Sightseeing in Singapore City - what to see. Complete travel guide

For many people Singapore is only a transit point after twelve hours of flight on their way to Australia. It is located on the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, just 140 km to the northward of the equator. The place is distinguished by a tropical climate with an average temperature of 27C and humidity of approximately 85%. It rains in Singapore all year round. Quite often there are several short rains during just one day. However, despite everything Singapore is much more than just a transit point! This is a very modern city-state full of most diverse attractions, and travellers will need more than a whole week to see them all.

The Raffles Hotel.
The Raffles Hotel was built in 1887. A hundred years later it was declared a monument of the national importance. The hotel is one of the last big Asian hotels of that era. Such famous people as Somerset Maugham, Rudyard Kipling, Joseph Conrad and Charlie Chaplin enjoyed staying there. In 1991, after an extensive renovation, the cost of which was 160 million Singapore dollars, the hotel returned to its former glory, which it was famous for during the period of its fame in 1915. However, the hotel managed to retain the charm and elegance of that era, which is only a memory today.

The famous Tiffin Room, located in the hotel, is well-known as the best restaurant in the city. The hotel’s bar called Bar & Billiard is always cool thanks to high ceilings. This is a great place to enjoy a glass of gin and tonic. There are also several pool tables right in the bar’s hall. The new arcade is the location of 70 specialty stores, among which visitors will find a shop with local products, as well as several restaurants and the Jubilee Hall Theater made in the Victorian style. Do not forget to visit the museum located on the top floor of the building. This is a great place to learn more about the long history of the hotel – antique vignettes and photos of Charlie Chaplin and his brother, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and the diary of Noel Coward, in which he talks about the death of his companion. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Chinatown.
Singapore’s Chinatown appeared approximately in 1821, when the first Chinese junk from Xiamen arrived in the province of Fujian. Each of the four largest areas of Chinatown - Kreta Ayer, Telok Ayer, Tanjong Pagar and Bukit Pasoh – has its own unique character. Fuk Tak Chi and Thian Hock Keng temples rise proudly above the center of Chinatown. Smith Street that is located nearby has become one of the main shopping destinations. This is the place where Chinese housewives bargain to get the best product, making this quarter very busy and often excessively noisy. If you feel the need for peace and tranquility, you will always find them in churches and in the Yixing Xuans teahouse. Just like many years ago, the teahouse still organizes traditional tea ceremonies.

Chinatown is also the place where you will find a rich selection of various Chinese medicines, and local doctors usually give their visitors numerous practical advice. Just like in 60s and 70s of the XX century, there is a traditional night market in Chinatown. Thanks to more than 200 trading outlets, the quarter remains very busy at night. The market, where it is possible to buy antiques and crafts, as well as many other things, is open Sunday to Thursday from 17.00 to 23.00. On Fridays and Saturdays the market is open until 1 am. By the way, many places of interest that have become the symbols of Singapore's Chinatown have no connection with China. For example, these are the Hindu temple of Nagore Durgha and Al-Abrar Mosque, located in Telok Ayer Street , Jamae Mosque and the Sri Mariamman Temple in South Bridge Road Street .

Safari Park.
Night Safari is the first and the only safari park that is open not only during the daytime, but also at night. The park is located in the immediate vicinity of the zoological gardens. The park is divided into eight different zones, which have become home to over 1,200 animals, including 110 exotic species. These eight zones copy the conditions of different geographical regions, for example, there is a Southeast Asian rainforest, an African savanna, a Nepalese river valley, a South American pampas and even a Burmese jungle. A 45-minute ride on a narrow gauge railway can become a pleasant alternative to three hiking trails. Two times a night the park hosts a show named Creatures of the Night, during which workers of the zoo show some of the most dangerous species.

Sentosa Island.
Sentosa Island is told to be in a complete contrast to bustling and noisy Singapore. This island, which is connected with Singapore by a bulk bridge, is the location of a large park. The park is, without a doubt, a reflection of the relaxed atmosphere of Sentosa. Besides this, the park is a great place where you can find beaches, golf courses, wonderful cafes and restaurants, and a variety of attractions, such as Volcanoland or the Asian Village. Visitors will be surely fascinated with turbulent mountain streams of Fantasy Island. Do not forget to visit Asia's largest aquarium with tropical fish - Underwater World . Tourists, who are keen on history, will be glad to see the photograph exhibition named Images of Singapore. The photos exhibited here throw light upon former life of the island, local festivals and traditions.

The Asian Civilizations Museum is dedicated to the world of Chinese beliefs, Chinese symbolism, art and traditions of Chinese science. The museum is located in a renovated building of 1910, which is made in the neo-classicism style. Visitors of the museum will be also welcome to see a collection of Buddhist artworks, porcelain of the emperor period and furniture in the Ming style of the XVII century. The Asian Civilizations Museum is an important presentation of Asian culture development.