewing, not a midday stop.

What’s Inside the Lighthouse?

The centerpiece is the 700-square-meter mural by Urban Arts PH, a team led by Cebuano artists — billed as one of the largest of its kind in the Philippines. Rather than hanging on one wall, it wraps the tower’s interior, telling Cebu’s coastal story across land, sea, and sky as you ascend, with Anjo World’s angel mascot woven through the narrative as a guide. It turns the 151-step climb into the attraction itself rather than the price of the view — and gives the elevator crowd something to see on each level too.

Up top, the viewing deck and lantern room deliver the payoff: open water on one side, the SRP skyline and the mountains behind Cebu City on the other, with your included binocular token good for one mounted viewer (pick the sea view or the mountain view; extra tokens are ₱10). The quirkiest inclusion is STARBOOKS, a DOST digital library kiosk — a small science-education touch that explains why the Department of Science and Technology showed up to the launch. Allow 45 minutes to an hour for the whole thing, longer if you settle into the café.

How Do You Get to Il Corso and SRP?

Grab or taxi is the practical answer. Il Corso sits in City di Mare on the Cebu South Coastal Road, about 15–20 minutes from Fuente Osmeña or Ayala Center outside rush hour — SRP is a reclaimed strip with wide, fast roads once you’re on them. There’s ample on-site parking if you’re driving.

Budget-friendlier options exist with caveats. The Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) now connects SRP with IT Park in under 40 minutes — genuinely useful if you’re staying uptown. Jeepneys ply the SRP corridor but drop you a hot walk from the mall itself, so they’re a last resort with kids or in the afternoon sun. Coming from Mactan or the airport, the scenic route is the CCLEX bridge — the toll plaza lands you practically at SRP’s doorstep, and crossing the Philippines’ longest bridge on the way to climb a lighthouse is a fittingly maritime double bill.

What Else Can You Do at Il Corso and SRP?

Make it an evening — the lighthouse alone doesn’t justify the trip, but the waterfront around it does. Il Corso itself is an open-air, seaside lifestyle mall rather than a big-box one: the draw is the boardwalk and the Food Yard’s waterfront dining — Lantaw’s native food with sea views, Parilya’s grilled seafood, Chika-an’s Cebuano classics — plus a dancing light fountain (Cebu’s first), cinemas, and weekend bazaars and small concerts. Post-lighthouse dinner over the water is the natural sequence.

Widen the lens and SRP fills a whole day: SM Seaside City (ice rink, IMAX) and Cebu Ocean Park are minutes away, and NUSTAR Resort & Casino covers the upscale-dinner-and-boardwalk end of the spectrum. Our SRP district guide maps how the pieces connect, and the SM Seaside guide covers the megamall next door. If you’re staying nearby to make a lazy evening of it, Agoda’s Cebu City listings include a growing cluster of condos and hotels around SRP.

Is The Cebu Lighthouse Worth It? (The Honest Take)

For ₱150, yes — with expectations set correctly. This is a well-made photo-and-view attraction, not a museum or a heritage site: you’re climbing a brand-new tower past a genuinely impressive mural to a genuinely lovely view, and that’s the whole show. Early visitor buzz since the April opening has been strong, which cuts both ways — expect weekend golden-hour crowds at the deck rail, and consider a weekday visit if a clear photo matters to you. The Monday closure catches people out; so might holiday schedule changes, so glance at their Facebook before crossing the city.

The comparison shoppers should hear: for city views alone, Tops Lookout and Temple of Leah up in Busay are grander and more famous. What the lighthouse uniquely offers is the sea-level sunset — over open water, minutes from downtown, with dinner steps away — which the mountain viewpoints can’t do. Arrive 4:30–5 PM, catch the light changing through sunset around 5:30–6:15 PM (it barely varies all year this close to the equator), and let the city lights come on before you head down to the Food Yard.

Final Word

The Cebu Lighthouse is exactly what a ₱150 city attraction should be: quick, pretty, a little bit surprising, and perfectly placed for sunset. Climb the 151 steps past the mural, spend your binocular token, watch the light go gold over the Cebu Strait, then eat well on the boardwalk below. Pair it with the CCLEX crossing or a wider SRP day, and Cebu City’s newest landmark rounds out one of its best-value evenings.

Sources

• SunStar Cebu — IL Corso unveils The Cebu Lighthouse, a new coastal attraction in Cebu City (opening coverage, Alonso quote)
• Filinvest Development Corporation — official release on The Cebu Lighthouse
• Anjo World — official Cebu Lighthouse admission page (fee, hours, inclusions — checked July 2026)
• Details verified July 2026; this is a new attraction and hours/prices may change — confirm on the operator’s Facebook page before visiting.