Best Cycling Routes in Singapore

By Cara Merren
Cycling Singapore

By Mia Russell

Beautifully green and pristinely clean, Singapore is a city that begs to be explored. And what better way than on two wheels? While there are myriad ways to explore the ‘Garden City,’ hopping on a bike and riding around on its Park Connector Network (PCN) is a great way to experience the city and get active at the same time.

Image of City, Cityscape, Urban, Grass, Person, Bicycle, Vehicle, Cycling,

Home to spectacular gardens and parks, beautiful beaches, and awe-inspiring architecture, the ‘Lion City’ is packed with incredible places to explore. Feel the wind in your hair as you meander past beaches and wind your way through gardens.

You’ll find plenty of places around the city that offer bike rentals. Use your pass to rent a Gogreen Bicycle and hit the road. Remember to keep your pass handy to gain entry to many of the city’s top attractions along the way.

Let’s take the road less traveled and discover the city’s hidden secrets on these top cycling routes in Singapore.

Southern Ridges Loop

Difficulty level: Moderate Distance: 9 km

The Southern Ridges are a beautiful part of Singapore and are ideal for exploring by bike. Spanning 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), the Southern Ridges comprise five parks and lovely green spaces crisscrossed with a network of trails.

Start at South Buona Vista Road and make your way towards the Alexandra Arch, an 80-meter-long pedestrian bridge known as the ‘Gateway to Nature.’ Meander along the Forest Walk and take in the tranquil beauty of the dense secondary forest of Telok Blangah Hill Park.

Stop at the famous Henderson Waves, the architecturally-striking 274-meter-long pedestrian bridge that connects Telok Blangah Hill Park to Mount Faber Park. Keep an eye out for rare birds such as the Drongo and Yellow Oriole.

Make your way up to Mount Faber for some spectacular views of the bay and the bustling waterfront district of Harbourfront. Treat yourself to hill-top dining against a backdrop of stunning views and if you don’t feel like riding back, hop on the Singapore Cable Car with your pass and soar over Singapore’s skyline to Sentosa.

Mandai Loop

Difficulty level: Moderate Distance: 35 km (21 miles)

This inner-city cycling route will take you through the Mandai Reserve, home to the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and River Safari, and past the Old Ford Factory.

Start your ride at Rats Corner on Orchard Road and head north towards the Mandai Reserve. The reserve has several renowned mountain bike tracks, including the famous Track 15 (T15), one of the easiest trails in Singapore. Have some fun on the dirt tracks or use your pass to gain free entrance to the Singapore Zoo. Spend a few hours meeting the 300 species that call the zoo home.

When you are done at Mandai, complete the loop southwards towards the city, along Bukit Timah Road. Make sure to swing past the Old Ford Factory, the historic site where Singapore surrendered to Japan in 1942, before returning to Rats Corner.

Eastern Coastal Loop

Difficulty level: Moderate Distance: 20 km (12 miles) to Changi, 27 km (16.7 miles) to Marina Bay

Escape the city with an adventure along the East Coast of the island on this fantastic cycling route. Connecting East Coast Park and Pasir Ris Park, the Eastern Coastal Loop will take you past beautiful beaches, dense rainforests, lush wetlands, and awe-inspiring coastal landscapes.

Begin your journey at East Coast Park and ride to Changi Beach Park, one of the oldest coastal parks in Singapore. Located at the northern tip of Changi, the 28-hectare beach park still retains the kampung atmosphere of bygone days and is a fantastic place to have a swim and relax. Grab a delicious meal of Goreng Pisang (banana fritters) and nasi lemak (coconut rice) at the Changi Village Hawker Centre.

Make your way back to East Coast Park. If you haven’t had enough, continue riding in the opposite direction and wind your way through Gardens by the Bay. Marvel at whimsical sculptures, gigantic high-tech trees, and misty biodomes in this fantastical world of green. Use your pass for admission to the Cloud Forest home to the world’s tallest indoor waterfall and the Flower Dome.

Image of Grass, Nature, Outdoors, Park, Tree, Garden, Vegetation, Summer, Person, City,

Northern Eastern Riverine Loop

Difficulty level: Easy Distance: 26 km (15 miles)

This incredible trail meanders for 26 kilometers (15 miles) through the spectacular parks and waterways of Punggol.

Start at Punggol Park and make your way toward the Sungei Pinang footbridge and the Coral Plant. Cross the Sungei Pinang footbridge and admire the amazing views of the scarlet-colored Coral Plant. Head towards the Punggol Promenade and enjoy the greenery and biodiversity flourishing along the seafront as you pass by.

Ride to the Lorong Halus Wetland, a scenic stretch of land on the eastern banks of the Punggol-Seletar reservoir that is home to shimmering ponds and thick reed beds. Detour past Punggol Waterway Park to see its beautiful reservoirs and impressive suspension bridges. Watch the sunset from Adventure Bridge and soak up some stunning views.

Central Urban Loop

Difficulty level: Moderate Distance: 36 km (22 miles)

Explore the neighborhoods in the heart of Singapore and get a glimpse into the everyday life of Singaporeans. Begin your trip in Toa Payoh Town Park and make your way through Kallang Park and the Whampoa connector. Along the Whampoa Park Connector, stop by Balestier Road to sample some of the amazing food from the street hawkers.

When you get to Bishan, take a break in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park. Set on the banks of the Kallang River, the park is one of the biggest on the island and is the perfect place for a picnic lunch.

Image of City, Grass, Nature, Outdoors, Park, Urban, Scenery, Path, Pond, Water, Landscape, Cityscape, Vegetation,

Northern Explorer Loop

Difficulty level: Moderate – Challenging Distance: 11 km (7 miles)

Escape the hustle and bustle of the city and venture into Singapore’s Northernmost region to take in the beauty of Woodlands, Yishun, and Sembawang.

Start from Lower Seletar Reservoir Park, a natural sanctuary of dense forests and tranquil waterways. Make your way through the five-kilometer (three-mile) Mandai Park Connector that runs alongside the beautiful Central Catchment Nature Reserve. Keep an eye out for cheeky, long-tailed Macaques who call the reserve home.

The next stop is Admiralty Park, a lovely hilly park in Woodlands bisected by the Sungei Cina River. The 20-hectare park is home to a myriad of fauna and flora and offers some challenging hills if you are feeling energetic.

Ride on to visit Woodlands Waterfront, one of Singapore’s longest coastal jetties, and end your adventure with a swim at the natural sand beach in Sembawang Park.

Western Adventure Loop

Difficulty level: Moderate – Challenging Distance: 12 km (7.5 miles)

If you feel like an off-the-beaten-track adventure, then the Western Adventure Loop is perfect! This challenging route takes you through the wild west of Singapore.

Start at Choa Chu Kang Park, a lovely green space with old fruit tree plantations, small streams, and an array of bird species. Cycle through the bucolic Pang Sua Park and along the Bukit Panjang Park Connector, keeping your eyes on the tree line to spot birds.

Pass by the rugged terrain and untouched vegetation of Zhenghua Nature Park and cycle into the Dairy Farm Nature Park. This park is famous for its breathtaking landscapes and excellent hiking and rock climbing.

Ride on to your final destination at Bukit Batok Nature Park where you’ll find a tranquil quarry pond surrounded by high cliffs. It’s the perfect place to end the day with a refreshing swim in the cool quarry waters.

Image of Nature, Outdoors, Scenery, Vegetation, Landscape, Land, Rainforest, Tree, Cliff, Lake, Water, Rock, Sea, Jungle,

Coast-to-Coast (C2C) Trail

Difficulty level: Moderate Distance: 36 km (22 miles)

Experience all of Singapore’s diverse landscapes on this challenging 36-kilometer (22-mile) trail across the island. Beginning in the Jurong Lake Gardens in the west, you’ll make your way across the island to Coney Island Park in the northeast.

The trail takes you through the Lornie Nature Corridor near the center of the island and some of Singapore’s most beautiful parks like Bukit Batok Nature Park and Hindhede. You’ll end your journey on the charming Coney Island.

Cara Merren
Go City Travel Expert

Continue reading

Gardens of the Bay skyline
Blog

Unmissable Singapore summer events

Don’t let the occasional midday thunderstorm put you offer exploring Singapore over the summer. The months of June, July and August are some of the least popular of the year. Yet, they are arguably the best when it comes to soaking up the city state’s culture thanks to a wide array of Singapore summer events. So why not take advantage of the great low season accommodation and flight deals on offer by travel companies and experience Singapore at its most alive? It would be foolish not to! Early summer events in Singapore Starting in May and continuing on into June, Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) is the first annual Singapore summer event of the season. A mixture of local and international acts, it’s an event no culture lover will want to miss. Theater shows, gallery exhibitions, music and dance are all part of the show, which features around 60 individual performances. Usually taking over the reins as SIFA comes to an end is the four-week Great Singapore Sale. An unabashed celebration of all things retail, head to participating stores for bargains galore. The obvious place to head is probably Orchard Road because of its huge number of malls. But even smaller stores in and around Chinatown and Little India get in on the action. There’s simply no excuse for failing to update your wardrobe after a Little India Puzzle Hunt. Alternatively, you can de-stress after the event with an authentic tea appreciation experience in Chinatown. Also developing out of Singapore’s Chinese heritage is June’s Dragon Boat Festival. Known for the ferocity and speed of these rowing races, they are entered by teams who train throughout the year. They battle it out on the Kallang River, whose banks are almost always packed with crowds. Look out for spectators throwing rice dumplings in silk or banana leaves into the water to appease the river gods. This links back to the race’s origins – an attempt to rescue a minister in ancient China who dived into a river to highlight corruption. August Singapore events Marina Bay has a whole host of year-round attractions, from the Gardens by the Bay Flower Dome and Cloud Forest to night bicycle tours. In August, it becomes the center of attention for the celebrate of National Day on the ninth. It marks Singapore’s independence – not from the UK but from its short-lived federation with Malaysia. Beyond an address by the prime minister, big events include the National Day Parade. The parade sees the great and the good descend on The Float@Marina Bay. Before it even begins spectators can expect a variety of performances, ranging from songs by local school choirs to parachute jumps. Meanwhile, the parade itself sees military units and community groups like the scouts proudly marching to the sound of band music. This is followed by a 45-minute live show which culminates in a spectacular firework display over the bay. Elsewhere, National Day provides a rare chance (there’s only five each year) for a guided tour of the Istana – the official residence of the president of Singapore. A couple of weeks later it’s the turn of Singapore Food Festival. Over its three decades, this festival has brought the country’s diverse cuisine front and center. Whether its traditional nyonya cookery (to name just one), contemporary creations or culinary innovation you’re after, your tastebuds are going to have one hell of a party. There are normally 70 experiences to pick between, from Singapore’s famed chili crab and kopi coffee, to special dishes created just for the event. Food also plays are part in August’s Hungry Ghost Festival. Originating with the country’s Buddhist and Taoist populations, the festival honors the dead. Families leave food and gifts at the graves of their ancestors, whilst communities hold concerts to appease the other worldly. If you attend one, be sure not to sit in the front row, which is left empty for the ghosts to get a prime viewing position. Nighttime summer events in Singapore You’ll have to wait until the start of autumn for Formula One’s night race in Singapore. However, night owls still have more than enough to entertain them after dark in Singapore in summer. For one thing, there’s Singapore Night Festival. Singapore’s version of the ‘white night’ festivities which take place across the globe, the festival’s focal point is downtown’s Bras Basah Bugis district. Incorporating a mix of free summer events and paid performances, highlights include the area’s iconic buildings being lit up by light shows aiming to dazzle both young and old. Join the crowds on Armenian Street, Fort Canning Park or Capitol to be at the heart of the action. If you miss it, don’t forget that many of Singapore’s big attractions welcome evening visits, including Night Safari. The first after dark zoo in the world, it’s home to almost one thousand animals from over 100 species. Tigers, Asian elephants, Indian rhinos and a magnitude of other animals can all be admired in open-air enclosures. They are lit with lights mimicking moonlight, so visitors are able to see just how these animals behave after hours. Nightfall is also integral to our last highlighted Singapore summer event – i Light Singapore. Taking place back in Marina Bay, this sustainable light festival showcases the work of light artists from right around the world. And whilst it aims to promote sustainable energy habits, no one can deny that it’s a phenomenal spectacle. Save on your trip to Singapore this summer Singapore is known for its exquisite hotels (hello Raffles!), billionaire worthy penthouse apartments and top-notch cuisine. But there are also plenty of ways to save. Travel with Go City and you can save big on admission to many of the country’s top attractions. Our All-Inclusive and Explorer passes make it astonishingly easy to visit everything from museums and galleries to tea houses and zoos without worrying about how much you’re spending. And that means more cash to devote to the myriad of Singapore summer events which take place each year!
Alex Birungi
The iconic Raffles Hotel in Singapore.
Blog

The Best Singapore Landmarks and Must Dos

Singapore is one enormous playground, with stacks of fun things to do for all ages, from wild theme park rides to formal garden; down’n’dirty street food to Michelin-starred dining. And, while there’s no such thing as an exhaustive list of all the best Singapore landmarks and must dos, we’ve compiled a short guide to some of the city’s absolute must-sees. Dive in to discover what made our list, including: Merlion Park Singapore Zoo The Sentosa cable car Raffles Hotel Kampong Glam Gardens by the Bay The Marina Bay Sands laser show Merlion Park Can you even say you’ve been to Singapore without grabbing a selfie by the island’s massive mythical mascot? With the body of a fish and water-spouting head of a lion, the 8.6-meter, 70-tonne Merlion statue is truly a sight to behold. You’ll find it in Merlion Park with its diminutive two- meter, three-tonne ‘Merlion Cub’ nearby, and fine views out across the bay. Singapore Botanic Gardens To describe this sprawling 200-acre oasis of vibrant tropical flora as ‘mature gardens’ would be something of an understatement. Here since 1859, it's the only tropical garden on the planet to have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To understand why, simply breathe in the heady scents of the Ginger Garden, enjoy a moment of quiet reflection on the shores of Swan Lake or take a stroll to the picture-postcard bandstand. Don’t miss the park’s star attraction: the National Orchid Garden with its thousands of powerfully scented and eye-poppingly gorgeous blooms. Spectra at Marina Bay Sands Marina Bay Sands Resort, one of Singapore’s most recognizable landmarks, is pretty spectacular in its own right, with its trio of soaring skyscrapers topped with a space-age observation deck and vast infinity pool. The Spectra light and water show really puts on the ritz though, with visual projections, mist effects, lasers and a rousing orchestral symphony that dazzle audiences nightly. Experience it from the plaza, or get a stunning bird’s eye view from the resort’s SkyPark observation platform, a knee-knocking 57 floors up. Lau Pa Sat No visit to Singapore would be complete without hitting up a hawker center to sample some of the finest street food in Asia. And Lau Pa Sat in the Central Business District is among the very best. One of the finest historical landmarks in Singapore, this beautifully restored octagonal Victorian market building oozes old-world Singapore charm, with a decorative internal cast-iron frame that’s filled with the heady scents of zingy chili crab, fragrant Hainanese chicken and, of course, the mother of all Singapore street-food snacks: delectable skewers of chargrilled pork smothered in sticky peanut satay sauce. Unmissable. Singapore Zoo Frequently cited as one of the best things to do in Singapore (and certainly one of the most popular), Singapore Zoo is well worth the day trip. Zones here include a rainforest inside a massive biodome, home to thousands of critters including cute golden lion tamarin monkeys, two-toed sloths and all manner of colorful amphibians and birdlife. Head to the plains of Wild Africa where you might spot a shy white rhino or inquisitive giraffe, and meet regal horned lizards, king cobras, panther chameleons and electric blue geckos in the epic RepTopia reptile house. Sentosa Cable Car There are a few ways to reach Sentosa, the tiny tropical island just off Singapore’s south coast, but none quite as fun as the cable car. Soaring 200 feet above sea level, this 15-minute journey is a Singapore must-do, with views of Sentosa’s beaches and lush foliage as you cross. This is a thrill ride with a gentle pace that limbers you up for the somewhat more high octane entertainments – rollercoasters, bungee ropes, sky-high swings – that you’ll encounter on arrival. You can even have dinner and drinks on board a private cable car as you and your partner take in the sunset views over three courses. Fear not: two round-trip rotations of the circuit ensure there’s no need to rush dessert. Raffles Hotel They don’t come much more iconic than this 19th-century grande dame hotel, one of the most historical landmarks in Singapore. Stop by the Raffles Hotel to admire its pristine colonial-style architecture and, perhaps more importantly, to sample a Singapore Sling, the fruity tropical cocktail that was invented right here more than a century ago. You’ll be in good company, too: Raffles has hosted a who’s who of ultra-glam stars down the years: Elizabeth Taylor, Christian Louboutin, Rudyard Kipling and Queen Elizabeth II, to name-drop just a few. Chin chin! Punggol Waterway Park Punggol Waterway Park in the northeast of the island is an Instagram addict’s dream come true, all weird, wonderful and outright wacky bridges, spanning wetlands that teem with native wildlife. Seek out the Sunrise Bridge for its photogenic pillarbox-red railings and long, snaking walkway and grab your perfect sunset selfie on the Jewel Bridge with its distinctive dome. Add to this some incredible waterfront views, a sand-and-water play zone for the kids and a peaceful therapeutic garden and you’ve got everything you need for a divine day out. Buddha Tooth Relic Temple Discover the tooth, the whole tooth and nothing but the tooth at the pagoda-style Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in downtown Singapore. Whether the main event here – a 7.5cm-long tooth displayed in a huge golden stupa – actually originated from the mouth of the Buddha is a matter we'll leave to your discretion, but there’s plenty to enjoy in the intricate and colorful architecture here, even for non-believers. Henderson Waves Bridge Not to be outdone by the funky bridges in Punggol Park Waterway, the Southern Ridges trail on the island’s south coast features the highest – and quite possibly most extraordinary – pedestrianized bridge in Singapore. We’re talking of course about Henderson Waves, a striking landmark with undulating steel ribs that snake over and under the walkway, creating a quite stunning work of art to connect Mount Faber Park to Telok Blangah Hill Park over the busy Henderson Road 36 meters below. Look out for colorful tropical critters including red-whiskered bulbuls, banded bay cuckoos and orange-bellied flowerpeckers along the way. Kampong Glam Kampong Glam is one of Singapore’s hippest ‘hoods, where the glorious golden dome of the Sultan Mosque rises like a shining beacon over the surrounding labyrinth of streets and alleyways. Arab Street is a must-visit for its seemingly timeless antique stores. These great cavernous treasure troves heave with Turkish handicrafts and goods including intricate textiles, ceramics and mosaic lanterns. Head to Sifr Aromatics’ fabulous Arab Street perfume emporium to design your own unique scents and take them home in delicate colored-glass bottles. Gardens by the Bay Last but certainly not least, Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay are recognized the world over for their magnificent glass hothouses (designed to look but thankfully not smell like overgrown durian fruits), and the futuristic Supertree Grove with its towering structures that are festooned with plantlife. Get up close to these supersized trees on a stroll around the elevated walkway that connects them, and come back after dark to see them lit up in all their glory at the hugely entertaining light and music show. 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
Vew of the Singapore Skyline with the sunrise in the background
Blog

Places to watch the sunrise in Singapore

Beautiful islands, glinting statues and tranquil gardens – there are enough places to watch the sunrise in Singapore to make anyone an early bird.
Karleen Stevens

Have a 5% discount, on us!

Sign up to our newsletter and receive exclusive discounts, trip inspiration and attraction updates straight to your inbox.