Things to Do in Singapore: Marina Bay, Chinatown, Sentosa and More

On a first visit, start at Marina Bay and Gardens by the Bay, walk through Chinatown, Little India and Kampong Glam, eat at a hawker centre, and give Sentosa a day if you’re travelling with kids or want a beach. That’s the core nearly every guide agrees on. Singapore is small, so you can cover it in three days without rushing.

The picks below are ordered by how many guides name them. Roam Singapore read 22 guides in English, Spanish, German, French and Chinese, from travel sites and independent blogs. Every opening hour and price on this page comes from the place’s own page or an official body, not from those guides. Hours and prices change, so check the page before you go.

Then see what’s on during your dates, because that’s what changes a trip. The events page lists festivals, concerts, markets and exhibitions from the organisers’ own pages, this weekend shows the next few days, and live music lists gigs. The map puts the places below next to the events near them.

The short list for a first visit

Hawker centres come up in 16 of the 22 guides, and they get their own guide: where to eat in Singapore. If you’re still choosing a base, read where to stay.

Marina Bay and Gardens by the Bay

Gardens by the Bay and the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark are each recommended by 20 of 22 guides read, the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest by 18, the Merlion by 17 and the Singapore Flyer by 14.

Marina Bay is where the skyline is, and you can see most of it on foot in an evening, so you won’t need a taxi. Start at the Merlion, walk the waterfront past the Esplanade and keep going toward the Marina Bay Sands hotel.

Gardens by the Bay is the one to plan around. The Supertree Grove is free and open daily from 5.00am to 2.00am, though the Supertree lights go off at 11.30pm. The Garden Rhapsody light show runs twice a night, at 7.45pm and 8.45pm. If you only want the Supertrees, you don’t need a ticket.

The two glass conservatories are different. The Flower Dome and Cloud Forest are open daily from 9.00am to 9.00pm, with last admission at 8.30pm for the Flower Dome and 8.00pm for the Cloud Forest. The opening hours page says each one closes once a month for maintenance, and the Flower Dome page lists 16 November 2026 as the next closure. The ticket for both is S$46 for non-residents, per the Flower Dome page, which also advertises a Jurassic World exhibit, so check what the price covers when you book.

At the hotel, the SkyPark Observation Deck and the rooftop infinity pool are two different things. The pool is for hotel guests only, and the deck takes its own ticket on the Marina Bay Sands page.

Chinatown

Chinatown is recommended by 18 of 22 guides read and the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple by 11.

Chinatown is a grid of shophouse streets around South Bridge Road. The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple is at 288 South Bridge Road, and the Sri Mariamman Temple, a Hindu temple, is at 244 South Bridge Road. It’s open from 6am to 12 noon and from 6pm to 9pm, and until 9.15pm on Fridays.

Chinatown is also the quickest way into the city’s hawker food. Maxwell Food Centre and Chinatown Complex are both a few minutes’ walk from the temples, and both are covered in the hawker guide. If you can’t decide between this and its neighbour, Chinatown or Little India compares them.

Little India and Kampong Glam

Little India is recommended by 19 of 22 guides read and Kampong Glam by 18.

Little India is the loudest, most colourful stretch of the city, centred on Serangoon Road. Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple is the landmark, and Tekka Centre, a hawker centre and wet market, is the place to eat. Deepavali turns the street into a light display each autumn.

Kampong Glam is a short MRT ride away and a different mood. The gold-domed Sultan Mosque is at 3 Muscat Street, and the mosque’s page lists a closure during prayer times, so check its visiting hours before you turn up. Haji Lane, a narrow strip of painted shophouses, sits a few steps from the mosque and is full of small shops and bars.

The river, Clarke Quay and the Civic District

Clarke Quay and Boat Quay are recommended by 17 of 22 guides read, the museums by 17 and Raffles Hotel by 9.

The Singapore River links Marina Bay to Clarke Quay, and the shophouses there are bars and restaurants, so it’s an evening stop. A short walk away, the Civic District holds the museums and the colonial buildings.

National Gallery Singapore is open daily from 10am to 7pm, with last admission at 6.30pm. Singaporeans and PRs get in free, and the general ticket for other nationalities is S$20. The page also says the UOB Southeast Asia Gallery is closed and due to reopen in late 2027.

Orchard Road and the Botanic Gardens

Orchard Road is recommended by 12 of 22 guides read and the Singapore Botanic Gardens by 12.

Orchard Road is the shopping strip, and you’ll find a lot of covered malls along it. You don’t need a plan here, only a reason to get out of the heat, and you can duck into any mall when it rains. The Singapore Botanic Gardens are a short ride away at 1 Cluny Road, open from 5am to midnight, free, and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2015. They’re a good early-morning walk, before it gets hot, and you won’t pay to get in.

Sentosa

Sentosa is recommended by 20 of 22 guides read, Universal Studios Singapore by 17 and the cable car by 10.

Sentosa is the resort island south of the city. It has beaches, Universal Studios Singapore and a lot of family attractions. Sentosa’s own page lists three ways in. The Sentosa Express leaves from VivoCity, Lobby L, Level 3, and the standard entry fee is S$4. The first train is at 7am and the last at midnight. You can also walk in on the Sentosa Boardwalk from VivoCity, Lobby F, Level 1, or take the cable car. The Mount Faber Line plus Sentosa Line ticket is S$35 for adults, according to that page.

Most guides treat Sentosa as a full day. If you don’t have kids or a beach in mind, you can leave it out, and you won’t miss much.

Less common picks

The Singapore Flyer (14 guides), the Esplanade theatres (10) and Fort Canning Park (9) all turn up, and so does Jewel Changi Airport (9), where the Rain Vortex is switched off for short periods on some days. Katong and its Peranakan shophouses were named by 11 guides, and the Night Safari by 9. The Southern Ridges walk and Pulau Ubin come up in 7 and 8, and Ubin is covered in the day trips guide.

A simple three-day order

• Day one: Marina Bay, Gardens by the Bay in the afternoon, the light show in the evening.
• Day two: Chinatown in the morning, the river and the Civic District after lunch, Clarke Quay at night.
• Day three: Little India and Kampong Glam, then Orchard Road or the Botanic Gardens.
• A spare day: Sentosa, or one of the day trips.

Rain can change any of this, and a thunderstorm in the afternoon is normal. Singapore weather by month has the numbers.

Places in this guide

Photos show the actual places, licensed under Creative Commons and credited to their photographers.

Lau Pa Sat Marina Bay · near Raffles Place Station Photo: Kimon Berlin Sri Mariamman Temple Chinatown · near Chinatown Station Photo: Tony Hisgett Abdul Gafoor Mosque Little India · near Rochor Station Photo: Khalzuri Yazid Universal Studios Singapore Sentosa · near HarbourFront Station Photo: Hotel Kaesong Saint Andrew's Cathedral Civic District · near City Hall Station Photo: Mustang Joe Istana Park Orchard · near Dhoby Ghaut Station Photo: Andy Mitchell Pulau Ubin Pulau Ubin Photo: Savio Sebastian