🎟️ Singapore: which tickets to book in advance and what has already closed

Singapore is small, but it has more places to see than you have vacation days. During the day you stand in line for the conservatories, in the evening you go to a light show by the water. At the same time, some attractions from old guidebooks no longer operate, and the oceanarium on Sentosa reopened after renovation on July 24, 2025 (official Sentosa website).

Below is an order that makes it convenient to see the city: what deserves half a day, what you can cover in an hour, and where you should buy tickets in advance.

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Siloso beach on Sentosa island

💡 In short:

The city's main places: parks, museums, the beach, and observation decks.
Buy tickets for the conservatories and the oceanarium in advance; on weekends the lines are longer.
Part of the old list is outdated: Jurong Bird Park is closed, Tiger Sky Tower has been dismantled.
Prices and hours: 09/2026, verified on the Singapore tourism office website

Siloso Beach with palm trees and lifeguard tower

Siloso is a sandy strip along the southern shore of Sentosa. Palm trees, waterfront cafes, and a gentle entry into the sea make it the city's most convenient beach for swimming. In the evening the crowd doesn't leave, because the coastal stage hosts the Wings of Time show with lasers, water jets, and music (Wings of Time page on Wikipedia).

The catch: after sunset the beach fills up with show spectators, and the water near the shore gets murky from passing vessels. For quiet and a spot under an umbrella, come before ten in the morning.

Singapore Oceanarium on Sentosa

The old S.E.A. Aquarium closed in April 2025, and in its place the Singapore Oceanarium opened on July 24, 2025 (Sentosa page, Wikipedia on Singapore Oceanarium). The area has roughly tripled, and now you walk through 22 marine zones with more than 100,000 marine animals (Sentosa on marine zones).

Blue-lit entrance to the S.E.A. Aquarium in Singapore at night

Darkness, shipwreck debris, and a huge panoramic window create the effect of descending to the ocean floor. Tickets to the aquarium on Tiqets start at 43 Singapore dollars for an adult (as of 09/2026, Sentosa on tickets).

The catch: for a family of four the total adds up, and on weekends the ticket counters move slowly.

Mandai Zoo in the tropical forest

The zoo opened in 1973 and is still considered one of the best in the world (Wikipedia on Mandai Zoo). Animals here are not kept in cages: predators are separated by moats with water, while herbivores roam behind low fences. The park itself is part of the Mandai Wildlife Reserve along with Bird Paradise and the night safari (Mandai Wildlife Reserve).

Entrance to Singapore Zoo amid tropical trees

Tours and tickets on GetYourGuide help you reserve a spot in a group in advance. The catch: Mandai sits in the north of the island, away from the center and the beaches of Sentosa, so getting there takes longer than you expect.

Botanical garden and orchid garden

The Botanical Garden was established in 1859, and it is the only tropical garden on the UNESCO World Heritage list (Wikipedia: Singapore Botanical Garden). Admission is free, and the grounds are open from five in the morning until midnight (Wikipedia on the founding of the garden). A particular source of pride is the National Orchid Garden, Swan Lake with swans from the Netherlands, and patches of rainforest.

Palm Valley with lawn, palm trees and people

Even bicycles are not allowed on the paths, so a walk here is calm and safe. The catch: at midday the open lawns get scorching hot, so bring water and stick to the shaded alleys.

Gardens by the Bay

Gardens by the Bay opened in 2012 and combined steel Supertrees with living vines and orchids (Wikipedia: Gardens by the Bay). Two conservatories showcase different climates: the Flower Dome brings together flora from dry subtropics, while in the Cloud Forest you climb an indoor mountain under a waterfall (Flower Dome on the gardens' website).

In the evening, the Supertrees are lit up, and a free light and music show takes place right here. Tickets to the conservatories on Tiqets cover both domes (as of 09/2026, Cloud Forest on the gardens' website).

The catch: the park itself is free, but entry to the conservatories is paid, and it gets crowded inside when it rains.

Bird Paradise instead of the old bird park

The old Jurong Bird Park closed in January 2023 after fifty years of operation (Wikipedia: Jurong Bird Park). The birds were moved to the new Bird Paradise in Mandai, which opened on May 8, 2023 (Mandai on the birds' relocation). It is home to more than 3,500 birds and eight huge aviaries that visitors walk through (Wikipedia: Bird Paradise).

Entrance to Bird Paradise with sign and parrot

The penguins live in a separate cold-air zone, so they do fine in the tropics (Wikipedia on the penguins at Bird Paradise). The catch: the park is in Mandai, away from Sentosa, and you need a separate ticket for it.

Buddha tooth relic temple

The Buddha tooth relic temple was built in 2007, so it doesn't look like the ancient pagodas (Wikipedia: Buddha tooth relic temple). A four-story building with an elevator takes you up to the roof, where a large prayer wheel is installed and a garden is laid out. A Buddhist monastery with prayer halls and a bronze Buddha statue operates next door.

Admission is free, but your shoulders and knees must be covered. The catch: they hand out wraps at the entrance, so you won't be allowed in wearing shorts and a tank top.

Sultan Hussein Mosque

Construction of Sultan Hussein Mosque began in 1824 by order of Sultan Hussein, and a century later the building was rebuilt and enlarged (Wikipedia: Sultan Hussein Mosque). Today it is the city's main mosque, with a large golden dome in the Kampong Glam district.

Sultan Mosque with golden dome in Singapore

In Chinatown, near the Buddha tooth relic temple, stands the Sri Mariamman Temple from 1827, which is reconsecrated every twelve years (Wikipedia: Sri Mariamman Temple). The catch: the mosque is closed during prayer times, and there is a line at the temple on holidays.

Peranakan Museum and Peranakan culture

The Peranakan Museum showcases the culture of the Peranakans, descendants of marriages between Chinese men and Malay women (Wikipedia: Peranakan Museum). The galleries feature wedding rituals, traditional clothing, porcelain, and everyday objects, and the community's language blends Chinese and Malay words.

Colonial facade of the Peranakan Museum on Armenian Street

You'll spend about two hours exploring, and it's a good option for a rainy day. The catch: the subject is niche, so children with no interest in culture will be bored.

National Museum of Singapore

The National Museum was founded in 1849 (Wikipedia: National Museum of Singapore). In 1992 the building was designated a national monument, and its main exhibit is the Singapore Stone, with an undeciphered inscription about eleven centuries old (Wikipedia: Singapore Stone).

Display case with porcelain bowl and vintage family photograph

The exhibits explain how the island went from a fishing village to a metropolis. A separate hall is dedicated to World War II, when Japanese troops rode into the city on bicycles. In two hours you will get an overview of the country's history and understand the rest of the city's sights.

Haw Par Villa

Haw Par Villa was founded in 1937 by the brothers who made Tiger Balm (Wikipedia: Haw Par Villa). It has over a thousand sculptures depicting scenes from Chinese mythology, and the main part is the "Ten Courts of Hell" gallery with punishments for sinners.

Park admission is free; you only pay for individual pavilions. The catch: the hell scenes are quite graphic, so it is best to skip them with young children.

Museum of Illusions

Museum of Illusions works differently from a regular museum: you can touch the exhibits, and you become part of the pictures yourself (Wikipedia: Museum of Illusions). Optical illusions only work from the right angle, so there are photo hints drawn on the floor.

The place takes about an hour and is good for a rainy day. The catch: the rooms are small and fill up quickly, so on weekends you have to wait at the entrance.

Science Centre Singapore

Science Centre Singapore opened in 1977 and is designed for families with children (Wikipedia: Science Centre Singapore). Here you're allowed to press buttons and run experiments: you see how lightning forms, why echoes occur, and what force creates a tornado.

Information panel about Al-Jazari's water clock

A separate pavilion houses a dome theater with a ceiling screen. Allow at least three hours for your visit, otherwise you won't have time to get through the halls with kids.

Singapore observation decks

The classic view is from the Singapore Flyer wheel, 165 meters tall (official Singapore Flyer website). Inside, you first walk through the Time Capsule, then board a capsule from which you can see Marina Bay and the gardens.

Deck	Height	Status (09/2026)
Singapore Flyer	165 m	operating (Singapore Flyer: tickets and hours)
SkyPark Marina Bay Sands	191 m	operating (Wikipedia: Marina Bay Sands)
Tiger Sky Tower	110 m	closed since 2018 (Wikipedia: Tiger Sky Tower)

Singapore Flyer observation wheel capsule at night

The second option is the SkyPark observation deck on the roof of Marina Bay Sands (Wikipedia: SkyPark Marina Bay Sands). The Tiger Sky Tower on Sentosa, however, was closed in December 2018 and dismantled, so old guidebooks send you nowhere (Wikipedia on the closure of Tiger Sky Tower).

Tickets for observation decks on Tiqets are best booked in advance for sunset. The catch: evening slots sell out first, and entry is strictly timed.

Marina Bay Sands resort complex

Marina Bay Sands is three 55-story towers connected by a rooftop bridge (Wikipedia: Marina Bay Sands complex). At 191 meters, the observation deck, restaurants, and gardens are open to visitors (Wikipedia: SkyPark observation deck).

Marina Bay Sands hotel with towers and lotus-shaped museum

The bridge itself is shaped like a cruise liner floating above the city. The catch: the infinity pool at the roof edge is open only to hotel guests, so you are left with the SkyPark and the observation deck.

Tours and tickets in Singapore

Guided tours, skip-the-line tickets and activities — most offers can be cancelled free of charge.

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⁉️🤔 Frequently asked questions

How many days do you need for Singapore?

For a first trip, four to five days is enough. Spend one day on Sentosa with the aquarium and the beach, spend the second in the gardens and by the bay, and leave the third for museums, temples, and Haw Par Villa. Mandai with the zoo and Bird Paradise takes another full day, because getting there takes time.

What from the old lists no longer works?

Jurong Bird Park closed in January 2023 (Wikipedia: Jurong Bird Park closed), and the birds were moved to Bird Paradise. Tiger Sky Tower on Sentosa closed in December 2018 and was dismantled (Wikipedia: dismantling of Tiger Sky Tower). S.E.A. Aquarium closed in April 2025 and reopened as Singapore Oceanarium (Sentosa: the new oceanarium). Check dates before your trip.

Where to buy tickets to avoid standing in line?

Online on the official websites of the attractions or through verified partners. Time slots for the Gardens by the Bay conservatories and the oceanarium sell out on weekends and holidays, so a timed ticket saves you an hour or more. For observation decks, book sunset slots in advance; daytime has more availability.

What is free in Singapore?

The Botanic Gardens are open without a ticket from five in the morning until midnight (Wikipedia: Botanic Gardens opening hours). The Gardens by the Bay park itself is also free; you only pay for the conservatories (Gardens by the Bay: conservatory tickets). Haw Par Villa, the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, Sultan Hussein Mosque, and Sri Mariamman Temple all allow entry without a ticket. Everything else requires a ticket.

When is the best time to visit?

Singapore sits almost on the equator, so heat and humidity await you year-round. Rain is more frequent toward the end of the year, and the driest months fall at the start of the season. Plan parks and beaches for the morning, and save museums and conservatories for the second half of the day, when the heat intensifies.

In short: what is worth booking

If you only have two days: get oceanarium and conservatory tickets on Tiqets and set aside half a day for Mandai. If you are traveling as a family for a week: hotels in Singapore on Trip.com near the MRT line will save you time commuting between the reserve and the city center. Before you leave, compare insurance options so you do not have to hunt for a policy on the road.

The order is this: first evening slots for observation decks, then the oceanarium and conservatories, and only then museums without queues.

Singapore attractions: what to see and where to buy tickets