Masjid Hajjah Fatimah
An 1840s mosque with a golden dome, Gothic windows and a church-steeple minaret that leans about six degrees. A short stop on the way into Kampong Glam; avoid Friday prayers.
- Where: Kampong Glam
- Price: Free
Explore
Arts & Culture
Exhibitions, performances and a closer look at the city’s creative side.
The latest
Map viewTypical spend per person, in Singapore dollars.
Civil Defence Heritage Gallery (Central Fire Station)
Singapore's oldest fire station, on Hill Street, hides vintage engines you can climb into. Pair it with a Saturday-morning open house downstairs, booked ahead. Closed Mondays.
- Where: Civic District
- Price: Free
Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle & Dragon Kiln
A 27-metre wood-fired brick kiln from 1940 behind a Jurong yard of pots. Worth the trek for a pottery class or a heritage fix; firings are rare, so ask when it’s next lit.
- Where: Jurong
Kranji War Memorial
Rows of white headstones, twelve walls of names and the country's first two presidents next door, on a hillside in the far north. Go in the late afternoon and give it time.
- Where: Kranji
- Price: Free
Writers Bar
Ngiam Tong Boon's other cocktail, the Million Dollar, in a book-lined corner of the Raffles lobby. The quieter drink at Raffles, and the one with the better story.
- Where: Civic District
- Price: S$30–60
The Intan
A Joo Chiat terrace house with more than 5,000 Peranakan pieces and no glass cases, where the owner lives, pours the tea and explains what you’re sitting on. By appointment only.
- Where: Joo Chiat
- Price: S$60 and above
The Star Theatre
A 5,000-seat hall above The Star Vista mall, reached by open-air escalators. No house season: follow the promoters, book early, and eat downstairs before the show.
- Where: one-north
- Price: S$60 and above
The Lemon Stand Comedy Club
Singapore comedy finally has a room of its own on Queen Street, with shows Tuesday to Saturday. Book Wednesday’s Kumar night if you only go once; treat Tuesday open mic as a lucky dip.
- Where: Bugis
- Price: S$30–60
KC Arts Centre – Home of SRT
Singapore Repertory Theatre's 380-seat riverside home at Robertson Quay: close enough to see the actors sweat, big enough for a proper play, with a children's company for first-timers.
- Where: Robertson Quay
- Price: S$30–60
Filmhouse (formerly The Projector)
The Projector's old halls on level 5 of Golden Mile Tower, reopened as Filmhouse by the people who ran them, with better projectors. Still the place for films the multiplexes won't show.
- Where: Beach Road
- Price: Under S$30
Capitol Theatre
A 1930 picture palace on Stamford Road with a zodiac dome, two white Pegasus beside the stage and a line-up that depends on who has booked the room. The seat is the show; arrive early and look up.
- Where: Civic District
- Price: S$60 and above
Victoria Theatre & Victoria Concert Hall
Two colonial halls under one clock tower: the SSO’s home on one side, a hire theatre on the other. Book the concert hall for the music; check the theatre’s listings before assuming.
- Where: Civic District
- Price: S$30–60
Collections
Museums worth your attention
One museum given proper attention beats three at a jog. Regional art, natural history or something smaller: pick the subject you care about, then check what's on.
- 5 picks
Smaller museums
Specialist museums that take an hour rather than a day, and give back more if you arrive with a question and are willing to ask it.
- 3 picks
Small museums, big stories
Three small museums, three ways into Singapore: how it was planned, who came and what the war left. Start with the story you know least about.
- 3 picks