The Best Parks to Explore in Singapore

Singapore is known for its delicious food, ultra-modern cityscapes, and sophisticated night life, but this city-state also boasts some incredible parks of natural, historical, and entertainment value. Whether you’re looking for a peaceful picnic area for lunch or an exciting outdoors and wildlife experience in natural surrounds, these are some of the most incredible parks to explore in Singapore.

Gardens by the Bay

Spanning 250 acres in Marina Bay in central Singapore, Gardens by the Bay is one of Singapore’s most popular and famous parks. Filled with impressive greenery, three waterfront gardens, and a canopy of artificial trees up to 50-metres tall, Gardens by the Bay isn’t just a park, but a leisure destination with dining and retail options, festivals, music concerts, movie screenings, and sports and community events.

Key attractions not to be missed by visitors include the Flower Dome, Cloud Forest, and OCBC Skyway, and there’s also the Supertree Grove, Sun Pavilion, and Heritage Gardens.

Singapore Botanic Gardens

While Gardens by the Bay offers a range of artificial and natural attractions, Singapore Botanic Gardens is focused on natural landscapes and greenery. Open daily and located in the heart of the city, these parklands are both a leisure garden and a botanical park in the traditional sense of the word.

Developed with three core areas, the park’s three zones are Tanglin, Central, and Bukit Timah. Tanglin is the heritage area that includes the oldest part of the gardens, while Central is the tourist belt with a visitor centre, the Evolution Garden, and a rainforest area. Buki Timah is the park’s educational and discovery zone, with a foliage garden, eco-lake, and children’s garden.

Key attractions include the National Orchid Garden, Fragrant Garden, Botany Centre, Bonsai Garden, and Swan Lake. Visitors can plan their visit by using the trail guides offered.

East Coast Park

If you’re looking not for an outdoor experience, East Coast Park might be the right park for you. Complete with a 15-kilometre stretch of beach that’s perfect for running, walking, or biking, East Coast Park is Singapore’s largest park. The park is a full-featured destination with an abundance of hawker food, restaurants, bars, and cafes. Other attractions include the Xtreme SkatePark and the stunning stretch of beach itself. Activities to try are beach volleyball, cable skiing, and other water sports.

MacRitchie Reservoir Park

MacRitchie Reservoir Park is more than just the gateway to Singapore’s largest reservoir; it’s a paradise for those who love the great outdoors. This striking 12-hectare park is extremely popular with exercise enthusiasts and hikers. With a range of hiking trails and facilities, such as canoe sheds and pontoons for kayakers, MacRitchie is a wonderful destination, whether you enjoy water sports or hiking and running.

Other attractions include the TreeTop Walk, a 250-metre suspension bridge that offers amazing sights of the canopy and treetops, as well as MacRitchie bandstand, a popular scenic location for performing arts events and special ceremonies. Bird watching and getting close to the macaques are also popular activities. Visitors can access a range of amenities including washrooms, showers, lockers, and food kiosks.

Night Safari

The world’s very first nocturnal wildlife park, Night Safari receives over 1.1 million visitors every year. With more than 1,000 animals in naturalistic habitats, Night Safari takes visitors on a special journey through its guided tram ride. On the ride, you pass through six geographic zones of the world, which include Himalayan Foothills and the Asian Riverine Forest. Alternatively, you can book a VIP guided tour with the Safari Adventurer Tour, which comes with your own private guide.

Visitors can also explore the walking trails to get close to the animals and display habitats that are not covered on the tram right. Feature displays include the two giant aviaries populated by Malayan flying foxes and flying squirrels, as well as the Leopard Trail, where you can encounter leopards up close through a glass observatory. There’s also a Fishing Cat Trail, where visitors can observe fishing cats during their nighttime hunts, and an Australian wildlife area with wallabies and other native wildlife.

The park also offers performances and shows, such as the not-to-be-missed Creatures of the Night Show, and a range of dining options ranging from gourmet choices to local delicacies.

Fort Canning

For an outdoor and nature experience rolled into one, don’t miss Fort Canning, a historical attraction that was established as an arms store, barracks, and hospital. Originally known as Forbidden Hill (Bukit Larangan, in Malay), today Fort Canning is one of the most famous historical sites in Singapore, and is a notable site for major events and popular music performances. Visitors to Fort Canning can enjoy the atmospheric and historically rich setting along its winding paths and staircases.

Key attractions include Sir Stamford Raffles bungalow and the Spice Garden, which is a full replica of the original 19-hectare garden owned by Sir Raffles in 1822. There’s also Maritime Corner, the ASEAN Sculpture Garden, Battle Box, and the Fort Gate, which is what’s left of a fortress built in the 19th century.

Exploring Singapore’s beautiful parks

Singapore is home to a range of parks offering varied experiences that range from the historical to the natural. Whether you’re looking for a peaceful hike in nature, or are seeking to marvel at the creative juxtapositioning of urban and natural elements, you can find it in Singapore’s many parks.

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