With kids · Singapore
Singapore with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
Singapore is one of Asia's easiest cities with children: clean and orderly, with strong air-conditioning, step-free MRT stations and attractions designed for families, from the zoo and Night Safari to Universal Studios and free water-play areas. Top picks: Gardens by the Bay, Singapore Zoo and Night Safari. Families usually base themselves in Sentosa.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 8
- Best area for families
- Sentosa
- Rainy-day options
- 2
- Busiest months
- December
Best things to do with kids
Garden · Marina Bay
1.Gardens by the Bay
Gardens by the Bay is a 101-hectare waterfront park whose 16-storey Supertrees are vertical gardens of ferns and orchids. The outdoor gardens are free; two glass conservatories charge entry — the Flower Dome, with Mediterranean and desert plants, and the Cloud Forest, with a 35-metre indoor mountain and waterfall. In the evening, the Garden Rhapsody light-and-music show plays under the Supertrees.
Visit the cool conservatories in the afternoon heat, then lie on the ground under the Supertree Grove for the free evening show.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Buy conservatory tickets online on weekends and school holidays to skip the counter queue.
- Iconic
- Kids
- Couples
- After dark
- Rainy day
- Nature
- Photo spot
Zoo · Mandai
2.Singapore Zoo
Set beside the Upper Seletar Reservoir, the zoo uses moats and vegetation instead of cages wherever it can. Orangutans roam overhead in the free-ranging primate area, and the Fragile Forest biodome lets you walk among sloths and lemurs. Bird Paradise, River Wonders and the Night Safari share the Mandai site.
Arrive at opening when the animals are active and before the midday heat; allow 45 minutes by MRT and shuttle bus from the centre.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Online tickets are often cheaper than the gate and combined Mandai park tickets are available.
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
Zoo · Mandai
3.Night Safari
Next to the zoo, the Night Safari opens after dark to show nocturnal animals such as Malayan tigers, leopards, tapirs and pangolins in lit forest enclosures. A tram ride covers the main loop and walking trails lead to the fishing cat and leopard areas.
Take an early entry slot so children are not exhausted, and walk the trails after the tram for quieter viewing.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Timed entry slots sell out on weekends and holidays; book online.
- Kids
- After dark
- Nature
Theme park · Sentosa
4.Universal Studios Singapore
Southeast Asia's Universal park, inside Resorts World Sentosa, is compact enough to cover in a day: seven themed zones include Sci-Fi City's duelling Battlestar Galactica roller coasters, Transformers The Ride and the Ancient Egypt and Jurassic Park areas. Many rides are indoors, which helps on a hot or wet day.
Go on a weekday outside school holidays and head to the coasters first.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Buy dated tickets online in advance; Express passes sell out at busy times.
- Kids
- Active
Garden · Tanglin
5.Singapore Botanic Gardens
Founded in 1859 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2015, the Botanic Gardens cover 82 hectares of lawns, lakes and a patch of original rainforest. Entry is free except for the National Orchid Garden, which shows hundreds of orchid species and hybrids. The Jacob Ballas Children's Garden at the northern end has water play and treehouses.
Come at 7–8am with the joggers, when it is cool and the swans and terrapins on Swan Lake are most active.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Nature
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Couples
- History
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Architecture · Changi
6.Jewel Changi Airport
A glass doughnut linked to Changi's terminals, Jewel shelters the HSBC Rain Vortex — at 40 metres the world's tallest indoor waterfall — inside the terraced Shiseido Forest Valley. The landside public areas are free, with paid extras such as the Canopy Park hedge maze and nets on the top level.
Leave luggage at the airport's storage counters and come for the evening light show on the waterfall before a late flight.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Architecture
- Photo spot
Island · North-east Singapore
7.Pulau Ubin
A ten-minute bumboat ride from Changi Point Ferry Terminal, Pulau Ubin keeps the look of a 1960s kampong village, with wooden houses, quarry lakes and mangroves. Rent a bicycle in the jetty village and ride to the Chek Jawa Wetlands, where a boardwalk crosses mangroves and seagrass flats.
Bring cash for the bumboat and bike rental; boats leave when about 12 passengers have gathered.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Active
- Off the beaten path
- Kids
Waterfront · Marina Bay
8.Merlion Park and the Marina Bay promenade
The 8.6-metre Merlion, half lion and half fish, spouts water into the bay opposite Marina Bay Sands. From here a promenade loops past the Esplanade's spiky 'durian' domes and over the Helix Bridge, about 3.5 km in all. In the evenings the free Spectra light-and-water show is staged on the bay in front of Marina Bay Sands.
Walk the loop at dusk when it is cooler, timing your arrival at the Event Plaza for a Spectra show.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- After dark
- Views
- Photo spot
- Kids
Rainy-day ideas
- Gardens by the Bay — Visit the cool conservatories in the afternoon heat, then lie on the ground under the Supertree Grove for the free evening show.
- Jewel Changi Airport — Leave luggage at the airport's storage counters and come for the evening light show on the waterfall before a late flight.
Where families should stay
$$$$ · Best for families, beach and luxury
Sentosa
Sentosa sits just off the south coast and is reached by monorail from VivoCity, cable car or a covered boardwalk from HarbourFront. It is home to Universal Studios Singapore, Siloso, Palawan and Tanjong beaches and a cluster of resort hotels — convenient for families, but a 20–30 minute trip from the city's food and culture.
- Good
- Pools and beaches on the doorstep; Walk to Universal Studios; Quiet at night
- Watch out
- Expensive dining on the island; Removed from hawker centres and old quarters
- Nearby
- Universal Studios Singapore, Siloso Beach, Palawan Beach, VivoCity
Family travel tips
- Plan outdoor sights for early morning and late afternoon; use museums and malls in the midday heat.
- The Jacob Ballas Children's Garden in the Botanic Gardens and the Far East Organization Children's Garden at Gardens by the Bay have free water play; pack swimwear.
- MRT stations have lifts, and strollers are allowed on trains and buses.
- Hawker centres are relaxed with children, and most stalls will make a non-spicy portion on request.
- Young children below a set height travel free on the MRT and buses; check current rules with the operator.
Day trips for families
- Johor Bahru (About 1–2 hours including the border) — Malaysia's southern city lies just across the Causeway, with the Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque, an old town of shophouses and Legoland Malaysia in Iskandar Puteri.
- Bintan (About 1 hour by ferry) — Bintan's northern coast at Lagoi is a resort enclave with sandy beaches, golf courses and water sports.
- Southern Islands (About 30 minutes by ferry) — St John's Island and Kusu Island have lagoon beaches, picnic lawns and, on Kusu, a Taoist temple and Malay shrines.
When to go with children
The best months overall are February–April and July–August. December is the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Singapore good for kids?
Singapore is one of Asia's easiest cities with children: clean and orderly, with strong air-conditioning, step-free MRT stations and attractions designed for families, from the zoo and Night Safari to Universal Studios and free water-play areas.
+What can kids do in Singapore?
Gardens by the Bay, Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, Universal Studios Singapore and Singapore Botanic Gardens.
+Where should families stay in Singapore?
Sentosa: Resort island of beaches, Universal Studios and family hotels.