Woman looking across the water to the Singapore Flyer

Singapore for Adults - Activities and Attractions

By <a href="#author-bio">Stuart Bak</a>
By Stuart Bak

Singapore is one big amusement park for grown-ups, with hundreds of fun and unusual things to do, from night safaris to Singapore Slings and slurping zingy chili crab with black pepper from hawker stalls. Add world-class galleries and museums, dizzyingly high observation wheels and platforms, gardens bursting with colorful blooms and bone-white beaches so pristine we swear you’d eat your dinner off them if it wasn’t for all that pesky sand. No list of Singapore activities for adults can ever claim to be truly comprehensive and nor does ours. Here, instead, are 10 of our favorite things to do in Singapore for adults, including...

  • Dinner on the Singapore Flyer
  • A Singapore Sling at Raffles Hotel
  • SkyPark views at Marina Bay Sands
  • An authentic tea-tasting experience
  • Sizzling Sentosa island
  • A hike through the treetops
  • The best street food in Singapore

Get Snap-Happy in the Gardens by the Bay

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You’ll recognize the Gardens by the Bay from their much-photographed Supertree Grove: soaring tree-like structures that light up at night and are connected by an elevated walkway. Grab your camera and beat the Instagram influencers at their own game, then mosey on over to the veritable explosion of color and scent that is the Flower Dome, only the biggest greenhouse on the planet. Cooler and more misty inside, the neighboring Cloud Forest conservatory also makes for some atmospheric snaps (assuming your lens doesn’t fog up). Follow the sound of the world’s tallest indoor waterfall through a forest of vines, ferns and aromatic orchids.

Sip a Singapore Sling at Raffles Hotel

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Raffles and its signature gin cocktail are as synonymous with Singapore as skyscrapers and orchids, making this colonial-era 19th-century icon a must-visit on any trip to the Garden City. And it would be remiss while there not to sample their Singapore Sling, a tropical blend of gin, cherry brandy, pineapple, grenadine, lime juice and bitters first concocted by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon here in 1915 and a favorite of visitors to the hotel’s Long Bar – including literary giants like Hemingway, Kipling and Greene – ever since.

National Gallery of Singapore

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Anyone with even a passing appreciation of fine art will find much to admire at Singapore’s National Gallery in the Civic District. Focusing primarily on modern and contemporary artworks from Singapore and southeast Asia, its collection of over 9,000 pieces dates from the late 19th Century to the present day and (a common theme in this supersize city!) is the largest of its kind in the world. Don’t miss Singaporean Choo Keng Kwang’s oil paintings and woodcuts, and Georgette Chen’s evocative series of family portraits.

Night safari

Operated by the same group that runs the wildly popular Singapore Zoo, the Night Safari is the world’s first park that’s devoted solely to creatures of the night. Expect crepuscular critters and nocturnal beasts galore inside an 86-acre reserve that’s home to over 2,500 animals including Malaysian tapirs, Asian elephants, white African lions and the critically endangered (and ferociously cute) Sunda pangolin. Explore on foot or hop aboard the complimentary tram for an informative audio commentary as you meander through themed zones including fishing cat and wallaby trails.

Marina Bay Sands

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You’ve heard Singapore can be expensive, right? Well, trust us when we say nowhere will zap your bank balance quite as rapidly as the Marina Bay Sands resort. Here, Michelin-star dining, achingly cool (and painfully pricey) cocktail bars, designer boutiques and, yup, even a casino, all vie for your wallet’s attention. Head 56 stories up to the SkyPark observation deck for sweeping views of the Singapore skyline and down to Supertree Grove and the huge hothouses in the Gardens by the Bay below. You’ll have to be a guest to access the quite unbelievable rooftop infinity pool (the world’s largest, natch) that straddles the resort’s three soaring towers. As good an excuse to book a room in this luxury resort as any, if you ask us.

Feel Like Royal-Tea

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If you’re going to go tea-tasting in Singapore, you might as well do it at the city’s most storied tea house, right? Previous guests of Tea Chapter, a lovingly converted three-storey pre-war shophouse, include no less than Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Queen Elizabeth II herself! So you’ll be in fine company as you allow time to slow down while you're schooled in the noble art of tea appreciation. Relax with a cup of delicate Imperial Golden Cassia that’s literally fit for a queen inside this zen haven of elegant Eastern furnishings, ornate Chinese architecture, traditional Chinese classical music and perfect tranquility.

Take a Day Trip to Sentosa

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Take the scenic route aboard the cable car to Sentosa or hop aboard the speedy Sentosa Express to get you there in under five minutes. Back on dry land, you’ll discover this sunny island resort has enough activities and attractions to keep you entertained for days on end. Hit the golden sands at palm-strewn Siloso Beach, where you can swim in the sea, ride an enormous swing and walk the SkyBridge 154 feet above the sunbathers below. Then head over to Imbiah Lookout where amazing views across Sentosa to the Southern Islands are already par for the course. The SkyHelix ride supercharges those vistas by taking you even higher, ascending to a dizzying 260 feet above sea level. Other attractions on the island include Universal Studios Singapore, the vast Luxury Fashion Galleria mall and the S.E.A. Aquarium.

Savor the Singapore Foodie Culture

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Singapore’s hawker centers are the stuff of legend. There are over 100 of these open-air food courts around the city, meaning delicious, cheap, freshly cooked Indian, Malay and Chinese cuisine is at your fingertips. The noise and heady aromas – oh lord, those intoxicating aromas! – can be overwhelming at first. Our tip: look for the longest queues (indicating the most popular stalls) and get in line. A world of zingy coconut noodle soups, chili crab and spicy peanut satay awaits. Try the Old Airport Road Food Centre and Ghim Moh Market for some of the very best.

Ride the Singapore Flyer

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Soaring to a knee-knocking 541 feet, the Singapore Flyer stakes its rightful claim as one of the tallest observation wheels on the planet. Steel your nerves for the 30-minute flight as you board at Marina Bay, with ticket upgrades that include a Singapore Sling, a glass of champagne and even a four-course dinner for two. Don’t worry: you get to stay on for two rotations with the dinner package, so no need to wolf down those profiteroles like your life depends on it! Included with all tickets, of course, are life-affirming views over Singapore and Sentosa island; even, on clear days, as far as Malaysia and Indonesia.

Tiptoe Through the Treetops

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If the hustle and bustle of the city all gets too much, fear not! There are plenty of opportunities to escape into the great outdoors amid the plentiful lush vegetation of this tropical paradise. Pedal yourself silly on the epic Round Island bike route, or hit the Park Connector Network, which links major parks, gardens and nature reserves across the island. For those who prefer to explore on foot, the scenic Southern Ridges Trail is a breathtaking elevated walkway through the treetops of the hills south of the city. Cross Singapore’s highest pedestrian bridge and see if you can spot banded bay cuckoos, red-whiskered bulbuls and myriad other colorful bird species flitting through the canopy.

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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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Loris in a tree.
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Singapore Night Safari Walking Trails

Singapore’s Night Safari is the world’s first nocturnal zoo, part of the epic Mandai Wildlife Reserve which also boasts Singapore Zoo, Bird Paradise and River Wonders among its uber-popular attractions. The Night Safari’s whopping 86 acres of parkland houses some 100 species of night-loving creatures, with around 900 different animals to meet on its themed walking trails and tram tour. We’re talking Tasmanian devils, clouded leopards, giant anteaters, flying foxes, barking deer and more. You won’t even need night-vision goggles to spot these crepuscular critters going about their dusky maneuvers. Artificial moonlight means your eyes soon become accustomed to the gloom, allowing you to observe the inhabitants of this tropical forest during the hours of darkness, when even the slowest of lorises will be at its most active. The whole thing is open-air, too, with many curious critters often only separated from you, their human counterparts, by cattle grids. Board the complimentary tram for a 40-minute wildlife adventure complete with audio commentary, or stroll the four themed Night Safari walking trails to get even closer to the park’s residents. Our expert guide to the East Lodge Trail, Fishing Cat Trail, Leopard Trail and Tasmanian Devil Trail gives you the lowdown on what to expect from each walk. East Lodge Trail Titans of the African savannah meet majestic beasts from the Asian tropics on the awe-inspiring East Lodge Trail. This is where you’ll find cartoonish African aardvarks rubbing shoulders (or perhaps snouts) with majestic Malayan tigers and shaggy sloth bears (metaphorically speaking, of course). Compare African red river hogs with their distant babirusa cousins from the Indonesia island of Sulawesi. And see servals, spotted hyenas, bongos, white-faced owls and more peering at you suspiciously from their enclosures. Fishing Cat Trail If you’re a fan of oddball animals, this is the walking trail for you. Alongside the titular fishing cat – a small but muscular beast which, if you’re lucky, you might even see living up to its name at suppertime – you can expect to encounter spectacled owls, whistling ducks, gray-handed night monkeys and giant Asian pond turtles. Star of the show here, however, is the unbearably cute Sunda pangolin. These prehistoric-looking critters have been driven to the edge of extinction by poachers and motor vehicles – here’s your chance to see one living its best life in the safety and security of the Mandai Wildlife Reserve. You’ll also spot palm civets frolicking in the vines like mini Tarzans, see the eyes of the slow loris glowing in the twilight, and hear the bone-chilling sound of the barking muntjac deer. Leopard Trail There’s more than just leopards along this trail, where animals indigenous to the Asian peninsula rule the roost. There are, as we have already established, leopards. Clouded leopards, for example, with their huge (and frankly terrifying) jaws. And leopard cats, which look a lot like domestic cats, but with pimped-up hunting skills that go well beyond your little Simba’s penchant for attacking balls of wool. Joining these formidable creatures of the night are majestic Asiatic lions from India’s Gir National Park and huge Malayan flying foxes that soar between the treetops. You can also meet inquisitive palm civets, ferociously cute bushbabies, powerful hog badgers and prickly porcupines. Tasmanian Devil Trail Further weird and wonderful beasts await intrepid night-time explorers of the Tasmanian Devil Trail, where it's all about animals of Antipodean origin. We’re talking New Zealand’s North Island brown kiwi, tree-dwelling sugar gliders, wallabies and – undisputed stars of the show here – the carnivorous critters that give the trail its name. If you’re lucky enough to reach their enclosure at feeding time, you’ll be rewarded with the bloodcurdling screeches and screams that accompany all mealtimes, as well as the spectacle of these ferocious little beasties tearing their supper to shreds in a feeding frenzy that puts larger animals to shame. Guided Tram Ride Before embarking on the Night Safari walking trails for those unforgettable up-close experiences with the animals, you should consider taking a ride on the tram. It’s a cool way to get a broad overview of the park, and means you get to catch a glimpse of some residents – including hippos and Asian elephants – that can only be viewed from the tram, not from the walking trails. The 40-minute narrated ride departs from right at the park entrance and takes you on a journey through six geographical regions, from the jungles of Southeast Asia to the Himalayas' lofty peaks. It’s included with your ticket and is the ideal appetite-whetter for your Night Safari experience. Creatures of the Night Show Also worthy of your attention is this twice-nightly show (three times on weekends) in the Night Safari Amphitheatre, in which expert handlers present a variety of the park’s animal ambassadors, such as the bearded pigs, raccoon dogs, Asian small-clawed otters and fennec foxes. Entry to the show is included with your ticket but you’ll need to book a seat at your preferred performance. You can do this via the park’s booking portal up to two hours before each presentation. Ticket Info and Opening Hours General admission to the Night Safari is included with a Singapore attractions pass from Go City, which can save you money if you plan to visit multiple Singapore attractions. The pass includes entry to the other Mandai Wildlife Reserve parks, plus Gardens by the Bay, SkyHelix Sentosa, the National Museum of Singapore, and more. Alternatively, you can buy tickets direct from the official Night Safari website, where options include multi-park tickets and other add-on experiences. The Night Safari is open daily from 7.15PM until midnight. Last entry is at 11.15PM. 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
Orchard road Street sign
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Things to do in Orchard Singapore

Those seeking out things to do in Orchard Singapore can tick all the boxes going. Dominated by the eponymous Orchard Road, the neighborhood may be small – at less than a kilometer in area – but it certainly isn’t short of attractions. Centrally located between the National Museum of Singapore to one side and Singapore Botanic Gardens to the other, Orchard is Singapore’s equivalent to London’s Oxford Street or New York’s Fifth Avenue. It rivals both as a place to spend your time. Long gone then are the days when it was lined by nutmeg, pepper and fruit trees, giving it its name. Instead, whether day or night Orchard is the de facto shopping and entertainment district, boasting glitzy hotel stays, unrivalled shopping opportunities and no shortage of options when it comes to food and drink either. Among all this you’ll also find a number of cultural treasures, from parks to museums. Here’s the Go City guide to all Orchard Road is famous for! Check out hundreds of stores Arguably Asia’s hottest shopping district, the 2.5 km length of Orchard Road has over 25 shopping malls to choose between. Offering something for pretty much every kind of traveler, from the budget-conscious to the budget-buster, their stores provide a potentially unending exploration of must-have items (as well as a respite from Singapore’s tropical climate). Remarkably, in a city where the old is often swept away to make space for the new, Orchard’s very first department store clings on at Tang Plaza. TANGS (as it’s styled) continues to maintain a significant hold over the latest trends, much like it has since its store first opened its doors in 1958 – when the British flag still flew over Singapore. For atmosphere, do away with the big department stores and malls for the likes of Lucky Plaza and Far East Plaza. Here you’ll discover everything from secondhand gems to souvenirs (and a few black-market knock-offs too). However, Orchard’s most exciting shopping destination is possibly ION Orchard, whose shapely glass exterior sits above Orchard MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) station. ION Orchard blends luxury names such as Cartier, Louis Vuitton and Tiffany with the work of local craftspeople. But should the spending spree threaten to become too much, there’s always ION Orchard’s very own art gallery. Located on the fourth floor, its collection includes contemporary artworks from sculpture to multimedia displays. There’s also the Great Singapore Sale, which sees stores right across Orchard slashing prices each June. Discover the history of Orchard Although on first glance it may appear like the area is all about shopping, there are many other things to do in Orchard Singapore if you know where to look. Just beyond Orchard Road’s eastern extreme stands the classically-styled building constructed for the National Museum of Singapore in 1887. One of Asia’s largest, it does away with the idea of a museum as a dark studious place where visitors can only talk in muffled tones. In contrast, its light-filled galleries help detail the history of the island without it feeling like a chore. Its treasures include the Singapore Stone, found on the banks of the Singapore River and etched with as-yet undeciphered writing potentially a thousand years old. Opposite Plaza Singapura shopping mall is Istana Park, a 13,000 square meter green space. Its 26-meter-high Festival Arch marks the official start of Orchard Road, while the Istana Heritage Gallery details the history of Istana Palace. This building was the home of the British governor before becoming the office of the president on independence. This history is told through archive imagery and some of the gifts given to Singapore’s presidents by foreign dignitaries. The palace itself is only open on special occasions, while a changing of the guard ceremony takes place on the first Sunday of the month (except in July and August). Roughly 60 times larger than Istana Park, Singapore Botanic Gardens is the only tropical garden in the world to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Over 150 years old, the mature gardens are a huge contrast to the area’s malls. Its attractions include a small area of rainforest, Ginger Garden, and National Orchid Garden. The latter contains approximately 3,000 different types of orchid, with many named after the great and the good of international affairs, from Nelson Mandela to Queen Elizabeth II. Sample Orchard’s culinary delights Although not as famous as the Raffles Long Bar, L’Espresso café is an excellent place to enjoy a traditional afternoon tea while experiencing a full-on Victorian fantasy at Orchard’s Goodwood Park Hotel. Neatly-cut sandwiches, tasty savory bites and desserts to die for can be sampled from around midday onwards. Alternatively, you could save yourself for a sundowner on the pool terrace come early evening. Head behind Centrepoint mall to Emerald Hill and you’ll not only take in some rare survivors of Chinese Baroque architecture (think colorful ceramic tiles, shuttered windows and brightly-colored fronts) but also a great selection of bars, coffee shops and restaurants. They often reside in the historic structures themselves, saving them for prosperity and ensuring they remain charmingly atmospheric at the same time. To experience the real Singapore, you’ll also want to dine at a food court at least once during your stay. Forget any thoughts you might have of sticky tabletops and nothing but fast food, Singapore’s food courts (also called hawker centers) serve up healthy, freshly-prepared dishes from right across the region at ridiculously good prices. Food Village Takashimaya inside Ngee Ann City Mall is a great place to start whatever you’re after and whatever the time of day. Save on admission to Orchard’s top attractions From stores with price tags running into the thousands to sumptuous meals for little more than loose change. From must-do ticketed events to free things to do in Orchard, this area of Singapore is one that cannot – and shouldn’t – be ignored. Explore the very best things to do in Orchard Singapore with Go City. Choose between our All-Inclusive Pass or Explorer Pass and you’ll get access to some of the city’s top museums, tours and attractions while making big savings on standard admission prices.
Alex Birungi
People running in Jurong
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Things to do in Jurong Singapore

Head a short distance west from the delights of Marina Bay by MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) and you’ll find yourself in Jurong. Although its name once only conjured up images of its cargo port and heavy industry, today Jurong is known for a wealth of attractions. So while the area is saying goodbye to Jurong Bird Park after 50 years, there are still plenty of things to do in Jurong Singapore should you find yourself here. The area comprises a loosely defined area encompassing Jurong East and West, alongside Pioneer and Boon Lay. Within them visitors to Singapore will find everything from perfectly laid-out gardens to excellent shopping possibilities. There’s also no shortage of family-friendly activities, including Snow City and Science Centre. Grown-ups might also enjoy the tour of the brewery which has produced Singapore’s prized beer since 1932. Keen to know more about the top attractions in Jurong? You’ve come to the right place! Outdoor things to do in Jurong Singapore Singapore isn’t called the garden city for nothing. Amongst its 330 public parks and green spaces are several peaceful oases located within Jurong. So if you’ve a love of gardens and seeking out things to do in west Singapore, Jurong is the place to head. Since 2019 it has been the home of Jurong Lake Gardens, uniting once separate parks into one 90-hectare site curving around the shoreline of Jurong Lake. Designed to incorporate something for everyone, it is made up of several sections, each given its own name. Head to The Grasslands for a picnic, or head along Rasau Walk for a lakeside stroll. Delve into Forest Ramble for idea of what much of Jurong once looked like before development took hold, or get paddling on a kayak at Passion Wave, a home for a variety of water sports. And if that wasn’t enough, on islands in the lake itself there’s also the Japanese and Chinese gardens. Here a terraced water feature in the Japanese Garden and a bamboo grove and a pagoda in the Chinese garden help create a real sense of calm. Elsewhere in Jurong, check out Bukit Peropok (Jurong Hill Park). As the highest point in the neighborhood, it offers great views of Jurong Island just offshore. It also contains Singapore’s Garden of Fame, where international dignitaries come to plant trees and shrubs. Not to be outdone, Yunnan Garden boasts a viewing platform from where it’s possible to take in not only the entirety of these gardens, but also its incredible waterfall, which reaches a height closing in on six meters. Things to do in Jurong when it rains Spray from the waterfall at Yunnan Garden is not the only reason to explore Singapore with an umbrella in hand. Think of Singapore and you’re probably imagining afternoons under a tropical sun. But the country does experience short – if frequent – rain showers most of the year. It’s well worth having a plan for when it does. Close to Jurong Lake Gardens is Snow City. It’s Singapore’s first indoor snow slope making use of the white stuff. Opened for the new millennium and renovated in 2015, it covers 3,000 square meters over two floors. The main attraction is the 60 meter long and three-story high artificial hill used for snowtubing across a surface maintained at a healthy 40 cm deep. Snow City is part of Science Centre Singapore, another highlight of Jurong’s indoor attractions. Fittingly located on Science Road, the center welcomes visitors to no less than eight individual galleries. Together, they contain a collection of around 850 objects. It also includes an observatory with stargazing sessions every Friday after dark, and an Omnimax theater. Last but not least, there’s the Tiger Brewery Tour. Nearing its centenary, Tiger beer has been quenching the thirst of Singaporeans since long before Singapore was even an independent nation state. This is despite the fact key ingredients – hops and barley – don’t grow in the region. Discover how Tiger beer came to be with a one hour behind the scenes tour. Then you’ve got the chance to sample the final product or a very special Blue Paradise cocktail when visiting with a Go City All-Inclusive or Explorer pass. Snap up the hottest new items for your home and wardrobe Don’t think Jurong is short of shopping opportunities either. Far from it. Right next to Boon Lay MRT station, Jurong Point Shopping Mall probably provides the greatest range, since it’s one of the largest malls anywhere in the country. With 450 different stores to choose between, it’s difficult to see how even the biggest shopaholics would get bored. However, if they do, there’s always IMM outlet mall, Westgate and JCube all close by. What’s there to do at JCube? Beyond its five floors of shops, it contains the first Olympic-sized ice rink in Singapore, and an IMAX movie theater. No wonder some are now comparing Jurong to the much better-known shopping and entertainment area of Orchard Road. The artisans amongst us seeking out bespoke pieces are likely to want to try Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle too. Owned by the same family since the mid-1960s, the pottery uses Singapore’s last dragon kiln. A type of kiln more traditionally found in southern China, it uses wood to fire the clay into hardy ceramics. Visit during your time in Jurong and you can not only purchase handmade locally-produced items, but also try your hand at making your very own at one of their workshops. Save on admission to top Singapore attractions Whether you’re wedded to Jurong like an oyster to its rock, or simply exploring the neighborhood as part of your time in Singapore, it’s well worth considering traveling with Go City. Our passes provide savings on admission prices for many of Singapore’s top attractions, from museums to guided bike tours of Chinatown and beyond. Check out the Go City Facebook and Instagram pages for the latest competitions and special offers. And don’t forget to tag @GoCity or use #GoCityPass on your vacation social media posts for a chance to get featured on our page!
Alex Birungi

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