Fantasy World Batangas: Entrance Fee, How to Get There and the Theme Park That Never Opened

Fantasy World is the castle on the ridge above Lemery, Batangas: turrets, red roofs and stone walls built for a theme park that never opened. There are no rides. What is there is the architecture, the gardens, and a view down to Taal Lake, about two to three hours’ drive from Metro Manila. People come to photograph it, and for the strangeness of a place finished enough to look real and never finished enough to open.

Entry was ₱100 a head as last reported, with hours of 8 AM to 5 PM. It closed for a stretch during the pandemic, and its 2026 hours could not be confirmed, so check before you make the drive.

Fantasy World entrance fee and hours

	As last reported
Entrance	₱100 per person (rate since 2019); seniors were reported at a discount
Hours	8 AM to 5 PM
Prenup and professional shoots	₱5,000 and up
Drones	A separate fee, reported at ₱5,000
Costume rental	About ₱300 for the day
Food	Outside food has not been allowed
Status, October 2026	Not confirmed. Message ahead or ask in Lemery before the trip

Fees here have changed several times, from a flat ₱1,000 per group of up to ten to the per-person rate, so treat these as a guide and bring cash.

What happened to Fantasy World

The short version: it ran out of road. The Department of Tourism endorsed the project in 1997, land acquisition started in 1999, and by 2001 it had Board of Investments incentives and a target of full operation in 2005. The plan covered about 195 hectares, with a water park, a golf course and a hotel of roughly 500 rooms alongside the theme park. The castle went up first. Then, in the mid-2000s, development stopped; the accounts on record point to financing trouble and the illness of the developer, Emilio Ching. In the early 2010s the site opened to visitors as a photo location, and in 2022 the property was reported listed for sale at ₱5.5 billion.

Nobody has demolished it, and nobody has finished it. That is the whole appeal.

Activities and attractions

The rides were never built or never opened, so the visit is a walk. Expect an hour or two among the castle, the courtyards, the garden paths and the outbuildings, most of it photogenic and some of it visibly weathered.

Photoshoots and picnics

Prenup, fashion and graduation shoots are the main business; on weekends there is often a couple in a gown and a photographer on a ladder somewhere on the grounds. Costumes can be rented on site. Picnics on the lawns have been allowed in the past, but outside food has not, so plan to eat in Lemery or on the way back through Tagaytay.

Exploration and relaxation

The air is cooler up here than in the lowlands, and on a clear afternoon Taal is on the horizon. Late afternoon gives the warmest light on the stone. The drawbacks: parts of the site are worn, there is little shade between buildings, and fog can roll over the ridge quickly in the wet months.

How to get to Fantasy World

• By car from Manila: SLEX to the Santa Rosa exit, up the Santa Rosa to Tagaytay road, then west on the Tagaytay to Nasugbu road. At the Cavite and Batangas boundary, turn left toward Lemery; Fantasy World is on the left side of the road down. Allow two to three hours.
• By bus and jeepney: take a Nasugbu-bound bus from Manila and get off at the boundary, then a Lemery jeepney and ask to be dropped at Fantasy World. Few rides pass Mayasang in the afternoon, so arrange the trip back before you go in.
• On the road: the zigzag down toward Lemery can be closed by landslides in heavy rain and is slow in fog.

Make a Batangas day of it: Monte Maria is in Batangas City, and the Taal Volcano guide covers the lake you can see from the castle.

From the ridge, the volcano in the lake is the other landmark in the frame. The Batangas Tee puts the province on your chest.

Frequently asked questions