Attractions in Singapore

Asian Civilizations Museum

The focus of this museum is on the world of Chinese faith, symbolism, understanding of art and the tradition of Chinese scholars. Housed in a restored neo-classical house from 1910, it also houses a collection of Buddhist art, imperial porcelain, and Ming-style furniture from the 17th century, and is considered an important demonstration of the development of this culture. Free tours are offered.

Address: 39 Armenian Street, Singapore
Phone: (65) 63 32 30 15
Website: http://www.museum.org.sg
Entry fee: Yes.

Disabled access: No
UNESCO: No

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

This 164-hectare nature reserve is 12 km from the city center and is one of only two nature reserves in the world that are located within an urban area (the other is in Rio de Janeiro). There are more different tree species here than in all of North America. With a bit of luck, visitors to the nature reserve can spot a flying lemur or an anteater.

The nature reserve is the only larger, untouched rainforest area, while large parts of Singapore’s natural landscape have been changed by human hands. Well-marked trails wind through the jungle, where you will find exotic birds, butterflies, monkeys, squirrels and other animal species, making the nature reserve popular with hikers and cyclists. The Bukit Timah Hill is the highest point in Singapore at 164 m.
Address: 177 Hindhede Drive, Singapore
Phone: (65) 64 68 57 36
Website: http://www.nparks.gov.sg
Entry fee: No.

Disabled access: No
UNESCO: No

Changi Prison Chapel & Museum

During the Second World War, Singapore was occupied by the Japanese for three years and 50,000 soldiers and civilians interned in Changi.

Today the Changi Prison Chapel & Museum is housed in a new building four times the size of the original. The chapel is a replica of various chapels built during the conflict. In the museum, the everyday life of the prisoners is illustrated using photographs, pictures and drawings, supplemented by the murals of the former British prisoner of war Stanley Warren. Rail nails of the notorious Burma railway are also shown.

Services are held every Sunday by the Changi Christian Fellowship. Visitors are welcome.

Address: Upper Changi Road North, Singapore
Phone: (65) 62 14 24 51
Website: http://www.changimuseum.com
Entrance Fee: No.

Disabled access: No
UNESCO: No

Chinatown

Singapore’s Chinatown originated around 1821, when the first Chinese junk arrived from Xiamenin in Fujian province. The four largest districts – Crete Ayer, Telok Ayer, Tanjong Pagar and Bukit Pasoh – all have their own individual character.

The heart of the Chinese district in the area around Trengganu / Smith Street is dominated by the Fuk Tak Chi and Thian Hock Keng temples. Lively Smith Street is now a grocery store. Peace and quiet can be found in the temples and in the Yixing Xuan’s Teahouse, where the ancient, traditional tea ceremonies are still performed. The range of Chinese medicines is extensive and experts are available with practical advice.

As in the 1960s and 70s, there is the traditional night market in Chinatown again. More than 200 stands enliven the district even in the dark. The market, which includes antiques and handicrafts, is open from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Sundays to Thursdays, and until 1:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

However, many of Chinatown’s landmarks are not Chinese at all, including the Nagore Durga Shrine and the Al Abrar Mosque on Telok Ayer Street, the Jamae Mosque and the Sri Mariamman Temple on South Bridge Road.

Address: Chinatown, Singapore
Disabled Access: No
UNESCO: No

Chinese and Japanese gardens

The Chinese and Japanese Gardens are located side by side at the western end of the MRT route and offer a quiet oasis for the city dwellers. The 13-hectare Chinese garden represents the imperial style of the Sung dynasty and, with its bridges, pagodas, stone boat and tea house, reflects the grandeur of the Beijing Summer Palace. The Japanese garden, on the other hand, is kept simple with stone lanterns, hills and a dry zen-style garden, and the classic Japanese motifs create a pleasantly calm atmosphere.

Address: 1 Chinese Garden, Singapore
Phone: (65) 62 64 34 55
Entry Fee: Yes.

Disabled access: No
UNESCO: No

Haw Par Villa (Tiger Balm Gardens)

These gardens and villas are a little out of the way and occupy a very special place in the heart of many Singaporeans, since the cultural past and mythology are described here – often in a very vivid but also gruesome way – and the connection between the population and their Confucian origins becomes apparent .

These gardens, which basically resemble an old-fashioned amusement park, were opened in 1937 by the brothers Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par, who made a fortune with their tiger balm, a highly concentrated ointment. The gardens also provide insightful insight into what really makes this incredible island. The creepy “Ten Courts of Hell” represent suffering sinners in the hereafter and show what the Chinese believe in their own belief if they do not abide by the rules.

Address: 262 Pasir Panjang Road, Singapore
Disabled Access: No
UNESCO: No

Jurong Bird Park

Jurong Bird Park is the largest bird park in Southeast Asia and is home to more than 9,000 birds and a total of 600 different species from around the world. Highlights include the Waterfall Aviary, a bird house where the tallest artificial waterfall (30m) was built, and the South East Asian Bird Aviary, where a thunderstorm is simulated every noon.

In the Lodge on Flamingo Lake you can dine with a view of Lake Flamingo. Flamingos, macaws, hornbills and cockatoos are shown on bird shows. One of the biggest attractions is the Penguin Parade, which houses more than five different penguin species, a total of 200 animals. The entire park can be seen from an air-conditioned monorail.

Address: 2 Jurong Hill, Singapore
Phone: (65) 62 65 00 22
Website: http://www.birdpark.com.sg
Entry fee: Yes.

Disabled access: No
UNESCO: No

Night Safari

Night Safari, the first and only safari park that is also open at night, is located next to the zoological gardens and is home to more than 1200 animals, including 110 exotic species, in eight different zones. These zones are modeled on geographical regions, for example there is a Southeast Asian rainforest, an African savannah, a Nepalese river valley, the South American pampas and the Burmese jungle. The 45-minute small train ride is a fun alternative to the three trails, and Creatures of the Night shows take place twice a night, with zoo staff showing off some of the less dangerous species.

Address: Mandai Lake Rd, Singapore
Phone: (65) 62 69 34 11
Website: http://www.nightsafari.com.sg
Entrance Fee: Yes.

Disabled access: No
UNESCO: No

Supreme Court and City Hall

The Supreme Court dates from 1939 and is one of the last colonial buildings. It has Corinthian-style columns and stately furnishings with murals by the Italian artist Cavaliere Rodolfo Nolli. Right next door is the huge City Hall, built in 1929, where the Japanese surrendered in 1945 in the presence of Lord Mountbatten. The buildings are currently being renovated to reopen in 2013 as the National Art Gallery.

Address: 1 Supreme Court Lane, Singapore
Telephone: (65) 63 32 42 70
Website: http://www.supcourt.gov.sg
Disabled access: No
UNESCO: No

Raffles hotel

The Raffles Hotel was built in 1887 and was declared a national monument exactly 100 years later. It is one of the last major hotels in Asia from this era and was a favorite haven for Somerset Maugham, Rudyard Kipling, Joseph Conrad and Charlie Chaplin.

In the afternoon, tourists flock to the afternoon for traditional afternoon tea in the Tiffin Room or for a Singapore Sling cocktail in the Long Bar. The Saturday evening buffet in the Tiffin Room is one of the best meals in town. In the bar called Bar & Billiard, high ceilings create a pleasantly cool environment for a gin and tonic; Pool tables are at the end of the room. The arcade has 70 specialty shops selling local goods, as well as restaurants, and Jubilee Hall, a Victorian-style theater.

Also not to be missed is the museum on the upper floor, where you get fascinating insights into over 100 years of history: vignettes and pictures of Charlie Chaplin and his brother, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and Noel Coward’s diary, in which he tells of death of his travel companion are extremely interesting.
Address: Beach Road, Singapore
Phone: (65) 63 37 18 86
Website: http://www.raffles.com
Disabled access: No
UNESCO: No

Sentosa Island

The island of Sentosa forms a direct contrast to the hectic life in Singapore. There is an amusement park on Sentosa, which has the motto “island life”. There are also beaches, historical attractions, golf courses, culinary delights and a number of attractions such as the Volcano Land, the Asian Village, the white water rides on Fantasy Island and the Underwater World, one of the largest marine aquariums in Asia with tropical fish.

The historically interested visitor can look at Images of Singapore, where the former island life, local celebrations and customs are shown, but also the surrender to the Japanese at Fort Silosa, where bunkers and underground passages served to defend the island during World War II.

Address: Singapore
Telephone: (65) 62 75 03 88
Website: http://www.sentosa.com.sg
Entry fee: Yes.

Disabled access: No
UNESCO: No

Singapore Art Museum

This museum is the former St Joseph’s Institute, the first boy’s school on the island built by French monks. Today this building, which is one of the most striking in the city, houses the Singapore Art Museum. The exhibits reflect modern as well as traditional Asian influences and the E-mage Gallery combines art and technology in an innovative way. Impressive collections of contemporary, indigenous and other Southeast Asian art are shown in the museum’s 13 galleries.

Address: 71 Bras Basah Road, Singapore
Phone: (65) 63 32 32 22
Website: http://www.museum.org.sg
Entry fee: Yes.

Disabled access: No
UNESCO: No

Singapore Botanic Gardens

The Botanical Gardens in Singapore are reminiscent of an original country that has been forgotten by time. There is an untouched jungle as well as elegant flower beds and bushes – the embodiment of all the lush parks of this tropical island. The botanical garden extends over 52 hectares and is home to more than half a million plant species. Nowhere in the world are there more orchids than in the National Orchid Garden – there you can see more than 3,000 different types of orchids and a total of more than 60,000 plants.

Address: Cluny Road, Singapore
Phone: (65) 64 71 99 43
Website: http://www.sbg.org.sg
Entry fee: No (National Orchid Garden with entrance fee).

Disabled access: No
UNESCO: No

Tourist offices

Singapore visitor centers

Visitor centers are also located at Changi Airport, Arrivals Hall of Terminals 1, 2 & 3 (open daily from 6 a.m. to midnight), in the Ion Orchard Level 1 concierge (open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.) and in Along Cheng Yan Place next to the shopping center Iluma (open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.).

Address: Cairnhill Road, corner of Orchard Road, Singapore
Telephone: 67 36 20 00 or 1 800 736 20 00.
Opening hours: Daily from 9.30 a.m. to 10.30 p.m.

Website: http://www.yoursingapore.com

Visitor passes

Bundled tickets are available for the Zoological Gardens, Zoo Night Safari and Jurong Bird Park. The cards are valid for six months from the date of purchase. A museum pass covers the entrance fee to the Singapore History Museum, the Asian Civilizations Museum and the Singapore Art Museum.