Carcar City, Cebu: the complete guide to the City of Carcar

Carcar is a coastal city in the south of Cebu, about 40 km from Cebu City by road. It is known for its 1800s church and ancestral houses, for lechon and chicharon, and for a shoe trade that earned it the name Shoe Capital of Cebu. This guide covers the facts, the barangays, the history and the practical side of visiting or living here.

Carcar City at a glance

Official name	City of Carcar
Province and region	Cebu, Central Visayas (Region VII)
Type	Component city
Population	140,308 (2024 census), 136,453 (2020 census)
Land area	116.78 km²
Barangays	15
ZIP code	6019
City since	2007, under Republic Act 9436
Mayor, 2025 to 2028	Patrick Barcenas
Neighbours	San Fernando, Sibonga, Barili, Aloguinsan, Pinamungajan and Dumanjug

Sources: population, area, neighbours and ZIP code from PhilAtlas, which draws on the Philippine Statistics Authority; the 2024 figure from the DTI city profile; the charter from Lawphil.

The 15 barangays of Carcar

Barangay	Population (2020)
Bolinawan	13,499
Buenavista	3,664
Calidngan	3,882
Can-asujan	10,870
Guadalupe	15,064
Liburon	9,245
Napo	7,224
Ocana	10,469
Perrelos	16,818
Poblacion I	10,525
Poblacion II	2,318
Poblacion III	7,329
Tuyom	6,787
Valencia	6,037
Valladolid	12,722

Perrelos and Guadalupe are the most populous. The three Poblacion barangays form the town centre; City Hall and the museum are in Poblacion III.

A short history

Carcar grew up as a Spanish-era town on the south coast. Its parish church, dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria, was built in the 1800s, and many of the ancestral houses around it date from the same century. The town had 31,895 people in the first census of 1903.

In the American period the town built a dispensary. Completed in 1929, that building has been the Carcar City Museum since 2008 (GMA News).

Carcar became a city under Republic Act 9436, the Charter of the City of Carcar, dated 12 April 2007. Its cityhood was then caught up in the long League of Cities v. COMELEC case over 16 new cities. The Supreme Court ruled against and for the cityhood laws several times before upholding all 16 in February 2011.

In January 2022, Republic Act 11644 declared Carcar a cultural heritage zone (SunStar).

How to get to Carcar from Cebu City

• By bus. Buses bound for south Cebu leave from the Cebu South Bus Terminal on N. Bacalso Avenue and pass through Carcar. Tell the conductor you are getting off at the Carcar rotunda.
• By car. Head south on the coastal road through Talisay, Minglanilla, Naga and San Fernando. The terminal is about 38 km from Carcar by road; allow an hour or more, longer at rush hour.
• From Mactan-Cebu airport. Take a taxi or ride-hailing car to the South Bus Terminal, then a south-bound bus.

In town, tricycles are the usual way around. The old centre, with the rotunda, church, museum and market, is compact enough to walk.

What to see

• The rotunda. The roundabout at the heart of the town, ringed by the chicharon stalls.
• St. Catherine of Alexandria Church. The 1800s parish church facing the plaza. The town’s fiesta is held for her feast in November.
• Carcar City Museum, Padre Burgos Street, Poblacion III. The former 1929 dispensary, now a museum of the town’s history.
• The ancestral houses. Carcar’s streets still have many 1800s and early 1900s houses, including Balay na Tisa. Most are private homes: look from the street and ask before taking close-up photos.
• Theotokos Shrine, Perrelos.
• The public market, for lechon.

For a longer list with tips, read 10 things to do in Carcar City. Every attraction in our directory is on the Attractions page.

Kabkaban Festival

Carcar’s festival is held in November, around the feast of St. Catherine of Alexandria, with street dancing and the Miss Carcar pageant (The Freeman). Read more in our Kabkaban Festival guide.

What to eat and bring home

• Lechon. Sold by the kilo at the public market, chopped to order with the drippings poured over. See our Carcar lechon guide.
• Chicharon. Carcar’s best known pasalubong, sold around the rotunda, plain or “special” with meat. See our Carcar chicharon guide.
• Ampao and bucarillo. Puffed rice bars and sugared coconut, sold at the same stalls as the chicharon.

Shoes

Carcar has long been called the Shoe Capital of Cebu, but the trade is fading. SunStar reported in July 2026 that only five footwear makers were still recorded in the city, down from ten a year earlier.

Where to eat and stay

Our directory lists what is open right now, with hours, addresses and phone numbers:

• Restaurants, coffee shops and food and snacks, including Dianne’s Seafood House, Dave’s Pizza and Don Macchiatos.
• Hotels and places to stay, including Carcar Eco Farm Resorts.
• Hospitals and clinics, pharmacies and dental clinics.

City Hall and government services

City Hall is in Poblacion III. Business permits, birth certificate copies and cedula can be applied for online through the city’s official eLGU portal. Contact details and more are in our Carcar City Hall guide.