Arriving in Singapore is a shock to the senses, it’s like a cross between Avatar, some science-y futuristic lab, and In Time – you know that film with Cillian Murphy, Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried where all the rich people just move about so beautifully in a clean, calm and quiet city.
- Singapore on a budget
- 12 completely free things to do in Singapore
- That’s a wrap!
- Planning on Visiting Singapore?
Singapore on a budget
Singapore is certainly rich and certainly expensive, especially if you’re coming to it from a backpacking trip around SE Asia. But there are plenty of ways to keep spending in Singapore down, and the budget intact. We visited for three days, saw loads, ate loads, stayed centrally, and it cost us £270 including accommodation and some fancy coffees (we just like coffee…this is optional!). The reason our spending didn’t soar into the thousands is because there is just so much to do that’s free in Singapore which is amazing, and helpful. Even better, the free activities don’t feel like you’re missing out, they’re genuinely cool. We’ll cover our full spend breakdown in another post but first, here is everything you can do for free in Singapore!
12 completely free things to do in Singapore
All of these places, activities, sights are actually free – no hidden costs here. Let’s get into them:
1. Gardens by the Bay
The Gardens by the Bay are a famous Singapore landmark primarily known for the stunning architectural trees covered in climbing plants and flowers. The gardens themselves are also beautiful and cover a large distance around the bay by themselves. The twice nightly light show set to music takes place in Garden Rhapsody and is free to watch. Join the crowds to sit beneath the trees and watch the shows play out. Happily you will always get a good view as the show happens at a height of 25-50 meters.
Location: Garden Rhapsody, Gardens by the Bay
Timings: the light is on 7:45pm & 8:45pm every night; the gardens are open 24/7
2. Thian Hock Keng Temple
Located in a busy and popular part of Singapore’s Central Area is this small Taoist temple. Although the majority religion in Singapore is Buddhism, almost 10% of Singapore’s residents declared themselves as Taoist in the 2020 census.
Even though this temple is directly on the street it feels tucked away and secret. People rarely stay for long as it’s size doesn’t require a lot of time, and locals quietly slip in and out to pray and leave donations. It has amazing decorations, especially its doors, and is a quiet, peaceful space that deserves a visit.
Location: 158 Telok Ayer Street
Timings: 7:30am-5pm all week
3. Rail Corridor
Singapore is almost 47% green space which apparently makes it the greenest city in Asia! This is great for loads of reasons, biodiversity and climate protection being two key ones, but for tourists and locals it also means that there are things to do in Singapore which involve nature. This green stretch runs along the west and south of Singapore for 24kms and has a ton of access points to metro stations and pathways back into built up areas which makes joining this path easy. Cars and motorbikes aren’t allowed and cyclists are meant to stick to a 10kmp/h speed limit (not sure that’s adhered to!) but the point is to maintain this space as pleasant for everyone.
If you walk along the route it’s entirely free, if you’d rather cycle use ‘hellobike’ for the best rates and ease of use.
HelloBike is an app based bike rental, all you need to do is download the app, find a nearby bike, scan the QR code to unlock it then off you go. Keep an eye on the time/spend and find an accepted park up spot. The map on the app will show you your options and you’ll need to scan the QR code (usually on the floor) by the parking bay to end your rental. HelloBike also has sign up discounts so if you’re cycling in a pair or group you can gift free 30 minute cycle and reduce your overall cost! Without the freebie, a 1hr cycle is $2.50 (£1.50).
Location: This link to the map provides the full route’s access points, the National Parks Website for Singapore is also a good place to check out the full route.
Timings: Open 24/7 but as the corridor is also used to provide animal crossings and protect wildlife the route isn’t lit with street lights when it gets dark – so take care if you’re walking or cycling at night.
4. Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
This is an absolutely gigantic modern Buddhist temple covering four floors. It’s centrally located in Chinatown and has a lot going on!
The temple was only built in 2007 and is highly decorative, the amount of fundraising, planning, and local input into this space to make it the highly decorative and bustling temple it is, is impressive, if not a little overwhelming!
The temples houses two floors of museums. One covers relics and the Buddha Tooth Relic specifically and how the temple was built. The other floor discusses Buddhism and the Sangha, the Buddhist community. The top floor houses the relic itself inside a reliquary made of solid gold.
In addition to the museum there is a roof terrace and mezzanine level. Take your time to visit this place, it’s usually busy as it’s an active temple and there’s a lot to see and take in.
You need to dress respectfully here but there are sarongs on offer for free to borrow for your visit.
Location: 288 South Bridge Road
Timings: 7:00am – 5:00pm every day
5. Tree Top Walk
Just north of the Bukit Timah area of Singapore is a huge nature reserve full of jungle trees, walking trails, bird and monkeys.
One of the famous trails here is the Tree Top Walk, a 250m free hanging suspension walkway between the trees. This bridge forms part of a longer trail, so do be aware that you can’t just do the walkway and head back to the car (or whatever mode of transport you might be taking!). There are a couple of routes to get to the walkway but the most straightforward way is to take the MacRitchie Tree Top Walk trail which is 7kms loop and starts (and ends) from the Windsor Nature Carpark. This point is easily accessible via the metro and a short walk, or a bus that will drop you close to the car park.
The nature reserve gets very busy at the weekends as locals take to the area to hike and catch up with friends. There’s still plenty of room for all, but for a quieter walk try to go during the working week.
Location: MacRitchie Nature Reserve
Guided trail map: Tree Top Walk Loop
Timings: The nature reserve area is open 24/7 however the Tree Top walk bridge is open as follows: Tuesday – Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm, Saturday/Sunday 8:30am-5:00pm, Monday Closed.
6. Marina Bay light show
Singapore’s Marina Bay area is impressive! It’s the center of gigantic and fancy hotels, a humungous shopping mall and beautiful designer shops on the waterfront. There is also a large sweeping boardwalk right by the water and easy access to Gardens by the Bay. From Thursdays to Sundays, twice a night, there is a beautiful fountain light show, set to music. Singapore does these kinds of entertainments really well, and this is no exception.
The show lasts for 15 minutes each time and you’ll want to get a good spot as the crowds do come here and the view is onto the water. Google directions can be a little confusing on where to put yourself, so head for the Apple Store on Marina Bay and then find a spot between the Apple Store and Louis Vuitton for a great spot to watch the free show!
Location: Spectra Light Show
Timings: Sun – Thu: 8pm & 9pm, Fri & Sat: 8pm, 9pm & 10pm
7. Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple
Singapore’s Little India is an amazing place – we loved exploring it and there was so much to see. Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple is small but beautiful and brightly decorated temple in Little India.
It’s an active spot so you’ll want to stand to the side to avoid getting in the way of people paying their respects and making offerings but visitors are welcome to observe. You will need to remove your shoes and store them on the shelves outside and cover up. There are free sarongs to borrow for your visit by the entrance.
Location: 141 Serangoon Road
Timings: 05:30am-12:00pm & 5:00pm – 9:00pm every day
8. Botanic Garden
The Botanic Garden in Singapore is situated in the Tanglin area of Singapore and provides a large and manicured space for people to come and relax, enjoy the greenery, or visit specific exhibitions.
As well as simply being a huge park to meet up with friends, picnic in, or just wander about for a couple of hours – the park runs monthly free tours (usually on Saturdays) facilitated by volunteers on different topics. You can find the latest calendar of events here.
The Botanic Garden also houses some free art exhibitions, check out the Botanical Art Gallery for their latest exhibitions. In fact, the only exhibit that charges a fee is the Orchid House in Singapore’s Botanic Garden, and while it is spectacular (it was the only thing we actually paid for during our stay in Singapore), it isn’t for everyone – making the Botanic Gardens another great free activity!
Location: There are a few entrances, easily accessible by public transport
Timings: 05:00am – 12:00am every day
9. Former House of Tan Teng Niah
This colorful house of a former sweet shop owner, is the last surviving Chinese villa in Little India. It was built in the 1990s and while you can no longer go inside, the outside is stunning and should definitely form part of your wanderings around Little India.
Location: 37 Kerbau Road
Timings: No entry – available 24/7 for photos and admiration
10. Sultan Mosque
As you walk past the Sultan Mosque crossing the road on Arab Street, it looms out of nowhere looking too big for the street it’s on. The mosque has been around in one form or the other since the 1820s, on Kandahar Street you can see a side by side painted map of the area from the 1920s and 2023 – the Sultan Mosque looked a little different back then but stayed in the same location.
Visitors are welcome to observe for free and there are sarongs and cover-ups provided if you’re wearing shorts, sleeveless tops and your hair (women) is showing.
Location: 3 Muscat Street
Timings: 09:00am-5:00pm Monday – Saturday
11. Street Art and architecture
Singapore has such a varied history with numerous different cultures over it’s many years before independence that it’s no surprise the architecture is an intriguing mix as well. In addition to the interesting architecture, there is also modern street art all over Singapore, usually in theme with the area as well. It’s easy to spend hours wandering the streets and looking around you but we would recommend these areas to begin your self guided walking tour! Murals on Arab St, cute buildings and murals on Haji Lane, beautiful houses and walkways in the Blair Plain conservation area, and Serangoon Road for murals in Little India.
12. Jewel at Changi Airport
Really, an airport? Yes! This isn’t just any Airport – it’s a Singaporean Airport… and trust us, that makes all the difference!
The Jewel is really a gigantic mall attached to Terminal 1 of Changi Airport. But the thing most people will be there to see is the indoor jungle room, complete with colossal waterfall. It’s easy to get here from whichever terminal you land at, you can either walk or take the free sky train or shuttle bus. Here is a handy ‘how to get there’ guide to help.
Depending on where you’ve flown from and how much energy you have, the best time to see the Jewel is probably when you arrive so you aren’t worried about missing your flight or dealing with desk drop off times. Otherwise we would recommend leaving a good hour to see the Jewel and get to your check in desk, just in case!
Location: Jewel, Terminal 1
Timings: open 24/7 but the shops in the small usually open 10:00am-10:00pm daily
That’s a wrap!
So there you have it, 12 absolutely free things to do in Singapore! Let us know if there’s any we’ve missed or the timings have changed etc. You can get in touch by leaving a comment below or send us a message on Instagram.
Happy Travels!
Planning on Visiting Singapore?
You might find these helpful:
This post contains some affiliate links for products that we use extensively on our travels and have decided to partner with. Did you know you can support us, at no additional cost to you, by clicking through and making a purchase using those links? Thank you in advance!
Our Travel Planning 