Ah, Singapore.
This beautiful city-state covers over 280 square miles (or 725 square km) and is home to over 5.6 million people.
Lucky for us travelers, many of the city’s most popular attractions lie in one highly-walkable area of the city.
24 Hours In Singapore – A Walking Tour Of Singapore (Singapore, Singapore)
I didn’t exactly know that at the time, but I quickly figured it out when I made a list of attractions I wanted to see and then plotted them on google maps only to find they were mostly located within the Downtown Core/Marina sector of the city.
I devised a “two-track” walking-tour [below] based around my hotel for the weekend, the Conrad Centennial Singapore.
I did the green track in the morning, and the orange track in the afternoon
My plan was to do the “green track” in the morning, and the “orange track” in the afternoon, but I wasn’t really sure it would work. Turns out, it worked out perfectly in terms of distance and pace!
I’ve always believed the best way to really see and know a city is to just “get out there” and walk the city streets. With that said, I want to share my walking tour and some of the amazing Singaporean highlights I checked-out saw along the way.
The Green Track:
After finishing my breakfast and coffee (and a Bloody Mary) at the Conrad’s Executive Lounge, I headed out to walk the green track in a clockwise direction.
1. St. Andrew’s Cathedral
St. Andrew’s Cathedral was the first stop.
Lucky for me, the church was completely empty and wide-open so I took the opportunity to walk around and talk with some of the volunteers working in this church originally built in 1834.
2. Museums And Art Of Empress Lawn
The next stop was the National Gallery Singapore and the Empress Lawn Museum and Arts district.
Here there were museums to explore, riverside parks to walk, art exhibits to awe, and monuments and memorials to admire.
3. The Riverwalk & Clarke Quay Central
From there, I crossed a bridge over the Singapore River walked the base of the skyscrapers and headed to the Riverwalk.
FHOPÂ Tip – The Riverwalk had many restaurants and coffee shops, but beware – some of the large ones along the river with aggressive staff offering “free drinks” or too-good-to-be-true happy hours are known tourist traps. Stay away if you don’t want to get ripped off.
The popular Clarke Quay Central lies just on the other side of Hill street (to the north).
The Singapore River (with Raffles Landing Site on the left, and the Riverwalk on the right)
4. City Hall, The Treasury, And The Supreme Court
From the Riverwalk, I crossed back over the river and headed toward the civic center area comprised of the Supreme Court, the Treasury, and City Hall.
5. The Raffles Hotel And The Long Bar
Eventually, I made it to the grand finale of the green track, the legendary Raffles Hotel.
For those of you who don’t know, Raffles Hotel is famous for the Long Bar, the birthplace of the Singapore Sling cocktail.
I enjoyed several cocktails here – including the [mandatory] Singapore Sling
Before long, I was ready for the second half of my adventure for the day, the orange track.
The Orange Track:
It was around noon at this time and it was sweltering hot and humid. I opted to take a taxi across the bridge to my first stop, the awesome Marina Bay Sands Singapore.
1. Marina Bay Sands Singapore
The Marina Bay Sands Singapore was an impressively massive structure, unbelievably huge on the inside.
I opted to pay the $20 entrance fee to CE LA VIE bar and lounge on the Skydeck (the fee was reimbursable for food and drinks) and grabbed a table at the sky lounge where I enjoyed the incredible skyline views over lunch and a few beers.
Panoramic view of Singapore from CE LA VIE
The infamous infinity pool was located here as well
2. Gardens By The Bay
Next, I headed out directly from the Marina Bay Sands to the Gardens by the Bay via a direct sky-bridge link.
The walkway from the Marina Bay Sands Singapore to Gardens by the Bay
Walking along the edge of the Gardens with the Singapore Flyer straight ahead
From the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest, I headed back toward the iconic Supertree Grove.
The Supertree Grove with the meandering OCBC Skyway ($8)
Part of the fun of Gardens by the Bay was just walking around and getting lost among the beauty of the park.
3. The ArtScience Museum
From Gardens by the Bay, I headed back through the Marina Bay Sands toward the notable ArtScience building structure.
4. The Marina Bay
Before long, I was making my way around the Marina Bay – past shops, restaurants, runners, musicians, dog-walkers, tourists, and locals (people-watching was particularity great in this area).
There were also many great vantage points for pictures in this area.
5. The Merlion
As I nearly completed my rounding of Marina Bay, I came upon one final major highlight, one of the star attractions of Singapore – the Merlion (in Merlion Park).
The Merlion marked the end of my walking tour so I headed back to the Conrad Centennial Singapore for drinks and hor d’oeuvres to cap off the amazing day of site-seeing.
But wait!
I almost forgot one of the most important things I wanted to do – eat at a hawker market!
Bonus: Maxwell Hawker Market
So with that, I’ll admit I had to cheat a bit on my “walking Singapore” idea.
I took a taxi to the Maxwell Hawker Market so I could try the famous “chicken rice” dish at the Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice restaurant.
This is the place made famous by none other than Mr. Anthony Bourdain (whose picture hangs in the window) and their amazing food of course.
So how was the chicken rice you ask?
Chicken Rice? I totally “get it” now
Simple, delicious and spicy – totally worth the long wait!
Bonus: Chinatown (Food Street)
I didn’t stop with the hawker market.
I realized Chinatown was across the street from the Maxwell Hawker Market, so I headed over to check that out too, and boy was I glad I did.
There was another foodie paradise to behold on Chinatown Food Street, coupled with some nearby bars and desert spots I so ended up making a great night out of it.
Don’t miss Chinatown Food Street!
Final Thoughts: 24 Hours In Singapore – A Walking Tour Of Singapore (Singapore, Singapore)
I figured Singapore would be stunningly beautiful, but I had no idea Singapore would end up being so walkable. I’m very glad it was.
I feel like I absolutely made the most out of a single day in Singapore by doing a walking tour. I have to mention, I went at a relaxing pace and spent plenty of time stopping to look at museums, see the sites, enjoy the cuisines, do a little shopping, and of course sample a few amazing bars and drinks – all while totally getting completely lost more than once.
Such is the fun of travel and actually walking a brand new city, especially one as amazing as Singapore.
Cheers!
