Calamba

Calamba City is a regional center for Laguna and the Calabarzon region; it lies from Manila and houses many businesses, tourist attractions, colleges and universities, transport stations, and industries. The city houses the Philippine national hero Jose Rizal's mansion, and Pansol, a barangay with many private hot spring resorts at the foot of Mount Makiling.
The city's history is traced back to the Spanish era. Calamba is formed from the barrio of Sucol of Tabuko (present-day Cabuyao), and in the 1800s, the Dominican friars divided up their hacienda and gave it to locals, including Jose Rizal's family. Calamba was also a scene of a Japanese war crimes during World War II: 2,000 civilians were murdered and raped by Japanese soldiers in the barrio of Real and St. John the Baptist Parish church was burned down. The city gained cityhood in 2001 after president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed the Calamba City Charter Act (Republic Act 9024) and locals won a majority in the following plebiscite.

Orientation

The city is divided into 54 barangays, including 7 forming the Poblacion. Calamba's Poblacion is the commercial heart of the city; the congested Calamba Crossing between Maharlika Highway and Calamba-Santa Cruz-Famy Road (or National Highway locally) lies there. Barangay Pansol, near the boundary of Los Baños is home to many private resorts, both big and small. Canlubang, a large residential barangay, has, the majority of the Nuvali mixed-use development (the remainder lies in Cabuyao and Santa Rosa), Camp Vicente Lim, and two industrial parks.

By bus

Calamba is a major transport hub for provincial buses; many buses bound for different parts of southern Luzon stop here.

Bus stations

• Turbina bus station

  address: Maharlika Highway, Turbina
  Major bus station owned by Jam and Philtranco, this serves as stopover for many buses bound for Batangas, Quezon, and Bicol Region. Manila-bound buses stop at the Flying V gas station in front, at the opposite side of Maharlika Highway.

• SM City Calamba Transport Terminal

  address: National Highway, Calamba Crossing
  Stopover for buses to Santa Cruz or Pagsanjan, with transfers to jeepneys and tricycles. Part of SM City Calamba (see #Buy).

Bus companies

• ALPS - Buses regularly depart from Buendia (Pasay), Cubao (Quezon City), and Alabang (Muntinlupa) to Batangas City, with some interisland service to Caticlan via Batangas and Mindoro.
• DLTB - Buses leave at their Cubao and Buendia terminals and stop at Turbina (for Batangas City, Lipa, Lemery, Lucena of Bicol) or SM City Calamba (for Santa Cruz)
• Jac Liner and LLi (Lucena Lines) -Provides service from Buendia to Lucena or Santa Cruz.
• Jam - Batangas, Lipa, Lemery, and Lucena-bound buses regularly stop at Turbina bus station.
• N. Dela Rosa Liner - Operates all-A/C buses between Alabang, Cubao, or Buendia and Batangas City or Lucena. Most services to and from Batangas City skip Turbina.
• Philtranco - Operates buses from Manila to points in Visayas and Mindanao.
• Saint Rose - Has bus service between Lawton in Manila and Calamba Crossing via Mayapa.
• Southern Carrier (SCCI, formerly branded as RRCG) - Provincial bus brand by RRCG Transport, operates all-A/C buses from Alabang to Batangas City.
• Superlines - Has buses between Manila or Calamba and various locations in Bicol.
• Worthy Transport and HM Liner - Provides provincial services between Alabang or Buendia and Pagsanjan.

By jeepney

The city is served by an express jeepney service from San Pedro to SM City Calamba; total point-to-point fare costs . Another express service runs between Balibago in Santa Rosa to Turbina.

By train

Philippine National Railways has a station in Calamba, on the South main line from Manila. Unfortunately, service are limited to evening and morning commuter trains, and travel by train is not practical until the existing railway line is modernized.

• Calamba railway station

  address: Rizal St

By car

Calamba is a major crossroads; it serves as an important intersection for the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX, E2), Maharlika Highway (Route 1), and Calamba-Santa Cruz-Famy Road (Route 66, or just National Highway). SLEX has four exits: Silangan (exit 45), Canlubang (exit 47), Batino (exit 49), and Calamba (exit 50); the section between the Calamba toll plaza and Ayala Greenfield toll plaza has no exit toll gates. Calamba-Santa Cruz-Famy Road, while it is divided into two sections with different route numbers (route 66 from Calamba to Pagsanjan, and route 602 from Pagsanjan to Famy), runs through eastern and central Laguna and terminates at Calamba. Maharlika Highway runs through the centers of the cities in northwestern Laguna and enters into Batangas at Santo Tomas; it is the main artery of Calamba and the toll-free alternative paralleling SLEX. SLEX and Maharlika Highway from Turbina forms the Asian Highway 26 route.

By jeepney

Jeepneys serve most corners of the city found along the major thoughfares. Most services run outwards from Calamba and the short-distance equivalent to buses.

By tricycle

There are plenty of tricycles around downtown and the Crossing area. Trips generally cost per kilometer, but it can cost if you catch one alone (or a "special" trip), for example, on a trip from Crossing to the Rizal mansion.
Anywhere in Pansol can be reached by tricycle, with stands near the subdivision entrances.

By car

Calamba has its cacophonous traffic; traffic jams are a frequent occurrence, especially in the Real, Crossing and Pansol areas. When bringing a car with you, better hire a driver; the city's traffic is always a nightmare, even when going to the resorts. Downtown parking is rather scarce, and the area is rather best accessed by tricycle or on foot.
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• Jose Rizal Shrine

  address: J.P. Rizal Street, Barangay 5 (Poblacion)
  The birthplace of the Philippine national hero, Jose Rizal. It houses the restored colonial-era mansion of Jose Rizal, which contains his memorabilia.

• The Plaza

  address: Chipeco Avenue Extension, Real
  A park built to commemorate Rizal's 150th birthday. Opened in 2011, it houses a 6.7-meter (22-feet statue) statue of Jose Rizal, formerly the tallest.

• St. John the Baptist Parish

  address: J.P. Rizal Street, Barangay 5 (Poblacion)
  The oldest Roman Catholic church in Calamba, built in Baroque style

• Republ1c Wakepark

  address: West Diversity Avenue, Canlubang
  A new wakeboarding park inside the Nuvali development in Canlubang

• SM City Calamba

  phone: +63 49 530-0062
  address: Maharlika Highway, Poblacion
  Huge SM mall, providing a refuge from the cacophony of the Calamba Crossing area.

• Walter Mart Calamba

  phone: +63 49 545-7037
  address: Maharlika Highway, Real

• Walter Mart Makiling

  phone: +63 49 530-0854
  address: Km. 54 Maharlika Highway, Makiling
  Another Walter Mart mall, with some fast food restaurants and shops, a Uno department store, and supermarket.

• Ippon Yari

  phone: +63 49 502-0333
  address: Maharlika Highway, Turbina
  Authentic Japanese dining, including common Japanese fare like bento, ramen, sushi and tempura, shochu. Tables have tatami mats.

• Samaral Seafood

  phone: +63 49 545-4730
  address: National Highway, Halang
  Usual Filipino seafood fare, served on bamboo and nipa cottages

The city serves as a tourist hub to other destinations in Laguna like:

• Los Baños - Bordering university and resort town, noted for the University of the Philippines Los Baños campus, the International Rice Research Institute, and hot springs
• Pagsanjan - Home to Pagsanjan Falls