Famously urbanised, a global business centre and a regional transport hub, Singapore might seem, at first blush, like an odd place to take the kids. But Singapore’s celebrated efficiency makes it remarkably easy to explore as a family, and a great way to test the waters for Asia travel. Singapore is not, however, cheap: if you’re on a budget, be aware that both flights and accommodation are more wallet-kind outside weekends.

This is ideal city break territory. There are plenty of things for kids to do in Singapore, everyone speaks English and the food is fantastic – plus, between the MRT and Singapore’s reliable and relatively affordable taxis, it takes very little time to get from A to B. So, in honour of Singapore’s 50th birthday and the many glorious lion dances it will bring, here are the ten best things to do with kids in Singapore.

Head to a Theme Park

Out on the resort island of Sentosa, Universal Studios will be most teens’ and tweens’ number one choice for best thing to do in Singapore. It’s a compact park by international standards, but boasts some surprisingly kickass rollercoasters – and, if you’ve got money to burn, you can catch the cable car to the island too. With very young kids, save a penny or ten by heading instead to Amazonia, an adventure playground in the Great World City mall, where attractions run from glow-in-the-dark minigolf to toddler softplay.
Universal Studios, Sentosa Island, various options from Harbourfront MRT
Amazonia, Great World City, free shuttle from Lucky Plaza, Orchard MRT

Catch a Museum

For culture vultures, the Asian Civilisation Museum is a fantastic choice to introduce older children to the marvels of the myriad Asian civilisations, and help them (and you!) get a handle on the history of the region. The Art Science Museum on Marina Bay has some genuinely creative exhibitions for tweens and above – on Fridays, two kids go free with each adult ticket. Most pre-teen kids will find plenty of things to do at Singapore’s Science Centre, which has great live displays including Tesla coils and fire tornados, as well as fab interactive exhibits, hatching chicks and an outdoor science playground with water guns.
Asian Civilisation Museum, Empress Place, Raffles Place MRT
ArtScience, Marina Bay Sands, Bayfront MRT
Science Centre, Science Centre Road, Jurong East MRT

Get Some Animal Magic

If your kids are cool with animals in captivity (mine isn’t), some of the best things for kids to do in Singapore are animal-oriented. Singapore’s most famous animal attraction is, of course, the Night Safari, the world’s first exclusively nocturnal zoo, which enables kids to see nocturnal animals from leopards to wallabies by way of walking trails and a tram ride. Opening hours are 7.30pm to midnight – if your kids turn into gremlins at sunset, go to the zoo instead. Singapore Zoo is a genuinely world class zoo, with orangutans, elephants and more. The focus is on the rainforest, but its Arctic zone boasts a polar bear and a pool full of ice blocks.
Singapore Night Safari and Singapore Zoo: 138 bus from Ang Mo Kio MRT, 927 bus from Choa Chu Kang MRT or shuttle buses

Hit the Shops

Singapore is, as I’ve remarked, mall central. And Kinokuniya, in the landmark Takashimaya mall, remains the best bookshop in South-East Asia – even if it’s shrunk a little since moving slots within the mall. This is a stunning place to pick up Asian literature and history books for kids, with fantastic Chinese learning resources too. If you’re doing longterm travel, Singapore is also an outstanding spot to stock up on kids clothes, including hard-to-find items like sandals, although it isn’t cheap: The Shoe Co in Tanglin Mall has good kids shoes, while you’ll find chains from H&M to M&S via The Gap, Uniqlo, Petit Bateau and Clarks scattered around town. GST (Goods and Sales Tax) Refunds can sometimes make Singapore a good-value spot for buying electronics: but do exercise caution when shopping in Sim Lim Square.
Kinokuniya, Takashimaya Mall, Orchard MRT
The Shoe Co, Tanglin Mall, Orchard MRT

Explore the River

A trip down the Singapore River is one of the classic things for anyone to do in Singapore. With younger kids, it’s probably worth splurging on a duck (amphibious vehicle) tour, largely for the squeals of excitement as the vehicle drives into the river and turns it into a boat. With older children, go for the more conventional bumboat tour – sadly, the “bum” in bumboat comes from the old sense of garbage, rather than anything more scatological. On a budget? Just walk along the Singapore River.
Duck Tours and River Cruise boats leave from Clarke Quay, Clarke Quay MRT

Head to a Garden

The Gardens by the Bay – a set of gardens centred around 50-metre-tall illuminated, artificial trees – include an ever-changing selection of manicured displays as well as themed gardens: the nightly sound-and-light extravaganzas (at 7.45 and 8.45pm) are free. With littlies who just want to scamper, the Singapore Botanic Gardens are free and spacious – bring a picnic to spend the day. If you’re in Singapore for a while, older kids might enjoy hiking in MacRitchie Park, where a canopy walk leads through the tops of the trees.
Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay, Bayside MRT
Singapore Botanic Gardens, Botanic Gardens MRT
Tree Top Walk, MacRitchie Park: various buses, including 132 from Ang Mo Kio MRT.

Feed Your Faces

One of the best things to do in Singapore, with kids or without, is eat: you can scoff Asia’s finest street foods in hawker courts and Indian joints for much less than you’d pay in the west, while there’s the full range of international cuisine (up to and including big brand chefs) on offer at the top end of the scale. Even the pickiest toddler would find it hard to object to chicken rice (Tian Tian in the Maxwell Food Centre hawker court is a classic), while toast with butter and kaya (coconut spread) is a breakfast favourite. If little ones object to curry and prata (Singapore’s term for the flaky flatbreads Malaysia and Indonesia call roti canai) for breakfast, feed them tissue prata (roti tissu), which is sweet, light, crispy and conical: ask your hotel for the nearest prata place to you, or check this epic list. (Here’s more on what to eat in Singapore.)
Maxwell Food Centre, Maxwell Road, Chinatown MRT

Take in the View

Singapore has a genuinely stunning skyline. But don’t waste money heading up to the skydeck at Marina Bay Sands (that’s the giant banana perched on the three towers in the bay): you can’t swim in the stunning infinity pool unless you’re staying there. To get a view of the glorious weirdness that is Marina Bay, a late lunch or cool drinks at Level 33 microbrewery is a good choice with older kids (come around 3, once the weekday lunch buffet is finished). Or splurge on the Singapore Flyer, Singapore’s answer to the London Eye – they even have an inflight high tea option.
Singapore Flyer, Promenade MRT
Level 33, Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower 1, Marina Boulevard, Downtown MRT

Do the Seaside, Urban Style

Frankly, if you’re going almost anywhere else in South-East Asia (or Australia) after Singapore, there will be better beaches there – yet the Singaporean seaside is extremely memorable. Prawning – fishing for prawns in giant concrete ponds – is one of the classic things to do with kids in Singapore, and Orto has other entertainment options if that one fails. Or head to Castle Beach in East Coast Park for a master-class in elaborate, wonderful sandcastles, from 3.30-7 on Saturdays and Sundays: classes are free but you’ll need to splash out on the toolkit.
Orto, 81 Lorong Chencharu, Khatib MRT
Castle Beach, 401 bus (weekends only) from Bedok MRT

Get Religion

Singapore is proudly multicultural, with no fewer than four official languages — English, Tamil, Malay and Mandarin – although you’ll hear other Indian languages and Chinese dialects spoken too. So the island is also home to an impressive range of places of worship: a stroll down South Bridge Road will reveal the Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore’s oldest Hindu temple, and the modern Chinese Buddha Tooth temple (once you’re done, be sure to loop back into Chinatown to gawp at the lanterns). Or, to give your kids that essential fix of gaudy Chinese art, explore the delights of Haw Par Villa, a 1930s theme park with an entire section devoted to China’s many hells – it’s utterly unique.
Temples, South Beach Road, Chinatown MRT
Haw Par Villa, Haw Par Villa MRT

Where to Stay in Singapore

Pressure on space in Singapore, combined with a very high cost of living, means Singapore hotel rooms tend to the small and expensive – even by European standards, let alone American – and family rooms are hard to find. On the luxe side, there’s the full range of international hotel brands that you’d expect, from Mandarin Oriental and Shangri-La through to the Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton; on the backpacker end of the scale, just as in Hong Kong, windows are optional.

Splurge

Sentosa island, Singapore’s answer to Vegas, is home to some seriously stunning accommodation, centred on the Beach Villas. The 11 Ocean Suites, which sleep up to 2 adults and 2 children, have bedroom windows that give onto the world’s largest aquarium, for an entirely underwater feel – though the upstairs living areas have balconies for fresh air. These are probably the most unique places to stay with kids in Singapore. The Treetop Lofts are set 12 metres above ground, actually within the canopy of the trees – there are only two, each of which sleeps three people tops. Or choose between 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom Beach Villas, the larger of which have private pools, although even the smallest sleeps a family of four.
Beach Villas official site
Check for discount rates on Agoda

Spend

The Marina Bay Sands’ rooftop infinity pool is iconic and can more than justify the spend on the large, stylish rooms here. Note, though, that the pool gets extremely busy at weekends and in peak season, while only two keycards are issued per room, and those to guests over twelve, though it’s possible to buy more. Still, if your family comprises two or three people aged over twelve, and you’re visiting midweek and outside peak periods, this is undoubtedly the ultimate Singapore landmark choice.
Marina Bay Sands official site
Check for discount rates on Agoda

Mid-Range

The family rooms at the Festive Hotel on Sentosa have a sense of fun that’s rare in a big hotel like this one, with sofa beds, loft beds and funky keyhole style partitions between rooms – some even feel like miniature apartments. There’s not only a pool but a kids pool on the property, while you can use the facilities at the Hard Rock next door, as well as tour all of Sentosa’s attractions. Families of three should consider the amazing, individually designed roms at Wanderlust in Little India: if your spawn are big enough to be sensible around steep stairs but small enough to be excited by rockets, look at the stunning Spaceship and Treehouse rooms on the fourth floor.
Festive Hotel official site
Check for discount rates on Agoda
Wanderlust official site
Check for discount rates on Agoda

Budget

Good budget family rooms in Singapore are like hen’s teeth – especially at weekends. If you’re looking for rooms for large families, start looking months ahead and take an entire hostel dorm. If you have a pony-mad girl, consider staying in the Rider’s Lodge stables, way out of town in Bukit Timah: rack rates are high, but midweek rates on Agoda are probably the cheapest in Singapore, and of course there’s riding. Out on Sentosa, the Costa Sands resort has simple kampung huts – Singapore’s answer to beach bungalows! – with two sets of bunks and a shared bathroom at amazing prices, considering you get a pool.
Rider’s Lodge official site
Check for discount rates on Agoda
Costa Sands official site

Scrooge

A surprising number of hostels in Singapore won’t accept people under 17, even in their private rooms, although a handful will allow families to book dorms: whichever option you go for, do not plan on swinging any cats. Betel Box has good value family rooms, although it’s some way from the MRT; 5 Footway Inn has attractive quads in the heart of Chinatown that can be good value on Agoda.
Betel Box official site
Check for discount rates on Agoda
5 Footway Inn official site
Check for discount rates on Agoda

Image credits: Singapore by Mike Behnken, Singapore Science Centre – Visitor Experience by Walter Lim, Hello, Human… (SINGAPORE ZOO/ORANGUTAN/ANIMALS/GREETING) XIII by Chi King, Wild Things by geraldbrazell, Singapore Ducktours by ngader, Garden by the Bay by LW Yang, Chatterbox by Kentaro IEMOTO, Manta Rays by Pug50, Skypark by Craig Stanfill, Saddle club in Bukit Timah by Nicolas Lannuzel and The Busy Chinatown by Riza Nugraha. Thanks to everyone for sharing their work on Flickr’s Creative Commons, especially Schristia for Far Far Away At Universal Studios Singapore and Lake of Dreams, RWS Singapore, and William Cho for Welcome to My Kingdom, Haw Par Villa, a fading attraction and Chinatown Panorama.