Showing 1-18 of 18 results
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Armenian Church
Dedicated to St Gregory the Illuminator, Singapore's oldest church (1836) is the neoclassical Armenian Church, designed by eminent colonial architect George Coleman. Pushing up orchids in the graveyard is Agnes Joaquim, discoverer of Singapore's national flower - the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid.
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Carlsberg Sky Tower
Resembling a camembert impaled on a carrot, one of Sentosa's newer tourist magnets is the Carlsberg Sky Tower. Take the slow ride up the 131m column for magical Singapore views. More terrifying is the prospect of the 'Carlsberg Float' - a beer and ice-cream monstrosity at the bar.
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Chettiar Hindu Temple
Officially known as the Sri Thandayuthapani Temple, the open-walled, blue-green Chettiar Hindu Temple was completed in 1984, replacing a temple built by Indian chettiars (moneylenders). Dedicated to the six-headed Shaivite Lord Subramaniam, it's at its most active during the Thaipusam festival.
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Chinese Gardens
The highlights of the 13-hectare Chinese Gardens, on an island in Jurong Lake, are the 176-step pagoda and the contorted Chinese bonsai (the 300 year-old Pemphis acidula steals the show). Pre-wedding photo sessions dominate weekend proceedings.
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Emerald Hill Road
Take time to wander through the pedestrianised Peranakan Place to Emerald Hill Road, where some original Peranakan terrace houses stand in various states of glamorous decay. The quiet atmosphere around here feels a million miles from shop-til-you-drop Orchard Rd. Check out No 45, built in 1903 with an unusually wide frontage and grand Chinese-style entrance gate, and the Art Deco-style Nos 121-129 dating from 1925. Grab a beer afterwards at No 5.
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Esplanade Theatres on the Bay
One of Southeast Asia's must stunning pieces of architecture, the Esplanade was created to announce Singapore's arrival on the world arts scene - and also as a challenge to the city's deep-seated conservatism. It succeeded on both counts, with a year-round programme of opera, classical music, jazz, theatre, dance and a host of fringe events. Taking a guided tour - or a self-guided iTour using an electronic guide - is a great way of exploring this iconic structure.
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Hajjah Fatimah Mosque
The cream- and brown-painted Hajjah Fatimah Mosque was built in 1846 named after the mosque's wealthy Malaccan-born Malay benefactor. Equally curious is its 'Leaning Tower of Kampong Glam' - a European-style minaret tilting about six degrees off-centre. The outbuildings are also well out of kilter.
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Haw Par Villa
'That which is derived from society should be returned to society' said Aw Boon, heir to the Tiger Balm miracle-ointment fortune. A million dollars later, what he returned was the Haw Par Villa. The family's glamorous villa is long gone, but the park is worth a look if only for the unbelievably kitsch 'Ten Courts of Hell' inside an enormous concrete omelette - grotesque statues depict sinners' fates in gory detail.
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Istana
Constructed between 1867 and 1869 by Indian convicts transported from Bencoolen on Sumatra, the Istana is where Singapore's President SR Nathan hangs out. The neo-Palladian structure, set in beautifully maintained grounds, was originally Government House, built at great expense to impress the visiting Duke of Edinburgh. It's only open to the public on selected holidays (eg New Year's) - bring your passport to get past the gun-toting guards.
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Jurong Lookout Tower
A curious relic of the 1970s (as if you couldn't tell), this viewing tower boasts a stained glass ceiling and a futuristic night-time view over the lights and flaming stacks of the Jurong Island industrial zone. Take a hike up after the Jurong Bird Park and eat at Hilltop Japanese Restaurant in the basement afterwards.
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Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery
Take a few hours to explore the fascinating Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery, Singapore's largest. 'Don't speak unless it improves the silence' is the creed here, the resultant quiet a surreal counterpart to dragon-topped pagodas, shrines, plazas and lawns linked by Escher-like staircases. The Pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas' golden stupa is lined with 9999 Buddha images - the 10,000th is the big boy inside.
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Kuan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple
Dedicated to Kuan Yin, goddess of mercy, this is one of Singapore's busiest temples. Flower sellers, fortune tellers and incense-wielding devotees swarm around the entrance and rub the belly of the large bronze Buddha Maitreya nearby.
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Labrador Secret Tunnels
A series of storage and armament bunkers built by the British in the 1880s that incredibly remained undiscovered for 50 years after WWII, until they were unearthed when work began on turning Labrador into a nature reserve. Small, but fascinating, there are displays of artefacts left behind when the British abandoned the tunnels in 1942, as well as the buckled and caved-in walls from a direct hit from a Japanese bomb.
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Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery
Nestled in a corner of the Toa Payoh HDB housing estate, the photogenic Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery, aka Siong Lim Temple, is a little out of the way, but it's well worth the journey. The atmospheric interior of the 1912 structure soars up to red- and ochre-hued ceilings, thick beams stained with decades of incense smoke. When the rain drowns out the traffic noise, you could be anywhere in time.
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Padang
Ringed by imposing colonial façades, there are few more obvious symbols of British imperialism than the Padang's manicured lawns. Defying the tropical heat, the Singapore Cricket Club (est. 1852) struts its stuff to choruses of 'Huzzah!' and 'Cracking shot old bean!' from the members' pavilion. Rugby, bowls and football get an airing during the off-season.
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Raffles Hotel
Whatever ostentatious modern projects Singapore undertakes now or in the future, Raffles Hotel will likely always be its most famous landmark. There's just something about the sight of that snow-white façade, the brushed-gravel drive, the Sikh doorman, the whispers of history. Astonishing to think it was scheduled for demolition in 1987, before an around S$160 million facelift restored it to glory.
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Sultan Mosque
Kampong Glam's gold-domed epicentre is Sultan Mosque, named after Raffles' buddy Sultan Hussein Shah. Originally built in 1825 with a grant from Raffles and the East India Company, it was replaced 100 years later with the current edifice. The prayer hall can accommodate 5000 worshippers; a glaring red digital clock compromises the atmosphere a little, but at least everybody knows when to pray.
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Thian Hock Keng Temple
Also known as the Temple of Heavenly Happiness, Thian Hock Keng Temple is one of Singapore's oldest and most eye-popping temples. Dedicated to Ma Cho Po, goddess of the sea, it was built by early Chinese Hokkien immigrants in gratitude for safe passage to Singapore. It's hard to imagine now, but Telok Ayer St was once Chinatown's waterfront before land reclamation shunted the shore 500m east.
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Showing 1-18 of 18 results
