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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 Bird Park
Boasting one of the largest bird collections in the world, the Bird Park is a mixed bag of enthralling open-concept aviaries and depressing little cages (the latter slowly being fazed out, hopefully). Don't miss the Waterfall Aviary (with the largest man-made falls on earth), the African Wetlands and the Lori Loft, as well as the Birds of Prey show.
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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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Jurong Reptile Park
Check out the Jurong Reptile Park, across the car park from the bird park. It's a little run-down and probably not much fun for the crocodiles (they also appear on the park restaurant's menu), but kids will get a kick out of the croc feeding ( and ), giant tortoises, Komodo dragons and pythons. There's a reptile show at and .
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Katong Antiques House
A rare opportunity to see a preserved Peranakan house, filled with original, or carefully restored antiques, from jewellery to furniture and, of course, beadwork. The owner is a true enthusiast.
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Kent Ridge Park
Commanding sweeping views over the port, outer islands and Indonesia beyond, it's astonishing that Kent Ridge Park is so deserted. But that's also what makes it one of the best urban escapes in Singapore, because you have kilometres of paths and the treetop boardwalk pretty much to yourself. Check out Reflections at Bukit Chandu while you're there.
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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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Kranji War Cemetery
Near the Causeway off Woodlands Rd, the austere white structures and rolling lawns of the Kranji War Cemetery contain the WWII graves of thousands of Allied troops. Walls are inscribed with the names of 24,346 men and women who lost their lives in Southeast Asia. Register books are available for inspection. To get here catch the MRT to Kranji then walk, or take bus 170 two stops west.
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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 Nature Reserve
Combining historical sites, long trails through forest rich in bird life, great views from Singapore's only sea cliffs and a beachfront park, Labrador Park is well worth an afternoon. Examine the old British guns, hike through the jungle, visit the Secret Tunnels and the pillbox on the beach, then have a picnic, or a fancy meal at The Olive followed by a spa treatment at Villa Raintree.
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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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Leong San See Temple
Across the road from the Temple of 1000 Lights is the gorgeous Taoist Leong San See Temple, dedicated to Guan Yin, Goddess of Mercy. Built in 1917 using traditional joinery and intricately carved ceiling beams, this temple has an effervescent, happy atmosphere. The smiling Buddha welcomes you at the door; to promote good feng shui, walk around clockwise.
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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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Little India
This modest but colourful area of wall-to-wall shops, pungent aromas and Hindi film music is a relief from the prim modernity of many parts of the city. Centred around the southern end of Serangoon Rd, this is the place to come to pick up that framed print of Krishna you've always wanted, eat great food and watch streetside cooks fry chapatis .
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MacRitchie Reservoir
In the middle of the 2000-hectare Central Catchment Nature Reserve is the MacRitchie Reservoir. The mirror-surfaced reservoir is surrounded by a 12km, four-hour, circular jungle trail with a tree-top walkway. The trail is organised into six colour-coded sectors - pick up a map at the Rangers' Office. You can also hire a kayak or go fishing.
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Malabar Muslim Jama-Ath Mosque
The sky-blue hexagonal-tiled Malabar Muslim Jama-Ath Mosque is hard to miss, right on a busy street corner. Malabar Muslims from the southern Indian state of Kerala have worshipped here since 1963. Overgrown with time and tree roots, the Royal Cemetery is behind the mosque, its shambolic tombstones slowly succumbing to gravity.
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Malay Cultural Village
The Malay Cultural Village is a complex of traditional Malay-style houses built as a cultural showpiece, but it's been a bit of a flop; desultory t-shirt vendors grimace optimistically as you traverse the aisles. The admission fee is for a small kampung museum.
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Malay Heritage Centre
This dignified terracotta-tiled Malay Heritage Centre was once the Malay royal istana (palace), built in 1843 for Singapore's last Sultan, Ali Iskandar Shah. An agreement allowed the palace to stay in the Sultan's family as long as they continued to live there. This was repealed in 1897, but the family stayed on for another century, the palace gradually sliding into ruin. The restored building opened as a museum in 2004.
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Memories At Old Ford Factory
Site of the humiliating British surrender to Japanese forces in 1942, this excellent museum, designed to appeal to young and old alike, tells the story of the Japanese occupation - a watershed period Singapore clearly doesn't want its youth to forget.
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Mt Faber
Mt Faber stands proud (if not tall) at 116m on the southern fringe of the city, opposite the HarbourFront Centre and not far from Sentosa Island. From the summit, the strange splendour of Singapore rolls away to the horizon in all directions. To get to the top, ride the spectacular cable car from the HarbourFront Centre, or take the shuttle bus from HarbourFront bus terminal.
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Mt Faber Park
Standing 166m above the south fringe of the city, the Pulau Brani port and Harbourfront, Mt Faber's steeply terraced trails wind through humming forest, past strategically positioned viewpoints. Run by a leisure group, it's a lot busier and more commercial than Kent Ridge or Labrador parks, but it also boasts bars with some of best views in the city. The exhilarating cable car (adult/child return around S$12 /6.50; h - ) is the best way to get to and from the hill.
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National Museum Of Singapore
Imaginative, prodigiously stocked and brilliantly designed, the National Museum is good enough to deserve two visits. The Singapore History Gallery, which closes at , needs at least half a day (the free mobile electronic guide is a must, though ours froze halfway through), and after entry to the Living Galleries is free. The architecture alone makes it worth a visit.
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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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Peranakan Museum
Peranakan culture itself is dying out, but happily every aspect of the colourful Straits Chinese, from clothing to customs to jewellery and food, is preserved in this sister institution of the Asian Civilisations Museum.
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Pulau Ubin
A 10-minute chug from Changi Point Ferry Terminal lands you on the shores of Pulau Ubin. There's no timetable; boats depart when 12 people are ready to go (not usually too long). Singaporeans like to wax nostalgic about Ubin's kampung (village) atmosphere, but it's only a matter of time before the developers come knocking. For the moment though, it's a rural, unkempt expanse of jungle full of lizards, weird shrines and cacophonic birdlife.
