17 Best Sights in Civic District, Singapore

Constructed in the 1860s as a courthouse, the huge, white, Neoclassical Empress Place building is now home to the nation's first museum to look comprehensively at the all Asian regions, each of which has its own timeline and permanent displays. Spread over three levels, the 11 galleries have state-of-the-art interactive features, and there's also an educational center for kids.

A restoration and integration of Singapore’s former City Hall and Supreme Court, this Southeast Asian visual arts museum is a work of art in itself. Immerse yourself in its extensive collection of modern art from the region—the world's largest public display—before grabbing a bite at one of the many globally acclaimed restaurants on site.

Formerly the Tao Nan School, built in 1910, this grand colonial building now houses the first museum in Southeast Asia devoted to the story of the Peranakans, the descendants of 17th-century Chinese and Indian immigrants who married local Malays. Its 10 galleries display artwork, jewelry, furniture, and clothing from members of the community.

George Coleman designed the Parliament House in 1827 as a mansion for wealthy merchant John Maxwell. Maxwell never occupied it, and instead leased it to the government, which eventually bought it in 1841 for S$15,600. It is considered Singapore's oldest government building, housing the Supreme Court until 1939 followed by the Legislative Assembly in 1953 and then the Parliament in 1965. The building now contains The Arts House, a multidisciplinary venue offering film retrospectives, photo exhibitions, musicals, plays, and talks by experts. Note the bronze elephant statue on a plinth in front of the building; it was a gift from King Chulalongkorn of Siam during his state visit in 1871.

Also known as the Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator and dating from 1835, this is one of the city's most elegant and oldest surviving churches. A dozen wealthy Armenian families who had come to Singapore for a better life donated the funds for renowned colonial architect George Coleman to design this church. The main internal circular structure is imposed on a square plan with four projecting porticoes. In the churchyard is the weathered tombstone of Agnes Joaquim, who bred the pink-and-white orchid hybrid that has become Singapore's national flower.

This gracious steel bridge, the oldest surviving bridge across the Singapore River, is named after Major General Orfeur Cavenagh, governor of the Straits Settlements from 1859 to 1867. Built in 1868 with girders imported from Glasgow, Scotland, it was the main route across the river until 1909. It's now a pedestrian bridge with a spectacular view of the Fullerton Hotel. On the riverbank, the whimsical sculptures of boys in half-dive over the water by local sculptor Chong Fah Cheong make for great pictures.

The oldest building in this walled complex is the Coleman-designed Caldwell House, a private mansion built in 1840. In 1852, it became the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, where nuns housed and schooled abandoned children. The church was added in 1903. After World War II, both the convent and the church fell into disrepair. In 1996, the complex was renovated and reopened as a shopping and entertainment complex. The lovingly restored church is also rented out for private functions (it stood in for the First Methodist Church in the film Crazy Rich Asians).

Housed in the stunning red-and-white brick building of the Central Fire Station built in 1908, this free museum is an exciting peek at Singapore's firefighting capabilities across the years. Besides a collection of dated firefighting artifacts and miniatures of Singapore's different fire stations from the 1980s, the museum's main attractions are two vintage fire engines—one horse-powered and one steam-powered—that were manually operated with pulley systems. A reenactment of the 1961 Bukit Ho Swee fire, with mock-up firefighters working hard to put out the flames, is a grim reminder of Singapore's biggest fire disaster.

Offering a green sanctuary from the bustling city below, Fort Canning is where modern Singapore's founder, Sir Stamford Raffles, built his first bungalow and experimented with a botanical garden. Massive fig trees, luxuriant ferns, and abundant birdlife—including piping black-naped orioles and chattering collared kingfishers—flourish here. The hill's trails are well marked by signs, or you can explore the area with the help of augmented reality via the free BalikSG app offered by the National Heritage Board. In addition to the lush greenery, there are ancient artifacts for history buffs and occasional theater productions and music festivals for arts lovers.

Reopened in 2019 after a long revamp, which included expansion of the annexed Oldham Theater, this building is a treasure trove of archived materials of national and historical significance. The public can access over 200,000 audiovisual recordings, five million photographs, and almost 44,000 private records and copies of overseas records. English-language tours run by volunteers depart the lobby at 11 am and 3:30 pm on Saturday and Sunday, except for public holidays. A large part of the collection is also available to browse online.

Known as the Raffles Museum when it opened in 1887, this building with a silver dome has 20 dioramas depicting the republic's past. It's also home to the Revere Bell, donated to the original St. Andrew's Church in 1834 by the daughter of American patriot Paul Revere; the 380-piece Haw Par Jade Collection, one of the largest of its kind; the exquisite Farquhar Collection of regional flora and fauna paintings executed in the 19th century; occult paraphernalia from Chinese secret societies; and lots of historical documents.

Used primarily as a playing field, the Padang (Malay for "field" or "plain") is behind the Singapore Cricket Club and has traditionally been a social and political hub. Once called the Esplanade, it was half its current size until an 1890s land reclamation expanded it. During World War II, the Japanese gathered 2,000 British civilians here before marching them off to Changi Prison and, in many cases, to their deaths. Today, it serves as a sports facility for cricket, hockey, and rugby teams.

Beyond the Padang's northeastern edge, across Stamford Road and the Stamford Canal, are the four 220-foot (67-meter) tapering white columns of the Civilian War Memorial, known locally as the Four Chopsticks. The monument honors the thousands of civilians from Singapore's four main ethnic groups (Chinese, Malay, Indian, and "others," including Eurasians and Europeans) who lost their lives during the Japanese occupation or were dispatched to build the Burma–Siam Railway.

Designed by the famed Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei, the towering Raffles City complex contains an office tower; a variety of retail stores, including Robinsons Department Store; and two hotels, the Swissôtel The Stamford and the Fairmont Singapore. There's a stunning view of downtown and the harbor from the Swissôtel's 70th-floor restaurants, contemporary grill Skai and mod British fine diner Jaan by Kirk Westaway.

A statue of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles keeps permanent watch over the spot where he first landed in Singapore on the morning of January 29, 1819.

Founded in 1852 and housed in a charming 1884 building with 1907 and 1921 modifications, this club was for a long time the center of social and sporting life for the British community (they played cricket on the Padang at least from the 1830s). It now has a multiracial active membership and offers facilities for various sports, in addition to bars and restaurants. If you're going to be in Singapore for more than a couple of weeks, you can apply, with the support of a member, for a visiting membership. The club isn't open to the general public, but from the Padang you can sneak a quick look at the deep, shaded verandas, from which members still watch cricket, rugby, and tennis matches.

Indian convicts were brought in to construct this cathedral in the English Gothic style. The structure, completed in 1861, has bells cast by the firm that made Big Ben's, and it resembles Netley Abbey, in Hampshire, England. So impressed were the British overlords that they granted freedom to the designer. The church was expanded in 1952 and again in 1983. Its lofty interior is white and simple, with stained-glass windows coloring the sunlight as it enters. On the walls are marble-and-brass memorial plaques, including one commemorating the British who died in a 1915 mutiny of native light infantry and another in memory of 41 Australian army nurses killed in the Japanese invasion. Services are held every Sunday. A few historical artifacts are in the south transept.

First established in 1862, the Victoria is one of the most recognizable historic buildings in the Civic District. The complex has two buildings and a tall clock tower joined by a common corridor. Completed in 1909, it was renovated entirely between 2010 and 2014. The concert hall is home to the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.