Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
7
Singapore Attractions
Of Singapor e's man y sights and
attractions, I enjo y the historical and cul-
tural sights the most. The city's many old
buildings and well-presented museum dis-
plays bring histor y to life. Chinese and
Hindu temples and Muslim mosques wel-
come curious obser vers to disco ver their
culture as they play out their daily activi-
ties, and the countr y's natural parks make
the gr eat outdoors easily accessible fr om
even the most urban neighborhood. That's
the best benefit of trav eling in S ingapore:
Most attractions ar e situated within the
heart of the city, and those that lie outside
the urban center still can be easily
west, nor th, and east, wher e y ou'll find
large areas dedicated to natur e reserves, a
zoo, other wildlife attractions, theme
parks, and sprawling temple complexes, all
easily accessible b y public transpor tation
or a cab ride. As a kicker , I'll take y ou to
Sentosa (a small island to the south with
amusements, historical exhibits, natur
e
displays, and outdoor activities for fami-
lies) and to some of the smaller outlying
islands, and will fill y ou in on spor ts and
recreation options.
When y ou're trav eling to attractions
outside the urban ar ea, I r ecommend
keeping this topic handy—taxis ar e not
always easy to find, so y ou may need to
refer to the guide to call for a pickup or use
the bus and MR T system, r oute numbers
for which I' ve included with listings of
most noncentral attractions.
A note:
Many of the sights to see in
Singapore are not of the “pay your fee and
see the sho w” v ariety, but rather historic
buildings, monuments, and places of r eli-
gious worship . M onuments and statues
tell the stories of events and heroes impor-
tant to Singapore in both the past and the
present. The places of worship listed in
this chapter are open to the public and free
of entrance charge. E xpect temples to be
open fr om sunup to sundo wn. Visiting
hours ar e not specific to the hour , but
unless it's a holiday (when hours may be
extended), you can expect these places to
be open during daylight hours.
reached.
Singapore also has a multitude of
planned attractions for visitors and locals
alike. Theme par ks dev oted to cultural
heritage, spor ting fun, and ev en kitsch
amusement pop up all o ver the place. I n
this chapter, I've outlined the many attrac-
tions her e and pr ovided historical and
cultural information to help y ou appreci-
ate each sight in its local context. To help
you plan your activities, I've put stars next
to those attractions I' ve enjo yed the
most—either for significance, ex
cellent
planning, or just plain curiosity.
I've divided this chapter into the main
sections of the urban center—the Historic
District, Chinato wn, Little I ndia, Kam-
pong G lam, and O rchard R oad, wher e
you'll find the more historical sights of the
city—and those outside the city
, to the
1
THE HISTORIC DISTRICT
When Sir Stamford Raffles first sailed up the Singapore River, he saw a small fishing and
trading village along the banks and a thick o vergrowth of jungle and mangr ove forest
creeping up a gentle hill that o verlooked the harbor . Over the y ears to follo w, the left
