What to Do in Singapore: 20 Places Every Visitor Should Know About

TLDR: Singapore is small but it does not feel that way once you’re in it. Rooftop bars, rainforest walks, heritage streets, and food that’ll make you rebook flights — it’s all packed into one island. This guide starts with Akasa, the best Indian dining spot in the city, then covers 19 other places tourists actually come back talking about.

Most people who visit Singapore for the first time leave saying the same thing — “I didn’t think it would be like this.”

They came expecting a spotless, efficient, slightly boring city. What they found was something harder to categorise. A 13-hectare rainforest garden right next to a financial district. A hawker centre where a $4 plate of chicken rice makes you question every restaurant you’ve ever paid $30 for. A neighbourhood that looks like Marrakech, another that feels like 1970s India, and a rooftop pool 57 floors up with a view that makes no sense for a city this size.

Singapore moves fast. New things open, neighbourhoods shift, and the city always has something it didn’t have last time you visited. Three days here goes differently from three days almost anywhere else.

Here’s how to spend yours.

1. Akasa — North Indian Fine Dining, Tanjong Pagar

There’s a reason this list starts with a restaurant. Eating in Singapore isn’t just something you do between sightseeing. It’s one of the main events. And Akasa is one of the best meals you can have in this city.

It’s a North Indian fine dining restaurant in Singapore’s CBD, and it operates on a completely different level from your average curry house. The menu is rooted in royal Indian kitchen traditions. Chef Akhilesh Pathak — who spent over two decades studying Indian cuisine across different regions before settling in Singapore — builds dishes that are layered and considered rather than rushed. The kind of food you sit with properly.

What to order

• Dum Biryani — slow-cooked, sealed with dough, properly spiced. The real thing.
• Butter Chicken — not generic, not from a paste. You’ll taste the difference.
• Truffle Kulcha — sounds unusual, works beautifully
• Paneer Tikka — tandoor-grilled, smoky edge, nothing like the fried version elsewhere
• Galouti Kebab — old Lucknow recipe, melts on contact
• Dal Tadka — the dish every good Indian kitchen should be judged by
• Pomfret Masala — the fish order that regulars keep coming back for

Vegetarians eat well here. The plant-based section isn’t a token gesture — it’s genuinely thought through. Jain, Sattvic, and vegan options are available on request, which makes Akasa unusually practical for groups with different dietary needs.

The space has warm lighting, indoor and alfresco sections, a bar serving wines, craft beers, and botanical cocktails. It’s comfortable for a solo dinner, a couple, or a group of ten. The manager and chef tend to check in on tables personally — a small thing that changes how the evening feels.

Practical details

For tourists staying near Marina Bay or the CBD, Akasa is a short walk or ride from most central hotels. It’s the place to go for Indian fine dining in Singapore — not a quick meal, a real one.

The weekday set lunch is excellent value if you’re in the area between sightseeing.

Book: akasa.sg

2. Gardens by the Bay

You’ve seen the Supertrees in photos. They look better in person, especially when the OCBC Garden Rhapsody light show runs at 7:45pm and 8:45pm every night — free, and worth planning your evening around. The Cloud Forest dome has an indoor waterfall and a misty mountain environment that catches most people off guard. The Flower Dome holds the world’s largest glass greenhouse. Go in the late afternoon, walk the Supertree Grove at sunset, stay for the lights.

• Location: 18 Marina Gardens Drive, Singapore 018953
• Entry: Gardens free; Flower Dome and Cloud Forest from $28/adult
• Best time: Late afternoon into evening

3. Marina Bay Sands SkyPark

The famous infinity pool is hotel guests only. The observation deck isn’t. Take the lift to the 57th floor and you get a 360-degree view of the Singapore skyline, Marina Bay, and on a clear day, parts of Malaysia and Indonesia. Early evening is the right time to go — the sun drops, the city lights up, and the skyline does what it’s famous for.

• Location: Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue
• Entry: From $32/adult (observation deck)
• Tip: Ce La Vi bar on the same level — no observation deck ticket needed

4. Sentosa Island

Singapore’s leisure island holds a lot in one place. Universal Studios, the Singapore Oceanarium (recently tripled in size), Adventure Cove water park, Siloso and Palawan beaches, cable cars, and a growing row of beach clubs. Families tend to park at Universal Studios for the day. Couples and solo travellers often prefer the beach clubs or the quieter western end of the island. You can comfortably fill a full day here without trying.

• How to get there: Sentosa Express from Vivocity, cable car, or taxi
• Tip: Buy Universal Studios tickets online — weekend walk-up queues are long

5. Singapore Zoo and Night Safari

2 separate experiences that work best when you visit both. The Zoo moves on an open-concept plan — animals live in realistic coops rather than cages, which changes the feel entirely. The Night Safari is the culture’s first nocturnal zoo and opens after dark. The tram drive takes you through enclosures with lions, leopards, fishing cats, and kind you won’t effortlessly see elsewhere. Both are honestly impressive.

• Location: Mandai Wildlife Reserve, 80 Mandai Lake Road
• Entry: Zoo from $48/adult; Night Safari from $55/adult
• Tip: Visit the Zoo in the late afternoon, rest at the hotel, go back for the Night Safari at 7:15pm

6. Little India

Walk Serangoon Road on a weekday evening and it hits you all at once — jasmine garlands hanging in doorways, gold jewellery catching the light, temples with painted gopurams rising above shophouses, the smell of incense and spice. Little India doesn’t perform for tourists. It just is what it is, and that’s what makes it worth an afternoon. Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple is the visual highlight. The food stalls around Tekka Centre are where you eat.

• MRT: Little India (NE7 / DT11)
• Best time: Evenings
• Free to visit

7. Chinatown

Small and walkable. The Sri Mariamman Temple — Singapore’s oldest Hindu temple — sits a small walk from the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, which is value going inside. Chinatown Food Street has satay stalls and Hokkien mee. The night market along Pagoda Street sells everything from cooler magnets to right silk fabric. Give it two hours and you’ll have seen most of it without hurrying.

• MRT: Chinatown (NE4 / DT19)
• Don’t miss: Chinatown Food Street, Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
• Free to visit

8. Orchard Road

2.2 kilometres of shopping. ION Orchard, Paragon, Ngee Ann City, Takashimaya — the malls line both sides of the road and run into each other almost without gaps. The basement food courts are better than they sound and excellent stopping in. Around Christmas, Orchard Road gets fancy with lights and displays that draw crowds from across the area. Outside of shopping season it’s still worth a walk, just plan near the midday heat.

• MRT: Orchard (NS22 / TE14)
• Tip: ION and Ngee Ann City basements for food between shops

9. Clarke Quay and the Singapore River

The riverfront area that most tourists end up in for at least one evening. Clarke Quay itself is restaurants and bars along the water, busy from about 7pm onwards. The Singapore River bumboat ride is 40 minutes of seeing the city from water level — colonial shophouses, modern towers, and bridges passing by in sequence. Worth doing once, especially if you’re trying to get your bearings.

• MRT: Clarke Quay (NE5)
• Bumboat rides: From ~$25/adult, depart from Clarke Quay and Boat Quay

10. Kampong Glam

Three streets, three personalities. Bussorah Street is pure and café-lined, with the Sultan Mosque at one end. Arab Street has fabric outlets stacked floor to roof with silk and textiles. Haji Lane is a narrow, colored alley of independent boutiques, vintage clothing, and small bars. Go during the day for buying and the mosque. Come back in the evening when the mosque lights up and the bars on Haji Lane open correctly.

• MRT: Bugis (EW12 / DT14)
• Free to visit
• Tip: The mosque looks completely different at night — worth both visits

11. Singapore Botanic Gardens

A UNESCO World Heritage Site that most tourists underestimate. The main gardens are free and spread across 82 hectares — rainforest trails, Swan Lake, bandstand, and more variety of plant life than you’ll process in one visit. The National Orchid Garden inside has over 1,000 orchid species. Go early before the heat peaks and you’ll have most of the paths to yourself.

• MRT: Botanic Gardens (CC19 / DT9)
• Entry: Gardens free; Orchid Garden from $15/adult
• Best time: 7am–10am

12. Merlion Park

Absolutely, it’s touristy. The photo of the Merlion with Marina Bay Sands growing behind it is a calm one of the better city shots in Singapore. The park sits right on the bay with good sightlines in all routes, and it takes about 20 min to do properly. If you’re already walking the Marina Bay area, stop here. It doesn’t need to be a destination — just a detour.

• MRT: Raffles Place (EW14 / NS26)
• Free to visit

13. National Gallery Singapore

The old Supreme Court and City Hall buildings, now converted into Southeast Asia’s largest visual art museum. The permanent collection focuses on Singapore and regional modern art. The building itself is worth the visit — the glass atrium connecting the two colonial structures is striking. Good option for a hot afternoon when outdoor sightseeing becomes impractical.

• MRT: City Hall (EW13 / NS25)
• Entry: From $20/adult
• Tip: Odette restaurant is inside the building if you want a special lunch

14. Singapore Flyer

165 metres tall, one full rotation takes 30 minutes, and on a clear day the view takes in the CBD, Sentosa, and the sea beyond. Less dramatic than the SkyPark observation deck but the slow movement gives you more time to take everything in. Sunset is the right time to go. The glass capsules are air-conditioned, which matters more than it sounds.

• Location: 30 Raffles Avenue, Singapore 039803
• Entry: From $40/adult
• Best time: 6–7pm for the sunset

15. Universal Studios Singapore

The only Universal Studios in Southeast Asia. Minion Land is now open, Super Nintendo World with the Mario Kart ride is running, and the park covers 24 rides and attractions across themed zones. A full day moves quickly here. Good without apology for anyone who likes theme parks, not just families with kids.

• Location: 8 Sentosa Gateway, Resorts World Sentosa
• Entry: From $83/adult
• Tip: Online tickets are cheaper and skip the physical queue

16. Hawker Centres

Not one place — an experience you should seek out every day you’re here. Singapore’s hawker centres are open-air food courts where a full meal costs between $3 and $8. Lau Pa Sat in the CBD works well for an evening satay run. Maxwell Food Centre in Chinatown has the famous Tian Tian chicken rice stall. Old Airport Road Food Centre in Geylang goes deep into local favourites most tourists never find.

Eat here every day. It’s one of the things Singapore does better than anywhere else on earth.

• Budget: $5–10 per person per meal
• Tip: Slightly off-peak (before noon or after 1:30pm) means shorter queues

17. Southern Ridges Walk

A 10-kilometre trail through the green corridor connecting Mount Faber, Telok Blangah Hill, and HortPark. The highlight is Henderson Waves — a wave-shaped wooden pedestrian bridge sitting 36 metres above the forest floor. The canopy cover makes this walkable even in Singapore heat, especially early morning. Most tourists never do this one. That’s exactly why it’s worth doing.

• Start point: HarbourFront MRT, then taxi to HortPark or Mount Faber
• Free
• Duration: 3-4 hours for the full trail

18. Haw Par Villa

A theme park built on Chinese mythology and folklore, and completely unlike anything else in Singapore. Over a thousand painted statues tell moral stories from Chinese Buddhist and Taoist tradition. The Ten Courts of Hell section — a walk-through diorama of afterlife punishments — is graphic, oddly funny, and genuinely memorable. It costs nothing to enter and takes about 90 minutes. One of those places that stays with you precisely because it makes no attempt to be modern or sanitised.

• MRT: Haw Par Villa (CC25)
• Entry: Free
• Duration: 1–2 hours

19. Rainforest Wild Asia — Mandai Wildlife Reserve

Singapore’s newest wildlife park, opened in 2025. Thirteen hectares designed to recreate a Southeast Asian rainforest, planted with nearly 7,000 trees. Part of the Mandai cluster that includes the Singapore Zoo, River Wonders, and Night Safari. If you’re already heading to Mandai for the Zoo, this adds well to the same day or an early the next morning.

• Location: Mandai Wildlife Reserve, 80 Mandai Lake Road
• Entry: From $48/adult; combo tickets available with Zoo and Night Safari

20. Singapore River Cruise (Bumboat)

One of those slow-down activities that resets the pace of a busy trip. Bumboats run from Boat Quay and Clarke Quay along the Singapore River, passing Elgin Bridge, Robertson Quay, and out towards Marina Bay. The view from water level is different from anything you get on foot — you see the old shophouses, the towers behind them, and the bridges connecting it all. A good choice for a quiet mid-afternoon break between bigger things.

• Departure: Clarke Quay and Boat Quay
• Price: Around $25–30/adult for a 40-minute ride

Quick Reference — All 20 Spots

How to Plan Your Time

3 days: Marina Bay, Gardens by the Bay, Chinatown, Little India, Sentosa for a half-day, and dinner at Akasa. You’ll leave with a real sense of the city.

5 days: Add Kampong Glam, the Night Safari, Southern Ridges walk, and at least two hawker centre sessions in different neighbourhoods.

7 days or more: Stop rushing. Revisit your favourite street. Take a day trip to Pulau Ubin. Eat your way through the CBD hawker centres properly.

Singapore’s food scene runs parallel to everything else on this list — it’s not a footnote. The hawker centres give you the everyday local experience. Places like Akasa give you something more considered. The best Indian restaurants in Singapore guide on Akasa’s blog is useful reading before you arrive if Indian cuisine is a priority.

Travelling with children? The things to do with kids Singapore page on Akasa’s site has practical suggestions that go beyond just theme parks.