Singapore/Riverside

The Singapore River forms a central artery in Singapore's densely packed Central Business District. It houses many of Singapore's top historical and cultural attractions as well as the bulk of its nightspots along the riverside streets of Boat Quay, Clarke Quay and Robinson Quay plus nearby Mohamed Sultan.

Get in

The riverside is best accessed by MRT Raffles Place (North-South/East-West Lines) and Clarke Quay (North-East Line) stations, while the nearest station to the Marina district is City Hall, connected by a long underground shopping mall to Suntec and the Esplanade. There is no convenient MRT station for the western end of the river though: you'll have to hike on foot for 15 minutes, try to work out the buses, or hop on a bumboat (see Get around).

Get around

A popular way to see the heart of the city is with Singapore River Cruises. Stations are scattered along both banks of the river and reservations are not necessary. Prices start at S$3 for a simple ride from point A to point B.

See

The bulk of Singapore's historical attractions are packed by the river, and the best place to start your tour is at the mouth of the Singapore River.

Monuments

Merlion, Merlion Park (Raffles Place MRT exit H, off Fullerton Rd). Singapore's official symbol, 8.6 meters tall and weighing 70 tons, spouts water daily on the south bank of the mouth of the Singapore river. (The statue previously resided further down the river, but was moved in 2002 after the opening of the Esplanade Bridge.) Designed by the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board in 1964, many a commentator has pondered on the inherent contradictions of a creature that is half-cat, half-fish — much like Singapore itself. Singaporeas themselves regard the monument as a bit of a joke, and indeed in Singaporean slang the verb to merlion means "to vomit"! But any time of night or day, a steady stream of tourists troops up to see the mythical beast, and a purpose-built pier lets you take pictures with the Merlion and the CBD in the background. When paying your respects, don't miss the bite-sized Mini-Merlion (officially the "Merlion cub"), a mere two meters tall, just 28m away towards the bridge. Free entry, lit up at night until 10 PM.

Cavenagh Bridge, next to Fullerton Hotel. Singapore's oldest bridge and its only suspension bridge, constructed in 1869. Now a pedestrian walkway across the mouth of the Singapore River; note the original sign forbidding cattle to cross.

Raffles Statue, 1 Empress Place (next to Asian Civilisations Museum). This statue of Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore, is the second only to the Merlion as most popular place in Singapore to take a picture of yourself. Having the skyscrapers and the shophouses of Boat Quay in the background helps to explain why!

Museums

Asian Civilisations Museum at Empress Place, 1 Empress Place, tel. +66 63327798, =>. One of Singapore's newest, largest and best-presented museums. As the name hints, all of Asia is covered in the scope, although naturally there is an emphasis on the cultures near and in Singapore. Open 9 AM to 7 PM daily. Admission $5, free Friday evenings 6-9 PM.

Battle Box, Fort Canning Park. The former HQ of the British army during World War 2, now turned into an air-conditioned museum complete with animatronic figures retelling the events of the days before surrender. Adults S$8, open 10am-6pm Tue-Sun. Nearest MRT station Dhoby Ghaut, but it's a steamy hike up the hill.

Singapore History Museum =>. Closed for renovations until 2006.

Do

Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay. 1 Esplanade Drive (City Hall MRT), =>. Singapore's equivalent of Sydney's famous Opera House, except that the two-lobed spiky Singaporean version deliberately bears a striking resemblance to the durian, a tropical fruit related to the jackfruit which is notorious for its sharp odour. Opera, dance, classical concerts and similar entertainment is offered daily. Prices for the main entertainment start from 20-30 SGD for poor seats, up to over a hundred SGD for good ones. For the cheap traveller, there are occasionally free productions on the riverfront. More details can be found on fliers around the complex itself, and on the website given above.

Singapore River. The entire Singapore river area is a lovely place for a walk, with small green gardens, old-style bridges and historical buildings, and the nightlife-rich expanse of Clarke Quay and Boat Quay.

Buy

There are some shopping malls of interest around the City Hall MRT station, but serious shoppers will wish to head to Orchard Road for their shopping instead.

Funan The IT Mall, 109 North Bridge Road (City Hall MRT), =>. One of the best places to buy electronics in Singapore, stores here are strictly vetted and the risk of getting ripped off is low.
Peninsula Plaza, 111 North Bridge Road (City Hall MRT). Older mall notable primary for its concentration of specialist camera stores, the largest of which is Cathay Photo =>.
Raffles City, => (City Hall MRT). Large shopping mall located directly above the City Hall MRT station. Notable for Jason's Supermarket in the basement, which has probably Singapore's largest selection of gourmet food items.
Suntec City, =>. At the northeastern edge of the CBD is Singapore's largest shopping mall, featuring the Fountain of Wealth, reputedly the world's largest fountain. Take the MRT to City Hall and then follow the signs in the underground CityLink mall; or save yourself some walking and take a taxi.

Eat

You're spoiled for choice when eating at the river. Prices tend to be slightly inflated by Singaporean standards, so avoid any place that needs to use touts to get customers.

The western end of the river (around Robertson Quay) houses a significant Japanese expat community, and consequently the Japanese restaurants nearby serve up some of the best fare this side of Tokyo.

Budget

Komala's, Peninsula Plaza B1F, 111 North Bridge Rd, =>. MdDonalds-style fast food, only they serve vegetarian Indian food on a banana leaf instead of burgers and fries. Worth a visit for the cognitive dissonance and good food, with massive meal sets under $5.

Lau Pa Sat. 18 Raffles Quay (near Raffles Place MRT). A nicely done up hawker centre, but unfortunately suffering from a lack of hawkers caused by overly high rents. The satay here is famous though, and there's a long row of outdoor stalls on the south side (open only in the evening), with Fatman Satay (Stall #1) generally getting the best reviews.

Yong Bak Kut Teh. 233 River Valley Rd (corner of Mohamed Sultan). Well located for late-night snacks, this coffeeshop serves up tasty KL-style dark pork rib soup (bak kut teh). $5.30 for a bowl with rice and you char kway fritters.

Mid-range

Epicurious, 60 Robertson Quay #01-02, tel. +66 67347720. This lovably quirky cafe-delicatessen is justly renowned for its gourmet breakfasts, featuring not only the usual pancakes and toasts but more offbeat options too. Try the Green Eggs and Ham, with pesto scrambled eggs and prosciutto ($12), and wash it down with freshly squeezed juice ($5). Breakfast until 1 PM on weekends only, lunch and dinner served daily.

Ichibantei, 60 Robertson Quay #01-13, =>. Possibly the best of Singapore's many ramen restaurants, this branch of an Osakan restaurant serves up generous portions of authentic Japanese noodles at $8.80 and up. Open 11:30 AM to 11 PM daily.

Inle Myanmar Restaurant, Peninsula Plaza #B1-01, 111 North Bridge Rd, tel. +65-6333-5438. This very authentic little eatery is run by and for Singapore's tiny Burmese community, many of whom are gem traders in the office block above. The food is an intriguing mix of Thai and Indian influences, and affordably priced with noodle dishes from S$5. Open 11 AM to 10 PM daily.

Splurge

The best places for a splurge with a view in the evening are Boat Quay and Clarke Quay, which have many riverside restaurants offering al fresco dining.

Gyu-Kaku, 81A Clemenceau Ave, #01-18/19 UE Square, tel. +65-6733-4001, =>. Stylish Japanese-style charcoal barbeque joint, with a vast selection of wagyu (Japanese beef) and side dishes. Vegetarians need not apply. Set menus from S$70 for 2.
IndoChine Waterfront. Tel. 6339-1720, =>. Directly opposite Boat Quay on a terrace outside the Asian Civilisations Museum, IndoChine's newest branch offers excellent modern Vietnamese/Lao/Khmer food and gorgeous views of the river at only moderately high prices (S$20-30 mains). Great place for a date, reservations highly advisable.
Quayside Seafood Grill, Clarke Quay (near Hooters), tel. +65-6338-0138. One of the better places for Singaporean food on the Quays, open for dinner only.

The former Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, CHIJMES at 30 Victoria St is an atmospheric assemblage of high-end food & beverage outlets near the Raffles Hotel. Unusually in early-closing Singapore, many of the restaurants here are open as late as 1 or 2 AM.

Viet Lang, CHIJMES #01-26/27, tel. 6337 3379. Among the best Vietnamese restaurants in Singapore, and you can even wash down your pho and cha gio with some imported 333 beer. Fairly expensive (as all restaurants here), with mains around $20 each.

Drink

Singapore's nightlife is almost entirely concentrated near the river. The main party zones are Boat Quay, on the south of the river next to the financial district (MRT Raffles Place, exit G), Clarke Quay on the north bank a few blocks inland (MRT Clarke Quay), and Mohamed Sultan Rd a few more blocks away on the north side.

All three are within crawling distance of each other. Bars and pubs come and go with dizzying speed, so just head out and find today's hip spot.

Less well known but also worth a look are Circular Road, parallel to Boat Quay just behind it, and Robertson Quay, an up-and-coming nightlife/restaurant zone at the western end of the river.

Bars

Bar 84, Gallery Hotel 2F, 76 Robertson Quay. Better known by locals as the Magic Bar, as you can watch Ginza-trained manager-bartender-magician Hashi-san dazzle and astonish his guests nightly except Sunday. Dim lighting, smooth jazz, and stylish decoration makes this the perfect place of a quiet drink — although beware that, in addition to the $10 cover and $15 drinks, any props used for your amusement will also magically find their way onto your bill.

Eski Bar, 46 Circular Rd (behind Boat Quay), =>. If the tropical heat starts to get to you, pop into the coolest place in town — a steady -6°C, to be precise, although the chill-out area is a comparatively toasty 18°C. Try the grapefruity Eski Blue or coconut sweet Sleeping Polar Bear (S$15 each). Open 5 PM to 1 AM (or later) daily.

Equinox, Raffles City Complex 68-72F, Stamford Rd, =>. The five bars and restaurants here offer the best nighttime views of the city, but prices are correspondingly expensive (S$15 and up for a drink). For a cigar and live jazz, head to CitySpace (floor 70), while New Asia Bar+Grill is a more casual place for a drink. Entry is through the Swissotel entrance on Stamford Rd.

Harry's Bar, 28 Boat Quay, =>. The favorite watering hole of Nick Leeson, the "Rogue Trader" who brought down Barings Bank and was once arrested here for indecent exposure. Try the Bank Breaker, an unlikely mix of whisky and Midori. Live music most nights.

Long Bar, Raffles Hotel, 1 Beach Rd, =>. The birthplace of the Singapore Sling, a syrupy sweet pink concoction of pineapple juice, gin, cherry liquor and many mysterious ingredients. The two-floor bar is large and a bit of a tourist trap, but drinking a Sling (a steep S$16) at the beautifully decorated wood-paneled bar and throwing the accompanying peanut shells on the floor should be on every visitor's agenda.

Nihonshu, 33 Mohamed Sultan Road, tel. +66 68870282. This sleek yet understated bar is devoted to the Japanese rice wine sake, with over 100 labels on offer — most only by the bottle, but there is fair range to sample by the glass or decanter as well ($6-15) and a wide range of Japanese nibbles ($4-10) to go along with them. Open 6 PM-midnight or later daily except Sunday.

Cabarets

Crazy Horse, 3B River Valley Road (Clarke Quay), tel. +65-6336-1800, =>. The famed Parisian revue now has a branch in Singapore, but despite the hype about the "Art of the Nude", the topless dancers still keep their G-strings on and the overall effect is more arty than pornographic. Show tickets start from S$65 for a bar stool way at the back, or you could fork out S$600 for a front-row seat, a 5-course meal and a bottle of champagne. The cheapest option is to pop into over-the-top Le Bar upstairs for a drink and content yourself with video screens.

Nightclubs

At all clubs listed below, arrive early (or late) because otherwise you may be stuck in line for a while. ID is theoretically required but rarely checked.

Dbl O, 11 Unity St #01-24 (off Mohamed Sultan), tel. +65-6735-2008, =>. One of Singapore's most popular clubs, at least in part because there's no cover charge and once you get in house pours are only S$3 a glass. Forking out S$15 for cover will let you skip the queue and get into Bar O downstairs, which follows the same pricing policy.

Home, #B1-01/06 Riverwalk, 20 Upper Circular Rd, =>. Opened in June 2005, this nightclub decorated with a strange mix of modern and retro attempts to plug the gap between Boat Quay and Clarke Quay. Drinks S$12, 1-for-1 happy hour between 6 and 9 PM.

Jazz@Southbridge, 82B Boat Quay, tel. 6327 4671, =>. Small and intimate, generally judged the best of Singapore's (few) jazz joints. Two-drink minimum on weekends, open daily except Monday.

Liquid Room, Gallery Hotel 1F, 76 Robertson Quay, =>. A small, dark club catering primarily to fans of harder dance music. There is no cover charge and the place is often jam-packed on weekends.

Ministry of Sound, Blk 3C, The Cannery, Clarke Quay, =>. The London megaclub chain opened its multi-floor Singapore branch in December 2005. Cover S$10-25 depending on the night and time of entry, including one drink.

Zouk, 17 Jiak Kim St, =>. Singapore's best-known nightclub and in fact a complex of 4 spaces: Zouk itself for harder dance music, Velvet Underground for loungier stuff, Phuture for experimental edge and the outside Wine Bar for chilling out. A full-entry ticket will set you back a rather pricey S$35, but two drinks are included and the place is happening especially when foreign DJs are in town — which is more often than not!

Sleep

Unless you're a shopping maven intent on maximizing time in Orchard Road's shopping malls, the riverside is probably the best place to stay in Singapore. Most hotels are within one of two clusters: the expensive ones at the east end in the Marina district, the more affordable ones at the west end near Mohammed Sultan.

Mid-range

There is a large cluster of older mid-range hotels on and near Havelock Rd at the western end of river, not the best location for sightseeing or shopping. SBS bus 51 from Havelock Rd offers a good escape route to Chinatown, Clarke Quay and Orchard. Note that in the center, the bus goes north up Eu Tong Sen Rd/Hill St, but returns south via North/South Bridge Rd.

Copthorne King's, 403 Havelock Road, tel. +65-6733-0011, =>. The former King's Hotel, given a thorough renovation when taken over by the Copthorne group and now looks (almost) brand new. The primary downside is the somewhat inconvenient location near the west end of the river, although Mohammed Sultan is within striking distance. Weekend rates from S$110+++.

Holiday Inn Atrium, 317 Outram Road, tel. +65-67330188, =>. Formerly the Concorde Hotel, the 30-floor inner atrium is indeed impressive, but little else about this brown toilet roll of a hotel is. As of 2005, the hotel is undergoing some much-needed refurbishment, meaning cheap rates and random construction noises.

Gallery Hotel, 76 Robertson Quay, tel. +65-6849-8686, =>. If you've ever wanted to spend the night in an IKEA showroom, this self-proclaimed Highly Individual Property is the place for you. No paintings hanging on the wall here, the name refers to the hotel's own style, all steel, glass, austere modern furniture and breakage-prone fancy electronics. Well located for visits to the 4 bars/clubs on premises and nightspots on Mohammed Sultan, but you'll be taking a taxi anywhere else. Bonus points for free Internet and Singapore's funkiest pool/human aquarium. Rooms from S$138.

Splurge

There is a major cluster of high-end hotels on the north side of the river around the Esplanade, including the splurgiest of them all, the venerable Raffles Hotel.

Conrad Centennial, 2 Temasek Blvd, tel. 6334 8888, =>. New and impeccably tasteful hotel, located next Suntec City but a bit far from the MRT. Good value for a 5-star though, as discounted rates can go below S$200.

Grand Copthorne, 392 Havelock Road, tel. +65-6733-0880, =>. The flagship of the Millenium & Copthorne chain and the only luxury hotel at the west end, but unfortunately the pomp of the lobby and exterior are not matched by the spacious but otherwise somewhat dumpy rooms. Rooms usually above S$200.

Pan Pacific Singapore, 7 Raffles Boulevard (Marina Square), tel. +65-6336-8111, =>. A somewhat older hotel renovated in 2005, the most notable features are the 35-story atrium and the great skyline views from the aptly named Panoramic Balcony rooms. The rooms themselves and other facilities, however, are nothing out of the ordinary.

Raffles Hotel, 1 Beach Rd, tel. 6337 1886, =>. A Singaporean icon offering 5-star luxury in an colonial style, known as the birthplace of the Singapore Sling and the final stand of Singapore's last tiger, shot in the Billiards Room. But is this worth S$600 and up to you?

There are some luxury hotels of note scattered elsewhere on the river.

Fullerton Hotel, 1 Fullerton Square, tel. +65-6733-8388, =>. In the magnificent refurbished former Central Post Office, this is Raffles' closest competitor (in price as well) with an excellent location facing the Merlion on the south side of the river.

Novotel Clarke Quay, 177A River Valley Road (MRT Clarke Quay), tel. +65-6338-3333, =>. Formerly the New Otani, the hotel reopened in late 2005 after a major refurbishment. Rooms from S$200.