Excursions in
Singapore

Every excursion on this page is guided in English or Russian as standard, and the language is set when the booking is made rather than on the morning. That matters more here than in most cities, because the value of a Singapore day is in the explanation: why four quarters sit inside two square miles, what the clan jetties were for, which stall in a hawker centre has the queue for a reason.

The guide on an excursion in Singapore is on our own staff list rather than hired for the day, so the person who meets you has been briefed on the group beforehand: the ages, the walking pace, the language, and anything that has to be fitted in. Other languages can be arranged if we are told early enough.

Singapore changes after dark and two of the nine routes are built for it. The Singapore Evening Tour takes the bay when the skyline is lit and the Supertree show is running, which is also the coolest and most comfortable hour of the day to be outside. The Night Safari is the other: an open tram through the nocturnal enclosures, where the animals are awake rather than asleep in the shade.

An evening excursion in Singapore pairs well with a long-haul arrival, because it asks for less walking than a full day and it finishes at a reasonable hour. If the group lands in the morning we usually propose an evening excursion first and leave the heavy sightseeing for the day after.

Sentosa is the one destination on the island that fills a day on its own, and the Sentosa route on this page includes the luge. The island is reached by cable car, the Sentosa Express or the boardwalk, and the cable car is usually worth taking at least one way for the view across the harbour.

What goes into the day depends on who is travelling. Families generally want Universal Studios Singapore or the S.E.A. Aquarium and the beaches; couples more often want the cable car, the boardwalk and a late lunch. We book the attraction tickets with the excursion so the queue at the gate is not part of the day.

Four of the nine routes work well with children without any adjustment: the zoo, the River Safari, the Night Safari and Gardens by the Bay. The zoo in particular is open-enclosure rather than caged, which holds attention far longer than a conventional one, and the River Safari is shaded and mostly flat.

What we change is the practical side rather than the itinerary. Pick-ups move later, child seats travel in the vehicle at no charge, the walking legs get shorter, and the guide knows the ages before the day starts. Below about ten, two shorter outings on separate days almost always beat one long one.

Start with how many free days there are rather than with the list. One day means the city tour or the walking tour, which cover the bay, the civic district and the heritage quarters between them. Two days means a city day plus either Sentosa or an animal route. Three or more and the evening excursions earn their place.

Then work backwards from the weather and the flight. The middle of the day is hot and the afternoon brings short heavy showers, so walking routes go in the morning and indoor or evening ones go later. A day with an onward flight in it is built around the departure, not around the sights.

Price is the last filter rather than the first, because the gap between the routes here is narrower than it looks: the walking tour starts at USD 65 and the Sentosa day with the luge at USD 215, and what sits between them is mostly the cost of the entrance tickets rather than of the guiding. Send the dates and the group and we will say which combination actually fits.