Singapore Cruises, Singapore
;img.crop(width:658%2Cheight:370))
Multi-cultural cuisine, old and new architecture, natural and manmade attractions – Singapore is a real melting pot. Here, markets sit in the shadows of designer malls and sky-high hotels tower over temples. But this is the City in a Garden, so the green to grey ratio’s higher than usual. The island nation’s freckled with parks, rainforests and futuristic vertical gardens. Run your finger along the waterfront, and you’ll find Sentosa Island – a resort dedicated to theme parks, beaches and animal encounters.
- Take up a spot on the SkyPark deck at Marina Bay Sands. It’s a great place for snapping the city-state’s giant supertrees in all their glory.
- Feast on steaming bowls of curry or laksa at a hawker centre. The stalls cover Malaysian, Chinese and Indian flavours. If you’re having trouble picking, look for the one with the longest line.
- Get up close to wildlife at Singapore Zoo. This 64-acre site blurs the line between zoo and rainforest, with big, natural enclosures. You can combine it with visits to the River Safari and Jurong Bird Park, too.
SHORE EXCURSIONS View all excursions
Snapshot of Singapore
This tour is an easy introduction to Singapore’s best bits. First, you’ll drive through Little India – a bite-sized version of India squeezed into a district. As you’d expect, it’s got temples, markets and colourful street decorations galore. Next, you’ll pass through the Colonial District, which is sprinkled with reminders of Singapore’s time under British rule. One of its most famous landmarks is the grand, whitewashed Raffles Hotel, where the city-state’s national cocktail – the Singapore Sling – was originally created in 1915. After, you’ll get to see Singapore’s natural side with a visit to the Gardens by the Bay. You can crane your neck and peer up at the magnificent supertrees, or stroll along the aerial walkway for a close-up view of the futuristic gardens. And the view is even more impressive at your last stop. You’ll look out over Singapore and Sentosa Island from the top of Mount Faber.
Singapore by land, air and sea
You’ll see Singapore from every angle on this tour. On land, you’ll visit the UNESCO-ticked Botanic Gardens. This huge, 74-hectare site is divided into different areas, including a rainforest, a lake and a healing garden filled with medicinal plants. Then you’ll hit the water for a boat ride, this unique vessel once carried cargo between ships and the riverside quays, but now carries passengers along Singapore’s historic waterfront. You’ll see Clarke Quay, where brightly painted bars and restaurants have taken up residence in once-abandoned warehouses. And you can marvel at Singapore’s old-meets-new skyline, where colonial-era buildings rub shoulders with 21st-century high-rises. Then you’ll take to the skies on the Singapore Flyer. The observation wheel trumps the London Eye at a whopping 165 meters tall, so you’ll be eye-to-eye with some of Singapore’s skyscrapers. And you can take in the 360° views of the cityscape from your air-conditioned glass capsule.
Wonders of Singapore - The city in a garden
Today, you’ll learn the reason behind Singapore’s nickname – the City in a Garden. It might be a metropolis, but the city-state breathes easy, thanks to the hundreds of parks and nature reserves that share space with the skyscrapers. Your first stop is at the 156-year-old Botanic Gardens – one of only three botanic gardens in the world that have been given the UNESCO nod. On the way to our next stop, you’ll drive down Orchard Road – Singapore’s shopping artery. This leads down to the waterfront, where the Gardens by the Bay are in sight. You can wander the canopies of the one-of-a-kind supertrees, which are covered in thousands of different plants. And then step inside the huge, climate-controlled domes nearby. They’re both world record-breakers – the Flower Dome is the biggest glass greenhouse, while the Cloud Forest Dome houses the highest indoor waterfall.