Singapore will not surprise tourists with medieval castles or ancient ruins of ancient buildings. This island state, located within the city of the same name, is relatively young, although the first information about Singapore dates back to the 3rd century. Since 1965, Singapore has been developing as an independent country.

Occupying a limited territory and not having its own resources, Singapore has managed to make a leap in its development from the level of a developing country to a prosperous highly developed state. The greatness of this country is symbolically reflected in the name and comes from the phrase Malay “singa”, which translates as “lion”, and the Sanskrit “pura”, which means “city“.

Let's find out what sights Singapore surprises tourists with. Features of the geographical position of Singapore and a high level of urbanization affect the limited natural tourist sites in this area. However, Singapore more than compensates for their lack with a series of amazing parks, botanical gardens, an aquarium, a well-equipped zoo and a kind of night safari.

Siloso beach

Given the fact that Singapore is located at a distance of about 200 km from the equator, you should pay attention to the beaches of the city. The best of them is Siloso, which attracts tourists not only with cleanliness, palm trees and white sand. Interestingly, near the beach is the southernmost point of Eurasia Cape Piai, which can be reached on foot. When evening comes, visitors to Siloso are in no hurry to leave the beach. This is because every time at dusk, the Wings of Time laser show begins. On a huge screen created from water and light, a laser performance is played, accompanied by high-quality sound and telling about the journey of two friends through time across countries and continents.

Oceanarium

In Singapore, marine life is given close attention. In order to study the underwater world in 2012, a new largest oceanarium in the world was opened on Sentosa Island, which contains about 800 species of marine fauna. The oceanarium is equipped in such a way that visitors watching sharks, turtles, eels, rays, jellyfish, crabs and other inhabitants of the deep sea create the effect of being in their natural environment. The darkness and wreckage of sunken ships, between which representatives of the underwater world slowly swim, reinforce the illusion of presence in the waters of the ocean.

Mandai Zoo

One of the attractions of Singapore is the Mandai Zoo, opened in 1973. 316 species of animals settled here, among which 16% are on the verge of extinction and are listed in the International Red Book. This zoo has earned itself the reputation of being the best in the world. Animals are not locked in cramped cages, but roam freely around the territory allotted to them. It seems incredible, but at the Singapore Zoo, even predators feel at ease and do without cages.

In order not to endanger visitors, predatory animals were fenced off with deep ditches filled with water, and herbivores are behind a low fence. The zoo recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. Despite its quite respectable age, its territory and equipment look modern and dignified. From time to time, the zoo hosts a variety of activities that children and adults enjoy.

Botanical Garden

The pride of Singapore is the Botanical Garden, founded in 1859 and occupying a huge area. Now we can already talk about a whole family of such gardens, formed within the framework of the Singapore Botanical Garden. In the Orchid Garden, for example, you can enjoy the fragrance of these flowering plants, as well as visit the Development Garden and the Red Garden, visit the Children‘s Garden and the Rain Forest. Among all the splendor of tropical vegetation, there is Swan Lake, in which swans brought to the Singapore Botanical Garden from the Netherlands have perfectly settled down.

In addition to swans, turtles and fish are well settled here. By the lake, you can see various sculptures hiding among the trees and meet monitor lizards and monkeys, which also settled in the garden. The main thing is that you can admire the splendor of the tropics completely free of charge, and visitors can walk along the well-groomed paths of the garden from 5 am to midnight daily. In addition, it is not allowed to ride in the garden not only by cars, but also by bicycles. Therefore, walking through the Singapore Botanical Garden will be not only educational, but also quite safe.

Gardens by Marina Bay

The tropical climate makes it possible to create new islands of wildlife on the territory of a millionth Singapore. So in 2012, an amazing garden was formed near Marina Bay, in which 50-meter steel structures and living plants were combined, forming giant iron trees entwined with vines and orchids. Among the giant trees there is a lake, which was chosen by dragonflies. There are a great many of them here. A real paradise for entomologists. At night, hundreds of multi-colored light bulbs are lit on the iron trees, and the evening light show that takes place in this garden will not leave anyone indifferent.

The garden is equipped with two huge greenhouses. In one of them, the conditions of the high-mountainous regions of the planet with the corresponding vegetation are created, and in the other – desert conditions. Here you can see a lot of different flowers growing in the desert and many types of baobabs.

Jurong Bird Park

Jurong Bird Park was founded in 1971. More than five thousand birds of different species settled on its territory. All birds live in spacious enclosures, and a beautiful lake is equipped for waterfowl. The special pride of the Bird Park are penguins. For these birds, conditions are created here in which penguins live in their homeland in Antarctica. Therefore, the inhabitants of the most severe continent of the planet – emperor penguins feel great in tropical Singapore.

Temple of the Tooth Relic

Usually sacred Buddhist temples have a long history. But the Temple of the Tooth Relic was built in 2007 and, like in any modern building, technical achievements are also used here. The four-story building is equipped with an elevator, with which you can climb to the roof of the building, where the world's largest prayer wheel is located. Rotating it, repeat certain mantras several times. In addition to the prayer wheel, there is a flowering garden on the roof of the Temple of the Tooth Relic. There is also a Buddhist monastery, built in 1920 and consisting of prayer halls and various towers. On the territory of this monastery there is a dovecote and its own crematorium. The monastery is decorated with a huge bronze statue of Buddha.

Mosque of Sultan Hussein

Despite its tiny size for the state, traditional Buddhist temples and mosques coexist peacefully in Singapore. The Sultan Mosque is an ornament and landmark of the city. The mosque owes its name to Sultan Hussein, by whose order its construction began in 1824. A hundred years after the start of construction, the mosque was rebuilt, significantly increasing it in size and somewhat changing the traditional architecture of the building.

In addition to the mosque, the Sri Mariamman Hindu Temple, built in 1827, operates in Singapore. This temple is traditionally consecrated every 12 years. And on the territory of the temple there is a fire ceremony, which is arranged before the Festival of Lights.

Peranakan Museum

For modern people, there is nothing surprising in mixed marriages, but in Singapore they look at it differently. It is believed that from marriages between Malay women and Chinese men, people with a new nationality are born – Peranakans. Surprisingly, Singapore even has the Peranakan Museum, where you can get acquainted with the life and culture of this new people, which arose about 600 years ago as a result of mixed marriages.

In addition to peculiar cultural traditions, the Peranakans also developed their own language, which combined Chinese and Malay words. This mixture of languages in the common people is called baba-malai or baba-nenya. However, the newly formed nation is characterized by its unique cuisine, wedding ceremonies, way of life and culture. In the Peranakan Museum you can get acquainted with the traditions of the Peranakans, their national clothes, household items and living conditions.

National Museum

Singapore's oldest attraction is the National Museum, founded in 1849. In 1992, this museum was given the honorary status of the National Monument of Singapore. The main expositions of the museum allow you to get an idea of the life of the local population and the main historical events of Singapore. The main exhibit of the National Museum is the ancient Singapore stone. According to scientists, its age is about 11 centuries. Of particular interest to visitors is the ancient inscription carved on a stone, which no one has yet been able to decipher.

By visiting this museum, you can get acquainted with interesting and even curious historical events. For example, that during the Second World War, the Japanese invaded the territory of Singapore on … bicycles.

Park Ho Par Villa or Tiger Balm Garden

Anyone who is interested in Chinese mythology will be interested in visiting Ho Par Villa, founded in 1937 by the brothers Ho and Par, who once created Tiger Balm. Therefore, the park is also called Tiger Balm Gardens. However, there is no famous balm in the park. But here there are thousands of different sculptures showing scenes from Chinese myths and ancient legends. Many of the sculptures are rather strange, but they probably contain some kind of deep oriental wisdom that is difficult for a European to unravel. But the meaning of the gallery “Ten Circles of Hell” is quite clear. Here, the terrible situation in hell is clearly demonstrated, and Buddhist sinners can see what sophisticated punishments await them there.

Museum of Optical Illusions

Another remarkable attraction of the city is the Museum of Optical Illusions. It is also called the museum of optical illusion. Unlike the usual museums, here you can not only touch the exhibits and look at the paintings, but also become the heroes of various stories depicted in these paintings.

Singapore Science Center

In the Singapore Science Center, opened in 1977, curious visitors can get up close and personal with scientific achievements. With the help of experiments, children and adults will see and learn how exactly a lightning flash occurs, where and why tsunamis happen, what forces form a tornado and why an echo sounds. In this museum, it is allowed to touch the exhibits and take part in some experiments. In the cinema, located in one of the pavilions, with the help of a huge spherical screen, you can create the illusion of the presence of the audience during the demonstration of popular science films.

observation decks

One of the interesting sights of Singapore is the observation tower Tiger Sky 109 meters high. The tower is equipped with a special cabin, which, together with tourists, rises, rotating and providing an opportunity to view the whole of Singapore from a bird's eye view. You can also view the city from above with the help of the largest Ferris wheel in the world. The height of the Singapore Flyer is 164 meters.

Located on Marina Bay, the Ferris wheel offers a breathtaking view of the city from a breathtaking height. In addition, a flight simulator is located in the Singapore Ferris wheel. Anyone can feel like a captain of a Boeing 737 and experience the thrill of flying the aircraft in real flight mode. The flight simulator is used by pilots, amateurs and even children. There are different program settings for different categories of those who want to test themselves as an aircraft captain.

Marina Bay Sands Resort

The most important and distinctive attraction of Singapore can definitely be called the Marina Bay Sands resort complex, which includes three 55-storey skyscrapers, united by a bridge located on the roofs of these buildings. Within the bridge, at a height of 191 meters, there is a huge swimming pool, gardens and individual trees, restaurants and an observation deck. The bridge itself in its form resembles a modern cruise ship, plowing the heavenly expanses of Singapore.