Things to do in Singapore When it Rains

By Adam Fraiel
Published: July 18, 2024
Indian Heritage Centre in Singapore

Rain, rain go away! Come to Singapore another day, preferably when you’re not on vacation. However, if you do find the days a little moist, worry not. There are plenty of places to escape the downpour. We’ve put together a list of activities so you won’t miss a minute of action during your Singapore vacation.

  • Shopping at the mall
  • National Museum of Singapore
  • National Gallery Singapore
  • Asian Civilizations Museum
  • Indian Heritage Center
  • Floral Fantast
  • Tea Chapter Chinese Teahouse
  • Madame Tussauds Singapore
  • Trickeye

Enjoy Some Retail Therapy

It’s raining and you’re feeling a little blue. What better way to cheer yourself up than with a little retail therapy? The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands contains a world-class hotel, casino, shops, restaurants, bars, and other attractions providing entertainment for all the family.

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You’ll find a vast casino, cinemas, theaters showing award-winning productions, over 80 restaurants, close to 300 shopping outlets, indoor river rides, and spectacular waterfalls. And best of all? You’ll be nice and dry.

Explore the Museums of Singapore

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National Museum of Singapore

The nation’s oldest museum, it brings history to life with exciting visual exhibitions and internationally renowned festivals. The National Museum of Singapore embraces technology to share traditional culture, stories, and history through displays, artifacts, plus innovative events.

National Gallery Singapore

A stunning 64,000 square meter building in the heart of the Civic District, see the world’s largest public collection of Singapore and Southeast Asian modern art at the National Gallery Singapore. If you get a little hungry from all the exploring, stop for a bite in one of the MICHELIN-starred restaurants.

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Asian Civilisations Museum

Discover the rich history of Asia, with exhibits dating back to 830 AD. The varied cultures of Asia have an interconnected history, and the Asian Civilisations Museum presents it through artifacts, exhibits, plus a giant shipwreck to explore. You’ll also find a variety of artwork from the various major religions, all of which passed through this vital port town.

Indian Heritage Centre

The Indian Heritage Center offers a chronological timeline of the Indian influence in Singapore. Using galleries, exhibitions, archived footage, and interactive, educational spaces, you’ll learn of the first Indian settlements, through the growth and development of the Little India district to the tourist hotspot it is today.

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The Battlebox

Venture underground and explore this authentic command center 9 meters underground - the same space where Lieutenant-General Percival and his senior officers directed the Battle of Singapore in World War II. After the 30-minute tour you’re free to wander alone, navigating the labyrinth of corridors as you watch footage of the war raging above. An essential experience if you want to truly understand the history of Singapore.

Stop and smell the roses

Floral Fantasy is an indoor section at Gardens by the Bay that will blow your mind and your senses. Thousands of freshly cut, dried, and preserved flowers decorate the ceiling, while flowers, artistic expression, and technology combine to create a sensational sensory experience below.

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Divided into four diverse landscapes, Dance, Float, Waltz, and Drift, you’ll forget all about the rain outside. Dance features a mesmerizing display of swaying plants, Float contains stunning water features, Waltz is home to waterfalls and a frog vivarium, while Drift is an enchanting cave with beautifully lit rock formations.

A Cup of Tea

Wait out the rain with a nice, hot cup of tea. Tea is more than just a drink in Singapore. It’s a part of the long, multicultural history of the country, including China, India, the British Empire, and Japan.

Experience the full spectrum of tea in the country with a trip to a teahouse. Tea Chapter is the largest and oldest Chinese teahouse in Singapore. Fit for royalty, receiving Queen Elizabeth II in 1989, it continues to inspire and educate visitors from around the world about the ceremony and ritual behind making, pouring, and serving the perfect cup.

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Complete your experience with a lovely cup of Indian chai in Little India, or Japanese matcha green teas in The Maccha House Singapore.

Ready for some selfies?

Madame Tussauds Singapore

Pose alongside your favorite Hollywood, Bollywood, TV, and sports stars, like Serena Williams, Taylor Swift, and Johnny Depp. It’s not just selfies though. Madame Tussauds Singapore offers an edutainment aspect too, with the chance to sing and dance alongside famous Bollywood stars, and explore Singapore’s rich culture with the Spirit of Singapore Boat Ride. Definitely an excellent rainy day activity.

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Trickeye @ Southside Singapore

Fill your social feed with mind-bending optical illusions while playing with augmented reality in this virtual world playground. Swim with sharks and dance with mermaids in this interactive augmented reality environment.

Save on Admission to Top Singapore Attractions

Explore the best things to do with a pass for Singapore by Go City®. Select from top attractions with our All-Inclusive and Explorer passes, where you’ll enjoy access to galleries, museums, tours much more.

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Adam Fraiel
Go City Travel Expert

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A collared kingfisher in the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Singapore
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Singapore in July

As Singapore’s peak holiday season draws to a gentle close, July sees a slight let-up in the number of vacationers that have been thronging the hot, sticky streets for the last couple of months. But, while the crowds may have dissipated somewhat, the searing temperatures and frequent downpours of the southwest monsoon season show few signs of abating. Read on for the lowdown on what to expect when visiting Singapore in July. Visiting Singapore in July Temperature: 75–88°F • Average Rainfall: 19 days/month • Average Sunshine: 8 hours/day You’ll want to pack an umbrella along with your factor 50 for trips to Singapore in July. Thunderstorms and heavy downpours are absolutely guaranteed at this time of year, but what’s difficult to predict is when you might be about to get caught in one. A small umbrella in your backpack is the number one hack for such eventualities along with, ideally, rubber sandals or similarly waterproof footwear. In fact, most of July’s rain storms tend to arrive after dark, but afternoon showers are also still highly likely. Don’t forget loose-fitting cotton and linen clothes, too. Synthetics are a big no-no in these temperatures, unless of course you actively enjoy the feeling of polyester trousers clinging damply to your sweaty knees, in which case: you do you. Broad, floppy hats, UV sunglasses and a big water bottle should also be considered essential if you’re planning to do a lot of outdoor sightseeing. And, while there’s loads you’ll want to see and do that require you to be exposed to the sun, we’d advise mixing it up with a bit of air-conditioned action indoors, perhaps spending cooler mornings (after the nightly rainfall) ticking off the outdoor must-sees, before hitting the malls, hawker centers, museums and immersive attractions before the afternoon heat really starts to bite. Things to do in Singapore in July Singapore is a haven for all manner of wildlife. It’s not unusual, for example, to see traffic grind to a halt to allow a family of otters to cross the road, or to be deafened by the sound of thousands of roosting myna birds as you stroll beneath the trees that line the Orchard Road in the early evening. Sultry Singapore mornings in July are a great time to experience some of this garden island’s vibrant flora and fauna up close. Rent a bike to explore one of the many traffic-free routes that weave through wetlands, woodlands, nature reserves and more. The Rail Corridor – stretching from Chinatown all the way north to Kranji – is among the very best: 24 kilometers of rewilded railway line, along which you might well encounter monitor lizards, flying lemurs and colorfully crested bulbuls. A little over halfway along the route, you can take a diversion into Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, where an epic 400 acres of tropical rainforest awaits the intrepid explorer. There’s an even more varied bunch of critters to be found here beneath the canopy, among them reticulated pythons, macaques and endangered Sunda pangolins. The reserve is also home to the highest hill in Singapore. Rising to over 500 feet, it’s a moderately challenging climb that takes around an hour and rewards hikers with awesome 360-degree views across the treetops to the city beyond. The Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve on Singapore’s northwestern tip is another fine option for wildlife-spotting, particularly for twitchers. Migratory species including the distinctive Pacific golden plover and the long-legged Asian dowitcher have been spotted here, and you might also clock mudskippers, monitor lizards, giant Atlas moths and even the occasional saltwater croc lurking among the mangroves. Take the reserve’s two-hour walking loop to get the most from your visit. Shopping and Dining in Singapore in July Looking for something a little more... indoorsy? The Great Singapore Sale (GSS) is in its final month in July, which makes it a fine time for a spot of air-conditioned retail therapy in Singapore’s mega-malls. Hit up the shopping mecca that is Orchard Road, a string of high-end malls seemingly designed specifically to empty your wallet and fill your home with shiny new gadgets, designer handbags and other expensive knick-knacks. It’s the cheapest time of year to do so as the annual bonanza that is the GSS means whopping great discounts of up to 70% (!!!) at hundreds of participating stores. Meanwhile, in-the-know souvenir hunters head to hip Kampong Glam, where colorful 19th-century shophouses contain no end of chic indie boutiques and Arab Street’s antique emporia yield the kind of unique gifts of which dreams are made. We’re talking hand-woven Turkish textiles, intricate mosaic lanterns, painted ceramics and more. After splashing the cash, tuck into some of the best nasi padang this side of Jakarta in the shadow of the Sultan Mosque, with its iconic golden dome. And if nasi padang and other South Asian favorites like chili crab and sticky peanut satay float your boat and tickle your tastebuds, you’re in luck! With over 100 hawker centers to choose from, you’re never far from your next plate of delicious, affordable street food in Singapore. Better still, many centers are now air-conditioned, meaning you get a little respite from the soaring temperatures outside, albeit you may end up pretty hot under the collar anyway, as you dive into spicy bowls of sambal-laced laksa, zingy chili crab (the national dish, no less) or red-hot rendang curries. Cool off with a refreshing glass of bandung - a sweet (and highly Instagrammable) cocktail of condensed milk and rose syrup served over ice. Yum! And, if you’re feeling particularly bold and adventurous on your July visit to Singapore, why not give some of the nation’s most out-there delicacies a spin. We’re talking pufferfish, fried pigs’ fallopian tubes in kung pao sauce and – very much for the non-squeamish – still-wriggling octopus tentacles that will, we kid you not, cling to your chopsticks and even your tongue in a bid to escape their fate. 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
Raffles Hotel
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Woman in traditional floral cheongsam dress, holding a paper fan.
Blog

Best Places to get a Dress Made in Singapore

You know the feeling. You spend ages deliberating over the perfect dress for that big event and then someone else (with whom you inevitably have previous beef) turns up wearing exactly the same thing. Rather than being the belle of the ball, you’re the (red) face of your friends’ ‘who wore it best?’ memes for months afterwards. More deflating than a helium shortage at a foil balloon festival, it’s just about the worst thing that can happen at a party. Well, short of the vol au vents running out before you've even arrived. Solution: create your own party outfit with a little help from Singapore’s top designers and dressmakers. There are dozens of boutiques offering such services across the city, whether you’re in the market for a showstopping cocktail dress, sober interview suit, don’t-upstage-the-bride wedding outfit or classic silk cheongsam. Or, you know, something altogether more outlandish to suit your personality. We’ve rounded up six of the best places to get a dress made in Singapore. Read on for the lowdown... ***Note: all prices quoted are in Singapore Dollars (SGD)*** Time Taken to Make a Dress The very literal name of this couture dressmaker, located on the upper floor of a Kampong Glam shophouse, a stone’s throw from the Sultan Mosque’s glittering golden dome, belies the offbeat nature of designer-owners Letitia Phay and Jade Swee, for whom conformity is a dirty word. Setters of trends rather than followers of fashion, the duo – as the boutique name hints – like to take time over their creations, working closely with their clients to design and produce something spectacular and unique. Just think of them as fairy godmothers to your Cinderella. Be ready to pay more than Cinders could ever afford though: prices can reach five figures, depending on the fabric and level of detailing required, with complex projects taking up to six months to complete. Golden Scissors Cheongsam Looking to dazzle in a cheongsam? Golden Scissors deals exclusively in these traditional, figure-hugging Chinese dresses and has been doing so for four decades, so you can be reasonably sure resident seamstress Madam Li Qiying knows what she’s doing. You’ll find the shop at the towering People’s Park Complex in the heart of Chinatown, where the temptation to fill up on steamed pork dumplings immediately prior to a fitting is to be avoided at all costs. Step inside the boutique to discover a veritable cornucopia of off-the-peg options: beautiful cheongsams in all manner of different shapes, sizes, designs and colors. Pick one of these for a quick and easy win, or have the cheongsam experts rustle up something unique for you. Prices start at less than $100 for simple pre-made cotton designs, rising a little more sharply (but not restrictively so) if you opt for a bespoke silk piece. Bespoke designs are usually ready for collection within a week. Ong Shunmugam Known for their progressive Asian dress designs, Ong Shunmugam has two locations in Singapore: one in atmospheric Kampong Glam and a flagship branch in the trendy Chip Bee Gardens, west of the Botanic Gardens. But you can’t just pitch up at ateliers like these and expect to be allowed inside simply by pressing your nose hopefully against the window. No: fittings in these exclusive boutiques are by appointment only, which has the effect of making you feel simultaneously important and overwhelmingly anxious about how much it's all going to cost. But what price quality? Expect fine materials, meticulous craftsmanship and stellar designs to your precise specifications in exchange for your dollar. You’ll be cash poor but catwalk-ready before you know it. Love, Yu Cutesy name on the outside, serious bridalwear inside, ‘Love, Yu’ is a solid mid-range option for your nuptials, with prices starting from under $3,000 but creeping steadily upwards depending on how flamboyant you want the final product to look. Singaporean designer Eelyn Tang’s signature creations combine modern silhouettes with delicate fabrics such as silk, fine French lace and tulle, but if it’s great jewel-studded fairytale bustles and poofy sleeves that set your heart aflutter, then you can have that too – at a price. Either way, this boutique bridal shop strives to make your vision a reality for a day you and your betrothed will never forget. Jenny & Me Dressmaking Looking to grab a bit of red carpet pizazz without the movie star price tag? Look no further than Jenny Lim’s Holland Village boutique, Jenny & Me, in which the ‘Me’ is in fact... you. The name hints at the kind of personable, personalized experience you can expect here, where friendly service, affordable pricing and decades of dressmaking knowhow has seen Madam Lim become something of a stalwart on Singapore’s sartorial scene. Jenny does men’s clothing too, ideal if you’re looking for his’n’hers outfits that will have you feeling like prom king and queen at whatever party or event you plan to attend together. Lai Chan Goh Lai Chan is another specialist in cheongsams – or qipaos, as they’re known in Mandarin. His is a very modern take on the traditional high-collared, form-fitting look, built around a firm belief that these eye-catching garments should be worn all the time, and not just on special occasions. It’s a look that attracts a younger, more fashion-forward set than many of his contemporaries, with fans pairing his colorful creations with jeans, sneakers and other clobber more regularly associated with dress-down Fridays at the office. What you’ll also get with a Lai Chan cheongsam are his signature gemstone buttons, inspired by the jade buttons on the imperial garments worn by Chinese Emperors. So there you have it: literally fit for an emperor. You can mix and match with your other half here, too, with bespoke ‘man-paos’ available for the discerning modern gent. 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

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