Singapore Sights

Many people visit Singapore on business, or as a quick stop-over on their way to other destinations in Asia. Singapore is a very good place to start or end an Asian vacation. Since many people stop for only a day or two, many don't get beyond the shops of Orchard Road.

Singapore City Center Map
Map of Singapore
Click on a sight for more information.

While Singapore may not have ancient temples or fantastic natural scenery, it does have its own interesting and even world class sights, which includes one of the world's most famous zoos. While Singapore is very much a modern metropolis, it has gone to great lengths to preserve its rich multi-cultural heritage. This has resulted in several historic districts, where whole blocks of traditional commercial buildings have been preserved and put to use. For an even greater culture fix, you can sample any of the city's dozen or so museums. Lastly, there's now the option to gamble away your kid's inheritance at either of Singapore's shiny new casinos.

Singapore River

The Singapore River is the heart of old Singapore. There's not much left of the real old Singapore, but there's still lots to see of historical interest, as well as gastronomic. Start at the Merlion statue, the symbol of Singapore. Walking up the east side will take you past the national museum, old customs house and parliament, eventually ending up at Clarke Quay. Up the west side will take you past the Fullerton hotel and Boat Quay.

You can comfortably walk the most interesting part of the river, although you can also take a more extensive tour by boat from either Raffles Landing or Clarke Quay. A new interesting option we noticed in September 2002 was the Singapore "Duck Tour." This tour uses an amphibious vehicle to give you a tour of Singapore by road and water. The tours depart from Suntec City.