How to Get to Bohol, Philippines: Fly to Panglao or Sail From Cebu, and Getting Around After You Land

How to get to Bohol, Philippines: two ways, by air or by sea, depending on where you start

There is no land route to Bohol: you either fly into Panglao airport on the island, or cross by sea from Cebu and land at Tagbilaran port. Cebu and Bohol are separate islands divided by a strait, so every route starts with a flight or a crossing.

• Fly: into Bohol-Panglao International Airport, which puts you on Bohol itself and skips the crossing entirely.
• Sail: if you are already in Cebu, take a fast craft from the Cebu City pier to Tagbilaran port, roughly two hours. You can also use Tubigon on Bohol's west coast, where the time at sea is shorter but you then cross the Bohol mainland by road.

For the Cebu piers, booking rules and what to do when sailings stop, see how to get from Cebu to Bohol. This guide widens the view to where you start from and sets the plane and the boat side by side.

Does Bohol have an airport? Yes, Bohol-Panglao International Airport

Bohol has an airport: Bohol-Panglao International Airport (code TAG) on Panglao Island. It opened on 28 November 2018 and replaced the old Tagbilaran Airport, which had outgrown its capacity. These points come from the project information memorandum published by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) in September 2024:

• CAAP classifies it as a Class 1 principal (major domestic) airport;
• existing domestic routes are Manila, El Nido and Davao;
• existing international routes are Seoul and Busan;
• it is about 10 minutes by road from Alona Beach and about 30 minutes from Tagbilaran City;
• Cebu is not on the list of existing routes, so travellers going from Cebu to Bohol sail instead.

Routes change by season, so go by the airlines' current schedules. The airport has also entered a public-private partnership concession, so check-in counters, security lanes and pick-up points may move during upgrade works; read the latest notices from the airport and your airline before you travel.

Getting to Bohol from China and from Manila: two starting points, treated separately

From China: in the CAAP memorandum this guide draws on, Panglao's existing international routes are only Seoul and Busan, and no route from China is listed. So the usual approaches are one of two: fly the international leg to Manila and connect on a domestic flight to Panglao, or fly to Cebu first (Mactan-Cebu International Airport has many direct routes) and then cross by fast craft. Whether a suitable flight or connection exists from your city is something to check against the airlines' current schedules.

From Manila: Manila is among Panglao airport's existing domestic routes, so you can fly from Manila straight to Panglao, then travel by road to Alona with no boat involved. If your international flight lands in Manila first, leave generous connection time; domestic baggage allowances are usually tighter than international ones, and dive gear goes over easily, so read your carrier's rules before you book.

One rule applies to both starting points: do not put the sea crossing on the same day as an international flight. If a sailing runs late or is cancelled, everything after it falls over. On the way home, be back on the island your flight leaves from the day before.

Boat or plane to Bohol: choose by your itinerary, not by which looks closer

If you are already in Cebu and want to add Bohol, the boat is the natural choice. If Bohol is your only island, or your international leg connects through Manila, flying straight into Panglao is smoother. Match yourself to one of these:

1. You are in Cebu: sail. The crossing from the Cebu City pier to Tagbilaran port takes roughly two hours, and from the port to Alona Beach on Panglao is about 40 to 50 minutes by road.
2. Only Bohol, or starting from Manila: fly to Panglao. The airport is on Panglao itself, so there is no crossing and no exposure to sea conditions.
3. In through Cebu, out through Panglao: see Cebu, sail across, then fly from Panglao to Manila for your onward flight, with no backtracking.

Three things to know about the boat. Different operators use different piers, so go by the pier printed on your ticket. Fast craft carry passengers only; to take a vehicle across you need a roll-on/roll-off passenger ship, which is slower. And buy tickets through official channels in the exact name on your ID. The Tubigon route spends less time at sea, but the road time after landing is extra.

Weigh the risks side by side too: whether boats sail is the Coast Guard's call based on the weather, the Philippines is broadly drier from December to May and wetter with more typhoon activity from June to November, and flights are disrupted by weather as well. For how the two islands fit together in one trip, see the Cebu and Bohol guide.

From Bohol airport to Panglao: the airport is on the island, and from the port you go by road

Bohol-Panglao International Airport is itself on Panglao Island, so after landing there is no boat; you go by road to Alona Beach. CAAP's memorandum puts it at about 10 minutes, so add some slack for baggage and traffic at the exit. Panglao is the base for most stays and boat trips, and the Alona area has the most restaurants, dive shops and boat departures.

The usual ways to get there:

• A pre-arranged pickup: ask your accommodation to arrange it. The driver meets you at the exit, which is the easiest option with heavy luggage, older relatives or children.
• Taxis and vans outside the airport: before you get in, agree the destination, whether the price is per vehicle or per person, and whether luggage costs extra.
• Tricycles: only for short hops with light bags.

If you arrive by boat at Tagbilaran port, the journey to Alona is also by road, with no second boat, and takes about 40 to 50 minutes; Tagbilaran traffic is often heavy at midday, so leave time. If you land at Tubigon, you cross the Bohol mainland to reach Tagbilaran or Panglao, so book a car in advance. For what to see once you are there, read Bohol tourist spots by area.

Do you need a visa to go to Bohol? Entry rules follow current official requirements, plus what to check before leaving

Do you need a visa to go to Bohol: Bohol itself needs no separate visa; what matters is the entry requirement for the Philippines. Visa requirements for entering the Philippines follow the current rules of the Bureau of Immigration and the embassies and consulates, so please confirm with those official channels or your airline before you travel. Bohol is a domestic destination within the Philippines, so what matters is what you need to enter the country in the first place.

Before you leave, check these as well:

• Flights and sailings: follow the carriers' current timetables, and note that counters and pick-up points at Panglao airport may move during upgrades.
• Name on the ticket matches your ID: ferry tickets are issued in the real name on your identity document.
• Weather and suspensions: June to November brings more rain and typhoons, so keep the crossing off international flight days and leave one flexible day.
• How many days: for how long to stay and where to start, see how many days you need in Bohol.

Send us your departure city, number of days and who is travelling, and Yixing can work out how the flight and the boat fit together; for errands after you land, such as a SIM card or currency exchange, see our arrival and travel services.

This article is general industry information. Flights, sailings and entry requirements follow the carriers' and the authorities' current announcements, and nothing here is a guarantee.

Rather not line up flights, ferries and transfers yourself? We can arrange the Bohol itinerary, pick-ups and island hopping. → Bohol tours and charters