The Singapore River is the most important waterway in Singapore, and has played a major role throughout the island’s history. In the early days of the colony, the Singapore River was the port. Merchants built their offices and warehouses on its banks. Some of these still stand today, in Clarke Quay and Boat Quay. Ships at the outer roads of the harbour would transfer their cargo onto bumboats (or tangkangs), which would ferry it in via the river. These days, bumboats are used as a form of transport for sightseeing along the river.


Bumboats!!

Clarke Quay and Boat Quay, run along the Singapore River from Cavenagh Bridge to Read Bridge, were built in 1842. Until 1860s, nearly all trade was conducted at there.
Named after Sir Andrew Clarke, Clarke Quay has been completely revamped to become Singapore’s flagship riverside festival village with a combination of restaurants, shops and entertainment venues (mainly nightlife entertainments).


Singapore River at night

Take the MRT and alight at the nearest MRT station, Clarke Quay station (North-East Line). By getting out of the MRT station, you will find yourself standing inside the Central shopping mall.

There are many pubs and bars in Clarke Quay and Boat Quay where you can enjoy some live music and a few pints of beer. One of such bar is the Bungy Bar or B.B., right next to the Singapore G-Max Reverse Bungy, which you can never miss.


Bungy Bar!


outside Bungy Bar, with live music of American Pie! Ying Tong apologises for the dark video

The Singapore River itself draws a lot of couples to just sit by the river and do what couples do best, as rivers also provide a very romantic atmosphere. Upon seeing this, Suhartono misses his girlfriend even more. :(

Take a 10 minutes walk along the river, towards the direction of the MICA Building (the colourful one!), until you come across the Cavenagh Bridge and the Fullerton Hotel. The six-star hotel is the most prestigious and expensive on in Singapore. Reny is extremely impressed by the beauty of the night view at the bridge; she highly recommends that everyone makes a trip there.


the Cavenagh Bridge and the Fullerton Hotel


the ACM

Crossing the bridge will bring you to the Asian Civilisation Museum (ACM)(S$5; S$2.50 concessions), this contains a great concentration of beautiful artefacts from numerous parts of Asia, representing range of historical periods.


Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall

Further in stand the Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall. This place started off as the Town Hall and is designed by John Bennett in 1856. The clock tower was topped by a timepiece donated by the Straits Trading Company.


the Arts House

Behind the Victoria theatre is the Arts House. The first Court House, Supreme Court and Assembly House was the young nation’s Parliament House until 1999 and housed the original Parliamentary Debating Chamber where landmark bills. It has been transformed into a vibrant arts and entertainment hub where artists and audiences gather cutting-edge exhibitions and performances are staged. All these places brought back many nostalgic memories to Ying Tong as she reminisces her performing experiences here.


timbre @ Arts House

There is a Timbre @ Arts House, which plays live music every night, with happy hour until 9pm. Next to it is the Raffles’ landing place in 1819, marked by the Raffles statue in his famous pose.


Suhartono thinks he is Raffles

Backtracking to the ACM, take the underground, which will bring you to the Merlion Park. Merlion Park, where the City’s half-fish icon stands – the Merlion. From the park, you will be able to get a broad view of the Esplanade and the newly-built Singapore Flyer, which Catherine is totally mesmerised.


see the guy next to Reny taking photos? We think he is mesmerised too!

Talking about the Esplanade Theatres on the Bay, it looks like a huge durian, which Hsu finds it fascinating, how people actually come out with this idea. It holds the one and only arts library (library @ Esplanade), with many arts and performing arts related articles. Inside the Esplanade, there is also a theatre, concert hall and two studios. Looking for free concerts/performances? There is the outdoor theatre and the Concourse to check out, especially on weekends.

If you are hungry there is a hawker centre next to the Esplanade, Makan Sutra Glutton’s Bay. However Ying Tong does not recommend it as it is less authentic and expensive.

Across the road at Suntec City, you can find Balaclava (next to Starbucks), that plays great live music especially on Tuesdays and Fridays, featuring the Unexpected! The Unexpected is a local band that plays a range of music from soft rock to pop to country to heavy metal. They play at Wala Wala Bar & Café (in Holland V, on Thursdays and Saturdays) as well. Ying Tong thinks they totally rock! Seriously.

There are not many cheap accommodations around this area. The cheapest that we can come out with is the Riverview Hotel (from S$230+) located within 5 minutes walk from the Clarke Quay MRT station. This semi-luxurious hotel should provide you with a good night’s sleep to walk around Singapore.



the Cavenagh Bridge

Did you know?
Cavenagh Bridge is the oldest bridge on the Singapore River still in its original form. It received its name from the last appointed Governor-General of Singapore, Major-General William Orfeur Cavenagh (1859-1867).