10 of the best things to do in Singapore, from hikes, cycle trails to exploring the Geylang neighbourhood

Independent

22-03-2025

Singapore turns 60 in 2025, and there's never been a better time to discover the hidden treasures of this fascinating southeast Asian country – whether it's explorations of its lush chunks of primary rainforest, a hike around the island that has Singapore's last kampong (village) or a cycle along a former railway that once connected Singapore with Malaysia.
Venturing beyond big hitters, such as Orchard Road, pays huge dividends. Here's the lowdown on the places that provide the best insights into this fascinating country, and the best way to spend your holiday.
The best things to do in Singapore in 2025
1. Check out Geylang
Once-gritty Geylang is a brilliant place for an insight into the real Singapore. At its heart is Geylang Serai. Serai means lemongrass in Malay, and refers to the lemongrass plantations once found here. This is where you'll find Singapore's largest Malay community and the enormous Geylang Serai wet market, where you can wander between pyramids of fragrant spices and piles of the freshest fish. Its food court is a great place to sample Malay delicacies, such as goreng pisang (banana fritters). Afterwards, stop by the Soon Thian Keing Temple, which dates back to the late 1700s and has two roaring dragons perched atop its golden roof. Other Geylang highlights include crowd-free Lorong 24A, where you can admire colourful shophouses.
2. Cycle the Rail Corridor
The Rail Corridor is a 24-kilometre cycling and hiking trail that stretches from Spooner Road, to the south of downtown Singapore, to the Kranji MRT station, close to the border with Malaysia. Although the steam engines that once chugged along its tracks are long gone, reminders of its history are everywhere, including at the Bukit Timah Railway Station, built in 1932 and now a visitor centre (complete with the original track-switching levers). Various reserves and rewilding projects border the Railway Corridor, which is lined with 52,000 shrubs and trees; don't be surprised to spot a monitor lizard scrambling across the trail.
3. Visit Bukit Brown cemetery
When Bukit Brown cemetery opened in 1922, it became Singapore's first Chinese municipal cemetery, open to anyone from the Chinese community, irrespective of connections with certain clans or families. Wander through this incense-scented resting place to admire spectacularly ornate tombs of Chinese traders who struck it rich in Singapore, including the final resting place of Peranakan businessman Ong Sam Leong. Said to be Singapore's most grandiose gravesite, it's guarded by statues of uniformed Indian watchmen.
4. Explore Orchard Road
Orchard Road might well have Singapore's flashiest malls but it's also a huge open-air gallery, with supersized sculptures are dotted along its length. A favourite is the enormous metal nutmeg, designed by artist Kumari Nahappan and a nod to the times when the area was filled with nutmeg plantations. For souvenirs, head to Design Orchard, a swanky boutique that champions Singaporean designers, selling everything from handbags to homeware. Craving an adrenaline rush? Head to the recently-opened Trifecta, where you can cool off by hanging 10 in its open-air standing wave pool. There's a ski slope and skateboard bowl, too.
5. Hike around Pulau Ubin
Pulau Ubin, a tiny island just a 15-minute ferry ride from Singapore's Changi Point Ferry Terminal, was once pockmarked with quarries, but the last ones shut down in the 1990s and were turned into nature reserves. The island has Singapore's last kampong (village) and the 40 or so residents are now mostly fishermen or small business owners. It's car-free, but hiking and cycling trails (bikes can be rented near the pier) fan out across the island, past places like Pekan Quarry, where herons perch on nesting platforms in a flooded former quarry, and the Chek Jawa Wetlands, where residents of its six ecosystems include flying foxes.
6. Take a walk on the wild side at the Mandai Wildlife Reserve
For family-friendly fun, it's hard to beat the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, where the pièce de résistance is a series of interconnected aviaries filled with 3,500 birds spanning 400 species. Bonus points if you spot a greater green leafbird, a vibrantly coloured winged wonder found in Asia's rainforests. It will soon be possible to base yourself here, too: at the Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree, which opens in early April, guests stay in beautiful suites that overlook lush tracts of rainforest.
7. Check out the Singapore GP
Full disclosure – this only happens once a year (usually in September, although it's occasionally taken place in October), but it's still worthy of inclusion on the list. The Singapore Grand Prix was the first F1 on the calendar, and it's one of the most action-packed. A fun fact? Drivers lose around 4kg of weight due to high humidity. Can't make the race? Cycle or walk along the most famous sections (it's a street circuit, after all). I recommend the stretches of road which pass City Hall and Marina Bay – these are the race's most iconic sections.
8. Fill up at a hawker centre
Crazy Rich Asians put the Newton Food Centre on the map, but there are so many other hawker centres to check out. Favourites include the Seah Im Food Centre (try the the nasi goreng tom yum at Farasha by Intan, run by third-generation hawker Muhammad Syafiq Bin Shafrudin). Other hotspots include Lau Pa Sat, tucked inside a listed building close to Marina Bay, and the Tiong Bahru Food Centre. Delicacies it's famous for include chwee kueh, steamed rice cakes made with preserved radish. An insider tip? Do as locals do and leave a packet of tissues on your chosen table while you order – known as 'choping', it ensures nobody will pinch your place.
9. Try Peranakan cuisine
Peranakan cuisine refers to dishes created by descendants of early Chinese migrants who settled in places such as Malaysia and Singapore. Dempsey Road's Candlenut restaurant, close to the Singapore Botanic Gardens, is Singapore's first Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant. Head here to feast on delicacies such as Aunt Caroline's babi buah keluak – slow-cooked Iberico pork jowl with aromatic black nut - while admiring the ornate tilework and beautiful straw lanterns, a nod to the Peranakan way of life.
10. Get a history fix at National Museum of Singapore
Brush up on the history of Singapore, as well as the wider region, at this brilliant museum, housed in a Neo-Palladian building designed by engineer Henry Edward McCallum in 1882. The most fascinating section is the one that focuses on the region's earliest years, including the prehistoric tools discovered on Pulau Ubin. Just as spectacular – but more modern – is Wings of a Rich Manoeuvre, in the Glass Atrium. Designed by local artist Suzann Victor, this installation comprises kinetic chandeliers featuring Swarovski crystals accentuated by LED light.