103 Best Sights in Singapore

This mosque was completed in 1910 and has recently been restored. Though it has none of the exotic, multicolor statuary of the Hindu temples, it still woos you with its intricately detailed Moorish facade in the Muslim colors of green and gold and its unusual architectural symmetry. Shorts are not allowed, and remember to take off your shoes. Only worshipers should enter the prayer hall, and visitors should avoid evening prayer sessions and Fridays.

Standing on a busy road in Chinatown, this ornate mosque was once just a thatched hut, built in 1827 as one of Singapore's first mosques for Indian Muslims. Also known as Kuchu Palli (Tamil for "mosque hut"), the existing structure dates from 1855. Though much of the mosque's original ornamentation has been replaced, its original timber panels and fanlight windows have remained. You can visit during the week except on a Friday lunchtime, when devotees flock in for the midday prayers.

On this street of specialty shops, you'll find an eclectic mix of cafés and restaurants with trendy retail spots mixed in with shops that sell fabrics: batiks, embroidered table linens, rich silks, and velvets. 

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.

Owned by the Shanghai-born art dealer and author Marjorie Chu, Art Forum is a beautiful contemporary art gallery with a focus on Southeast Asia. Paintings and sculptures from more than 150 local and international artists are on display within this restored, whitewashed terrace house, and Chu herself is a wonderful resource for learning about the region's evolving arts scene. The art collection is displayed on a rotating basis.

The heritage houses that line Blair Road are a sight to be seen with their beautiful Peranakan floor tiles, mint green facades, and French-style shutters. They were built in the 1900s in response to the increasing demand from well-to-do Chinese merchants who wanted new homes for their families. Nowadays, they look too pretty to live in, but some people are lucky enough to call them home—which means you can't go inside and should be conscientious with your photography. Still, just strolling the street outside is enough to give you a taste of what it might be like to live here.

Local entrepreneurs have created a mélange of eateries and bars to satisfy diverse tastes at this dining and drinking stretch along the Singapore River, the country's trading hub from colonial times to the 1970s. Between 7 pm and midnight, the area swells with an after-work crowd enjoying drinks along the water. At the end of Boat Quay and named after Lord Elgin, a British governor-general of India, Elgin Bridge links the colonial quarter to Chinatown. The original rickety wooden structure was replaced in 1863 with an iron bridge imported from Calcutta. The current concrete bridge was installed in 1926.

In its younger years, Bugis Street was the epitome of Singapore's seedy, but colorful nightlife, famous for the skimpily garbed cross-dressers who paraded its sidewalks. The government wasn't delighted, though, and the area was razed to make way for the Bugis MRT station. So strong was the outcry that Bugis Street has been re-created (but not really) just steps from its original site, between Victoria and Queen streets, Rochor Road, and Cheng Yan Place. The shophouses have been resurrected, and hawker food stands compete with casual-dining restaurants. Closed to traffic, the streets in the center of the block are a haven for bargain hunters after fast fashion or made-in-China trinkets. Across the road is Bugis Junction, a shopping center packed with mid-range dining options and clothing stores.

Step away from Singapore's manicured urban parks and into 405 acres of wild rain forest at this sprawling nature reserve. The walking paths are well marked, but exploring here still gives you a sense of what the island was like when tigers still roamed the jungle. Towering trees, tangled vines, and prickly rattan palms line the footpaths, while long-tailed macaques, squirrels, and tree shrews scamper overhead. The trails circle Singapore's highest hill (535 feet), with some of the routes leading to the peak for spectacular views of the dense greenery. Wear good walking shoes—the trails are rocky and muddy after the rain—and make sure you bring water. You can buy maps from the visitor center.

Set within a rain forest—and featuring an Asian landscape complete with a moon gate, streams, and bridges—this park has a collection of 1,500 live butterflies from 50 species, as well as 3,000 insects that creep, crawl, or fly. Look for tree-horn rhino beetles, scorpions, and tarantulas. A number of free educational and feeding experiences with iguanas, tortoises, and other creatures are scheduled daily.

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.

Sprawling, squat, sinister-looking Changi Prison was built in the 1930s by the British and was used by the Japanese in World War II to intern some 70,000 POWs, who endured terrible hardships here. The museum, a replica of one of 14 chapels where 85,000 Allied POWs and civilians gained the faith and courage to overcome the degradation and deprivation inflicted upon them by the Japanese, reopened in 2021 displaying drawings, sketches, and photographs by POWs depicting their wartime experiences. Organized tours take you through the old British barracks areas to the former RAF camp, still part of an active military installation. Here, in Block 151—a prisoners' hospital during the war—you'll see the simple but striking murals painted by a British POW, bombardier Stanley Warren. The last admission is at 4:30 pm, and with little public parking, it's recommended that you take public transportation.

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).

Typically, this market is swamped. On the first floor, hawker stalls sell local eats that are great for a quick, cheap meal, but it's the basement floor that fascinates. Here, you'll find a wet market—so called because water is continually sloshed over the floors to clean them—where meat, fowl, and fish are bought and sold. There's also an open-air produce market where you can find bargain local fruit—including the infamous durian—for an after-lunch snack.

Land reclamation projects throughout the 19th century pushed the seafront several blocks away from Collyer Quay. At that time, the view from here would have been a virtual wall of anchored ships. Today, you look out onto Marina Bay. European traders once arrived by steamship and Chinese immigrants arrived by wind-dependent junks at Clifford Pier, a covered jetty with high, vaulted ceilings that ceased operations in 2006. Nearby, the Customs House building once facilitated the arrival of leisure seekers and traders. Now, the historical buildings host some of the trendiest restaurants and bars in town, with The Fullerton Bay Hotel nestled between.

This breezy, 460-acre seaside park isn’t just one of Singapore’s largest beaches, it’s also the most popular, with a plethora of dining and recreational activities. There’s fun for the whole family here, whether you choose to cycle along the bike-dedicated paths, go waterskiing, have a seafood dinner, or even camp overnight, though if you do want to camp, remember to apply for an electronic camping permit first ( nparks.gov.sg). A cable-ski park, Wake Park ( singaporewakepark.com), is set up around a lagoon for wakeboarding enthusiasts. You can also go windsurfing, winging, sailing, or simply take a dip in the sea. Aloha Sea Sports Center ( www.alohaseasports.com) offers rentals, storage, and courses, and also organizes occasional races. Further away along the wide, well-manicured park are public barbecue pits, 7.5 km (4.7 miles) of sandy beaches, and a hawker center. Before the upcoming Thomson–East Coast MRT Line connects the park with other parts of Singapore in 2024, a taxi or public bus is your best bet for getting here. Amenities: food and drink; parking; toilets; water sports. Best for: swimming; walking; windsurfing; winging.

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.

This well-preserved fort covers 10 acres of gun emplacements and tunnels created by the British to fend off the Japanese. Unfortunately, the Japanese arrived by land (through Malaysia) instead of by sea, so the huge guns were pointed in the wrong direction. Fort Siloso is now home to a treasure trove of World War II memorabilia, including coastal guns and the remains of fortified structures. The displays have been successfully revamped with lots of interactive high-tech audiovisual and animatronic effects. Photographs document the war in the Pacific, and dioramas depict the life of POWs during the Japanese occupation. Free guided tours are available every second and third Saturday of the month from 3 pm to 4:30 pm, but you must register online in advance as limited slots are available.

Singapore's "outdoor art gallery" is open 24/7 amid the back alleyways off Muscat Street. Here, more than 30 colorful murals have been drawn by artists like local graffiti pioneer Slacsatu, international artists, and graduates from Singapore’s LASALLE College of the Arts and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.

Though it's 30 years younger than the more widely known Raffles, this hotel is just as much a landmark. Built in 1900, it was previously used as a German club and, during World War II, as a Japanese army headquarters. In 1989, the Tower Wing, with its pointy terracotta-colored roof, was named a national monument. Today, the interior is modeled on European designs, and, in true British fashion, you can enjoy an elegant afternoon tea near the lobby at L'Espresso—the perfect break from all that shopping.

In 1845, Hajjah Fatimah, a wealthy Muslim woman married to a Bugis trader, commissioned a British architect to build this mosque (hajjah is the title given to a woman who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca). The minaret is reputedly modeled on the spire of the original St. Andrew's Church in the Civic District, but it leans at a six-degree angle. No one knows whether this was intentional or accidental, and engineers brought in to see if the minaret could be straightened have walked away shaking their heads. This relatively small mosque (and gazetted national monument) is an intimate oasis amid all the bustle. It's extremely relaxing to enter the prayer hall (remember to take your shoes off), sit in the shade of its dome, and admire the 12 lancet windows with yellow and green stained glass. French contractors and Malay artisans rebuilt the mosque in the 1930s. Hajjah Fatimah and her daughter and son-in-law are buried in an enclosure behind the mosque.

Formerly known as Tiger Balm Gardens, Haw Par Villa is a charmingly bizarre park dedicated to Chinese legends and myths. Once part of an estate owned by the two eccentric brothers who created Tiger Balm ointment, the gardens were opened to the public after World War II and later transformed into this theme park. A highlight of the intriguing treasure trove of Chinese mythology, religion, and social mores is the walk-through "Ten Courts of Hell" display, which depicts a tale of life after death designed to teach traditional Chinese morality. Discover more about the display at the intriguing Hell's Museum, featuring specially curated displays that explore death and dying in belief systems around the world.

Built in 1869, this elegant neo-Palladian style building set in extensive tropical gardens once served as the British colonial governor's residence. Today, it is the official residence of the president of Singapore (Istana means "palace" in Malay). The building and grounds are open to the public only on the holidays listed on its website. On the first Sunday of each month, a changing-of-the-guard ceremony at the main gates on Orchard Road is held at 5:45 pm.

Popularly called Masjid Chulia, this simple, almost austere mosque was built in 1826 by Chulia Muslims from India's Coromandel Coast, on its southeast shore. So long as it's not prayer time and the doors are open, you're welcome to step inside for a look. Note that you must be dressed conservatively and take your shoes off before entering.