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Top Things To See & Do Singapore

 

• Shop in Singapore City's Orchard Road - the 'Fifth Avenue' or 'Oxford Street' of Singapore, and just as bustling, with its vast luxury malls, shops ranging from megastores to vendors of souvenir tat, as well as cafes and restaurants. Arab Street is the centre of the Arabian quarter of Singapore, and is also a great place for shopping. Other streets with excellent shopping opportunities are Baghdad Street and Bussorah Street, while Sultan Plaza is a centre for cloth traders. The golden domes of the Sultan Mosque, Singapore's chief Muslim place of worship, dominate the area; nearby are two historic Muslim burial grounds. Chinatown, though somewhat overwhelmed by the growth of the Financial District, is another bustling and colourful area with shops, teahouses and restaurants, and also several temples such as the Fuk Tak Ch'i in Telok Ayer Street and the Temple of the Calm Sea. Ancient crafts of calligraphy, papermaking and fortune-telling are practised, and traditional goods and foodstuffs can be bought. The characteristic domestic architecture of Singapore – the shop-house with a moulded front, shuttered upper floor and an arcaded street front – is much in evidence.

• Prop up the bar at the Raffles Hotel, one of the most famous hotels in the world. A 'Singapore Sling' (a head-spinningly good cocktail) in the Long Bar is almost de rigueur; to sober up, drop into the Writers' Bar, which provided inspiration for, amongst others, Noel Coward, Somerset Maugham and Joseph Conrad.

• Near the Singapore River, wander towards the Parliament House, the oldest Government building in the country, the core of which dates back to the 1820s.

• Explore the National Orchid Garden in Singapore's Botanic Gardens, which has the largest collection of orchids in the world. The Botanic Gardens have over 52 hectares (128 acres) of landscaped parkland and primary jungle and are situated to the west of the city (Napier/Cluny Roads), home to a wide range of animal and plant life. For more exotic treats of nature, venture into the Bukit Timah Reserve, established in 1883 and located northwest of the Botanic Gardens on Bukit Timah Road; it contains Singapore's last stretches of original and immaculately manicured rain forest. The nature reserve also consists of tropical vegetation with clearly marked trails which lead up to Bukit Timah, the highest hill in Singapore.

• View what was once an ancient fort of the Malay kings, covering 2.8 hectares (7 acres): Fort Canning Park, on Fort Canning Rise. The Colonial ruins of the British citadel can still be viewed, as can a 19th-century Christian cemetery. The Battle Box in the park is the old command bunker of the World War II defence of Singapore, now a museum open Tues-Sun 1000-1800, with a small admission fee charged.

• Buddhist and Hindu temples, mosques and Anglican and Catholic cathedrals are all likely to be encountered during a comparatively brief walk around some of the central areas of Singapore, such is its splendid diversity. St Andrew's Cathedral, the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, the Al-Abrar Mosque, the vast and florid Kong Meng Sang Phor Kark See Temple Complex, the Chettiar Hindu Temple and the Sri Mariamman Temple are only a few of these.

• The Jurong Bird Park on Jurong Hill is home to South-East Asia's largest collection of birds. There is also the world's largest walk-in aviary, a nocturnal house and several spectacular bird shows.

• The largest and best-known of Singapore's offshore islands is also one of the closest to the mainland. Sentosa is a multi-million dollar pleasure resort girdled by a monorail and offering a wide range of activities and attractions. These include the Underwater World and Dolphin Lagoon, Images of Singapore, the recently upgraded Musical Fountain Show, The Merlion, the Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom Museum, Sijori WonderGolf and the Carlsberg Sky Tower. Lovely gardens, beautiful beaches and a plethora of restaurants and eating places all contribute to the island's popularity with tourists and locals alike. Many prefer to skip the theme park attractions and head straight for Sentosa's beaches – Palawan, Siloso and Tanjong – where a wide range of watersports is available. These were built with imported white sand and are often crowded, especially at weekends. There are bus, monorail and tram services linking Sentosa to the city centre, and the causeway bridge is open to foot traffic. An admission fee for entry to the island is charged and composite tickets can also be bought which give admission to some of the attractions. Resort hotels, camping and other accommodation are available on the island.

• Canoe around the island - there are a number of operators hiring out canoes at Changi point, East Coast and Sentosa Island.

 

This page was created on Tue, 2 Jan 2007 15:32:11 +0000

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