Singapore is the perfect travel destination if you have kids, especially younger kids like toddlers. It’s a compact city-state so it’s easy to cover a lot of ground in a few days. It’s clean and safe, and getting around is very convenient. And it has plenty of kid-friendly attractions and activities to choose from.
What Singapore lacks in natural wonders like mountains, beaches, and forests, or ancient structures like castles, temples, and churches, it makes up for striking modern architecture, a bustling street scene, and world-class family attractions.
In fact, you and your kids can get to see orangutans, dolphins, Shrek, Big Bird, and Emmett from The Lego Movie all in three days. But Singapore also offers historic and cultural highlights that can serve as educational lessons for your kids. Its multi-cultural heritage will open up glimpses of Chinese, Malay, Indian, and British culture that will enrich your Singapore travel experience with your kids.
What to Do in Singapore With Kids
For a small city-state, Singapore travel has a lot to offer families. These are some of the things you can do in your Singapore travel with kids:
1. Explore Singapore Zoo
Hands down, Singapore Zoo is one of best zoos in the world, and possibly the best in Asia. It’s one of the few open-concept zoos in the world that allow most of its animals lots of space and not stuck in a cage. Personally, I’ve been to Singapore Zoo four times already at different stages of my life (single, newly married, father of one, father of two). And if you want to travel to Singapore with your kids, you have to bring them here.
Our kids obviously love Singapore Zoo. Our favorite zones are Elephants of Asia, Wild Africa, Reptile Garden. Must-see animals include the African lion, the white tiger, the giant tortoises, Komodo dragon, and, of course, their famous orangutans. Make sure your kids get the chance to feed the giraffes and elephants. And don’t miss their fantastic and entertaining shows like Animal Friends, Elephant Presentation, Splash Safari, and Rainforest Fights Back.
Singapore Zoo is set in a rainforest and Singapore has a tropical climate, so expect a hot and humid three to four hours of exploring the zoo. There are trams that you can hop on and off, so you should be able to hit the highlights in half the day.
Wildlife Reserves Singapore a Parkhopper Pass to two or four of its wildlife parks, including Night Safari, River Safari, and Jurong Bird Park. I’ve been to Night Safari before but we weren’t sure the kids will like it. We’re not bird and fish fans either. So we decided to skip them. To me, Singapore Zoo is the must-visit park among the four.
2. Play with dolphins at Dolphin Island
Dolphin Island has got to be one of the highlights of our Singapore vacation with our kids. Being up close with the playful bottlenose dolphins is such a memorable experience. There are five packages to choose from. We got the Dolphin Discovery option that lets us stay in the pool and interact with one of the dolphins.
After a brief orientation about the dolphins, each family was whisked to a designated spot in the pool where we get to learn about, play with, and have photos taken with our dolphin.
3. Cool off at Adventure Cove Waterpark
Singapore can’t boast of natural beaches, corals, reefs, and raging rivers. But it sure can build man-made versions of them in one convenient park. Of course, nothing beats the real thing, but if you plan to travel to Singapore with small kids, getting their feet wet (get it?) with snorkeling, water tubing, and splashing in giant waves at Adventure Cove Waterpark is a great idea.
We especially had fun floating on a tube down Adventure River, jumping in the giant wave pool of Bluewater Bay, and snorkeling at Rainbow Reef. (Okay, I had fun snorkeling; the kids were a bit traumatized as everyone was rushed into the rocky and slippery landing of the giant tank. It was hard to find your footing and you never get the chance to ease your way to the water. And for our kids who never had any experience, being rushed into trying to float and breathe through the snorkeling gear was a bit much.)
Other than that, it’s a totally different way of experiencing Singapore. It makes most sense to spend a day or a few hours at Adventure Cove Waterpark if you’re going to Dolphin Island anyway. As a standalone destination, it’s skippable.
4. Visit Universal Studios
Your Singapore travel with your kids should also include at least one theme park. If you’re based in Asia, especially Southeast Asia, then Universal Studios Singapore is a good half-day visit. We went here back in 2010 so there are probably a few new attractions. Among the rides we liked were Revenge of the Mummy, Treasure Hunters, and Dino-Soarin. Our kids also enjoyed the shows like Shrek 4-D Adventure, Donkey Live, and WaterWorld. The popular ones that opened after our trip include Battlestar Galactica and Transformers: The Ride.
Personally, we found it uncomfortable to stay long at the park. The crowd is a given, but the hot and humid climate isn’t suitable for a theme park. It became unbearable at certain points. Universal Studios Japan would be a much better alternative in Asia. But if you’re packaging your Singapore trip as a kid-friendly vacation, then spending a few hours in Universal Studios for your theme park fix can be a good idea.
5. Take a day trip to Legoland Malaysia
There are only two locations of Legoland in Asia — Japan and Malaysia. Since you’re planning a trip to Singapore, you might as well include a day trip to Legoland Malaysia. After all, it’s less than an hour ride.
You can take a bus or a taxi, but we decided to hire a private car from SGMYTAXI, which picked us up at our hotel and dropped us off in Legoland (and vice versa). It’s a lot more convenient and comfortable (we chose a brand new Toyota Innova) and we didn’t have to get off the vehicle at the border crossing (which you have to do with a public bus). Since there were four of us, it came out at SGD25 per head, which is about the same with what we have spent if we took the bus.
Legoland Malaysia is a relatively small theme park, and you can cover everything in four or five hours. Among the zones, we liked Lego City best, as the kids went to driving school (they get to drive around a track as they follow the rules and receive driver’s license at the end) and boating school (we navigated a battery-powered boat through calm waters).
The kids also had fun at Lego Kingdoms where they rode the Royal Joust. Also highly recommended are the Lego Star Wars Miniland exhibit of 2,000 Lego Star Wars models and movie scenes, the Ninjago & The Realm of Shadows live performance, and Miniland that showcases miniature versions of Asian landmarks.
6. Explore Chinatown, Little India, and Kampong Glam
If you want to travel to Singapore with your kids, don’t just go to the zoo and theme parks. Singapore offers a great opportunity to expose your children to different cultures without going to four different countries. They can experience the sights, taste, smell, touch, and sound of Chinese, Indian, Malay, and Arab culture right here in Singapore.
Our favorite is Chinatown. We never fail to explore Chinatown every time we’re in Singapore. And there are always three things we do here: eat, get a foot reflexology massage, and buy souvenirs.
Our kids also had fun in Little India, where they tried some Indian sweets and delicacies and had henna tattoos.
Kampong Glam boasts of Haji Lane, the hip and trendy row of stores, bars, and cafes, and colorful wall murals. It’s also where you can explore Arab Street and check out Persian rugs, Arabian lamps, and colorful textiles. This is a great area to try out Malay and Turkish food. And it’s where you can find the stunning (especially at night) Sultan Mosque.
7. Pig out at hawker centers
One of the biggest draw of Singapore has got to be the food. If you’re visiting for the first time, certainly visit the zoos, theme parks, buildings, and neighborhoods. But the reason Singapore it’s worth going back to is the food, especially the food at the hawker centers.
It’s almost impossible to make a mistake which hawker center to go to. We’ve been to several in the past so many years — Chinatown Food Street, Maxwell Food Centre, Singapore Food Trail, etc. — and they’re all good. Even the food courts inside malls offer a wide variety of cheap and tasty eats.
It’s the rich, multi-cultural cuisine of Singapore that makes it one of the best in the world. Some of our favorite dishes are laksa, Hainanese chicken rice, char kway teow, Hokkien Mee, nasi lemak, satay, mee siam, kaya toast, chili crabs, roast duck, beef rendang, and curry. And of course, we like their kopi (coffee with condensed milk) and teh (tea with condensed milk and sugar). They also have Milo drinks that the kids will love.
8. Check out Merlion Park and Marina Bay
Your travel to Singapore with your kids isn’t complete without visiting the iconic Merlion statue. And Marina Bay offers some of the most impressive architecture in Asia.
There’s not much to do in Merlion Park but take selfies with the statue and relax at the waterfront, with great views of Marina Bay’s famous landmarks. An alternative (and more fun) option is to take the DUCKtour (which I did when I was still single). You ride an amphibious vehicle that will take you to some of Singapore’s landmarks (including the Merlion) on land and water. It’s a lot of fun!
Marina Bay has symbolized Singapore’s new and modern image, with architectural masterpieces like Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay, ArtScience Museum, and Esplanade. We never had the chance to go inside these landmarks though. But we got to ride the Singapore Flyer, the largest observation wheel in Asia. As with all observation wheels in the world, you get panaromic views of the city, so nothing to jump up and down about.
9. Shop at Orchard Road
You can spend a couple of hours strolling and window-shopping in the famous and posh Orchard Road. Check out the popular malls like Ion Orchard, Paragon, 313@Somerset, Orchard Central, Tangs, etc. There are some shops for kids as well.
10. Take your sweet time at Changi Airport
Yes, Changi International Airport is a major tourist attraction in itself. You can spend hours here without getting bored. On your departure, spend a few hours exploring the airport’s many kid-friendly attractions and amenities.
There’s the Butterfly Garden, The Slide@T3, a free movie theatre, the Enchanted Garden, the Entertainment Deck, and the playground. Now, there’s also the new Jewel, an amazing park inside the airport! There’s a canopy park, a canopy bridge, a forest valley, a rain vortex, sky nets, a hedge maze, a mirror maze, foggy bowls, a topiary walk, and sculptural slides. Singapore does have one of the best airports in the world.
And, of course, you can do your last-minute shopping and last-chance pigging out!
Like I said, there’s a lot to do in Singapore with kids. But the major reason it’s worth going back to is the food. Just click on the next page to find out where to eat.
