Whilst not perhaps at the top of your list for budget friendly places to visit, Singapore is a fabulous destination for families, as long as you wont get hung up on prices. However, there are a lot of free activities and things to do, and eating in Hawker markets is cheaper than restaurants, but accommodation and some of the activities definitely make your eyes water compared to other South East Asia destinations. We didn’t bother with Universal Studios on any of our visits as our children were so small and it’s not really our scene, and we do always try to keep the budget in mind. So read on for a ‘cheaper’ way to see and things to do with kids in Singapore without missing out on all the key activities and sites.
We first arrived at Singapore after spending 6 weeks in Thailand and Malaysia and we were immediately struck with the cleanliness and efficiency of the place. Grab taxis have car seats for children; changing mats in the airport are leather; the pavements are absolutely spotless. However, I don’t see the city as being sterile like Dubai, rather I think it is full of character with different districts to explore and a mix of cultures all brought together in this metropolitan hub.
The ArtScience Museum – this is a pretty monumental structure, a space like sphere (it’s actually a lotus flower), overlooking the bay. We have visited twice, the first time spending over 5 hours in here, the second time about half that (as we only did one exhibition). At the time we visited the first exhibition we came across was an interactive Alice in Wonderland experience, with immersive technology making it so interactive. We were transformed into dancing playing cards and a real life computerised Mad Hatter Tea Party. The tech they use here is Uber cool and you could climb on the oversized furniture and through small doors in the walls. The exhibitions change every 6 months or so, with the current VR one about to be updated to Frida Kahlo inspiration.
Future world is the main and permanent exhibition on the bottom floor, a complete sensory overload for children, toddlers and babies alike — as well as for us mums! Again, the combination of interactive technology with art is been so cleverly designed. From a huge blue whale swimming across the gallery floor to colouring in a picture, scanning it in and then seeing it appear on the wall in a moving city-scape, to design your own hopscotch, the lighting and colouring is dazzling. There’s even a slide that leave fireworks and pinball wizards in your wake as you slide down.
The final area is another installation that rotates and on our first visit was the floating utopias – think inflatable pink bunnies the size of a large tree, and a double-storey moon floating from the ceiling, all with more interactive opportunities to craft and engage in the art.
The ArtScience Museum entry is £80 for a family of four but if you sign up for membership of the Marina Bays Sands which is free then there is a 30% discount – the lady at the museum entrance was very kind to point this out and save us a small fortune. Also, on our return for the 2nd visit, we discovered that kids go free on a Friday so that was a real bonus day! The museum is open 10am-7pm, has a stroller park and cafe, and is easily accessible from anywhere close to Marina Bay.
Kampong Glam – our favourite area of Singapore. This is an area consisting of Arab Street and Haji Lane and the Sultan Mosque. The streets are full of character with colourful café fronts, murals everywhere. The whole vibe is very chilled and modern, where different cultures meet to create these rainbow facades of eating and drinking venues where people watching is both accepted and expected. One very unique experience would be to head to #selfie coffee to enjoy a cappuccino with your face on the top, in colour! And then out of the low-rise coloured eateries you stumble across the golden and white dazzling Sultan Mosque which whilst not the Taj Mahal is still quite a spectacle worth seeing. Just along from the mosque, is the Malay Heritage Centre which has fountains located just outside. We didn’t even bother entering the centre as the fun that was to be had by the kids running in and out of the fountains was much better! The locals and other tourists gathered around in their droves as our little girl entertained herself (and cooled down) running through the sprays and puddles. A great cafe here is All Things Delicious – good quality food in a nice setting and lunch for 4 set us back around £50.
The Singapore National Art Gallery – something for adults and children alike. With a wife as an artist there was no way that I wasn’t going to have to spend some time in this place. I opted to take the kids around the children’s installations which as with everything in Singapore had been really cleverly thought out. There was opportunity to dress up, interact with the exhibitions and even small playgrounds and slides to enjoy. There is also the most fabulous optical illusion which appears like you are sitting out standing on top of a huge drop into a library beneath – for anyone who doesn’t like heights, this would probably not be for you! The Gallery is another free to enter place so for some air con and a couple of hours entertainment it’s definitely worth checking out.
Singapore Botanical Gardens – for an escape from the hustle and bustle and a space for kids to run off all their energy, this place is a must visit – and FREE! This is Singapore’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site and It’s easy to see why. It is enormous! There is a dedicated children’s garden which not only had playgrounds and mazes to explore, but also fish, newts and tortoises in the streams and black swans nesting. You genuinely could forget you were in one of the largest municipals in Asia as there is a real tranquillity about exploring these manicured gardens, paths and lanes which sweep their way through hectares of amazing vegetation, sculptures, plants and trees. Children will also enjoy spotting all the statues dotted around and within the flower beds, including giant butterflies, dragonflies, herons and kingfishers, all covered in gold or bronze.
Spectra Light Shows – when you think of a light show in Singapore you automatically think of the infamous Gardens by the Bay, but the Spectra Light show should not be overlooked. Taking place in the bay itself, near the ArtScience Museum with the Marina Bay Sands as a backdrop, these water fountains dance to music in the water – that being the main difference to the Gardens. Crowds begin gathering from around 7.30 ahead of the 8pm start (Sun-Thurs 8pm and 9pm shows, additional 10pm show on Fri-Sat). If you are really up against it, and have limited time in Singapore, then leg it from Spectra straight to the Gardens by the Bay show afterwards.
Located on the opposite side of the famous hotel, the evening light show within Gardens by the Bay must not be missed, aptly names Garden Rhapsody. Forget the jet lag, and even if you only have one evening in the city, spending that time here is a must. The show starts at Daily, 7.45pm and 8.45pm and whilst it does get very busy, especially when leaving, you will be able to find an area to enjoy the lights. I would recommend lying on the floor and looking up at the trees and slights that serenade you from above. Put your phone away and just enjoy the moment as it is very special. For a good 20 minutes the lights dance, change colours and play along to the music. Leaving this area at the end of the show does get extremely busy and it’s a bit of a push to get out. If you have a pushchair the queues for the lifts are long and so it’s worth taking a carrier and carrying the empty chair up the stairs if you can. Surprisingly however, getting a grab or on the metro at the end of the night wasn’t an issue once you exit the gardens themselves.
Gardens by the Bay (by Day). This could be either a freebie or a costly visit. The Gardens themselves where the aforementioned light show takes place are free, but to go inside to the domes there is an entrance fee (£18 adults, £10 children), but one fee gets you into both the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest. We did the Cloud Forest first in the day to try and beat the crowds. As you enter, you are treated with a huge waterfall cascading from the rock face. You then spend the next hour or two meandering slowly upwards towards the ceiling. The paths are a very gradual climb and there I so much to see and search for along the way. We loved the Lego Raffelsia flowers, the bronze statues scattered between the plants and the views of the waterfalls at various heights as you climb upwards towards the top.
After the Cloud Forest you can head straight into the Flower Dome which is very different to the cloud forest with unsurprisingly many more flowers and sculptures to enjoy. There’s easily another hour to explore in here and the colours are a lot more vibrant. This place is like the most enormous greenhouse you have ever seen, expansive in ground area rather than height like it’s neighbour the Cloud Forest. Once again, it’s not just flowers but also art and sculptures along the way, with statues of people and animals littered around. The pathsways are wide and extensive so less of a crush than other areas and pushchairs are really not an issue here.
No trip to the Gardens is complete without an explore outside the main domes. You can either enjoy the expanse of the outdoors areas, where nature, science and art all combine and / or stumble across the Far East Organisation Children’s Park – again this is FREE but closed on Mon-Wed! This is the splash park of all splash parks so don’t forget to pack the swimming gear and a towel. With tumbling buckets of water, sprays, puddles, sprinklers and taps, children of all ages will really enjoy this space, and adults will enjoy the coffee and snack shops that surround the wet area. There is also a park behind the splash park with cargo nets, obstacle courses and a tree house with slides. The water gets turned off at 6.30 with the whole area closed by 7pm. We recommend heading here around 5pm for a good play and then head straight to Garden Rhapsody for the 7.45 showing.
A day at the Gardens and Domes will mean a LOT of steps, but there are also golf buggies who drive you from the entrance to the main areas, and back again. If you do choose to walk it is probably a good 20 minutes so at the end of the day weary legs will appreciate the lift!
Marina Bay Sands – this is the most iconic building in Singapore, a 3 building hotel joined at the top with an infinity swimming pool, a bar and restaurant, and a viewing platform and here comes my biggest tip of visiting Singapore. No extended travel budget is going to stretch to stay here at £500+ a night, you may even not fancy the $23 per person for the viewing platform, but if you head to the CÉ LA VI SkyBar & Club at the top and enjoy a $22 cocktail you get the same views including a view of the pool for free! Only guests of the hotel can actually swim in the pool so manage your children’s expectations before heading up but the bar is a really lovely place to chill – even more so when both your children fall asleep after all the walking around the gardens! There are sofas to lie on even all 57 storeys up in the air!
You will also enjoy the view of the Marina Bay Sands from the ground and various points around Singapore bay. Don’t be surprised if your camera reel fills up with footage from many different angles of this iconic building, the landmark of Singapore.
Singapore city gallery, amazing Buddha Tooth relic and strolling around China Town and Little India provides some good free activity for drizzly days, as plenty of chance to dodge the downpours and ahead indoors. The city gallery provides a brilliant overview of how Singapore was built in the last 30-40 years, and what it has looked like during that time. There are city models an scapes, lights and sounds to add something to capture the children’s attention, and plenty to read and explore in both 2 and 3-d. The temple is a calm and tranquil area, where jos sticks can be purchased and lit before wandering the three stories within the building. As you approach the sacred Budda Tooth you do need to put your phone away but there is something very sacred in the atmosphere as you walk past with the other tourists.
And now for the practical stuff: Our fist time in Singapore we stayed in the Yotel on Orchard Road in a family room sleeping 3. This was a real highlight and treat for us costing around £100 a night. The hotel is full of novelty and quirks, no more so than the 2 robots who deliver water and towels anonymously around the hotel – meet Yoshi and Yolande! This was a real buzz for our kids. The room itself was tiny, with the bed retracting into the wall, but it was very comfortable and the entire concept is based on minimal space that doesn’t compromise on comfort. There is also a pool and the location of the hotel is fabulous with shopping malls, cinemas, MRT station all within walking distance. We wanted to stay here again on our return but with 2 children over 3 we needed a family room and they were too expensive so we opted for the Village Hotel Albert Court where we got a huge suite, and the location on the edge of Little India, with 2-3 MRT stops nearby and even walking distance to Kampong Glam is perfect.
Foodwise we generally ate at the hawker markets – there is a fabulous one in Little India called Tekka Place with 3 curries, 3 fresh fruit juices, naan and rice costing around £15. Also in the ground floor of the Marina Bay sands shopping complex is a food court which is reasonably priced if you are near there (although about twice the price of the hawker centres).
Getting around Singapore is easy with the MRT and there are a lot of staff on hand to help you navigate. You can use your debit card to swipe in and out, or buy a card for $10 which has $5 of credit on it. We got the MRT around 5/6 times in 24 hours and we didn’t need to top the $5 up again so travel is really cheap. Under 5s are free, there’s lifts in all stations for strollers and the aircon is very welcome. And it is probably the cleanest underground you will ever ride.
If you want to get a taxi to / from the airport, then it’s around $23 (£15) each way for 4 people with luggage and takes c. 20-30 minutes. There are specific pick up points clearly sign posted in the airport for Grab / GoJek (Asia’s version of Uber!). I’d recommend installing Grab before landing in Singapore (or Asia) and getting all set up. Even though there is wifi throughout the airport, you don’t want to be faffing after a long flight.
