Sights Of Singapore. 

Please refer to Lonely Planet or other guides for a more comprehensive guide to sights here. I tend to explain more on the ones I prefer or what I feel less touristy sights. Or go to Singapore Official Tourism Guide if you need honey-glazed basic info.

This page was extremely difficult for me to write. Not becoz there are a lot of sights in Singapore but because Singapore is so small, I have already been to all attractions. And probably got bored revisiting them. Also, If you want to see the St. Andrew Cathedral next to City Hall MRT, I can't help comparing it to majestic cathedrals like St. Paul or Notre Dame. If you look at Chinese temples, I can't help comparing to those in Taiwan. If you go to Pulau Ubin an island off Singapore, the last remains of a kampong (from the malay word meaning village), you can get many of them in Malaysia, Indonesia. So I kinda wonder why travelers come to Singapore. NB that good sights to me means nature, gothic architecture, historical sites, the ancient world, archaeological finds & lastly beautiful girls with a good brain of course. Bear in mind I am Asian and had traveled quite extensively in Asia since young. So seeing another kampong, chinese temple, mosque makes me yawn. Just like a well traveled European is sick of seeing another cathedral & castle.

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of sights for visitors in Singapore but just something we locals take for granted. Although Singapore is a small country, you will probably need 3 days to enjoy the sights. Many people have email me to tell me so. If you don't get off the beaten track and stick to Orchard Road and Sentosa, you will find Singapore boring and leave Singapore with a stereotyped 'clean and sterile' impression coined from tourists who didn't venture far.

To do that, you have to move away from the modern city and into the ethnic quarters or plan your trip here to coincide with a major festive season (e.g. Hungry Ghost Festival, Thaipusam). You will then find it exciting and learn that beneath the modern skyscaper facade, culture and tradition is still very much our way of life. The typical guided tours conducted here are standard touristy fare.

If you are a first time visitor to Asia however, Singapore often coined "Asia Lite" is a great place to start your Asian tour. Singapore offer you a glimpse of Asia. What you get here is a pseudo mix of China, Malaysia, India and a glimpse of our past as part of the British Colony intertwined with the modern city. Those who expect Singapore sights to be of undeveloped Asia will be in for a rude shock. As Asia modernised, less and less of the past is preserved to make way for new buildings that drastically change Asia skyline. Singapore is a modern city packed with lots of little treasures from every part of the world. Our heritage is one that is multi-cultural & racial. Our forefathers from all parts of the world (India, China, Middle East & more) came here about 100 years ago to make it big or have a better life here. Bringing with them their culture, religion & traditions and is now living in harmony.

Here I probably write about some sights not commonly mention in books. So if you have enough of touristy sights of Singapore try these (not arrange in any order). What to see in Singapore?

• People - Look at them, from the business executives to the hawkers cooking food for you. One great sight is the ways hawkers prepare food. Look at the way they cook noodles or prepare Roti Prata or the equipment used in some old kopitiam (coffeeshop) no Braun coffee maker here just some old fashion way dated back to the 50's. No Lipton tea here, just tea leaves made the old way.
• HDB Estate - Around 80% of Singaporeans stay in public housing (apartment like the one shown below) built by the government. If public housing gives you an impression of cheap housing, you are in for a surprise with prices ranging from S$200k - S$500K. The term public hosuing differs from the it's usual meaning. Here in Singapore it simply means that the government has a monopoly of building apartments. Our way of life center around here. In the morning, homemaker hurried to the wet market around the estate to get good bargains. Children dressed in schools uniforms carry heavy bags to schools.
• Hawker Center- The Singapore experience is not complete if you don't visit one of these and try the local cuisine. If you come all this way and stick to McDonalds, you qualify to join the local Kiasi (Coward) Club. If you don't know what is good, just stick to the stalls with long queue (line). A famous hawker center is the Newton Food Center located near Newton MRT Station. Check out my food page for some recommendation.

Public Housing - The HDB

• Pulau Ubin - A sucker for nature, I can't help but recommend this place. The pace of life completely change here from Singapore. From fifth gear to first gear. Rent a mountain bike or hike around this island. Go into the rubber plantation, some smelly duck farms and hope to have a chance encounter with a wild boar. Go to the beach (no where near Seychelles's) and have a picnic. Bash thru the jungle and study the plants. It's still a good getaway for me here. A place for introspection. Take a bumboat ride from Changi Village (S$1 for one way trip).
• The Zoos - Both the Zoo and the Night Safari are really good. The Zoo is well designed so that most barricades are natural barricades like a trench or cliffs. The night Safari is equally good. You can get as close as 5cm to a tiger or rhino with no worries! Other than riding on the tram, you should also do the walking trails in the Night Safari.Take the train(tube, subway, underground) to Ang Mo Kio MRT (where I stay) & change to bus 138 from the Interchange. Opens 8.30am - 6pm daily for the zoo (cost S$10.30 A, S$4.60 C) Night Safari opens from 7.30pm - 12 midnight (cost S$15.45 A, S$10.30 C). If you are staying there late, have cash for a taxi back to your hotel because the 'efficient' public transport doesn't operate after 12am.
• Raffles Hotel - Yes, this is mention everywhere. Still it's a historical site. Imagine sipping Earl Gray in the early this century here. Then wake up to hear traffic noises and see skyscrapers. Don't miss this.
• Sultan Mosque - Rich Muslim culture still lingers around this place. A must to visit on Fridays afternoon, but respect the religious observation.
• Arab Street, China Town, Little India & Geylang Serai - Well, these are places where pockets of asian culture can be found in our multi-racial city. Geylang Serai is our Malay's equivalent to Chinatown. Why is there a Chinatown in Singapore if more than 70% of are chinese here? the smart ones have already figure this out. For the not so sharp ones: Singapore, a hundred years ago, was a place for many people of different races to work. To avoid racial clashes, each race was assigned to live in a distinct part of town, the chinese stay at what is now known as Chinatown.
  In Little India - It's called Little Indian because if you go there on weekends you will feel like you are in a town in India because of the multitudes of Indians there, many are workers from India. They gather weekly here to socialize, shop & etc. Shops sells stuff/food that caters almost exclusively to the Indians (both local and foreign).
• Holland Village - This place gives you a different perspective of Singapore. The prewar shops of 2 - 3 story houses sells things you will not easily see in Orchard. No branded names here maybe except for that 7-11. Wares ranged from Asian to Western pottery, wood, rattan, utensils, handicraft, antiques & many more. You can find good food here in the numerous restaurants offering food from all over the world.  This was once a military village in the 1930s - 45s. 
• The Esplanade - This was built recently to house one of the most advanced theatre around the region. Look at the image gallery in their web page and you will probably want to go there and have a look yourself. The architecture is unique and the locals are calling it 'The Durian" as it looks like one of the local fruit with spiky appearance. There are also malls and cafe located in the vicinity. It's located in the waterfront downtown so you can just walk there from City Hall MRT station. 
• Suntec City Fountain - If you are around town, you might want to take a look at this modern sight (This plain fountain is nothing fancy but it's the core of Feng Sui at work in modern architecture). Suntec City is actually a convention centre-shopping mall-offices. The design of this place is build to resemble the palm of the hand if you view it in the air. There are 5 towers representing the 5 digits of the hand and the fountain represented the palm. The design is supposed to be in accordance to Chinese Geomancy (Feng Sui) to bring good luck. The fountain is also named by Guinness as the largest man-made fountain in the world. It is now opened a few time a day to the public who wants to have a share of the good fortune it's supposed to bring. Simply follow the ritual that is clearly display and you may be on your way to becoming the next Warren Buffet or Bill Gates (w/o the anti-trust thingy that is).
• The Istana - This is the 'Whitehouse' of Singapore. This is where our current ruling party plots to keep Singapore ahead of many others so that this little island with no resource can survive with a 'knowledge based' resource. Istana is a Malay word that means the palace. If you are able to come to Singapore during one of our public holidays, this place is open to the public. Otherwise you will not be able to see anything else except for a gate. There is a change of guard parade at the gates but you will need to check out the timing with the local guide or hotel.
• Sentosa - This is not Disneyland in Singapore no matter what you may have heard. It's no where near Disneyland except for it's tourist traps. This place has its pros & cons. Basically, there are many attractions in this little island that you can visit. The first thing you need to consider is whether you are going to there to learn more about Singapore or just relax. If you are going there to learn about Singapore, this place has lots to offer. Having said that, there are places where you have to steer clear to save your money. I visited Sentosa on 12/6/99 to update myself on the new attractions. Here's what I have to say. To know Singapore, go to Fort Siloso, Underwater World (what tropical fishes ard the region), Surrender Chambers.
  Fort Siloso is an actual remains of a World War II fort that is used to house anti-ship guns. What we can see there are remains of many cannons, the barracks, the tunnels, ammo dump and other military installations used during WWII. This place is decorated with mannequins of soldiers in replica of WWII uniforms and equipment.

Remember these are not the only sights but sights I like as a local and don't think you should miss them if you have the time. You can check out some of my photos of Singapore to give you an idea of what you can see here

Check out this travelogue from well traveled Brian & Karen who had a interesting time in Singapore by visiting sights that are not often visited by tourists. They came to Singapore in August, the month of the Hungry Ghost Festival. 

Colourful Bugis Backstreet

Stars

Have a feel of what celebrities did when they come to town... here.

Tourist Traps

These are the places where I feel are tourist traps. My meaning of traps is :- visiting these places doesn't let you learn much about Singapore. But if you are a typical tourist or these sites appeals to you then go ahead.

1. Chinese & Japanese Garden - just some stupid landscaped park with pagodas & oriental bridges. Rather you pay nothing & go to the Botanical Gardens at Cluny Road & look at primary jungles mixes with manicured gardens. Our national flower the Orchid is here. Really nice place if you are into plants & nature. Or go to one of the reservoirs here.
2. Sentosa Island - this is actually a good place to visit. However, there are numerous built in tourist traps which drains your money real fast. Traps include Volcanic Island, Fantasy Island. These are fun rides etc that doesn't really tell you much about Singapore. Of course, if you just want to relax & get a tan, by all means it's a fun place.
3. Tang Dynasty City - a recreation of ancient capital of Chang An, China. Go there if you only can't afford to go China in this lifetime. At a high S$15.45 per entry, why bother. The same sum can buy you three meals. (Update  Jan 2001 - They closed this 'attraction' due to poor business, more like from the start they don't have a solid business plan)
4. Science Centre, Singapore Discovery Centre - unless you are a science freak who can't live a day without your burette, then go. Otherwise, keep clear of this place. Time can be spent more wisely on getting to know Singapore. he only reason to go here is during Nov 05 to Apr 06. There is a showcase of Star Wars' props and stuff here from all 6 episodes.
5. Singapore or Sentosa sometimes has been touted as a Island resort. A friend working in the hotel line commented that a tourist took one look at their hotel room and saw tankers in the nearby sea & stormed out. Well, Singapore is not that sort of resort where you will find no 'civilization' for miles.

Merlion - fotos courtesy of Wee Keng Hor

Suggested Itinerary

I have yet to find time to write suggested itinerary. Many have requested & thank God for this 2 people, I can laze for a while...

• Tour Plans - 5 Suggested 'Tours' in Singapore catering to different needs written by Jaime Ee & Audrey Tan (cached in my server from Asia1.com).

• My suggested tour - You can start from Raffles MRT Station and walk through Boat Quay along Singapore River, The Colonial District of Empress Place, Victoria Concert Hall, Cricket Club, City Hall, Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, St Andrew's Cathedral, the Merlion, World War I memorial and the Esplanade. Here you can walk past the Padang and the WW2 Memorial to City Hall MRT station and make your way to Raffles Hotel. The Art Museum, the Museum and the Istana. This will take you probably a day. Next day drop by Little India, Arab Street and later Chinatown. In the evening go to the Night Safari if possible take the public transport stopping by Ang Mo Kio MRT and do the suburb center opposite to get a taste of what a suburb center looks like. The 3rd day can be used to visit Sentosa and a little bit of shopping if you want to go through the shopping belt from Scotts Road, through Orchard Rd and end at Suntec City Mall. Go to Sim Lim Square first as it close early if you want to buy electronics or computer stuff. If shopping is not your cup of tea, go to the Zoo or Birdpark.

Others Sights

Here is a list of most sights in Singapore. However, due to the long list I have not got the time to describe them to you. You will probably need a guide book to do that. Please do not ask me about these sights. I place them here for you to do your research. When time permits, I will write more.

Comments

I often get comments about my site from my fellows Singaporeans. Some of these comments are about me writing about some places of interest being not worth the while to visit. They feel that I should withdraw what I say. One even pointed out I have no sense of national pride. I find this extremely amusing. Why can't I be as objective as possible. Aren't we all sick and tired of certain tourism marketing people promising a heaven when there isn't one. Trying to stay objective, I stated on the very top of this page what my preference are. If you are a tourist on a tight schedule and budget constraints, you are limited to the number of sights you can see. You will want to go for the best ones. What I have here is a set of values many tourists share. We want to know more about the country and how these sites are historic, meaningful and unique to the country. Also, we want some fun along the way. Traveling is educational whether or not you are traveling for leisure, business or out of boredom. What you have is an opportunity to go to a new place and see how people from a different culture live. This is life in existence! If you are just interested in taking pictures so that you can show that you had been to places, you are missing A LOT!

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