4 Best Sights in Singapore

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.

On the main campus of the National University of Singapore, the NUS Museum is the nation's oldest university museum. At any one time, it displays some 1,000 of its roughly 8,000 artifacts and artworks, which were first introduced by museum curator Michael Sullivan as a teaching collection in 1955. The works are split across four major exhibits, including the South and Southeast Asian Collection and the Straits Chinese Collection. Temporary exhibitions also pop up from time to time, alongside educational workshops. If you can't make the trip to the museum itself, you can also view more than 2,000 of the fascinating artifacts via the museum's online database.

Housed in an old industrial port building, this large, airy art museum showcases contemporary southeast Asian art, with a regularly changing lineup of exhibitions and residencies. Permanent exhibit "The Everyday Museum" commissions art that interacts with local communities, giving a unique perspective into some of the areas you may have already visited. The museum also hosts an ongoing selection of weekly programs, including family art classes, live music, and art wellness courses—check the website for more information.

A second physical location of the Red Dot Design Award (one of the world's largest displays of contemporary design, first held in Germany) occupies a quiet corner of Marina Bay. The striking full-glass and geometrical facade of its pavilion packs over 300 design works on exhibition. The annexed design shop is a good place to buy peculiar mementoes, and the museum café serves good desserts and coffee.