Lazarus Island
Imported sand, a crescent lagoon and, since the St John's jetty closed, every ferry landing here. The quiet beach is a little less of a secret, and still our pick of the islands.
- Where: Southern Islands
- Price: Under S$30
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Things to do in Singapore
Gallery afternoons, garden walks, markets and evenings out — ideas for every kind of day.
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Map viewTypical spend per person, in Singapore dollars.
St John's Island
Singapore's old quarantine island, now a lagoon, a picnic lawn, a cat colony and a skyline view. The ferry lands on Lazarus, and the walk across is the price of the quiet.
- Where: Southern Islands
- Price: Under S$30
Changi Chapel and Museum
Singapore's war told through what the Changi prisoners kept: a hidden camera, a Morse set in a matchbox, a 400-page diary. Allow an hour, and note it shuts on Mondays.
- Where: Changi
- Price: Under S$30
National Museum of Singapore
The Singapore History Gallery reopened on 10 October 2026 after its first full revamp in 20 years, with a 1978 HDB lift, the Zouk sign and a rickshaw you can pull. Bring a grandparent.
- Where: Civic District
- Price: Under S$30
Armenian Church of St Gregory the Illuminator
Singapore's oldest Christian church, built by a community that had shrunk to 62 people by 1947 and still gave the city Raffles Hotel, The Straits Times and its national flower.
- Where: Civic District
- Price: Free
Sultan Mosque (Masjid Sultan)
Kampong Gelam's golden domes sit on a band of glass bottle ends donated by the poor. Visit Saturday to Thursday, dressed for it; Fridays are closed to walk-in visitors.
- Where: Kampong Glam
- Price: Free
Thian Hock Keng Temple
One of Singapore’s oldest Chinese temples, built where Hokkien sailors stepped ashore to thank the sea goddess. Go before work, and look up at the roof.
- Where: Chinatown
- Price: Free
Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum
Built in 2007 to look a thousand years old, with a stupa made from 320kg of gold, a rooftop prayer wheel and a vegetarian food court in the basement. Free, and best done from the roof down.
- Where: Chinatown
- Price: Free
Sri Mariamman Temple
Singapore's oldest Hindu temple, with a five-tier gopuram that stops South Bridge Road mid-stride and a fire-walking festival each October or November. Shoes off, shoulders covered.
- Where: Chinatown
- Price: Free
Boulder Planet
A gentle way into bouldering: an 80-minute intro class, then two weeks of unlimited climbing to get hooked. Do the class at Sembawang, the bigger wall.
- Where: Across Singapore
- Price: S$30–60
The Artground at Goodman Arts Centre
A children's arts centre at Goodman where the installation is for climbing, and it changes every year. For under-nines and an adult who'll crawl through a tunnel; book ahead.
- Where: Mountbatten
- Price: Under S$30
Goodman Ceramic Studio
The name says Goodman Arts Centre; the wheels are at 71 Ubi Crescent. Worth it for a family or team afternoon, if you ask what firing and glazing cost first.
- Where: Ubi
- Price: S$60 and above
Things to do by neighbourhood
Gardens by the Bay
Don't buy everything. Our guide to the conservatory, the viewpoint and the ticket that suit one evening at the Gardens, and what to leave for next time.
- 5 picks
Collections
Make something, try something
A catch-up goes easier with a shared task. Choose pottery or climbing by the kind of concentration you want, and book a proper introduction rather than winging it.
- 2 picks