Top 5 free attractions in Singapore

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Singapore is one of the most diverse and multicultural cities you can find, so it is a perfect holiday destination for the seasoned urban tourist. The city is filled with interesting museums, great food, lively nightlife and tons of cultural attractions, and the only problem that you can possibly encounter (or the most pressing one, at least) is your budget.

Singapore is not a cheap destination by any means, and if you’re a budget traveler, you’ll have to be careful about where you spend your money. Fortunately, free attractions abound as well, and you can easily spend a week at least visiting them. So here are the top 5 free tourist attractions in Singapore.

Raffles Hotel

Hotels seldom become tourist attractions, but even if you’ll have to pay for a drink at the hotel’s bar to justify your stay, visiting this old colonial building is totally worth it. Raffles Hotel is famous for having invented the Singapore Sling cocktail, and for being the favourite spot in Singapore if writers like Somerset Maugham and Joseph Conrad. You can visit the hotel’s museum for free, see the lobby and sip a Singapore Sling at the Writer’s Bar.

Singapore’s Chinatown

photo by Khalzuri

The Chinatown in Singapore is the oldest part of the city, and the most fascinating one as well. Parts of the neighbourhood look like they haven’t changed in ages, and you can see dozens and dozens of little shops painted in blue and pink, Victorian terraces and Buddhist temples. The market is a gold mine for shoppers who are looking or interesting souvenirs, like clothes, jewelry and antiques.

Singapore Botanical Garden

Not only is this Botanical Garden pretty large, but it charges no admission fee, and it opens from 5 am to midnight. You can enjoy the warm Singapore sunsets (or even sunrises) in the mids of the Rubber trees, teak trees and palm trees, smell the tropical flowers in the morning and stroll through the amazing Orchid Garden, the main attraction, filled with over 3000 orchid species and hybrids. Other interesting sights in the Botanical Garden include Burkill Hall, a colonial bungalow, the Ginger Garden (which has a restaurant) and the rainforest.

Little Arabia

Kampong Glam, or Little Arabia, seems like a world apart from Chinatown, it almost feels like you’re in another country. The golden-domed Sultan Mosque dominates to landscape of the neighbourhood, and you can enter freely, just make sure not to show too much skin (you can also borrow a cloak). Check out the shops selling fabric and sweets, and settle down in a small restaurant to enjoy the traditional Middle Eastern food.

St. Andrew’s Cathedral

St. Andrew’s Cathedral is the largest cathedral in Singapore, and well worth a visit if you like Neo-Gothic architecture. The present cathedral is the third version to be built (the second was demolished by lightning strikes), and it was erected by Indian convicts. The St Andrew’s Cathedral Choir is the oldest musical group in Singapore, and they perform regularly at the church.

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How to travel on a budget in the most expensive countries in the world | The Travel Enthusiast wrote on October 7, 2011:

[…] food in Little India and Chinatown will keep your stomach full. Plus, there are quite a few great free attractions in the city!NorwayNorway, photo by Ben WiersemaIcy Norway is one of the most expensive, and at the […]

 

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Meg Moss wrote on July 27, 2011:

Do you have a photo credit for the image of Singapore’s Chinatown?

 

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