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The Supertrees lit pink and blue during Garden Rhapsody at Gardens by the Bay
Things to do

Free things to do in Singapore

Edited by Jamie   15 October 2026

The best things in Singapore are not all on the bill.

Singapore has a reputation as an expensive city, and on a Friday night in a cocktail bar it earns it. Step back, though, and a remarkable amount of the place costs nothing: a UNESCO-listed garden open from 5am to midnight, a light show in a grove of steel trees, a waterfall inside an airport, free concerts every day of the year at the national arts centre, and nature reserves where the admission charge is the mosquito. These are the 14 we would send a friend to, chosen because they are good rather than because they are free, and every hour, fare and exception below was read on the operator's own page on 7 November 2026. Updated 7 November 2026.

How to use the list: the first four are central and work on any evening after work; the parks and reserves want a morning start and a bottle of water; the two walks are for a Sunday with no plan. Where only part of a place is free (the Orchid Garden inside the Botanic Gardens, Canopy Park above the Rain Vortex, the ferry to Ubin) we say so beside the entry, not in a footnote. For the seasonal free things, the Christmas guide, the Christmas markets page and New Year's Eve carry the dates; the month's things to do and where to eat, the new restaurants page and this weekend's guide are where to spend what you saved.

Questions people ask

Is Gardens by the Bay free? The outdoor gardens and the Supertree Grove are, from 5am to 2am, and so is the Garden Rhapsody light show at 7.45pm and 8.45pm. The Flower Dome, Cloud Forest, Supertree Observatory and OCBC Skyway are ticketed.

Is the Singapore Botanic Gardens free? Yes, every day from 5am to midnight. The National Orchid Garden inside it charges S$5 for residents and S$15 standard, with children under 12 free.

Are Singapore's museums free? The National Heritage Board museums have free permanent galleries for citizens and permanent residents; we could not open the National Museum's admission page when we checked on 7 November 2026, so it is not in the numbered list. The Esplanade's free performances are open to everyone.

What is free to do at night? The Supertrees until the lights go off at 11.30pm, the Rain Vortex's light and music shows at 8pm and 9pm, Henderson Waves lit until 2am, and Fort Canning and the Lakeside Garden at Jurong Lake, which never close.

What does Pulau Ubin cost? Nothing to enter. The bumboat from Changi Point is S$4 a person each way and S$2 for a bicycle, and it leaves when it has 12 passengers, between 6am and 7pm.

Evergreen

The roundup

  1. A sculpture beside Swan Lake in the Singapore Botanic Gardens

    Singapore Botanic Gardens

    Daily 5am–midnight · National Orchid Garden 8.30am–7pm, last entry 6pm · Botanic Gardens

    The best free thing in Singapore, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site that costs nothing to walk into, from 5am to midnight every day. Don't try to finish it: pick one thread, such as the Tembusu on the five-dollar note or the Learning Forest's boardwalk, and follow it. The one paid corner is the National Orchid Garden, S$5 for residents and S$15 for everyone else, children under 12 free, open 8.30am to 7pm; it is worth the five dollars once. Go before 9am or after 5pm; the middle of the day belongs to the sun.

    FamiliesCouplesSoloFriends
    Admission
    Free; National Orchid Garden S$5 residents, S$15 standard, under-12s free
    Venue
    1 Cluny Road
    Getting there
    Botanic Gardens MRT for the Bukit Timah end; Napier MRT for Tanglin Gate
  2. The Supertrees lit pink and blue during Garden Rhapsody at Gardens by the Bay

    Garden Rhapsody at Supertree Grove

    Daily 5am–2am · Garden Rhapsody 7.45pm and 8.45pm · lights off 11.30pm · Marina Bay

    The outdoor gardens are free, open 5am to 2am, and the Supertrees put on Garden Rhapsody, a light and sound show, at 7.45pm and 8.45pm every night; the lights go off at 11.30pm. Watch from directly beneath the trees rather than the edge of the grove: lie back on the ground and let it happen over you. The OCBC Skyway and the Supertree Observatory are ticketed and optional; the show is built to be seen from below. Arrive 20 minutes before the first show for a patch of ground.

    FamiliesCouplesFriendsSolo
    Admission
    Free; Skyway, Observatory and the domes ticketed
    Venue
    Supertree Grove, Gardens by the Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Drive
    Getting there
    Bayfront MRT, then the Dragonfly Bridge; Gardens by the Bay MRT for the Meadow end
  3. Rain Vortex seen from Canopy Park, Level 5

    Jewel Rain Vortex, Changi Airport

    Daily 10am–10pm · light and music showcase 8pm and 9pm, plus 10pm Fri–Sun, PH and eves of PH · Changi

    A seven-storey waterfall inside a shopping mall, free to stand under from 10am to 10pm, with a light and music showcase on the water at 8pm and 9pm, and a 10pm show on Fridays, weekends, public holidays and their eves. The Forest Valley terraces around it are free too; Canopy Park on Level 5, with the nets and mazes, is the ticketed part. Best at the 9pm show, when the departures crowd has gone through and the trains back into town are empty.

    FamiliesCouplesFriends
    Admission
    Free; Canopy Park ticketed
    Venue
    Forest Valley, Jewel Changi Airport, 78 Airport Boulevard
    Getting there
    Changi Airport MRT, then the link bridge from Terminal 3
  1. Esplanade's spiked domes lit up at night across Marina Bay, with the Singapore Flyer behind

    Free performances at the Esplanade

    Daily; programme times on the Esplanade's what's-on page · centre open 8am–11.30pm · Marina Bay

    The national arts centre's own line is free performances every day, and it means it: music on the Concourse inside and at the Outdoor Theatre on the waterfront, from student ensembles to touring acts in its festivals, with the Bay and the Supertrees' show as the backdrop at 7.45pm. Check the what's-on page for the day, go to the Outdoor Theatre for the view and the Concourse when it rains, and buy nothing.

    CouplesFriendsSoloFamilies
    Admission
    Free
    Venue
    Esplanade Concourse and the Outdoor Theatre, 1 Esplanade Drive
    Getting there
    Esplanade or City Hall MRT
  2. Henderson Waves bridge, hero view

    Henderson Waves and the Southern Ridges

    Park open 24 hours; Earth Trail not after 7pm · bridge lit 7pm–2am · Telok Blangah

    A wave-shaped timber bridge high above Henderson Road, lit with LEDs from 7pm to 2am daily, on the ridge walk that runs from Mount Faber to Kent Ridge through Telok Blangah Hill Park and HortPark. The park is open 24 hours, the Earth Trail is not after 7pm. Do the stretch from Mount Faber to HortPark in the early morning, when the air is cool and the macaques are still asleep, or come at dusk for the bridge alone.

    CouplesFriendsSoloFamilies
    Admission
    Free
    Venue
    Henderson Road, between Mount Faber Park and Telok Blangah Hill Park
    Getting there
    Telok Blangah or HarbourFront MRT, then uphill
  3. A brick pavilion at the end of a garden path in Fort Canning Park

    Fort Canning Park

    Open 24 hours · free guided tours on listed Saturdays, 10am · Civic District

    The hill in the middle of town that most people only walk through on the way to somewhere: 22 hectares, open 24 hours, with the historical gardens, the spice garden, the 14th-century dig site and the gate to Battlebox. NParks runs free recurring guided tours on Saturday mornings, including Heritage on the Hill and Trees of the Fort, booked on its events page. It is also the free way to see the two exhibitions at Fort Canning Centre, and the shortcut from Dhoby Ghaut to Clarke Quay that nobody takes.

    FamiliesCouplesSolo
    Admission
    Free; Battlebox inside the park is ticketed
    Venue
    Bounded by Hill Street, Canning Rise, Clemenceau Avenue and River Valley Road
    Getting there
    Fort Canning, Dhoby Ghaut or Clarke Quay MRT
  4. social cover

    Pulau Ubin

    Bumboats on demand 6am–7pm daily, leaving with 12 passengers · Pulau Ubin

    The last kampung, 10 minutes off Changi Point by bumboat, and the only entry here with a fare: S$4 a person each way and S$2 for a bicycle, boats leaving when 12 people are aboard between 6am and 7pm. Everything after the jetty is free, including Chek Jawa's boardwalk and the Puaka Hill lookout. Bring cash for the boat and the bicycle hire, go on a weekday or before 9am on a weekend, and be back at the jetty with daylight to spare; after 7pm the boat is a private negotiation.

    FriendsCouplesFamiliesSolo
    Admission
    Free to visit; bumboat S$4 per person each way, S$2 per bicycle
    Venue
    Changi Point Ferry Terminal, 51 Lorong Bekukong, then Pulau Ubin
    Getting there
    Bus 2, 29 or 59 to Changi Village, then the ferry terminal
    Book on Klook
  5. The wooden Coney Island sign at the park entrance

    Coney Island Park

    Daily 7am–7pm · Punggol

    It is called Coney Island, and there is not a rollercoaster in sight: 81 hectares of casuarina woodland, beaches and boardwalks off Punggol, open 7am to 7pm, with a rustic path the whole length and beaches off it. There is no shop, no tap water to speak of and no shade at the beaches, so this is a 7am cycle, not a 2pm stroll. Free, including NParks' self-guided walk; the gates close at 7pm and they mean it.

    FriendsFamiliesSolo
    Admission
    Free
    Venue
    Beside Punggol Promenade Nature Walk; west gate at Punggol Point
    Getting there
    Punggol MRT, then LRT to Punggol Point or Samudera and a walk
  6. Coastal Trail Sunrise at Eagle Point Boardwalk - Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Guide

    Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

    Daily 7am–7pm, last entry 6.30pm · free guided walks on listed Saturdays, 9.30am · Kranji

    Two hundred and two hectares of mangroves, mudflats and migratory birds in the far north-west, free, open 7am to 7pm with last entry at 6.30pm, and NParks runs free guided walks on Saturday mornings that need registration. Go at low tide for the mudskippers and crabs, at dawn in the migratory season for the birds, and never at noon. Bus 925 from Kranji MRT on weekdays and Saturdays, 925M on Sundays and holidays, drops you at the Visitor Centre.

    FamiliesSoloCouples
    Admission
    Free
    Venue
    Visitor Centre, 60 Kranji Way
    Getting there
    Kranji MRT, then bus 925 (Mon–Sat) or 925M (Sun and PH)
  7. Rasau Walk boardwalk over the lake and aerial overview of Lakeside Garden

    Jurong Lake Gardens

    Lakeside Garden 24 hours · Chinese and Japanese Gardens 5.30am–midnight · Forest Ramble and Clusia Cove closed Mon (except PH) · Jurong

    The west's answer to the Botanic Gardens, and in places the better one for children: the Lakeside Garden is open 24 hours, the Chinese and Japanese Gardens from 5.30am to midnight, and all of it is free. The Forest Ramble nature playgarden and Clusia Cove water play are free too, open 8am to 10pm and 8am to 7pm, but shut on Mondays for maintenance unless the Monday is a public holiday. The grasslands are not lit, so after dark stay on the main paths.

    FamiliesCouplesSolo
    Admission
    Free
    Venue
    Yuan Ching Road, Jurong
    Getting there
    Lakeside MRT
  8. A runner crosses the TreeTop Walk suspension bridge above MacRitchie's forest

    The TreeTop Walk, MacRitchie

    TreeTop Walk Tue–Fri 9am–5pm, weekends and PH 8.30am–5pm, last entry 4.45pm, closed Mon (except PH) · reserve 7am–7pm · MacRitchie

    A 250-metre suspension bridge 25 metres up between the two highest points of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, free, and reached only on foot: about 7 kilometres return from Windsor Nature Park or a 10-kilometre loop from MacRitchie Reservoir Park. It opens 9am to 5pm Tuesday to Friday and 8.30am to 5pm at weekends and public holidays, with last entry at 4.45pm, and is closed on Mondays unless they are holidays. The reserve itself is open 7am to 7pm. Start by 8am, carry a litre of water a head, and do not feed the macaques, however reasonable they look.

    FriendsSoloCouples
    Admission
    Free
    Venue
    Central Catchment Nature Reserve, via Windsor Nature Park or MacRitchie Reservoir Park
    Getting there
    Bus to Flame Tree Park on Upper Thomson Road for Windsor; Caldecott MRT and a walk for MacRitchie
  9. Colourful five-tiered gopuram of Sri Mariamman Temple on South Bridge Road, Chinatown

    Chinatown's temples: Sri Mariamman, Buddha Tooth Relic and Thian Hock Keng

    Sri Mariamman daily 6am–noon and 6–9pm (Fri to 9.15pm); check the other two temples' pages for their hours · Chinatown

    Three of the oldest and most ornate buildings in the city within a 15-minute walk, all free to enter. Sri Mariamman, Singapore's oldest Hindu temple, opens 6am to noon and 6pm to 9pm, to 9.15pm on Fridays; the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum is four doors down South Bridge Road, and Thian Hock Keng, the Hokkien temple on Telok Ayer Street, is where the shoreline used to be. Dress with shoulders and knees covered, leave shoes where the signs say, and go in the early evening when the lamps are lit and the tour groups have gone.

    CouplesSoloFriends
    Admission
    Free; offerings optional
    Venue
    244 South Bridge Road; 288 South Bridge Road; 158 Telok Ayer Street
    Getting there
    Chinatown or Telok Ayer MRT
  10. Painted shophouses and a large mural along Haji Lane in Kampong Glam

    Kampong Glam: Haji Lane, Arab Street and the Sultan Mosque

    Any day; the mosque's visiting hours are on its site and it is closed to visitors on Fridays · Kampong Glam

    The neighbourhood walk that costs nothing unless you weaken: the murals and shophouses of Haji Lane, the textile and carpet shops of Arab Street, and the golden dome of the Sultan Mosque at the end of Bussorah Street, which receives visitors outside prayer times and asks for covered arms and legs. Go on a weekday afternoon for the lanes to yourself, or a Friday evening for the opposite. Lunch is the only real expense, and the nasi padang along Kandahar Street makes it a small one.

    CouplesFriendsSolo
    Admission
    Free to wander
    Venue
    Haji Lane, Arab Street and Bussorah Street, Kampong Glam
    Getting there
    Bugis MRT
  11. A jet flies low over Changi Beach Park's sand and casuarinas, Pulau Ubin on the horizon

    Changi Beach Park

    Open 24 hours · Changi

    A long strip of sand, casuarinas and barbecue pits on the east coast, open 24 hours, where the planes come in low over your head on the approach to Changi; the far end at Changi Point has the ferry terminal for Ubin and the hawker centre for after. It is the free beach that is nothing like Sentosa: no bars, no boardwalk, no entry fee and, on a weekday, almost nobody. Bring your own everything, including shade.

    FamiliesFriendsCouples
    Admission
    Free
    Venue
    Along Nicoll Drive and Changi Coast Road
    Getting there
    Bus 2, 29 or 59 to Changi Village

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Sources