1. Gardens by the bay:
This futuristic botanic garden with super-trees and biodomes is one of Singapore’s noteworthy green spaces. This place is built on 101 hectares of land across a pedestrian walkway from the Marina. Huge biodomes rise out of the viridity which has about 800 species of plants from different climate zone. You can see giant cacti in the Desert Dome and a waterfall coming out from a 35-meter mountain in the Cloud forest Dome. Here, with an ancient olive garden, the Flower Dome originates a Mediterranean climate. Around the garden, there are various grotesque sculptures. Among them, Planet by Mark Quinn- a gigantic sleeping baby that appears to hover in mid-air is mentionable. There are 18 super trees rising above the garden that seems something out of Avatar especially when they’re lit up at every night (7:45-8:45 pm). You can use the OCBC Skyway walk, 22 m above the Gardens that joints six of the Supertrees. Here, entry to the Gardens is totally free. You have to pay $28 to visit the biodomes.
2. Singapore Botanic Gardens:
One of Singapore’s biggest green spaces, enriched with the most comprehensive orchid garden, Singapore Botanic Gardens have well-tended lawns, themed gardens, and calm and quiet lakes. Located on the west of Orchard Road, this place houses 314 species of plants. Half of the plants are very rare. A boardwalk goes through a thick patch of ancient rainforest. There are 3 lakes in the garden. Among them, Swan Lake is the most beautiful one. The lake got its name from the mute swans imported from Amsterdam. National orchid garden is the main attraction here for the visitors. Since 1928, tropical orchids have been bred here. There are 1000 species and 2000 hybrids orchids here. Among them, many species are named after various heads of state as well as politicians. You can find Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher orchid here. There is a ginger garden next door to the orchids where you can see250 species of the ginger family. You can also enjoy opera performances at Symphony Lake.
3. Orchard Road:
This main shopping street is especially important for its fashion stores. Though the name is Orchard Road, there isn’t any orchard in sight. There you will see only gleaming malls, departmental stores, and designer shops. You can enjoy shopping here and satisfy your hunger by the food from the malls’ superb food courts. ION Orchard is well known for high street fashion, 313Somersetstocks priced high street brands. It’s popular with younger shoppers. Rockstar is home to both independent and major labels with clothing and accessories for boys and girls. Ngee Ann City houses international luxury brands and the excellent Rakashimaya Food Village- a food court that’s part of the eponymous Japanese department store. If you look for Asian art, jewelry, and carving, Tanglin Shopping Centre is for you.
4. Chinatown:
Vessels of cramped stalls, tacky souvenir shops, and ancient temples crowded between slender streets strung with red lanterns: Yes, this is Chinatown located at the heart of Singapore. This is undoubtedly one of the world’s most fascinating places for tourists. Stop halfway along at the Chinatown Heritage Center- You’ll see inside Chinatown’s colorful past- from artistic photos to replica of living quarters of opium addicts. Here is located The Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore’s oldest Hindu temple. To the south of the Chinatown Complex, there is a popular hawker stall. From there, go through the Keong Saik Road that bends south past the captivating Sri Layan Sithi Vinayagar Hindu Temple. Turn left into Kreta Ayer Road and again left into Neil Road. Where the Neil Road meets South Bridge Road and Tanjong Pagar Road is the Jinriksha Station, once the depot for hand-pulled rickshaws. At the end of the Ann Siang Road, turn left into South Bridge Road where you will see the epic five-story Buddha Tooth Relic Temple where you will find Buddha’s left canine nesting in a solid gold stupa. Go through the Ann Siang Road east past the Art Deco buildings that once housed Chinese guilds and clubs and see the dragon ‘wishing well’ at the Siang Cho Keong Temple on Amoy street. Take Telok Ayer St to reach Ying Fo Fui Kun, a two-story building built in 1822 for the Ying Fo Clan Association but now used by the Chinese Hakka Community. At the meeting place with Boon Tat St is a mosque made between 1828 and 1830 by Chulia Muslims from South India. A little ahead is the amazingly renovated Thian Hock Keng Temple and the Al-Abrar Mosque.
5. Geylang:
These historic shop-houses are located in Singapore’s red light district. Here the streets and buildings are not as gleaming and futuristic as just a few kilometers west. During the day time, the streets here are stunning for walking. The architectures here are dated back to the turn of the 20th century. When the city expanded westward, it pulled industry to this locality and as a result, immigrant people who arrived to work in factories came here. To meet the peoples spiritual need mosques, temples and churches originated here. That’s why Geylang is called Singapore’s spiritual hubs. The narrow lanes (Lorong) coming from Geylang Road are especially magnificent to stroll. Two rows of stunning and well-maintained two-story shop-houses are located on the two sides of Lorong 24A. Slender houses constructed in a row with a sheltered front corridor and courtyard inside are the representative of Singapore’s mixed tradition. Their style blends Chinese porcelain-chip friezes, French windows, Malay wooden fretwork and shutters from Portugal. More unornamented late 1930s shop-houses are located between Lorong 30 and Lorong 28. The ornamented colorful shop houses sit along Lorong 25.
6.Clarke Quay:
Clarke Quay is enriched with numerous bars, clubs, and restaurants that are located on both banks of the Singapore river. This place comes into its own after sunset. After long days of tiring work, professionals come from nearby Central Business District to join the tourists and enjoy. First go to Beer Market where the stock market idea is applied to the beer: the less popular is cheaper. Crazy Elephant is one of the cheapest places on the Quay for beer. For an adrenaline rush, you can get fired out of the G-Max Reverse Bungee Catapult or dangle above the river on the GX5 swing. If you want to continue the party into the wee hours, Attica is the best club with varied zones: pick up from hip-hop, house and electronica; international DJs play the occasional set here. Trace Lounge is also good for hip hop with a loud sound system and first-class lighting effects. If you want to enjoy your dance music, then you must visit Zouk, Singapore’s first Ibiza-style super club.
7. Shopping in Haji Lane:
Haji Lane is one of the narrowest streets in Singapore. This best street for independent designers in Kampong Glam is lined with historic shophouses. Most of the shops are domestic, quirky. They contain the vendible of hip, independent designers- mostly local, but a few international ones as well. Shop Wonderland is such a store lit by funky vintage lights, with garments and identical household things upstairs and café at downstairs serving freshly baked cakes. For a long time at no. 62 is a cute little vintage shop with a good mix of vintage garments, hats, and accessories. You can also find vintage garments in the Craft Assembly at no. 61. At no.74 Spoilmarket contains colorful women’s dresses, quirky bags, watches, and other things. At no. 76, Mondays Off carries fun stationery, homewares, and nice gift items. You can find skilled tailoring for women at no. 73, Soon Lee. Here you will find beautiful pieces of clothing from local designers, as well as designers from Hong Kong and Korea.
8.Ride the Singapore Flyer:
This 165m high wheel is an indispensable part of Singapore’s skyline. Overlooking the water near Marina Bay, the Singapore Flyer is one of the world’s biggest observation wheels. This thing looks most impressive when it is lit up colorfully in the evening. Actually, it is the second biggest observation wheel after the High Roller in Las Vegas. The Singapore Flyer offers you to enjoy the magnificent view high above the city including the Marina Bay, the river, the historic edifices of the Colonial District, the skyscrapers of CBD, and ships on the South China Sea. You can get a discount if you buy tickets online.
9. At Universal Studios:
It is the branch of the most popular Hollywood movie theme park. This theme park is separated into seven worlds and is the key attraction of Resorts World on Sentosa Island, at the south end of Singapore. This park has attractions suitable for younger children, for instance, Puss in Boots, Giant journey in Far Far Away, Dino-Soarin in The Lost World and singing and dancing Sesame Street Show in Hollywood. Who likes thrill should ride on Battlestar Galactica- the world’s tallest dueling rollercoaster. You can choose to ride among the suspended CYLON or the seated HUMAN as they wriggle, spin and roll. In Sci-Fi City, the Transformers Ride will take you on a 3D thrill ride into a future world where Transformers fight and take part in speeding chasing. The Revenge of the Mummy rollercoaster will provide you with fiery encounters with the undead and forces you through the darkness. You can enjoy the Lost World’s Waterworld show based on the Kevin Costner movie. You can look forward to plenty of explosions, dangerous stunts, and a thorough soaking if you sit in the front.
10. S.E.A. Aquarium:
It is the world’s biggest aquarium. It has about 49 marine habitats and more than 100,000 sea life. This aquarium is a part of the Sentosa Island attractions. Visiting this aquarium is an awesome journey through the world’s wonderful marine habitats. If you go through the shark tunnel you will see the different species of sharks including hammerheads, silvertip and sandbar sharks swimming above your head. Find Nemo and see wriggling eels in the Bay of Bengal, wonder at the reef fish of the Caribbean Sea, marvel at the fire shrimp and yellow boxfish of the Red Sea, watch the lobsters and the lionfish of the South China Sea and creep into a cave for a close encounter with moray eels. You will get information about the watery ecosystems of Lake Malawi, kelp forests and coastal mangroves here. In Ocean journey, you will experience eerily lit jellyfish, enormous deep-sea octopus and monster spider crabs. The giant, 36 m long, 8.3 m high Open Ocean tank is *an ultimate show-stopper. It brings you close to stingrays, sharks, barracuda, and other huge open water fishes. Feeding the animals and the Discovery Touch Pool is fun for children. In the second underwater tunnel, you will see fish dashing in and out of the shipwreck. Here you can learn about Asia’s Maritime Heritage at the On-site Maritime Experiential Museum.
11. At Singapore Zoo:
This 28 hectares zoo is beautifully designed and located on a peninsula in the Upper Seletar Reservoir. With a good number of animals roaming large, natural habitats like enclosure, this zoo is one of the world’s best zoos. At the Great Rift Valley, you will see Nubian ibexes, baboons, and mongooses. In the Fragile Forest Biodome, you can climb up to the forest canopy to see two-toed sloths and wonder at lemurs and flying foxes. Polar bears, wolverines, and raccoons can be seen at the Denizens of the Frozen Tundra. At the Primate Kingdom, you’ll watch all types of monkeys – from the colobus to the crested macaque. During the daily 11 am and 1.30 pm feeding sessions you can get a good look at the zoo’s orangutans. Go to Head for Wild Africa and Cat Country to watch lions, cheetahs, leopards, giraffes, and zebras. You can see the rare white tiger at the Forest Lodge. The kid zone named Rainforest Kidzworld is great for young children. Here children can enjoy pony rides and waterslides.
12. Take a River Safari:
The River Safari houses the habitats of seven of the world’s rivers. Find out the alligator gar and the bizarre looking Mississippi paddlefish in the Mississippi River aquarium, in the Nile the African dwarf crocodile, in the Ganges the Indian gharial, the giant catfish and Yangtze alligator in the Mekong. Children can enjoy a splash-tastic Amazon River Quest boat ride. On the way, they can see monkeys, giant anteaters, tapir, jaguars, and capybara. Another key attraction of this safari is the Giant Panda Forest where you will find Singapore favorite Kai Kai, as well as rare red pandas. The Amazon Flooded Forest aquarium is magnificent. Here You can see electric eels, manatees, piranhas, and the huge aparaima and pacu fish. You will get a discount if you buy the ticket online.
13. Take a Night Safari:
If you want a close encounter with the wild animals at night then you can go to this wildlife park at Singapore’s northern reaches. This park is only open in the evening (7:30 pm-midnight). Strolling the footpaths and bridges of the redolent nighttime woodland and watching 120 species of nocturnal animals closely for instance: tigers, alligators, and fishing cats, to name a few. You can ride electric trams that stop at different places. You can take a guide who can give an excellent introduction to the park. You can see here antelopes that roam free outside the other animal’s enclosure. Kids enjoy the 20-minute Creatures of the Night show. You can stroll through the fruit bat enclosure, where you can see face to face a giant fruit bat hanging upside down. It’s a matter of sorrow that no flash photography is allowed in this park.
14. Day out in Jurong Bird Park:
Located into the western part of Singapore Jurong Bird Park is a sanctuary that houses over 400 bird species. It’s particularly very enjoyable with families. The park is separated into different zones that reflect the birds’ natural habitats. Here visitors can either choose walking paths or ride the tram that surrounds the park and halt at three stations on the way. Close to the entrance you can see several penguin species from Antarctica at the Penguin Coast. Here you will see them gambol and dip. Outside visitors can feed the African penguins. You can see owls and other denizens of the night at the World of Darkness. In the wetlands, ibises and spoonbills splash about thousands of flamingos stroll around Flamingo Lake. A huge aviary named Lory Loft houses numerous small colorful birds that you can attract with cupfuls of nectar. In Waterfall Aviary you can spot shyer birds such as the turaco and guinea fowl. The park is devoted in breeding and conservation of imperiled species. You can see their success in the Toucan and Hornbill Aviary.
15. Eat your way around a hawker centre:
Here the food chains provide you with Singapore’s best street food. The people of Singapore are serious about food. Large food courts serve here food from snacks to full meals. As this place tends to get packed, just keep a packet of tissue to secure your seat at canteen style table. One of the popular food courts here is Lau Pa Sat (24 hours; 18 Raffles Quay, Raffles Place MRT). They serve dishes from all over the world in a wonderful 19th -century cast-iron edifice. Next, to the Lau Pa Sat, the Satay Street Stalls come to life after sunset, with smoky satay skewers on the grill and drink sellers peddling cold beer. You can also choose Satay By the Bay (11am-10pm, Bayfront MRT) in the Gardens by the Bay. You can go there for Hokkien noodles and halal seafood. For a local experience, go to Old Airport Road Food Center (8am-11 pm, Dakota MRT) where you can enjoy stir-fried rice noodles, noodle soup, seafood dishes, and many other local items. Chinatown Complex is also a famous local scene where you can get clay pot rice, congee (savory rice porridge) and noodle dishes. On Smith Street, you will get roast duck with rice and noodles in food stalls.
16. Walking tour of Little India:
This is Singapore’s one of the most resonant place with its resin-scented streets, splendid temples and mouth-watering smells coming from its food courts. In the mid-19th-century, cattle trading took off here. As a result, a large number of immigrants came here from India and to meet their spiritual demands many mosques and temples were built here. The cattle trading has been replaced long ago with stores selling sari, flower garlands; Indian restaurants and goldsmith shops. Have a look at the Buddha image inside the Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple here. See the devotees come to offer thanks to Lord Vishnu at the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple. Here you can shop for cheap electronics a the Mustafa Center on the corner of Syed Alwi Rd. Find out the stunning Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, the main Hindu temple of Little India. At Dunlop St you will see the intricately decorated Abdul Gofoor Mosque.
17. Hike around Mt Faber Park & the Southern Ridges
The oldest park of Singapore is the second tallest hill covered with a secondary rainforest. A part of the Southern Ridges, it comprises some other parks and 9 km of sober walking trails. If you ride on a cable car from Sentosa Island or Harbour Front, you will get a stunning view of southern Singapore and the southern islands as well as Faber Peak itself. You can eat at the peak at Faber Bistro and take a walk to Kent Ridge Park, 4 km west. First go to Henderson Waves, a wavy canopy walkway 36 m above the jungle floor that joints Mt Faber to Telok Bangah Hill Park. Stop at the terrace garden for its magnificent 360-degree views of Singapore. From here you can choose the Elevated Walkway that lets you spot birds and butterflies in the jungle canopy. Or you can take the rugged Earth Trail before you reach the Alexandra Arch that will lead you to Hort Park where one of the last battle for Singapore was fought in WWII.
18. Take a Singapore River Cruise by night
At night, when Singapore’s skyline is beautifully lit up these 40-minute cruises through the iconic structures of Marina Bay and the resonant nightlife of Clarke Quay with ongoing commentary providing you with some magnificent background history. You can halt at different locations but you better catch the boat at the Promenade Jetty, in front of the Singapore flyer-from here you can enjoy the lit up Gardens by the Bay. You must watch the three tallest buildings: UOB Plaza One, Republic Plaza and One Raffles Place. Against the backdrop of the CBD, there are touristy bars and restaurants of Boat Quay. From here you can head to Clarke Quay to experience the more authentic nightlife of Singapore. The slightly expensive cruises that depart at 7:30 pm and 9:00 pm provide laser shown on the Marina Bay and a Singapore sling or juice for every passenger.
19. Visit National Gallery Singapore
The National Gallery of Singapore houses the biggest collecting of modern art in Singapore and Southeast Asia. In 2015, this new gallery was inaugurated in the beautifully renovated former Supreme Court building. Exhibitions mirror Singapore’s unparalleled cultural heritage and geographical position. Here you will see the best of the city’s art from the 19th century to the present day, even art from all over Southeast Asia. The permanent DBS Singapore Gallery investigatethe changing relationship among art, artist and people with chronologically organized Singaporean art reverberating various artistic trends- from the European style landscapes of early colonial Singapore to the 21st century’s abstract art. The other permanent galleries between Declaration and Dreams reflect the main artistic movements: local traditions, colonialism, artistic trends from the West and key political changes; the anti-establishment art of the 1970s; and their consequences across Southeast Asia. Past temporary displays have comprised sculpture by Vietnamese-born Danish artist Ng Teg Fong, and landscape paintings by Chinese artist Wu Guanzhong.
20. Explore the Marina Bay Sands
From its building date, the magnificent Marina Bay Sands dominates Singapore’s skyline. It was designed by Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie. This huge hotel complex is one of the city’s most popular attractions. Spectators can shop here at the ritzy mall beneath the hotel, eat in the mall’s many restaurants, and enjoy a popular musical at the MasterCard Theatre see cutting edge temporary exhibitions. If you have no vertigo problem, then you can enjoy cantilevered Sky Park at the top of the hotel- the dramatic overhand high above Marina Bay. The hotel offers the infinity pool (for overnight guests only) and nice restaurants and bars. From the Observation Deck, you can enjoy the stunning view of the city, especially in the evenings. In the evening the hotel stages Wonder Full, a 13 minute sound and light show that make the Bay into color changing fountains where the water acts as a screen for projected images.
21. Walk around Marina Bay
Start your journey from the Marina Bay Sands hotel, shopping, and restaurant complex. Go north alongside the Marina, cross the Helix Bridge from where you’ll get the stunning view of the Singapore skyline. Head west along the Marina Promenade, you’ll reach Gluttons Corner, one of Singapore’s best open-air food courts, and the sparkling Esplanade-Theaters on the Bay- a performing arts center that resembles metal golf balls. Go south along the Esplanade Bridge to the well-known Merlion statue (half fish, half lion) that disgorge water into the bay and is lit up at night as part of the sound and light show. Head west to the south bank of the Singapore River and walk past the 19th century Cavenagh Bridge. Continue your journey along Boat Quay, where bars and restaurants are located along the lines of the river.
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