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San Esteban is a town in Ilocos Sur with extensive beaches and a Spanish-era watchtower.
Understand
[edit | edit source]San Esteban is one of the oldest settlements in Ilocos Sur, having been founded by the Spanish in 1576. It is home to about 9,000 people (census, 1 July 2024) 
Get in
[edit | edit source]San Esteban is along Route 2 (Manila North Road). Buses heading to Vigan and Laoag also ply this highway. However, most beachgoers usually enter from junctions in Barangay Apatot or in the neighboring town of Santiago.
Get around
[edit | edit source]Tricycles are the main form of transportation in town, particularly as downtown San Esteban is further inland from the coast.
See
[edit | edit source]- 1 Saint Stephen Protomartyr Parish Church (San Esteban Church), Manila North Road, Poblacion. San Esteban's main Roman Catholic church, built in a Baroque style during the Spanish era.
- 2 Bateria Watchtower (Baluarte), Villa Quirino-Bateria-Apatot Road, Bateria. A stout, Spanish-era watchtower meant to guard against pirates and foreign invaders from the South China Sea. The site was declared a National Cultural Treasure by the Philippine government in 2015.
- 3 Apatot Beach, Apatot. An extensive stretch of cream-colored sand running to Biak na Bato (Mapisi Rock), a rock formation marking the boundary with the town of Santiago. There is a marker commemorating a clandestine US submarine shipment of weapons to anti-Japanese guerrillas in 1944 during Word War II.
- 4 Mapisi Rock, Apatot. A rocky promontory with a walkway and viewdeck at the top.
Do
[edit | edit source]Buy
[edit | edit source]- 1 San Esteban Farmers' Public Market, Manila North Road, San Rafael.
Eat
[edit | edit source]Drink
[edit | edit source]Sleep
[edit | edit source]- 1 C And E San Esteban Hotel, Villa Quirino-Bateria-Apatot Road, Bateria, ☏ +63 977 088 5581, elaydochester@gmail.com.
Connect
[edit | edit source]Go next
[edit | edit source]| Routes through San Esteban |
| Vigan ← Santa Maria ← | N  S | → Santiago → Candon |