A Full Guide to Sentosa Island, Singapore

By <a href="#author-bio">Stuart Bak</a>
By Stuart Bak
Published: July 18, 2024
Sentosa Cable Car

Sentosa is Singapore’s playground: a tiny island resort just off the main island’s south coast with enough attractions and activities packed into its two square miles to keep you occupied for at least a week. Read on for our full guide to Sentosa Island, Singapore.

Getting to Sentosa Island

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Getting yourself over to Sentosa is all part of the fun, with several different ways to cross Keppel Harbour. Quickest and easiest of these is the inexpensive Sentosa Express monorail. Board on level three of the VivoCity mall above HarbourFront MRT station and you’ll be at your destination (Resorts World, Imbiah or Beach station) in just 3–5 minutes. There’s also a pedestrian boardwalk with a separate lane for cyclists, and a road link means you can even arrive by cab or hire car.

But it’s the Sentosa cable car that’s hands-down the most fun (and most scenic) way to arrive on Sentosa, and definitely worth doing at least once, assuming you have a head for heights. The 30-minute ride departs HarbourFront cable car station and cruises across the harbor at heights of around 200 feet above sea level. After arriving on Sentosa, you can easily walk to Imbiah station for cable car connections to the beaches.

You’ll find that the monorail and cable car stations drop you close to the majority of Sentosa’s main attractions. A free beach shuttle also operates between the sandy Palawan, Tanjong and Siloso beaches along the island's southwest coast.

Resorts World Sentosa

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There are so many things to do on Sentosa that it can be difficult for a newbie to know where to start. The sprawling Resorts World complex is as good a place as any though, encompassing several of the island’s best attractions, plus luxury hotels, restaurants and more.

Undisputed star of the show here is Universal Studios Singapore (USS), where a whole bunch of themed zones offer entertainment for kids and grown-ups alike. Even the most difficult-to-please teen won’t fail to be charmed (and soaked) by The Lost World zone’s Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure, in which friendly families of stegosauruses and gently meandering rivers may well lull you into a false sense of security before you hit the rapids, stalked by hissing velociraptors and a hungry escaped T-rex. Yikes!

The most adrenaline-pumping rides are to be found in Sci-Fi City, where the dueling Battlestar Galactica rollercoaster is the tallest of its kind on the planet, and the 3D Transformers ride is guaranteed to leave your heart pumping and nerves jangling. The popular Far Far Away zone offers an altogether calmer (but no less fun!) experience for younger kids, featuring rides based on characters from the Shrek movie series. Take flight over the forests aboard Donkey’s beloved Dragon on the Enchanted Airways ride, and go in search of Mother Goose’s golden eggs on Puss in Boots’ Giant Journey.

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No less thrilling is Adventure Cove water park, where heart-stopping rides include the Riptide Rocket and Spiral Washout, both every bit as terrifying as they sound. Brave souls grip their floats for dear life as they enjoy/endure gravity defying loops, hairpin bends and hair-raising drops before being flushed out (at very high speeds) into a huge pool at the bottom. For those who like their water-based entertainment a tad more sedate there’s the Adventure River, where you can drift oh-so-gently through 14 different zones in your enormous donut, taking in tranquil grottoes, verdant jungle gardens and marine life along the way. Don your snorkel and get even closer to native tropical critters at Rainbow Reef, home to over 20,000 colorful fish, or pop to the resort’s S.E.A. Aquarium, home to over 100,000 marine creatures including manta rays, bottlenose dolphins and a giant Pacific octopus.

Sentosa Beaches

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The trio of man made beaches along Sentosa’s southwest coast offer opportunities for the lazy sunbather and adrenaline junkie alike. Siloso is the liveliest and most popular of the three, with opportunities for history buffs, adventurers and sun seekers along its sandy, palm-lined length. Fort Siloso saw action in the Battle of Singapore during World War II and is now a museum that provides a fascinating glimpse into the country’s military history. The fort can be reached via an elevated walkway that’s easily accessed from the beach and takes you on an epic adventure through the treetops, with bird-eye views of the fort.

Siloso is also home to thrilling luge tracks, a bungee rope and a huge swing that soars high above the beach. Or, you know, you could always just enjoy the feeling of the warm sand between your toes and indulge in a little gentle snorkeling in the emerald-green waters that lap the shores of all three beaches.

Sentosa Restaurants

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Thanks to the proliferation of attractions and hotels here, there are plenty of dining options available, whether you’re after a romantic fine-dining banquet for two, or something much more casual with the kids. On Siloso Beach, Coastes is a relaxed beach bar that’s all rustic woods in marine blues and sandy tones. Kids can play in the sand while grown-ups linger over a languid weekend brunch of fruit-laden waffles, fluffy pancakes and smoked salmon with poached eggs and avocado. Yum! Just along the coast, FOC Sentosa serves up chilled Mediterranean vibes on laidback Palawan Beach.

Resorts World Sentosa is the hub for some of the best big-name brands and fast food joints on the island. We’re talking the Hard Rock Café, Krispy Kreme, McDonalds, Starbucks and more. In other words: plenty to keep the kids happy. Hit up Din Tai Fung to make all your dumpling and dim sum dreams come true, or make for the underwater Ocean Restaurant, where the magnificent rays and other marine creatures peering in at you may make you reconsider that fish starter.

Date night is best enjoyed at the W Hotel in Sentosa Cove, where Woobar provides a sultry setting for pre-dinner cocktails including the rum-laced Seaside Queen with mangosteen and the zingy Lesser Known Spice, shot through with tequila and mace from the Sentosa forests. Your resulting double vision will likely do nothing to help you decide whether to opt for a rare grilled steak with all the trimmings at Skirt, or international cuisine at The Kitchen Table.

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Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
Freelance travel writer

Stu caught the travel bug at an early age, thanks to childhood road trips to the south of France squeezed into the back of a Ford Cortina with two brothers and a Sony Walkman. Now a freelance writer living on the Norfolk coast, Stu has produced content for travel giants including Frommer’s, British Airways, Expedia, Mr & Mrs Smith, and now Go City. His most memorable travel experiences include drinking kava with the locals in Fiji and pranging a taxi driver’s car in the Honduran capital.

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Friends sharing vegetarian food across a large communal table.
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Best Vegetarian Restaurants in Singapore

There’s no denying it: meat is big business in Singapore. A short stroll through any of the legendary hawker centers or wet markets confirms it, and many vegetarians will quail at the sight of ducks roasting on the spit, or stalls that advertise their wares by displaying a dangling pig carcass or two. But that’s just one side of the story. Singapore has come a long way in recent years, with vegan and vegetarian restaurants popping up faster than bunnies in a cabbage patch, meaning there’s plenty of choice nowadays for the increasing number of people who favor a plant-based diet. Read on for our pick of the best vegetarian restaurants in Singapore. Whole Earth Awarded the prestigious Michelin Bib Gourmand for six years running (2016–2022), Whole Earth is fast becoming a Singapore institution. This cute downtown eatery styles its menu as “vegetarian cuisine for non-vegetarians” and, truly, even the most dedicated carnivore might be hard-pushed to tell the difference. Or, as one impressed punter gushed in their 5-star Tripadvisor review: “Vegetarian? Nah. Can’t be.” Thai and Peranakan cuisines are king here, with highlights that include fiery sambal chili, sweet and sticky honey lotus roots and crispy monkey head mushrooms in teriyaki sauce (NB: no monkeys were harmed in the preparation of this dish). Wash it all down with a zesty lime ice jelly and warming lemongrass tea. Yum. Find it: 76 Peck Seah St, Singapore 07933 Original Sin Can vegetarian food really be ‘sinful’? You bet it can! We’re talking sunny Mediterranean fare that includes the likes of creamy burrata, hearty lentil moussaka, crispy truffle fries and great slabs of devilishly indulgent tiramisu. Stuff yourself silly in the smart interior with its patterned banquettes, pretty glass murals, crisp white tablecloths and romantic candlelight. Or take it up a notch and dine al fresco beneath the stars at cute mosaic-tiled tables on the terrace. Easily one of Singapore’s best vegetarian dining experiences. Find it: #01-62, Blk 43 Jln Merah Saga, Chip Bee Gardens, Singapore 278115 Boneless Kitchen Looking for a casual Korean dining experience with stacks of delicious vegetarian sharing plates? Boneless Kitchen is the one for you. Grab a group of friends and head to this airy eatery in the Joo Seng area of Singapore, where all ingredients are sourced direct from Korea for authenticity and sauces and dishes are created from scratch on the premises. Order up the sundubu-jjigae (a smooth and spicy Korean broth), perfectly plump kimchi dumplings, gochujang-spiked bibimap and colorful kimbap (a bit like Japanese sushi rolls) and get stuck in! Find it: 1 Irving Place #01-31, The Commerze@Irving, Singapore 369546 Analogue Analogue – in its noble mission to save the planet – really doesn’t do things by halves. That eye-catching cerulean-blue bar that dips and flows like the ocean? It’s fully 3D printed from 1,600kg of recycled plastic bottles. The beer mats? Also recycled. If that’s not enough to get the conversation flowing, there’s also a long list of quite stunning planet-based cocktails. Try the Cactus with its smoky mezcal notes and refreshing hit of pink dragon fruit, prickly pear, and aloe vera. Or send yourself into orbit with a Spaceman, a delectable punch of gin, campari, peanut butter and sweet Kyoho grapes. The food menu at Analogue is equally enticing, with hearty jackfruit tacos, eggplant curry and a must-try fermented sourdough ice cream that may have you questioning whether you’ll ever feel the need to eat meat again. Find it: 30 Victoria Street, #01-31 Chijmes, Singapore 187996 The GoodBurger “Saving the world... one burger at a time” is the motto at The GoodBurger, a popular plant-based burger truck at the Coronation Shopping Plaza. Do your bit for the planet by tucking into some of the best Impossible burgers you’ll ever taste. Try the aromatic One Night in Bangkok for a spicy taste of Thailand. Or go high end with The Black Tie, with posh truffle, aioli and rocket. The Happy Days burger comes crammed with onion rings and smoky BBQ sauce, while What The Cluck – crispy Southern-fried chicken with cheese, pickles and garlic – will have you convinced you’re eating the real thing. Unmissable. Find it: Coronation Shopping Plaza, 587 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 269707 Joie Vegetarian fine dining is very much the vibe at Joie (pronounced ‘joy’). Set in the tranquil surroundings of Orchard Central’s verdant rooftop garden, this sleek 11th-floor restaurant has panoramic views of Orchard Road, Singapore’s shopping mecca. Inside the bright dining room, bronze lights, plush velvet armchairs and cozy banquettes set the scene for imaginative dishes such as Japanese kelp broth with tofu, truffle risotto and warm chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. Find it: 181 Orchard Road Orchard Central #12-01 Orchard Central, Singapore 238896 Herbivore Herbivore is an unassuming Japanese joint in the Fortune Center inside which, in fact, vegan and vegetarian dining options abound. Perhaps the pick of the bunch, Herbivore’s sushi dishes do a very convincing impersonation of the real thing, with salmon pieces that both look and taste like actual fish. Grilled chicken and freshwater eel taste just like, well, chicken and eel, and there’s an extensive selection of zingy noodle and ramen dishes to pick and choose from. Colorful, flavorsome salads and moreish desserts complete the line-up at this veggie favorite. Find it: Fortune Center, 190 Middle Road, Singapore 188979 Hawker Centers While many vegetarians may balk at wandering through these traditional Singaporean street food emporia – due to the vast number of meat products on display – there are some fine veggie options to be found if you know where to look. And the atmosphere in these places, bustling with hungry locals, the air thick with steam and heavy with the aromatic scents of fragrant pan-Asian cooking, is something that should really be experienced by all visitors to the Garden City. Check out Victor Veggie at the Circuit Road center for his sticky satay skewers. Or hit up 33 Vegetarian in the Teck Ghee Market & Food Centre for the best poultry-free chicken and rice in town. There’s even a handful of hawker centers where vegetarian eateries can be found in abundance; try Bendemeer Market and Food Centre, Kim San Leng Food Centre or Redhill Market and Food Centre for a plant-based party in your mouth. Find them: Everywhere! There are over 100 hawker centers in the city. Save on attractions and activities in Singapore Save on admission to Singapore attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
The colorful Kampong Glam district in Singapore, with the golden dome of the Sultan Mosque visible behind the palm trees.
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Things to do in Kampong Glam

One of Singapore’s hippest ‘hoods, Kampong Glam is an Instagrammer’s dream, all colorful 19th-century shophouses, cute cafés, chic boutiques, vibrant street art and heritage grandeur. Take a stroll along this buzzy district’s atmospheric lanes with us as we take a deep dive into the coolest things to do in Kampong Glam. Kampong Glam and How to Get There Once ruled by super-wealthy Malay sultans, Kampong Glam is known as Singapore’s Muslim district, its magnificent 200-year-old gold-domed mosque a gleaming beacon above the labyrinth of streets and alleys that surround it. The sultans may have long since departed but this treasure trove of heritage buildings, eye-popping street art and beautiful Peranakan buildings in sunset reds, lime greens and turmeric yellows still bear a certain regal charm. Being tucked handily between Chinatown and Little India, Kampong Glam is easily walkable – it would take around an hour to stroll east out of Chinatown to Kampong Glam and then onward to Little India. This timeline of course assumes the impossible, i.e. that you won’t be tempted to pause for delicious dumplings, souvenir shopping and perfect photo opportunities along the way. Alternatively, buses serve many nearby roads including Victoria Road and Beach Road, or you can hop on the super-efficient automated MRT metro. The Green Central Line will take you direct to Bugis station, from where it’s a short walk to the heart of the Kampong Glam action. Things to do in Kampong Glam Start your Kampong Glam sightseeing trip with a stroll through the streets, getting an eyeful of the funky street art that adorns nearly every available surface: in Arab Street alleys, on hotel facades, even on the sides of several museums! Look out for works by internationally acclaimed artist Ernest Zacharevic, especially along Victoria Street towards North Bridge Road, and spot pieces by mural maestro Didier ‘Jaba’ Mathieu on Arab Street, the side of the Cuturi Gallery and elsewhere. Muscat Street’s Gelam Gallery takes the theme and runs with it, filling two sides of a narrow back-alley with a technicolor explosion of works from artists including PrettyFreakyFantasy, Liyana Farzana, Helene Le Chatelier and local legend Slacsatu. Of course, no Kampong Glam itinerary would be complete without a visit to the splendid Sultan Mosque, commissioned by the first Sultan of Singapore in the early 19th Century. Its opulent golden dome, ornate parapets and vast prayer hall are among the most admired features, but look out too for the glass bottle ends that decorate the base of each domes, contributed by lower-income Muslim families during the mosque’s construction. The Malay Heritage Centre adds further color to Kampong Glam’s rich history with historical artifacts, interactive exhibitions and occasional cultural performances held inside what was once the royal palace of the Singapore sultans. Or, for something altogether more quirky, mosey over to the Vintage Cameras Museum, where the fascinating collection of over 1,000 cameras dates back as far as the late 19th Century and includes examples of spy cameras and cameras used as weapons during the Second World War. You can’t miss this one: the facade itself is designed to look like a vintage camera and there’s a colorful painting of a camera-toting dude by Singapore artist Ceno2 on the side of the building. Kampong Glam Shops Putting the ‘glam’ in Kampong Glam, Haji Lane is an impossibly narrow lane crammed with cool indie boutiques, cute cafés and hip bars. This is where you’ll find in-the-know Singapore fashionistas shopping the latest styles, while arty types browse for one-off avant garde jewelry pieces. Arab Street and Bussorah Street are where you can explore seemingly timeless antiques stores like Dwiz and Grand Bazaar. These absolute treasure troves of Turkish goods and handicrafts including ceramics, textiles and intricate mosaic lamps are stalwarts of the neighborhood. Meanwhile, you’ll find the most exquisite hand woven antique rugs and carpets in family-run stores including the mighty Samad & Sons and Amir & Sons. Kampong Glam is also a hub for Singapore's best-loved perfume businesses, where oils, unguents, fragrances, balms and more can be bought ready-made or customized to your own personal tastes. Head to Sifr Aromatics’ fabulous laboratory-like emporium on Arab Street to have your own blends of scents created and bottled to take away in delightfully decorative vessels. Royal Fragrances and Aljunied Brothers also merit a stop to sniff and purchase some of their scent-sational products. Ceramics are big business here too, and you’ll find plenty of fine local pottery at Supermama’s on Beach Road. Pick up something blue-tiful from their signature Singapore Blue range of plates, saucers, cups and more and browse the kaleidoscope of other souvenirs including homewares, candles and more. Kampong Glam Restaurants Gourmands rejoice! Kampong Glam is among Singapore’s top foodie destinations, with a deliciously decadent hotch-potch of cuisines to explore, from Malaysian to Indonesian, Swedish to Singaporean. Authentic Indonesian fare is the name of the game at Sari Ratu, an unpretentious eatery on Pahang Street that serves up some of the best nasi padang in Asia, as well as sticky peanut satay, zingy lamb rendang and impossible-to-resist beef tendon curry. Head over to Arab Street’s Fika Swedish Café & Bistro for halal meatballs. Yep, you read that right: enjoy these perfectly moreish meaty treats with roasties and a dollop of lingonberry jam. Cheap and cheerful with street tables in view of the Sultan Mosque, Kampong Glam Cafe serves no-frills Malay favorites to hungry tourists, students and locals. Try curry served with homemade rotis or a warming bowl of mee rebus for the win. Hit up tiny, trendy Brine for French-Japanese fare that includes dishes such as charred cauliflower with hummus, spicy sambal octopus, and braised beef cheeks with couscous. Fans of baked goods will not be disappointed by the Kampong Glam food scene either. Mother Dough is Singapore’s premier purveyor of almond croissants – and not without good reason. Get there early to avoid disappointment. Meanwhile, pop culture mavens will delight at the names of some of the sweet treats to be found at Guilt and The Fabulous Baker Boy. Guilt’s menu of kooky cookies includes the Tinder Surprise, a vanilla choc chip cookie that’s wrapped around a decadent double chocolate fudge brownie with salted caramel. Then there’s the Fifty Shades of Grey with its orgasmic combination of Earl Grey tea, creamy white cocoa butter, pistachios, sea salt and honeycomb toffee. The Fabulous Baker Boy is no slouch in the name game either, with signatures including the very lemony Beyonce (inspired by her Lemonade album, of course) and The Ed Sheeran Carrot Cake, for which no further explanation is necessary. Tuck in! Save on attractions and activities in Singapore Save on admission to Singapore attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
Kampong Glam
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