Places to visit and Things to do in Singapore

by Aakash Sheoran digital marketing executive

“Singapore: a vision of green hills and red dust, a sickly odour of pepper, cocoa, nut-oil and drains.”

Harry de Windt, From Peking to Calais by Land, 1889

Be it gardens, golden sands, or glitz – Singapore has it all. In case you are planning a trip to Singapore, check out this comprehensive list of the best places to visit and things to do in this amazing Lion City. From the great island life to wonderful outdoor trips, there are so many things for you to see and do…

Educational Activities

ArtScience Museum

One of the iconic structures that make up the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort is the ArtScience Museum. It is recognizable for its distinct shape. Through carefully curate exhibitions, the museum blends the worlds of art and science together. Visitors can explore an interactive high-tech collection of digital installations at the recently revamped ArtScience Museum and their now permanent exhibition Future World.

National Gallery Singapore

The National Gallery Singapore showcases a collection of modern art by artists across Southeast Asia and is situated in two buildings, the former City Hall and the former Supreme Court. This gallery is famously known to present the works of both established and up-and-coming artists from the region. Don’t miss the rooftop sculpture garden showcasing great works of Vietnamese-born Danish artist Danh Vo and be sure to visit the newly opened galleries featuring Chinese Ink Art.

National Museum of Singapore

The National Museum of Singapore, Singapore’s largest museum, houses two main galleries: the History Gallery, which traces the island’s history from the 14th century and the Singapore Living Galleries with exhibitions on fashion, food, film, and photography.

Visit the Parks for Some Fun

Haw Par Villa

Haw Par Villa was built with the purpose of parents to teach their children about morality through Chinese mythology. It was constructed by the brothers who invented the Tiger Balm. It’s well worth a trip to see the nightmarish and bizarre life-sized dioramas despite the fact that some of the statues are looking worse for wear these days.

Note: The 10 Courts of Hell are pretty graphics and may be scary to small children.

Singapore Botanic Gardens

The Singapore Botanic Gardens is one of Singapore’s oldest parks and explains how such a large complex came to exist in the middle of the busy city-state. It first opened in 1859. The park is one of the premier orchid breeding and research centers in the world and is home to over 10,000 species of plants. It has relatively quiet grounds, and is also home to a veritable host of forest creatures, which involves the three-foot long monitor lizards – but don’t you worry, these creatures are very harmless to people as long as they are not antagonized by anyone.

Chinese and Japanese Gardens

It’s time for you to Get out of the city and head to the Chinese and Japanese Gardens in the west. People play cricket in one of the park’s open spaces during the weekend. The Live Turtle & Tortoise Museum, tucked into one area of the Chinese Gardens, features the world’s largest collection of turtle and tortoise items.

Gardens by the Bay

Gardens by the Bay is Singapore’s most recognizable garden and is known for its extraordinary landscape. This includes the SuperTree Grove featuring 18 vertical gardens that reach a height of 16 stories! The Marina Barrage and OCBC Skywalk are two conservatory domes among other spectacular attractions.

Fort Canning

Right in the center of the island you'll find the Fort Canning. In the history of Singapore, this place has played a significant role: Sir Stamford Raffles built his first home on Fort Canning Hill, which served as the headquarters of the British Army and later as the Japanese Army at the time of their occupation of Singapore during World War II.

For Animal Lovers

Singapore Zoo

The Singapore Zoo is famous for its ‘open’ captivity models and is designed so that many of the animals are kept in large enclosures that are surrounded by relatively noninvasive barriers and moats. The zoo is known as home to over 300 animal species. About 15% of these are classified as threatened.

River Safari

Tourists ride a boat through the tropical forests of Singapore, at the River Safari. Freshwater animals are found living on either side of the river, including adorable giant pandas, anacondas and American beavers.

Get Cultural

Universal Studios Singapore

Get ready to pump your adrenaline at Universal Studios Singapore! Part of Resorts World and situated on Sentosa Island, this amusement park is home to seven themed zones, so there’s always something for the whole family. Universal Studios Singapore goes all out with their Halloween Horror Nights for October, so horror film lovers should try to time their visit accordingly.

Little India

One of Singapore’s cultural enclaves Little India and the recent launch of Little India Heritage Walks are a good way to discover the area. It overloads the area with endless streams of scents, sounds, and vibrant colors. Take up Anthony Bourdain’s challenge of going on a scavenger hunt inside the Mustafa Mall (a 24-hour store where you can apparently buy anything) or walk around the wet market situated on the first floor of the Tekka Market, in case you’re not too squeamish.

Chinatown

Chinatown is a place which is very touristy but still worth strolling through. Head over to Smith Street instead of souvenir shopping on Pagoda Street. Here you’ll find the Chinatown Food Street, an area covered with an excellent selection of hawker stalls. If you want to learn a little about Buddhist culture, head over to the Buddha Museum and Tooth Relic Temple at the end of the street.

Kampong Glam

In Kampong Glam, you’ll find streets full of delicious Mediterranean and Turkish food and the impressive Sultan Mosque. There are often art events and flea markets happening in the neighborhood during the weekends.

So if you’re going to miss out on a fun-filled adventure trip to Singapore, you’re certainly going to miss out on a lot!