Amazing Places to Go in Singapore with Friends, as Couples and Families

If you’re looking for amazing places to go in Singapore with friends, as couples or even as families, you’ve come to the right place!

I have come to realize that Singapore is known for more than just:

a “red dot”
the modern first-world country that is proliferated with innovations, breeding grounds for amazing startups & businesses OR
beautiful sights for tourists.

Singapore’s Historical View

The blend of its rich histories (since Sir Stamford Raffles settled in the 1800s) and the rather recent transformation of Singapore to become a sovereign state in 1965, this city-state is truly a place that offers more than just meets the eyes.

For us to really understand how this beautiful country became what it is today, I’ve always been fond of the underlying principles and values that guide this nation from the 9th August 1965 speech by Mr. Lee Kwan Yew on the Proclamation of Singapore:

“founded upon the principles of liberty and justice and ever seeking the welfare and happiness of her people in a more just and equal society”

(excerpt from the Proclamation of Singapore)

Because of these values that the Singaporeans (not just governing bodies) have put in their hearts and in practice until today, I count it truly a blessing to have been able to travel and now live Singapore, and call this country my home.

And since I’ve made it a home, I have also had the privilege to explore Singapore in many ways –

endless options of malls
popular attractions
influential architectures from the past
underrated activities one can enjoy in Singapore
of course, the mouth-watering local food fares that you can’t forget (to eat).
And underlying the ability to travel around Singapore is definitely its amazingly efficient transportation systems all over the island! I truly appreciate the efficient transport system in Singapore because I have seen what traffic is like in other Southeast Asian countries.

All in all, I believe that you can find so many of the great and amazing things to see, do and enjoy in Singapore.

So, let’s explore some of the popular and amazing places to go in Singapore with friends, as couples and/or with your families!

Singapore Malls

Many people may think of Orchard road malls when they think of malls in Singapore, but I revealed to you over 20 mall options in Singapore (in this post) that you may or may not know about!

Explore this list of 20 Singapore malls as a way for me to share with you, friends, as a way to explore Singapore’s malls beyond just the usual malls only. This list will definitely help you get started with places to go in Singapore with friends – some of which you may not even think about.

Of course, please go and enjoy the orchard malls by all means – it’s an awesome area with lots of connected malls that will definitely help you shop til you heart’s content! But you know what? You can definitely add a little spice into your mall visits in Singapore with, at least, some new malls. Then you can get a taste beyond popular attractions.

Top 15 Popular Attractions in Singapore

Speaking of popular attractions, some of the most important places that spring to your mind are definitely going to be what by little cousins call: the big ship on the building (the Marina Bay Sands), the avatar land (SuperTree Grove) and “the lion who’s never thirsty” (the Merlion).

But you saw it coming that I wouldn’t stop there, right?

So here are the Top 15 popular attractions in Singapore that you can take yourself and your loved ones to enjoy:

1. Enjoy the view of the Rain Vortex @ Jewel Changi Airport
2. Reminisce of the Neoclassical architecture of the Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall
3. Minutes walk from the Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall is the Asian Civilization Museum, which you can take a tour through 5,000 years of Asian cultures
4. To your back (when you face ACM) is the Fullerton Hotel building with hundreds of years of history, dating back since Fort Fullerton in 1829 (before the building we see today was constructed and completed in 1928).
5. Once you’ve marveled at the historical foreground of Singapore’s past in its architectures and stories, you can start your way down towards the Merlion, Esplanade Theatre, the Marina Bay Sands, the ArtScience Museum, the SuperTree Grove, the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest. Wow, that’s a lot of places to go.
6. Well, beyond the Cloud Forest are really 2 main places you should definitely go to towards the evening time: one is the Satay by the Bay (Hawker centre with seafoods and local foodfare – yes, by the bay) and the Marina Barrage (link to the main website) with its beautiful view to allow you to see the backdrop of Singapore’s skylines and beautiful architectures you had just visited for the day.
7. Beyond these popular attractions, you can take your time strolling, biking or running through East Coast park, which connects from the Singapore’s city all the way to the Changi Airport. Actually, if you’re riding a bike through East Coast park, I’d recommend to bike all the way to East Coast Lagoon Food Village and enjoy some amazing local foods!
8. How can I forget to mention Sentosa, which is a small island connected from Harbourfront via well-paved roads, light rails or even cable car. It’s definitely one of the more well-known places in Singapore (since Trump/Kim visit), and it has lots of activities and premium hotels that you and your family can definitely spend some time enjoying together!
9. Within Sentosa, you can visit the Universal Studios (click to discover) if you feel like going for some fun rides and adrenaline-rushing activities!
10. S.E.A Aquarium is also another friendly attraction to go to discover over 100,000 marine lives there.
11. On Sentosa island as well are some very exciting activities: the Wings of Time, Fort Siloso skywalk, Fort Siloso @ Siloso Point, iFly Singapore (indoor skydiving experience), Headrock VR, Sentosa 4D AdventureLand and Super Yacht Royal Albatross.
12. There are also a couple of beaches on the Sentosa island you can enjoy: Tanjong beach, Siloso beach, Palawan beach (Southernmost Point Of Continental Asia)
13. If you feel like a chill vibe that has a beach club and water sports (e.g. paddleboarding, kayaking), then get yourself to Ola beach club – yep, still in Sentosa!
14. Enjoy the amazing animals that Singapore has to offer from 2 different experiences: Singapore Zoo (click to discover) & River Safari (click to discover).
15. Jurong Bird Park, located in the west side of Singapore, has over 3,500 species of birds. You might be surprised as to what you may discover and experience there!

3. Underrated Activities and Places in Singapore

If you want to explore beyond the popular attractions in Singapore, you’re reading in the right place because I’d like to introduce you to some of the underrated activities and places in Singapore that you can go and explore. These are activities and places that my family also frequently do while in Singapore.

Here are the 5 different underrated activities and places in Singapore:

Enjoy Singapore’s underrated green places of nature – see this post!
Ride bikes through local Singapore Park Connectors (highly recommended for evenings and night cycling)
Enjoy the largest public collection of modern art of Southeast Asia at National Gallery Singapore
Explore surrounding small islands – St. John’s Island, Pulau Ubin, Kusu Island (turtle island)
Enjoy the natural evergreen explorations at MacRitchie Reservoir or the natural farms at Kranji!

4. Historical Places & National Monuments in Singapore

When you’re in Singapore, there might have been places you may have passed by on the roads that you may not have known of their significance as landmarks or historical places. Here are a few of them that are noteworthy:

Fort Canning Park
Fort Siloso
National Museum of Singapore
Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall
Civil War Memorial
Singapore Art Museum
Singapore Parliament house
Singapore River Bridges: Cavenagh Bridge, Anderson Bridge and Elgin Bridge
Jurong Town Hall – a landmark that represents the accomplishments of the industrialisation of Singapore

5. Mouthwatering Local Foods in Singapore

I’ve been talking a lot about activities in Singapore, now you must be hungry. Let’s explore some of the Singapore’s local foods that will get your taste buds going (even for me, as I’m writing this, lol).

#1 Local hawkers

Well-known ones: Lau Pa Sat, Tiong Bahru Food Centre, Maxwell Food Centre, Old Airport Road Food Centre, Amoy Street Food Centre, Golden Mile Food Centre (especially for Thai food), Chinatown Complex Food Centre,
Locals Frequent (as well): Blk 85 Bedok, Redhill Hawker, ABC Brickworks Food Centre, Chomp Chomp Food Centre

#2 Brunch cafes

Well-known ones: PS Cafe (various locations), Coffee Academics, Common Man Coffee Roasters, Wild Honey, Prive, d’Good Cafe, Tiong Bahru Bakery (various locations), Toby’s Estate, Baker & Cook, The Providore, The Populous, Artichoke, Penny University, GRUB, Open Farm Community, Nassim Hill Bakery Bistro Bar
Locals Frequent: Tolido’s Espresso nook, Lola’s Cafe, Whisk & Paddle, Atlas Coffeehouse, Carpenter & Cook, Forty Hands, Curious Palette, The Bravery Cafe, Amber Ember, Habitat Coffee, Apollo Coffee Bar, Jimmy Monkey

#3 Chinese foods

Zi Char – freshly cooked when you order from the menus.
- West: Keng Eng Kee, Sin Hoi Sai Eating house,
- East: Seng Kee Black Chicken Herbal Soup Pte Ltd

Seafoods:
- Downtown/City: Scaled by Ah Hua Kelong, The Boiler, TungLok Seafood @ Orchard Central, Momma Kong’s (Chinatown)
- West: Keng Eng Kee Seafood (Queenstown), Seafood Park Pte. Ltd. Restaurant (Commonwealth), Banana Leaf Seafood BBQ (Clementi)

- East: Hua Yu Wee, The BOILER @ Howard Road, FPC Seafood, Uncle Leong Seafood, East Coast Lagoon Food Village, Tunglok Signatures, Rasa Istimewa Restaurant @ Pasir Ris

#4 Popular Singapore’s local foods

Bak Kut Teh (pork ribs in special soup with broths prepared with garlic, pepper and other herbs) – this is one of my favourite dishes when I first came to Singapore and it still is today:
- Song Fa Bak Kut Teh – various locations (11 outlets as of April 2020) throughout Singapore
- Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh – 4 different outlets at Rangoon road (Farrer Park), Chui Huay Lim Club (Newton), Marina Bay Sands, Resorts World Sentosa

Chicken Rice (white rice cooked in chicken broth topped with chicken meat and some nice chill and/or sweet dark soy sauce & soup on the side):
- Downtown: Ah Tai Chicken Rice (Maxwell Food Centre), Min Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice (Telok Ayer), Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice (Maxwell Food Centre), Nanyang Chicken (Clarke Quay)
- West: Hua Kee chicken Rice (Redhill), Tiong Bahru Boneless Chicken Rice,
- East: Delicious Boneless Chicken Rice (Katong), Hai Kee Soy Sauce Chicken Rice (Kim San Leng Food Centre – Eunos/Kembangan), Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice (Bedok)
- Northeast: Yi Qi Fa Hainan Chicken Rice (Hougang), Unusual Chicken Rice (MacPherson), Whampoa Nan Xiang Chicken Rice (Boon Keng)

Nasi Lemak – hot coconut rice with fried chicken (and/or fried fish), vegetables and other local condiments that will make your mouths water for sure:
- Ponggol Nasi Lemak – 3 Locations at Upper Serangoon Road (Kovan), Tanjong Katong Road (Marine Parade and Jalan Besar (Farrer Park/Bendemeer).
- Yi Liu Xiang Nasi Lemak (Hougang Ave 1)
- Kedai Makan Muhajirin (Toa Payoh)

Kaya Toast: nicely toasted local breads with kaya and butter fillings to be eaten with your favourite local drinks (kopi (coffee) and teh (tea))
- Yakun kaya toast, Toastbox, Killiney, Ah Seng (Hai Nam) Coffee, Heap Seng Leong, Good Morning Nanyang Cafe

Yong Tau Foo: pick-your-own ingredients ranging from fish balls to vegetables to local condiments & generally the store will boil the ingredients for you. You can choose to have it with rice or include some noodles inside. Flavors also come from the special chilli or sweet red sauce to accompany your yong tau foo.

- Downtown / Holland Village: Teochew Yong Tau Foo (downtown), The Hakka Yong Tau Foo Stall (near Holland village)

- East: Katong Yong Tau Foo (East side), Fu Lin Tou Fu Yuen (East coast road)

- Northeast: THOSE DAYS Yong Tau Foo & Nasi Lemak (Northeast – Hougang), Kampong Bugis Hakka Yong Tau Fu (Macpherson),

- West: Tiong Bahru yong tau foo (West side – Tiong Bahru), Dajie – Halal Mala Hotpot, Chicken Rice & Niang Dou Fu (Clementi)

Satay: skewered meats (chicken, beef, lamb) roasted over fire
- Downtown: Satay by the Bay (near Cloud Forest), Shi Xiang Satay (Chinatown)
- East: Kim Satay (Old Airport Road Food Centre), Chye Seng Satay
- Northeast: Swee Satay (Hougang – Broadway coffeeshop), Chomp Chomp food centre
- West: Kwong Satay, Lina Satay Club, Chai Ho Satay

Hokkien Mee: stir-fried yellow noodles with special sauce, meats/seafood and vegetables.
- Downtown: Boon Lay Ho Huat Fried Prawn Noodle
- East: Swee Guan Hokkien Mee (Geylang), Bedok Corner Hokkien Prawn Mee (Bedok), Lim Hokkien Fried Mee (Kembangan), Authentic Fried Hokkien Mee 正牌炒福建麵
- Northeast: Authentic Fried Hokkien Mee 正牌炒福建麵 (Mattar)
- West: Joo Chiat Prawn Mee, 777 Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee, Jing Jing Hokkien Mee & Oyster Omelette

6. Singapore’s Transports at your Convenience

Mobility is definitely an evolving scene in Singapore as more and more innovations pop up around Singapore. Here are a few of them that’s available as of today:

Public: Trains (MRT) / Public Buses (with USB ports)!
Call to Pick Up: Grab / Gojek / ComfortDelGro taxis
Food Delivery: Grab / Deliveroo
Drive Sharing: Drive Lah, BlueSG, Car Club, Tribe Club, Whizz Car

7. Free Walking Tours in Singapore

Believe it or not, Singapore has free walking tours that you can take up on while you’re here!

Since I’ve been on a few of these tours, I think this is really a great way to explore Singapore from a different perspective – to truly understand some of the important stories and places in Singapore.

Here are some of them:

Free tours through Little India, Chinatown & Kampong Glam
These Tours through Chinatown (original & evening secrets), Tours through Singapore River/Marina Bay, Tours through Bugis & Kampong Glam, Tours through Little India, Tours through evening/night of ingapore’s iconic spots
Park reserve tours: go here to discover
3.5-hour or 5-hour All-in-one tours

Share Your Thoughts

I hope you have enjoyed what’s been shared in this post.

Do you have any other underrated places in Singapore that will bring you closer to nature? We’d love to hear from you!

Comment below!

Content Categories: Cheap Places to Travel in Asia, Singapore, Travel Posts

GK is a curiosity-driven traveler who discovers places through its natural beauties, histories and people's stories. A perfect travel plan for GK and his family would be a great coffee to start off the day before taking in the breathtaking views of landscapes and horizons with some hikes in between and toppling it off with some great photos of the places and people. And how can you forget great local & fresh foods to truly be immersed and inspired by what the world has to offer.

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