Photograph: Alamy
Singapore Art Museum (SAM)
Singapore’s first art museum houses a wide-ranging collection of contemporary and pop-art pieces from Singapore and south-east Asia. The collection is ever-changing and SAM prides itself on being accessible to all, with works given room to breathe rather than being crammed in to fill every available square foot.
Peranakan Museum
This museum explores the cultures of south-east Asia’s Peranakan communities and offers engaging 60-minute guided tours, which are a great introduction to understanding Peranakan culture and how it has influenced the city. The exhibition covering 50 great Peranakans who have shaped Singapore over the last two centuries is particularly enlightening.
National Museum of Singapore
The oldest museum in Singapore is housed in a Renaissance-style building dating back to 1849. Enter this treasure trove of Singaporean artefacts to learn the story of the city-state through its recently revamped permanent galleries. Numerous temporary exhibitions and events also take place here, including exhibitions in partnership with the British Museum.
Photograph: Alamy
Thian Hock Keng temple
One of the oldest temples in Singapore, the brilliant green and bright red Thian Hock Keng is also one of the most important for the Hokkien (or Han Chinese) clan. Having completed the often-dangerous voyage to Singapore, Chinese immigrants would come to give thanks to Mazu (Goddess of the Sea) for their safe passage. Today, visitors wonder at how such an ornate structure was built without a single nail.
Labrador Park
Wandering through this tranquil park, serenaded by the Black-naped Oriole, it’s hard to imagine the bristling gun-emplacements that were to defend southern Singapore from Japanese attack. Unfortunately for the British, the Japanese came from the north, so the “impenetrable” Fort Pasir Panjang saw little action. Today artillery pieces and machine gun posts can still be seen waiting for the enemy that came round the back.
Changi Museum
This emotive museum looks at the second world war through the lens of those incarcerated in the Changi area from 1942, when Singapore fell to the Japanese, to 1945, when the war ended. The murals painted by Bombardier Stanley Warren during the war are particularly interesting – he even returned after the war to restore his work.
Haw Par Villa
Haw Par Villa is not your average theme park. Built in 1937 by the brothers behind Tiger Balm ointment, the free-to-enter park is home to over vivid 1,000 statues and 150 giant dioramas depicting Chinese folklore, history and Confucianism, making it the perfect place to immerse yourself in Chinese culture and morality.
Sri Veeramakaliamman temple
Dedicated to the Hindu goddess Sri Veeramakaliamman (or Kali), this fabulously ornate Hindu temple is a jaw-dropping example of traditional Indian carving. Kali is the destroyer of evil and is depicted in this temple wearing a garland of skulls and ripping out the insides of her victims. There are four puja (prayer) sessions each day, when the temple is busiest.
Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM)
Pleasantly situated on the Singapore river, the ACM is dedicated to preserving the cultural heritage of Asia, especially the ancestral cultures of Singaporeans. The permanent collection includes hundreds of ancient artefacts, from ancient silks to 4th-century sculpture, while in November 2015 the new Kwek Hong Png wing opened to expand display space for Chinese art from Fujian province.
Raffles hotel
No visit to Singapore is complete without a visit to Raffles. The very epitome of colonial grandeur, this grande dame hosts a small museum dedicated to her history, as well as the Tiffin room for opulent high teas. Top reason to come though is the beautiful Long Bar where the Singapore Sling was created one hundred years ago. And if the Sling ain’t your thing, try the potent Million Dollar cocktail instead.
