When it comes to planning a family-friendly holiday, Singapore is hard to beat. The country is well-known for being neat, orderly, and safe, with a large English-speaking population for added accessibility to an international crowd.
The fact that it also boasts a great variety of attractions and activities — all jam-packed into a 734 square kilometre space and connected by a clean and reliable public transport system — is just icing on the family-friendly cake.
Read on for a guide on how to best enjoy the Lion City with the entire family, whether that be dining at MICHELIN-recognised establishments, staying at family-friendly accommodations, or having a ball of a time at our most famous attractions.
FUN
Singapore’s tropical weather is notoriously fickle — blazing hot one second and pouring the next — so it’s important to plan your schedule accordingly. The good news is that there’s no shortage of both indoor and outdoor destinations fit for the family. Amusement parks, museums, obstacle courses, shopping — the country’s got it all.
Singapore’s sprawling national wildlife reserve in Mandai features a zoo, bird park, river aquarium and night safari all rolled into one attraction.
Get a Glimpse of Local Fauna at the National Wildlife Reserve
Families with budding wildlife enthusiasts, this one’s for you. Singapore’s sprawling national wildlife reserve in Mandai features a zoo, bird park, river aquarium and night safari all rolled into one attraction. While the reserve is admittedly far from the city centre, it offers great family-friendly fun for your buck, as you can easily spend an entire day (and night) observing and learning about the wonders of Asia’s natural world.
There's no better way to get a taste of Singapore's ultra-modern metropolitan identity and heritage status than with a bumboat cruise down the country’s most iconic river.
Cruising Along the Singapore River
Singapore teeters between its ultra-modern metropolitan identity and heritage status, and there’s no better way to get a taste of this than with a bumboat cruise down the country’s most iconic river.
The historic waterway connects Clarke Quay, a major trading port-turned-nightlife destination, to the skyscraper-ridden Downtown Core, before emerging at the beautiful Marina Bay. From there, it’s just a hop, skip and a jump to other family-friendly attractions like the Singapore Flyer, a 165m-tall observation wheel, and the futuristic ArtScience Museum.
Some of the family-friendly activities found in Sentosa include indoor skydiving, bungee jumping, and enjoying Southeast Asia’s first and only Universal Studios theme park.
Escape to the Island Getaway of Sentosa
If all that city life sounds overwhelming, there’s always the southern island of Sentosa to escape to, where tranquil beaches and seaside bars await to calm the nerves of frazzled holidaying parents.
Of course, there’s more family-friendly fun to look forward to there too, ranging from indoor skydiving and bungee jumping to Southeast Asia’s first and only Universal Studios theme park.
There are many places to refuel at Singapore’s vibrant mix of eateries.
FOOD
While most children seem to be boundless balls of energy, they will eventually need to stop and refuel at Singapore’s vibrant mix of eateries. There are street food-style establishments conveniently collected in breezy hawker centres, casual family restaurants, and swankier dining spots — here’s the best of each that our MICHELIN inspectors have identified.
One MICHELIN Star: High quality cooking, worth a stop!
Blk 466, #01-12, Crawford Lane, Singapore
Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle
One MICHELIN StarMICHELIN Guide Singapore 2024
Singapore’s only MICHELIN-Starred hawker establishment, Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle, deserves a place in every family-friendly foodie itinerary. The longstanding stall gets snaking queues daily for its dry egg noodles tossed with a house-made chilli sauce, vinegar, pork lard, and dried sole — which makes it a good thing, then, that it’s located in a breezy kopitiam (casual Southeast Asian coffee outlet).
Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle is located at Blk 466, #01-12, Crawford Lane, 190466, Singapore.
Bib Gourmand • Inspectors’ favourites for good value
2/4 Keong Saik Road, Singapore
Kok Sen
Bib GourmandMICHELIN Guide Singapore 2024
MICHELIN Bib Gourmand recipient Kok Sen is a family restaurant that’s been dishing out a variety of Cantonese home-style dishes for more than half a century. Not to be missed are its signatures like big prawn hor fun (flat rice noodles) cooked till smoky and delicious over a wok, deep-fried prawn paste chicken, and claypot yong tau foo (tofu and vegetables stuffed with various meat pastes).
Kok Sen is located at 2/4 Keong Saik Road, 089112, Singapore.
39C Harding Road, Singapore
Claudine
SelectedMICHELIN Guide Singapore 2024
Chef Julien Royer of three-MICHELIN-Starred Odette presents a more laid back turn with Claudine, a French brasserie tucked in a refurbished colonial chapel. The food here is classic to its core — think onion soup, bouillabaisse (seafood soup), chou farci (stuffed cabbage), and steak frites in an elevated setting fit for a grand family brunch.
Claudine is located at 39C Harding Road, 249541, Singapore. Make your booking via our restaurant page here.
Singapore boasts plenty of variety in terms of its hotels.
STAYS
As with its food, boasts plenty of variety in terms of its hotels. While business travellers usually find repose in well-appointed accommodations concentrated in the city, those looking for family-friendly options outside of the hustle and bustle might prefer holidaying on the island paradise of Sentosa.
InterContinental Singapore
Aside from its prime location in Bugis and contemporary-meets-heritage Peranakan styling, the InterContinental Singapore comes with another compelling feature for travelling families — its King Suite Kids Theme Room, complete with teepee tent, loft beds, and slide for indoor fun. Don’t worry — parents get a king bed of their own as well.
Cost of Stay: Prices start at S$674 for its lead-in King Bed Classic City View. Book your stay here.
Shangri-La Hotel Singapore
Shangri-La Hotel Singapore takes the concept of family-friendly rooms a step further by decking out a whole series of suites in imaginative themes like safari, treetop, underwater, enchanted castle, and outer space. That’s not to forget, of course, about its extensive range of amenities, sophisticated look, and great location near Singapore’s buzziest shopping belt, Orchard Road, making it a great choice of holidaymakers with the kiddos in tow.
Cost of Stay: Prices start at S$480 for its lead-in Tower Wing Deluxe King Room. Book your stay here.
Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa
If it’s resort vibes you’re looking for, turn to Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa. The sprawling 27-acre estate houses 211 rooms and suites in the prime real estate between Palawan and Tanjong Beach, providing premium access to the pristine sand with just enough separation from the hullabaloo to keep things tranquil. There’s also a massive family-friendly pool decked out with shady cabanas for parents who’d prefer to keep their young charges closer to home.
Cost of Stay: Prices start at S$501 for its lead-in Luxury Room – 1 King Bed. Book your stay here.
