The province of Rizal is the "R" in Calabarzon. It is a province to the east of Metro Manila with boundaries of the westernmost towns and cities of Cainta and Taytay blurring into the city of Pasig in the capital region. While becoming increasingly urbanized since the past few decades, it holds some rich secrets in both cultures and sights that are untouched by heavy and popular tourism yet are beauties of their own to be enjoyed.
Due to its proximity from Manila, Rizal is becoming an increasingly good residential option for city-bound professionals and students who opt to stay at close proximity to the center of action (Manila) yet far enough to allow occasional peace and quiet (which is becoming increasingly hard to get nowadays).
Used to be a large province which hugged the north coastline of the Laguna de Bay, Rizal now forms half of what it used to be. Named after the national hero, Jose Rizal, the province hugs on the rugged Sierra Madre, which encouraged mass settlement on the lakeside and on the foothills. It is surrounded by Metro Manila to the west, Bulacan to the north, Quezon to the east, and Laguna and the Laguna de Bay to the south. Situated at the heart of the Tagalog homeland (Katagalugan), Rizal is culturally and linguistically Tagalog; much of the province's inhabitants are Tagalog speakers, except for a very small minority of Ilocano and Bicolano migrants.
Rizal, being part of the Southern Tagalog region, has Tagalog (the main basis of Filipino) as the language for everyday transactions though English is more than a second language to most people (especially to the professionals and the younger ones).
The nearest airport is Ninoy Aquino International Airport, but getting to Rizal from the airport is rather bewildering; you will have to get by Manila's notorious traffic and inefficient public transport. Bus service is severely lacking to serve most corners in Rizal, so you might need a car to cover everything not covered well by a jeepney.
Rizal's roads are notoriously small, crowded, and winding due to its geography, and public transportation is severely lacking once you head east. Driving around the province (by car or motorcycle) is much practical.
Bus service is severely lacking on most of the province. Jeepneys mostly provide most service in much of the province, but are in short supply at eastern Rizal.
The major highway through Rizal is Manila East Road, which runs east to west from the boundary with Laguna toward the suburban areas of Cainta and Taytay. While most of it has been widened to four lanes and sections through town centers have been bypassed, traffic is fairly slow.
The Marcos Highway (aka the Marilaque Highway), which crosses the Sierra Madre mountain range and leads to Infanta (Quezon Province, serves the central part of the province; it is a favorite route by motorcyclists with its climate and its winding route, but crashes occur often especially on its hairpin curves.
Primary administrative division