GuideGecko Travel Magazine > Things to do in Singapore & Tourist Attractions

Things to do in Singapore & Interesting Tourist Attractions

Looking for something to do on a weekend in Singapore? With the many tourist attractions in Singapore that welcome fun-seekers and leisure visitors, there’s always something for you and your friends and family to discover in Singapore. Sightseeing, a Singapore city tour, a casual day at the museum or gardens- there’re always new places to visit in Singapore.

Don’t miss the famous Singapore Zoo and the iconic Botanic Gardens. This article tells you more about them and other attractions you can enjoy.

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1. Get Close to Nature

Singapore Zoo

6269 3411; http://www.zoo.com.sg; 80 Mandai Lake Road, Singapore 729826
Singapore Zoo ticket prices: $18 adults, $9 children, open 8.30am-6pm daily, last admission 5.30pm.
Buses: Alight on Mandai Lake Road: 138 and 927
The world-famous Zoo in Singapore sits on 28 hectares of land by the Central Catchment area. One of the most-visited Singapore places of interest, it opened in 1973 and has over 300 animal species, and threatened species make up nearly a fifth of the animals in the zoo. Singapore Zoo’s animals are housed in open areas as close to their natural habitats as possible, with the biggest captive orangutan colony in the world. Get more information on feeding times, animal shows, conservation efforts and news on the Zoo’s website.

* * * Seeing animals in their element in their natural habitats makes lots of fun for all the family.

Singapore Botanic Gardens

Singapore Botanic Gardens 6471 7138/7361; http://www.sbg.org.sg; 1 Cluny Road, Singapore 259569; free admission; 5am to midnight daily.
National Orchid Garden: S$5 adults, S$1 students, senior citizens, free for children (below 12 years).  8.30 am to 7pm daily, last ticket sale at 6pm.
Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden: free admission; 8 am to 7pm daily, closed on Mondays (except PHs); last admission 6.30pm. Open to children up to 12 years old.

Buses: Alighting on Holland Road: SBS Transit 7, 105, 123, 174, SMRT 75, 77, 106.
Alighting at  Bukit Timah Road: SBS Transit 66, 151, 153, 154, SMRT 67, 171

By Taxi: There is a taxi drop-off and pick-up point at the Visitor Centre along Cluny Road.

The Botanic Gardens Singapore is a popular Singapore attraction only 10 minutes from Orchard Road and Orchard MRT Station. Have a picnic on the landscaped park, attend a free weekend concert or just relax. Orchid pavilions in the National Orchid Garden house diverse orchid species named after visiting royals and celebrities. The Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden welcomes kids to learn, explore and have fun. Visit the National Orchid Garden, tea room, spice and herb gardens and the eco-lake with swans, turtles and fish.

* * * Not just a garden but also a fascinating gathering of flora and fauna.

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

6794 1401, http://www.sbwr.org.sg, info@sbwr.org.sg; 301 Neo Tiew Crescent, Singapore 718925; free admission except on weekends, public holidays and school holidays. Adult/child, student or senior citizen S$1/S$0.50.   7.30am-7pm Mon-Sat, 7am-7pm Sundays and public holidays. Theatrette show screenings: Mon-Sat 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm & 5pm, Sundays and public holidays hourly, 9am-5pm.
Bus: From Kranji MRT, take SMRT bus 925 and alight at Kranji Reservoir car park, then take a 15-minute walk to the Reserve. On Sundays and public holidays, 925 stops directly at the Reserve’s entrance.
Designated as a nature park in 1989, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is home to over 500 species of tropical plants and animals. The protected mangrove wetland is also a rest stop for migrating birds. The Reserve is famous for its birdlife especially from September to March when large flocks of migrating shorebirds visit the Reserve.

* * * Don’t overlook one of Singapore’s only remaining mangrove habitats.

Chinese and Japanese Gardens

6261 3632, 1 Chinese Garden Rd, free admission except for Bonsai garden: $2 adults, $1 children. 6am-11pm daily.

The Chinese Garden is a landscaped garden in northern Chinese style with a quaint courtyard of 2000 bonsai plants and high pagodas. Climb the tallest one for a view of the entire garden. The Japanese Garden has a pebbled dry garden, stone lanterns and classic architecture among ponds.

* Not much to see here besides boringly pleasant scenery.

Jurong Bird Park

6265 0022, 2 Jurong Hill Singapore 628925, $18 adult, $9 child, 8.30am-6pm daily
Jurong Bird Park is the largest bird park in Asia with one of the largest collections of birds and bird species worldwide, specialising in Southeast Asian birds.

2. Around the Singapore River

Nightlife in Singapore

Singapore nightlife centres around the banks of the Singapore River, with waterfront dining and top entertainment in bars and clubs such as Hooters and Fashion Bar at Clarke Quay. Singapore also has a popular nightclub Zouk, known throughout the Singapore clubbing scene for its Wednesday Mambo nights.

* * * Singapore’s clubbing scene is very much alive and kicking.

Singapore Flyer

Open 8:30am - 10:30pm daily. http://www.singaporeflyer.com/ 30 Raffles Avenue, beside the Esplanade.
See the entire Singapore harbour, complete with an ugly Integrated Resort construction site dominating the backdrop, from Singapore’s answer to the London eye. All students with valid student IDs (regardless of country/school) enjoy $10 weekday flights. Conditions apply.

* Save your money- buy a beer from a nearby Esplanade bar instead.

3. Island Life

Sentosa Island, Singapore: Life’s a Beach

Butterfly Park and Insect Kingdom: $16 adult, S$10 child (9am - 6.30pm, last admission 6pm). Cable Car: Two-way ticket: $18.90 adult, $9.50 child (8.30am - 11pm daily). Images of Singapore:  $10 adult, $7 child (9am-7pm, last admission 6.30pm). Merlion: $8 adult, $5 child (10am-8pm, last admission 7.30pm)
You can take a train from VivoCity to Sentosa Island, or take a scenic cable car ride from Mount Faber. Sentosa has a new round-the-island monorail system and on the beach at Sentosa, you can play volleyball and go sunbathing. Bring the family to the Butterfly Park and Insect Kingdom, learn about Singapore’s colonial history at the Images of Singapore, climb up the Merlion and visit the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia at Palawan Beach. Food and drink prices are higher on the island.

** Worth going, but just once. Sentosa feels too 'touristy' with repeated visits.

Pulau Ubin    

Singapore’s last kampong village is here. Go mountain biking, trekking and see the corals and mangroves at the intertidal flat of Chek Jawa (accessible by van or bike). You can also go fishing or camping here. The island has inspired many local artists’ paintings and photography. Go to Ubin via a bumboat on Changi Jetty.

* * * A great way to experience what mainland Singapore was like 50 years ago.

4. Museums and other attractions

Singapore Science Centre

$6 adult, $3 child; http://www.science.edu.sg/ssc/index.jsp; 10am-6pm, closed Mondays except school and public holidays.

Packed with educational exhibits that both adults and kids will enjoy, the Science Centre has exhibitions ranging from an ecogarden to life science and optical illusion displays.

* * Great place to visit for the whole family; you could even spend a whole day here.

Singapore Discovery Centre    

$10 adult, $6 child Tues-Sun 9am-6pm, closed Mondays (except public & school holidays)

Modern-looking National Education exhibitions on Singapore’s history, stressing the importance of national cohesion to young visitors.

* Rather propagandistic; might not amuse visitors 12 and above.

Asian Civilisations Museum

$5 adult, $2.50 child/senior citizen; Mon 1pm- 7pm, Tue-Sun 9am-7pm (open till 9pm on Friday)

Learn about Singapore’s multifaceted cultures brought by immigrants from China, Southeast Asia, South Asia and West Asia. The Singapore River gallery traces the how the river is closely linked to the island’s economic importance.

* * Worth a trip, do check out the nearby National Museum and Singapore Art Museum too if you have time.

Getting Around Singapore

Taking public transport? Refer to the interactive Singapore map website Gothere.sg while planning your trip. Gothere.sg shows you the shortest way to get from one part of Singapore to another by bus only or by bus and train.

iris NextBus text messaging service lets you text  to 74744 to find out how long your bus will take to arrive. For example, if you are waiting at bus stop 52069 for bus 153, text “52069 153” to 74744. This service is available to MobileOne/Singtel mobile customers and to Starhub postpaid mobile customers at 5 cents per text message. For more information, visit the SBS website. The SBS website also provides SBS bus and trip planning information and North-East Line travel information.

The Lonely Planet Singapore Encounter gives you self-guided walking tours of the city, and in-depth insights from locals’ points of view into Singapore. You can also get eighteen self-guided walks to the best places in Singapore to visit from the Insight Guides Step By Step Singapore. Discover the Singapore Sling at the Raffles Hotel Long Bar, find out where Peranakan culture lives on, see the Merlion and take a bumboat ride down the Singapore River.

Check out more places to visit in Singapore here!

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