Before starting our travel business in mid-2018, we were both scientists at a company with labs in Rochester NY, York in England, and Singapore. Mark first spent 2 weeks working in Singapore in May 2016, before we both spent a full month working there in November 2017, followed by another full month in January 2018. We absolutely loved exploring the island city-state in our free time, and we ticked off every single thing on our Singapore bucket list across those extended trips.
When we finally made it back for a 5-day trip to Singapore in October 2022 as fully fledged travel pros, we couldn’t wait to re-visit our favorite attractions like Gardens by the Bay, eat at our favorite hawker centres like Lau Pa Sat, explore deeper into ethnic neighborhoods like Kampong Glam, and find new hidden gems. Only this time we didn’t have the company credit card, we were exploring on our own dime. And Singapore is not a cheap place to visit!
Hi, we’re Mark and Kristen Morgan. We left our scientific careers in 2018 to become travel writers and photographers, and since then our expert guides have helped millions of travel planners take better trips. Read more about us.
Why trust us with your Singapore bucket list? We spent almost 3 months living and working in Singapore, before going back for an action-packed 5 day touristy trip in 2022. We know what’s worth doing, and what to skip. As always, every photo in this guide is ours.
In terms of experiences, we think Marina Bay with its sci-fi skyline is the one area not to miss. But we also love shopping in the mega-malls of Orchard, visiting temples in Chinatown, sipping on Singapore Slings at Raffles, partying in Clarke Quay, walking the Supertree Grove, trying unique activities like the Night Safari, and taking photos of the stunning National Orchid Garden.
It’s so easy to be a tourist in Singapore. There’s heaps of fun things to see and do, and we’ve never felt safer anywhere else in the world. It really is such a cool place to explore. Based on our extended working trips and our touristy visit, we’re going to walk you through the experiences we consider unmissable on a first vacation to Singapore. Let’s dive in!
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Getting Our Futuristic Fix At Marina Bay
Let’s kick things off with the most famous and must-see area of Singapore: Marina Bay – the futuristic skyline you’ve seen on TV, magazine covers and Instagram. This whole place is non-stop ritzy, 5-star, high end dining, shopping, attractions and architecture. Some people say it’s too manicured or artificial, but we love how clean and polished it feels.
We’ve spent so much time in Marina Bay, it’s the place we always gravitate towards to be enveloped in a unique luxurious blanket that we’ve rarely experienced anywhere else in the world.
Marina Bay Sands is the famous hotel with three towers and curving infinity pool. We never got around to booking Marina Bay Sands for a night but we 100% will next time, no matter how expensive it is! (Read our guide on where to stay in Singapore to pick the best neighborhood for your style).
But even without paying a small fortune to stay at the hotel, we still found two different ways to get those same views. First, we went up to the SkyPark Observation Deck in 2018 which cost SGD 35 / adult (sometimes cheaper on Klook) – the view was great but honestly we thought it was overpriced for just the viewpoint. Second, we booked lunch at LAVO in 2022 which had a minimum spend of SGD 30 / person – so we got those same views but we also ate lunch and it cost us less money.
Kristen’s insider tip: Another hack for Marina Bay that we haven’t used but definitely would next time is to pay the SGD 38 cover charge for Ce La Vie SkyBar which includes one premium drink. So for the same price as the SkyDeck, you get to sit with a drink and watch the sunset. Plus, Ce La Vie also overlooks the infinity pool but the SkyDeck doesn’t.
Back at ground level, The Shoppes at Marina Bay is one of the most outlandishly lavish and sparkling malls we’ve ever seen. And thankfully, unlike most things in Marina Bay, it’s free to explore at will.
We loved walking around the mall’s three floors, looking at the menus of celebrity-chef restaurants, window shopping at designer stores, taking photos of the Rain Oculus – a 22-meter wide bowl that collects rainwater and drops into a canal below, and eating in Rasapura Masters food court. We didn’t do the Sampan Ride (traditional Chinese wooden boat) through the mall, but it was always popular with tourists.
Outside on the bayfront, we walked across the DNA-inspired Helix Bridge when it was lit up at night which was a cool experience. We also enjoyed seeing the Crystal Universe and rotating exhibitions inside ArtScience Museum in 2022 (this is the building that looks like a lotus flower), but we weren’t big fans of paying SGD 49 each for it (check for cheaper tickets with Klook).
One thing we think is truly unmissable at Marina Bay is the 15-minute long Spectra light and water show, which plays every single night at 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM. And it’s free! We watched it from outside The Shoppes and thought it was awesome.
Across the Helix Bridge (heading for Suntec), you could also try the Singapore Flyer – a wheel like the London Eye – but we personally wouldn’t pay SGD 40 for it (it can be cheaper with Klook). There’s also Sands Theatre inside the shopping mall that has Broadway-style shows, or the Esplanade Theatres near the Flyer which has occasional classical performances that we’d like to try.
Mark’s money saving tip: Sky Garden @ CapitaSpring is a free alternative to paying SGD 35 for the Marina Bay SkyPark and it has better views of the Central Business District (CBD) skyline. But you must book well in advance, and it doesn’t have views over Gardens by the Bay.
Being Blown Away At Gardens By The Bay
We’ll just come out and say it – Gardens by the Bay is our favorite place in Singapore. It’s cliche and obvious, but we love how unique and flamboyant the whole complex is. There’s nowhere else like it.
At first we thought it was all about the Supertree Grove, and while we did think that part of the visit was amazing, we were also left stunned by the extravagant Cloud Forest and Flower Dome areas too.
What most first timers don’t know is that Gardens by the Bay actually covers a huge area and there are lots of free gardens to explore. One thing we absolutely did not expect to see in the gardens was a massive floating naked baby sculpture – we found some pretty interesting perspectives from certain angles.
There’s also Far East Organization Children’s Garden which is basically a free mini-water park that we would take our kids to if they were under 12. And the Supertree Grove is also free to walk around at ground level. So you can actually visit most of Gardens by the Bay without spending a single dollar. You can even stay at a hotel right inside the gardens called Garden Pod.
That said, our best advice for first timers is to buy tickets for Cloud Forest, Flower Dome, and the OCBC Skyway – they’re our top picks. Out of the five sites, those are the three we thought were definitely worth paying for and we’d happily do them again.
But if we had both the budget and time available, we would also add in the Supertree Observatory and Floral Fantasy because although we don’t think they’re essential, they were still really cool to see. Be sure to compare prices at the official ticketing site and Klook to see if there are any special deals running.
The enormous Flower Dome was filled with beautifully crafted gardens from various places around the world, including a Mediterranean Garden and Olive Grove, and desert gardens with cacti. We walked through the maze of totally different flower scenes at night when the greenhouse was dimly lit, which added to the immersive feel.
In the Cloud Forest, we thought the waterfall would be the main attraction, but while that was cool to see, we preferred descending the suspended “floating” walkway when it was completely shrouded in mist. It was a totally unique experience.
Don’t get us wrong, we did like the Supertree Observatory because it had 360-degree views over Gardens by the Bay and a clean line of sight to Marina Bay Sands. But it was small and we honestly thought the view was better looking down from LAVO and the SkyDeck at the top of the hotel.
We preferred the OCBC Skyway to the observatory because it allowed us to actually walk between and among the Supertrees, and it was much better for capturing fun photos (this is the one you want for Instagram or TikTok).
Our favorite free thing to do at Gardens by the Bay (and we’ve done it three times) is to watch the garden rhapsody show where the trees dance to music for 15 minutes every night at 7:45 PM and 8:45 PM.
If we were visiting Singapore on a budget, this would be near the top of our list. It’s always busy, but the atmosphere is calm and relaxed. In 2022, we were able to get some seriously cool photos looking up at the trees – you can buy the photo above in our prints store.
Kristen’s booking tip: We bought tickets for the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome in advance because they had time slots. But we did not book the Skyway and Observatory in advance – we waited until the day of our visit because the outdoor attractions close during thunderstorms, which are very frequent in Singapore!
Exploring Ethnic Neighborhoods & Temples
Okay, let’s move away from the futuristic, tech-heavy Marina Bay area and go deeper into culture and heritage. Singapore is a city where history was literally mapped out (the Raffles Town Plan of 1822). Each neighborhood was a deliberate “kampong” assigned by the British 200 years ago, so walking from the skyscrapers of the CBD into the shophouses of Chinatown is like crossing a line drawn on a map.
We’ve spent a lot of time walking around Chinatown, Kampong Glam (Malay & Arab Quarter), Little India and the Civic District (European Town around Suntec and Raffles). They are the beating heart of Singapore with temples, hawker centres, markets, down to earth restaurants and independent stores.
For us, taking the time to really explore these old neighborhoods is just as important as seeing the modern skyscrapers and 5-star luxury hotels.
In Chinatown, we ate delicious chicken rice in Maxwell hawker centre, but we missed the world’s first Michelin-starred hawker called Hawker Chan for soya sauce chicken at Chinatown complex food centre because we were too busy sampling (relatively!) affordable IPA’s at a famous craft beer stall called Smith Street Taps instead.
We had a quick look around Thian Hock Keng Temple on Telok Ayer Street to see the original 19th century shoreline, and we visited the Chinatown Heritage Center which was built into restored shophouses.
Pagoda Street is the most well known souvenir shopping area but we thought it was a bit tacky and overrated. There were other areas we much preferred like Ann Siang Hill and Telok Ayer. If we stayed in Chinatown on a future trip, we’d definitely book The Clan Hotel near Telok Ayer MRT, it looks fantastic.
Interestingly, Chinatown has more of a mix of cultures than any other part of the planned out areas of Singapore. So we also visited Sri Mariamman Temple (Hindu) and Buddha Tooth Relic Temple (Buddhist) right in the middle of Chinatown.
All three of the temples we saw were well worth visiting, and they were all free to enter. Importantly, we always made sure to have our shoulders and knees covered out of respect at every temple in Singapore. Our best advice for temples is to make sure you check opening times for temples before visiting, we made that mistake a few times in 2018 and ended up wasting time.
We didn’t fully explore Kampong Glam properly until our 5 day trip in 2022, when we spent a few fantastic hours walking and eating our way around Arab Street, Bussorah Street and the famous Haji Lane (these areas are great for Instagram photos). We ate delicious Turkish food on Bussorah Street, but there was an eclectic mix of cuisines to choose between. There’s a great hotel near the popular walking and foodie streets called Park Royal that we’d book if we stayed here.
The whole area felt like it had the perfect blend of traditional soul meets modern and creative, with murals and colorful indie boutiques lining the narrow streets. We thought the Sultan Mosque was stunning (it’s only open 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM and 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM each day) from both the outside and inside, but we missed seeing it lit up at night. We’ll definitely spend more time in Kampong Glam next time.
Mark is from England, so naturally Indian food is a firm favorite. We took a ton of trips to Little India when we were living in Singapore for work, trying hawkers in the Tekka Centre and local spots like Ambur Briyani. There were almost too many options!
Our two favorite sightseeing places to visit in Little India were Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple on Serangoon Road, and the massive 24 hour Mustafa Center that sells pretty much anything you can think of. But we have to admit we did find Little India to be the least polished, most intense, culture shock area of the three. We personally wouldn’t book a hotel in this area.
Mark’s top sightseeing tours: If we were short on time and really wanted to see these ethnic neighborhoods, we’d either book this 4-hour guided bike tour with a small group or this private guided tour personalized by length and sights for just the two of us. Both have stellar ratings.
Eating Our Way Through Singapore
Whenever we travel to a new country, we love to dedicate as much time as we can to eating and drinking local delicacies. In Singapore, there’s a melting pot of cuisines spanning the price range from cheap eats (mostly at hawker centres) to plush 5-star fine dining experiences.
We’d love to eat at the glamour spots in Marina Bay Sands, or try 3-Michelin-starred Odette, Les Amis or Zen for a special occasion. But honestly, we’re more inclined to eat in the hawkers or at regular restaurants.
Our favorite hawker centres so far are Maxwell in Chinatown for chicken rice, Newton food centre to sit outside (this is one from Crazy Rich Asians), and Lau Pa Sat in the CBD for Satay Street atmosphere – this one is best after 7:00 PM once the road is closed and they fire up charcoal grills.
We’ll be honest, sometimes the smell can be so bad, and some hawker centres don’t look especially clean or hygienic. If you’re not sure, have a look at the food others are eating to see if it looks okay. But we’ve never had any issues, food poisoning or similar.
Kristen’s foodie tour tip: This 3.5-hour guided foodie tour through Chinatown is perfect if you’re not sure about what to try. It stops at 9-10 local spots across both Maxwell and Chinatown Complex hawkers. Alternatively, try this 3-hour 3-hour cooking class and actually cook classic Singaporean dishes yourself.
For something a bit more traditional, we always go for the kaya toast set at breakfast, which is essentially charcoaled bread with coconut jam, salted butter, soft boiled eggs (very runny!) and soy sauce. To accompany we both usually get kopi, which is coffee with condensed milk – although Kristen also often gets kopi peng (iced coffee).
The first time Mark was working in Singapore back in 2016, the team went out for dinner to a seafood restaurant near East Coast Park (well out of the typical touristy area) called JUMBO. Mark cracked open and ate chili crab for the first time – along with a lot of new fish – at an outdoor table right on the coastline. It was fantastic.
Don’t worry about getting to East Coast Park, there are other locations in Orchard, Clarke Quay and an elevated “signatures” JUMBO for a fancier version at Marina Bay Sands.
One thing neither of us can get on board with is durian. And trust us, we’ve tried. Mark was told it was like England’s version of marmite – you either love it or hate it. But after trying durian ice cream, durian with sticky rice, and straight up durian each of our trips (just in case our taste buds changed between 2016-2022!), we finally accepted defeat and gave up. That said, trying durian is something every first-timer should do, so give it a shot and see if you love it or hate it.
In terms of regular restaurants, we’ve eaten at so many places it’s hard to remember them all. But some of the standouts were Paulaner Brauhaus near the Fountain of Wealth in Suntec, Cappadocia in Kampong Glam, Merci Marcel set lunch in Chinatown, Bakalaki in Robertson Quay, and Josh’s Grill in Orchard for western food.
Our favorite restaurant in Singapore was Rabbit, Carrot, Gun in Katong (they had a killer beef wellington and English-style roast beef dinner) but it’s unfortunately no longer there. We spent two months living out of Hotel Indigo in Katong, which we think is a great place to visit for food if you want to get off the beaten path. Locally, we visited a hidden gem Hindu Temple and photogenic Peranakan Houses, and we also loved rollerblading for miles along nearby East Coast Park.
Mark’s top foodie tour: It’s a bit more expensive, but if we wanted to try food and learn about cultures in Chinatown, Little India and Kampong Glam with a guide, this 5.5-hour foodie tour with immaculate ratings is the exact one we’d do.
Let’s quickly touch on drinks. We’ll be honest, we don’t drink anywhere near as many beers, glasses of wine or cocktails in Singapore compared to other countries – mostly because it’s the quickest way to destroy our travel budget. It is so expensive to drink in Singapore!
Back on the company card in 2016-2018, we had a few pretty big nights out in Clarke Quay and a beer was clocking in at between SGD 15-20, brutal. That said, we did get a few cheaper beers at hawker centres, and during happy hour in the Civic District and Orchard.
During our trip in 2022, we kept the alcohol to a minimum – just a few boozy stops for a quick IPA and the one rite of passage that every first timer should try, a Singapore Sling in the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel.
We went all in, throwing peanut shells on the floor and slowly slurping down the luxurious and delicious cocktail for close to SGD 50 each. We’d read there was always a line and they didn’t take reservations, so we turned up at the quieter time of 1:00 PM on a weekday and walked straight in.
Enjoying The Wild Side
One of our favorite things about Singapore is how many parks and green spaces there are. It’s like a city has been built inside a massive garden, rather than a park has been added to an urban sprawl. There’s this constant connection to nature that we haven’t experienced anywhere else – the smells, the bird calls, the torrential rain.
We love Marina Bay and the city’s diverse neighborhoods, but we think the wild side of Singapore is just as important for first timers to experience.
Let’s start with one we we haven’t done yet but plan to next time we visit – Southern Ridges, which has a 10km trail connecting three parks via photogenic pedestrian bridges and walkways right up in the tree canopy. Its eastern end is at Mt Faber which is where we took the cable car to Sentosa Island (we cover this later), but we’d love to run the full 10km nature trail.
The first place we did visit in 2022 that you absolutely have to add to your Singapore itinerary is the Botanic Gardens (UNESCO world heritage site). We took an MRT to the northern end of the Botanic Gardens and basically walked the whole way through from north to south, paid SGD 15 each to see the incredibly beautiful National Orchid Garden, and took a thousand photos.
The Orchid Garden was 100% worth paying for, not only because it was stunning but also because it had a “cool house” with a temperature set in the low 20’s C – temporarily escaping the heat and humidity was pure bliss!
Heading further north, the next nature stop we did back in 2018 was the TreeTop Walk in MacRitchie Park. We took an uber to Windsor Nature Park, hiked 2.5km on an easy path (but lots of steps) to a 250m suspension bridge surrounded by trees, saw wildlife like turtles, lizards and monkeys, looped around and walked back to the same trailhead for a total of 7km.
If we did it again, we’d take the MRT to Upper Thomson and walk 10 minutes to the start to save on uber costs. The one-way bridge was swarming with macaques, and we saw one stealing a water bottle from a hiker, so keep everything zipped up inside your bag. It’s free, but closed on Mondays.
Continuing north towards the border with Malaysia our next unmissable stop is the sprawling Mandai Wildlife Reserve. It’s a five-park reserve where you’ll find Singapore Zoo, the Night Safari, River Wonders, Bird Paradise, and Rainforest Wild which was opened in 2025.
We did the zoo in 2018 with Kristen’s parents. The four of us booked the “breakfast in the wild” experience for around SGD 75 / person, which gave us a buffet breakfast while orangutans were brought out for ethical encounters.
Honestly, we have mixed feelings about zoo’s, but Singapore’s zoo is definitely one of the best we’ve visited because of the open concept which puts animals in a more natural feeling habitat. They also contribute significantly to conservation and education. And it all felt legit, rather than for show.
In 2022, we took an MRT to Khatib and the Mandai Khatib Shuttle to the zoo for just SGD 2.50 each. It was way cheaper than the uber we took a few years earlier.
This time we went to the zoo in the late afternoon, ate chicken satay at Ulu Ulu Safari restaurant and relaxed from 6:00 PM to 7:15 PM (between the zoo closing and night safari opening), then we walked every single trail through the night safari.
It was raining so heavily and we were totally drenched, but we still enjoyed seeing nocturnal animals for a change. If we went back we’d love to do the Rainforest Wild area, it looks like a jungle trek that would be perfect for families with energetic kids.
Next time we’d take the zoo tram to the very far side – then walk back to the entrance to save a ton of steps in the heat. Oh, and if you do the night safari, book your seats for the Creatures of the Night show exactly 2 hours before it begins using the Mandai app. We tried to book, but everyone else was also on their phone waiting and it sold out instantly so we missed out.
Kristen’s attractions tip: Don’t buy any tickets for the zoo before checking both the official site and Klook. There are lots of bundle and combo options, so pick the right one for you. Klook often runs cheaper deals or extras like free shuttles. Finally, consider buying a Singapore Go City Pass if you plan to tick off tons of attractions. A 2-day All Inclusive Pass costs SGD 279 / adult, but we calculated SGD 200+ in savings if you spent 2 days rushing through Sentosa (including Universal), the Zoo parks and Gardens by the Bay.
Educating Ourselves At Museums
As seasoned travelers, we’re going to be blunt here – while Singapore’s museums are fantastic and we highly recommend visiting them if you have time, they’re not the Louvre or the Vatican. They weren’t the first places on our bucket list, but we are glad we finally got around to visiting them in 2022.
If we only had time to squeeze in a quick culture hit, we’d prioritize visiting the National Museum of Singapore. Although it cost us a hefty SGD 36 each, we thought the immersive exhibits with smells, sounds and lights telling a story of Singapore’s 700 years of history were awesome.
After leaving Haji Lane, we walked through Bugis, stopping in to see Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple and Sri Krishnan Temple, then arrived at the National Museum. It’s all so walkable and easy.
Another popular place to visit is Singapore’s National Gallery, which houses the world’s largest collection of southeast Asian modern art. We personally prefer older works of art and it costs SGD 20+ / person, so we haven’t done this one yet (it’s sometimes cheaper with Klook).
The ArtScience Museum right outside Marina Bay Sands mall gets a lot of visitors because of its location, but while we did think it was cool, we’re not sure it was worth the inflated SGD 49 price tag.
One that we missed but would like to do is the Asian Civilizations Museum, which showcases the heritage of Singaporeans. It houses a collection of perfectly preserved 9th century ceramics from the Tang shipwreck that would be really cool to see from an ancient global trade perspective.
Finally, a bit of a hidden gem that we did and highly recommend is the Battlebox – a top secret, underground WWII command center buried 30 feet inside Fort Canning Hill. This is where the British surrendered Singapore to the Japanese in 1942, so history and military buffs shouldn’t miss it.
We found the maze of rooms featuring life-sized wax figures and original maps to be super atmospheric, and it was free to visit which was a nice perk. You can also pay SGD 20 for an enhanced experience with audio guide and projection rooms, but it’s not essential.
Oh, and if you like photography, one of our favorite photo spots in Singapore is next to Battlebox – it’s called the Fort Canning Tree Tunnel. It’s one for your Instagram feed. Mark only had our 24mm lens at the time, but we needed our 16mm to capture the full image here.
Mark’s top museum tip: Singapore is relentlessly hot and humid, but every museum is heavily air conditioned. We made the mistake of not taking a light upper layer to throw on at the National Museum – a mistake we didn’t make again at any indoor spot in the city.
Hitting The Islands For Fun & Escapism
We visited two very different islands during the two months we spent living and working in Singapore in 2017-2018: Sentosa – one of the most tourist-centric places we’ve ever been, and St. John’s – the polar opposite, a complete escape from crowds.
We liked both for different reasons, but Sentosa is a far more likely place you’ll consider adding to your Singapore itinerary, especially if you visit with kids.
Let’s start with the bustling touristy hub of Sentosa. We were working in Singapore during Mark’s 30th birthday, so we took the cable car from Mount Faber to Sentosa for SGD 31 / adult round trip, spent a few hours hitting the theme park rides at Universal Studios, walked southeast along Palawan Beach and popped into Tanjong Beach Club for a few celebratory beers with chilled Balearic beach-vibe music.
It was a fun day, but we underestimated how big the island was and ended up walking a ton in the humidity, which wasn’t ideal. We also barely scratched the surface of what’s available. The problem is you’d need at least 2 days to do it all.
Next time, we’d consider visiting the Singapore Oceanarium which looks excellent, Adventure Cove Waterpark, Mega Adventure, and Fort Siloso war museum. We’d also consider watching the Wings of Time fireworks symphony if we were staying on the island. It starts at 7:40 PM and 8:40 PM every night and is like a bigger version of Spectra at Marina Bay Sands – but this one isn’t free, it costs SGD 20 / adult.
Mark’s Sentosa tip: We took the expensive Mt. Faber cable car round trip to access the island, but there’s also a monorail which is cheaper and a pedestrian bridge which is free. On the island you can take another cable car to reach Siloso Point in the northwest, or a bus to the southeast side instead.
After the touristy, loud and chaotic Sentosa, we wanted to try the raw and nature filled anti-Sentosa Islands of Lazarus and St. John’s, which are connected by a bridge.
We took this small ferry from Marina Bay Cruise Centre to St. John’s for less than SGD 10 each, saw a small indoor mangrove, walked past a hundred cats, and relaxed totally alone on Lazarus Island beach – it was better than any beach we saw in Sentosa (or anywhere else in Singapore).
We saw maybe 10 other people during the few hours we spent on both islands. It was so peaceful, but in a sense it was also pretty eerie – especially once we learned a bit more about the island’s history. St. John’s was the world’s largest quarantine center for cholera and leprosy in the 1930’s, then it served as a penal colony and rehabilitation center, before finally becoming a glamping destination with tiny houses.
One thing we couldn’t figure out was the island’s intense maze of water reservoirs, then we learned that reservoir network was what sustained thousands of people during the quarantine years without a pipe to the mainland.
Kristen’s packing tip: There was absolutely nothing on St. John’s or Lazarus, no shops, nowhere to buy water or food. We packed plenty of water and snacks to keep us going, but we still ran out. Remember, Singapore is brutally hot and humid, always carry more water than usual.
Walking The Riverside For Views, Food & Parties
We really like the riverside area of Singapore. It’s a great central area to book a hotel, which is exactly why we stayed at Paradox (a stones throw from Clarke Quay) during our 5-day trip in 2022.
Across our trips, we’ve spent a lot of time walking between Robertson Quay on the west side and the Merlion on the east side. And in-between, we’ve made plenty of stops around Clarke Quay and Boat Quay for food and drinks.
Let’s start with Robertson Quay, the quieter and calmer side of the Singapore River walk. It’s the most laid-back, easy going part of the river – a place to go for brunch by day or a quiet date night by evening.
We’ve eaten dinner at Bakalaki Greek Taverna (so good!) and Decker Barbecue which was also great, but they also host almost every other cuisine you’d find in the western world if you’re missing the taste of home. It definitely felt very westernized.
Heading east, the next stop is Clarke Quay. This is the big night out spot in Singapore, and we’ve had our fair share. The restaurants and bars are mostly overpriced, but we don’t mind paying for the people watching and livelier atmosphere.
It’s all under canvas tents that are specially designed to lower the temperature, which is a nice touch. Zouk is the commercialized nightclub in Clarke Quay that attracts massive name DJ’s year round. We’ve done it twice and it’s always a good time.
Continuing east, next we get to Boat Quay – the oldest part of the river. We stick to the north bank so we can look across at the low-rise shophouses of Boat Quay backed by enormous silver skyscrapers in the Financial District for great photos.
Our early morning walk along the north side of Boat Quay was incredibly peaceful. On the way back to our hotel we walked the south bank through the shophouses to stop in for breakfast. It was very quiet, but it did get busier for happy hour when more locals breezed through for a quick beer after work in the CBD.
After Boat Quay, we recommend taking a lightening quick detour to see Yueh Hai Ching Temple (the “Love Temple”) surrounded by skyscrapers, before getting to the last stretch of the riverwalk from the Fullerton Hotel (which you have to go in just to see the amazing lobby) to the Merlion.
We took some cool photos of Cavenagh Bridge and the Fullerton at dawn when we walked along the river to get sunrise photos of the Merlion overlooking Marina Bay. What a view! Here’s walking route to follow.
Kristen’s riverside tip: Not up for all the walking? Take this 40 minute river and bay cruise on a Singaporean bumboat. It only costs SGD 25 / adult and it includes commentary.
Shopping Orchard’s Mega-Malls
Mark stayed at the Royal Plaza on Scotts in Orchard during his first trip to Singapore back in 2016. And aside from the overwhelming humidity and intense smells from hawker centres, the first thing that really made Mark’s jaw hang open was the immense 2km network of interconnected underground mega-malls.
It rains a lot (like, a lot!) in Singapore, so it makes sense for them to build these underground amenities, but even so they’re still a massive eye-opener when you see them in person.
In 2022, we decided to spend a morning window shopping, eating, drinking, and generally just admiring the luxurious maze of subterranean Orchard malls. So we took the MRT to Somerset and followed this exact route:
Orchard Central > Ngee Ann City > ION (grabbed coffees at Food Opera in the basement) > Paragon > The Centrepoint (had a fantastic lunch at Fire Ramen). It’s genuinely a challenge to not get lost!
We only spent money on food and drinks, but honestly we could spend weeks exploring these malls and still not see every store. It doesn’t matter if you visit Singapore with $1 or $1m, this is the place to go shopping.
At the end, after leaving The Centrepoint, we crossed the road and walked to the Fort Canning Tree Tunnel, before going into the Battlebox and following a series of covered escalators through the park back to our hotel near Clarke Quay. Singapore just runs like a well oiled machine for tourists.
Kristen’s travel tip: Take your passport shopping with you (it’s Singapore so it’s safe) and show it at checkout, so you can claim 9% GST back at Changi airport when you leave.
Next Steps
We hope our guide on the top things to do in Singapore helps with planning your trip.
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Happy travels,
Mark and Kristen
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Mark and Kristen spent 6 years traveling the world, visiting over 40 countries across 4 continents and more than 30 US states. They created Where Are Those Morgans in 2018 to help others plan the best possible vacations by writing authentic travel and hiking guides based on their real experiences.
Since the arrival of baby Maya in late 2024, Mark and Kristen’s extensive travels have slowed down but they still take plenty of trips. Where Are Those Morgans now helps millions of travelers each year to visit new places and hike new trails through information-packed blog posts and expert travel guidebooks. Read more about Mark and Kristen.