World City Guide

Key Attractions

Raffles Hotel
Built in 1887 and declared a National Monument a century later, Singapore’s most famous landmark is one of the world’s greatest Victorian hotels. A favourite retreat for Somerset Maugham, Rudyard Kipling, Noel Coward and Charlie Chaplin, it oozes colonial grace, enhanced by its extensive facelift in 1991, costing S$160 million. Afternoon tea in the Tiffin Room, a Singapore Sling in the Long Bar and a drink under the cool high ceilings of Bar & Billiard are all part of the Singapore experience. In addition, the new arcade contains shops, restaurants, a Victorian-style playhouse, and a museum housing fascinating Raffles memorabilia.

1 Beach Road
Tel: 6337 1886. Fax: 6339 7650.
E-mail: ask-us.singapore-raffles@raffles.com
Website: www.raffleshotel.com
Transport: MRT City Hall Station, then short walk to Beach Road.
Admission: Free.

Chinatown
Chinatown’s history dates back to 1821 when the first Chinese junk carrying immigrants arrived from Fujian province. Much of it has been rebuilt and the old shop-houses restored and it remains one of the most interesting areas to explore, with a lively street scene rich with traditional architecture and customs. Its four main districts have their own distinctive flavour: Kreta Ayer (eating and shopping), Telok Ayer (temples and Speakers’ Corner), Tanjong Pagar (nightlife and the URA Gallery) and Bukit Pasoh (Chinese cultural and clan associations). The recently paved Smith Street is now known as Food Street, open till midnight, and is close to fantastic clothes and souvenir shops.

Transport: MRT Outram (W2), then a 10-minute walk to Smith Street.

Little India
The streets of Little India, inhabited by the original Indian immigrants brought over by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819, has been a thriving commercial area for over a century. Today’s attractions are mainly shopping, eating and temples, especially along the main hub of Serangoon Road, with spicy aromas emerging from shop-houses and wonderful Indian food to be devoured in the many informal restaurants. The Little India Arcade and Zhujiao Centre are newly converted shop-houses selling handicrafts, saris and spices, with more commercial wares at the 24-hour open Mustafa Centre. During Hindu festivals, the area comes to life especially around the thriving temples.

Transport: Bus 64, 65, 85, 97 or 111 from Orchard Road.

Night Safari
The award-winning Night Safari is billed as the world’s first night wildlife park. With 90% of animals nocturnal, by using clever lighting techniques, this safari can show animals at their most active. Spread over 40 hectares (100 acres) of lush forest, more than 1,000 animals covering 100 exotic species, live in eight zones recreating geographic regions, including the African savannah and South American pampas. There are three walking trails, plus a 45-minute tram ride, cocktail safari express and limo buggy trail. The Creatures of the Night show sees employees grappling with some of the less dangerous species (daily at 2000, 2100 and 2200).

180 Mandai Lake Road
Tel: 6269 3411 (24-hour information). Fax: 6366 3309.
E-mail: info@zoo.com.sg
Website: www.nightsafari.com.sg
Transport: SBS bus 138 from Ang Mo Kio MRT or TIBS bus 927 from Choa Chu Kang MRT.
Opening hours: Daily 1930-2400 (last admission 2300).
Admission: S$18 (child S$9); tram rides S$6 (child S$3). See Sightseeing for information on passes.

Jurong BirdPark
The largest bird park in the Asia Pacific, this is home to more than 9,000 birds from 600 different species worldwide. Highlights of their shows include Waterfall Aviary, at 30 metres (98ft) the world’s highest man-made waterfall; the Penguin Parade with a panoramic viewing gallery to watch the 200 penguins feeding (1030 and 1530); the South-East Asian Bird Aviary, where a thunderstorm is simulated every day at noon; and Jungle Jewels, featuring dazzling hummingbirds. At the Lodge on Flamingo Lake, visitors can dine surrounded by 1001 flamingos. An air-conditioned monorail covers the entire park.

2 Jurong Hill
Tel: 6265 0022. Fax: 6261 1869.
E-mail: info@birdpark.com.sg
Website: www.birdpark.com.sg
Transport: MRT Boon Lay Station, then SBS bus 194 or 251 from Interchange.
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1800.
Admission: S$14 (child S$7); monorail S$4 (S$2). See Sightseeing for information on passes.

Singapore River
Once the lifeline of Singapore, and first port of call for its first immigrants, the river takes in many sights. Boat Quay and Clarke Quay have buzzing nightlife with lively waterfront bars and restaurants, while Robertson Quay is more classy than brassy. Parliament House, originally a colonial mansion built in 1827 and now The Arts House, is a venue for contemporary arts since 2004. Places of worship include Tan Si Chong Su Temple, an ancestral Hokkien temple built in 1876, and Omar Kampong Melaka Mosque. There are several riverboat services for leisurely cruises (see Tours of the City).

Supreme Court and City Hall
Dating from 1939, the Supreme Court is one of the finest buildings from British Rule in Singapore, with Corinthian columns and impressive Italian murals. The adjacent City Hall, built in 1929, was the site of the Japanese surrender to Lord Mountbatten in 1945 and also where Singapore’s Independence from Malaysia was declared. Visitors are permitted to attend most court hearings, and tour the building in organised groups. No shorts or vest tops.

St Andrew’s Road
Tel: 6332 4270. Fax: 6337 9450.
E-mail: supcourt_qsm@supcourt.gov.sg
Website: www.supcourt.gov.sg
Transport: MRT City Hall; then walk across the Padang.
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0830-1700, Sat 0830-1230.
Admission: Free.

Singapore Art Museum
Transformed from a 19th century boys’ school built by French Catholic monks, this is one of Singapore’s most striking structures. Now home to the Singapore Art Museum, its exhibits are predominantly 20th-century South-East Asian art, with paintings, sculptures and installations. Although specialising in regional art, the museum has recently broadened its field. Free guided tours in English are available on Mon 1400, Tue-Fri 1100 and 1400, Sat-Sun 1100, 1400 and 1530.

71 Bras Basah Road
Tel: 6332 3222. Fax: 6334 7919.
Website: www.nhb.gov.sg/sam
Transport: MRT Dhoby Ghaut or City Hall.
Opening hours: Sat-Thu 1000-1900; Fri 1000-2100.
Admission: S$3; concs S$1.50; some temporary exhibitions extra; free after 1800 on Fri.

Singapore Science Centre
Housing more than 850 exhibits, mostly interactive, this is Singapore’s largest collection devoted to science. Exhibition halls include the Discovery Zone for young children, the Human Body, Space Science, the Hall of Aviation, and the Web of Life – all explaining science in ingenious ways. Outside are the Ecogarden and the Kinetic Garden, which is the first of its kind in Asia, with interactive sculptures and science displays. There is also an Omni-Theatre. Within the complex is the new Snow City, the first permanent indoor snow centre in Singapore, offering facilities for snowboarding, skiing or 'organised' snow-ball fights.

15 Science Centre Road
Tel: 6425 2500. Fax: 6565 9533.
E-mail: enquiry@science.edu.sg
Website: www.science.edu.sg
Transport: MRT Jurong East, then SBS or 335.
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1800 (last Omni-Theatre show 2000).
Admission: S$6; child S$3; Omni-Theatre S$10, child S$5.

Snow City
21 Jurong Town Hall Road
Tel: 6788 8788. Fax: 6560 1297.
E-mail: snowcity@income.com.sg
Website: www.snowcity.com.sg
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 1030-1830.
Admission: S$12 (single session); S$18 (double session).

Singapore Cable Car
Spanning over 1750 metres (5740ft), this is South East Asia’s first ever cable car. It stops at three stations (visitors can board at all three) each with beautiful, and very different, views. Mount Faber is the second highest hill in Singapore and an equatorial rainforest; Cable Car Towers is the rooftop of a skyscraper, near the Harbour Front Centre and above the busy harbour; the third station is on the island of Sentosa. Some cars are glass-bottomed, making the journey even more spectacular. A free shuttle service takes visitors between Mount Faber and various transport locations.

109 Mount Faber Road, Cable Car Towers, 3 Maritime Square, or Sentosa Island
Tel: 6270 8855. Fax: 6273 4639.
E-mail: cablecar@singnet.com.sg
Website: www.cablecar.com.sg
Operating hours: Daily 0830-2100 (last cable car leaves Sentosa).
Price: S$9.90 (normal cabin); S$15 (glass cabin).
Shuttle service from Mt Faber: Mon-Fri 1800-0300; Sat-Sun 0700-0300.

Asian Civilisations Museum
Housed in a restored neo-classical building dating back to 1910, this museum focuses on a broad and in-depth perspective of pan-Asian cultures and civilisations, especially the origins of Singapore’s founders. With exhibits set in two sites, its new flagship venue at Empress Place has 11 galleries with exhibits ranging from China to West Asia and the Islamic world. The original building in Armenian Street has a suite of galleries on Peranakan (Malay term for 'locally born') culture. Free English daily tours at 1100 and 1400; plus Sat & Sun at 1530.

39 Armenian Street
Tel: 6332 3015. Fax: 6332 7993.
E-mail: nhb_acm@nhb.gov.sg
Website: www.nhb.gov.sg/acm/acm.shtml
Transport: MRT City Hall or MRT Raffles Place.
Opening hours: Mon 1300-1900; Tues-Sun 0900-1900 (until 2100 Fri).
Admission: S$3; concs S$1.50. Discount for ticket to both.

1 Empress Place
Tel: 6332 7798.
E-mail: nhb_acm@nhb.gov.sg
Website: www.nhb.gov.sg/acm/acm.shtml
Transport: Opening hours: Mon 1300-1900; Tues-Sun 0900-1900 (until 2100 Fri).
Admission: S$5; concs S$2.50. Discount for ticket to both.

Changi Chapel & Museum
A harrowing monument to more than 50,000 soldiers and civilians who were killed during Japanese Occupation (1942-45), Changi Chapel, a replica of many built at this time, is housed within the courtyard of the new Museum. The museum contains letters, drawings and personal effects of the prisoners of war, with a replica of the Changi Murals and screenings of several videos. Services are held every Sunday 0945-1100 in the chapel, visitors welcome.

1000 Upper Changi Road North
Tel: 6214 2451. Fax: 6214 1179.
E-mail: changi_museum@pacific.net.sg
Website: www.changimuseum.com
Transport: MRT Tanah Merah, then SBS bus 2.
Opening hours: Daily 0930-1700; guided tours on the hour from 1000.
Admission: Free; S$8 (guided tours); concessions available.

Singapore Botanic Gardens
As a perfect respite from the city’s urban landscape, the gardens epitomise the island’s luxuriant parks with a combination of primary jungle and elegantly laid-out flowerbeds and shrubs, serving to educate and conserve. With over 3,000 species spread over 52 hectares (128 acres), the National Orchid Garden has the world’s largest orchid display, with over 60,000 plants in total. The gardens are also a venue for outdoor concerts.

80 Cluny Road
Tel: 6471 7361. Fax: 6473 7983.
E-mail: nparks_sbg_visitor_services@nparks.gov.sg
Website: www.sbg.org.sg
Transport: SBS bus 7, 105, 123 or 174 from Orchard Boulevard.
Opening hours: Daily 0500-2400; daily 0830-1900 (National Orchid Garden).
Admission: Free; S$5 (National Orchid Garden).

Sentosa Island
Billed as a ‘tropical isle of peace and tranquillity’, Sentosa Island is a purpose-built island theme park, with attractions including Underwater World, a huge tropical oceanarium with 2,500 marine creatures in an 80m (262ft) submerged tunnel; Dolphin Lagoon, a water show with a pink dolphin; VolcanoLand, which recreates a journey into the centre of the earth; the 37 metre (121ft) Merlion; and Magical Sentosa, a musical fountain show twice every evening. Museums include Images of Singapore, with waxwork figures depicting Singapore’s history, and Fort Silosa, recreating bunkers and underground passages used for defence. Beaches, golf courses, hotels, entertainment and restaurants, are dotted throughout Sentosa. A free monorail and bus tour the island and visitors can jump off at any station.

Tel: 6275 0388 or 1800 736 8672 (toll free information line in Singapore only). Fax: 6275 0161.
E-mail: administrator@sentosa.com.sg
Website: www.sentosa.com.sg
Transport: Orchard bus E from Orchard Road; or Sentosa bus A and C from Harbour Front Centre and Tiong Bahru MRT; or cable car from Mount Faber.
Opening hours: Attractions vary; usually daily 0900-1900 (or as late as 2200).
Admission: S$2 (excluding transport to the island). Additional charges for individual attractions (S$3-17).