Welcome to Singapore
Day one of your Singapore private tour. Welcome to Singapore, a city that makes arrival feel effortless. Depending on your flight schedule, we arrange early check-in where availability allows, so you can freshen up, rest and begin the journey comfortably rather than waiting for the day to catch up with you.
Your home is The Capitol Kempinski, set within the beautifully restored Capitol Building and Stamford House in the Civic District. It is an address that suits the journey: gracious, central and quietly grand, with Singapore’s landmarks, galleries and riverfront close at hand.
The remainder of the day is deliberately unscripted. You may prefer the pool, a long lunch or a gentle walk through the surrounding district. If you would like a first taste of Singapore’s garden-city personality, the UNESCO-listed Botanic Gardens offer a quietly beautiful beginning; a private orientation tour can also be arranged if you would rather begin with a guide.
Welcome to Singapore, a city that makes arrival feel effortless. Depending on your flight schedule, we arrange early check-in where availability allows, so you can freshen up, rest and begin the journey comfortably rather than waiting for the day to catch up with you.
Your home is The Capitol Kempinski, set within the beautifully restored Capitol Building and Stamford House in the Civic District. It is an address that suits the journey: gracious, central and quietly grand, with Singapore’s landmarks, galleries and riverfront close at hand.
The remainder of the day is deliberately unscripted. You may prefer the pool, a long lunch or a gentle walk through the surrounding district. If you would like a first taste of Singapore’s garden-city personality, the UNESCO-listed Botanic Gardens offer a quietly beautiful beginning; a private orientation tour can also be arranged if you would rather begin with a guide.
Raffles, the River & the Last Malayan Tiger
After breakfast, your private guide leads you into the Civic District, where modern Singapore’s origin story is written in stone, water and light. Begin at the Merlion, with Marina Bay opening before you, then pass the neoclassical Fullerton Hotel and stand near the site where Sir Stamford Raffles first came ashore in 1819.
The walk continues through the city’s grand civic ensemble: the National Gallery, Victoria Theatre, St. Andrew’s Cathedral and the former Supreme Court. From selected vantage points, the view opens across the old river shophouses toward the towers of the financial district, Singapore’s past and present in a single frame.
A traditional bumboat then carries you along the Singapore River. Once the commercial artery of the colonial port, it remains the city’s most elegant corridor: warehouses and godowns on one side, glass and steel on the other.
Continue up Fort Canning Hill, where the story reaches back beyond Raffles to ancient Singapura, Malay kings and the treaty that transformed the island. The day ends at Raffles’ Long Bar with a Singapore Sling and the curious tale of the last wild tiger said to have been shot within the city. The afternoon is yours.
After breakfast, your private guide leads you into the Civic District, where modern Singapore’s origin story is written in stone, water and light. Begin at the Merlion, with Marina Bay opening before you, then pass the neoclassical Fullerton Hotel and stand near the site where Sir Stamford Raffles first came ashore in 1819.
The walk continues through the city’s grand civic ensemble: the National Gallery, Victoria Theatre, St. Andrew’s Cathedral and the former Supreme Court. From selected vantage points, the view opens across the old river shophouses toward the towers of the financial district, Singapore’s past and present in a single frame.
A traditional bumboat then carries you along the Singapore River. Once the commercial artery of the colonial port, it remains the city’s most elegant corridor: warehouses and godowns on one side, glass and steel on the other.
Continue up Fort Canning Hill, where the story reaches back beyond Raffles to ancient Singapura, Malay kings and the treaty that transformed the island. The day ends at Raffles’ Long Bar with a Singapore Sling and the curious tale of the last wild tiger said to have been shot within the city. The afternoon is yours.
Gardens, Spago & the Five-Foot Walkways
The morning belongs to the Gardens by the Bay. Your driver takes you there, and the Flower Dome and the misty Cloud Forest are yours to wander at your own pace, no schedule but yours.
Lunch is a high point, literally: Spago, fifty-seven floors above the city at Marina Bay Sands, where the cooking matches Singapore’s most famous rooftop view. Included, of course.
In the afternoon, your guide meets you for our signature Chinatown walk. Begin among the restored shophouses and five-foot walkways, where sheltered arcades once carried the daily life of traders, coolies, herbalists and clan associations. At the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, the district’s ceremonial grandeur rises above streets that still hold its older, more intimate stories.
Taste bak kwa still warm from the grill, sample egg tarts, and step into a traditional medical hall where ginseng and bird’s nest remain part of everyday life. Continue past Sri Mariamman Temple and into the lanes around Ann Siang Hill, where murals trace another layer of the migrant city. The walk concludes at Thian Hock Keng, a Hokkien masterpiece that once faced the sea.
Dinner follows at Lau Pa Sat, where your guide orders and explains Singapore’s hawker classics beneath the Victorian ironwork: chicken rice, satay and local favourites chosen around your tastes.
The morning belongs to the Gardens by the Bay. Your driver takes you there, and the Flower Dome and the misty Cloud Forest are yours to wander at your own pace, no schedule but yours.
Lunch is a high point, literally: Spago, fifty-seven floors above the city at Marina Bay Sands, where the cooking matches Singapore’s most famous rooftop view. Included, of course.
In the afternoon, your guide meets you for our signature Chinatown walk. Begin among the restored shophouses and five-foot walkways, where sheltered arcades once carried the daily life of traders, coolies, herbalists and clan associations. At the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, the district’s ceremonial grandeur rises above streets that still hold its older, more intimate stories.
Taste bak kwa still warm from the grill, sample egg tarts, and step into a traditional medical hall where ginseng and bird’s nest remain part of everyday life. Continue past Sri Mariamman Temple and into the lanes around Ann Siang Hill, where murals trace another layer of the migrant city. The walk concludes at Thian Hock Keng, a Hokkien masterpiece that once faced the sea.
Dinner follows at Lau Pa Sat, where your guide orders and explains Singapore’s hawker classics beneath the Victorian ironwork: chicken rice, satay and local favourites chosen around your tastes.
Little India, Kampong Glam & an Elegant Evening
This morning explores two districts where Singapore’s multicultural identity is not curated for visitors but lived every day. In Little India, follow the colour and rhythm of Serangoon Road into Tekka Centre, where spices, flowers, silk and fresh produce create one of the city’s most sensory markets. Pass the vividly painted Tan Teng Niah villa, browse the Little India Arcade and visit Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, where ritual and craftsmanship meet in brilliant colour.
Continue to Kampong Glam, Singapore’s historic Malay-Muslim quarter, where the golden domes of Sultan Mosque rise above boutiques, textile shops and café-lined lanes, and the Malay Heritage Centre adds depth to the area’s royal and trading past.
Lunch is at The Coconut Club, where nasi lemak is treated with the respect it deserves: fragrant coconut rice, crisp anchovies, sambal and beautifully cooked chicken in a polished but relaxed setting.
The afternoon and evening are left open. Return to the hotel, explore Haji Lane’s boutiques, or choose one of two optional evenings, both at additional cost: a sunset dinner sail aboard the Royal Albatross, a traditional tall ship departing from Sentosa, or a Peranakan dinner experience accompanied by a short Chinese opera performance, a shared evening with a minimum of four guests. Tell us which sings to you and we will arrange it.
This morning explores two districts where Singapore’s multicultural identity is not curated for visitors but lived every day. In Little India, follow the colour and rhythm of Serangoon Road into Tekka Centre, where spices, flowers, silk and fresh produce create one of the city’s most sensory markets. Pass the vividly painted Tan Teng Niah villa, browse the Little India Arcade and visit Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, where ritual and craftsmanship meet in brilliant colour.
Continue to Kampong Glam, Singapore’s historic Malay-Muslim quarter, where the golden domes of Sultan Mosque rise above boutiques, textile shops and café-lined lanes, and the Malay Heritage Centre adds depth to the area’s royal and trading past.
Lunch is at The Coconut Club, where nasi lemak is treated with the respect it deserves: fragrant coconut rice, crisp anchovies, sambal and beautifully cooked chicken in a polished but relaxed setting.
The afternoon and evening are left open. Return to the hotel, explore Haji Lane’s boutiques, or choose one of two optional evenings, both at additional cost: a sunset dinner sail aboard the Royal Albatross, a traditional tall ship departing from Sentosa, or a Peranakan dinner experience accompanied by a short Chinese opera performance, a shared evening with a minimum of four guests. Tell us which sings to you and we will arrange it.
Sentosa, Your Way & Departure
Your final day flexes around your departure. If time allows, Sentosa offers several moods: a quiet beach walk, a coffee overlooking the water, or an hour among the tunnels and coastal guns of Fort Siloso. For something more playful, the island’s attractions can be added privately and selectively.
If you prefer to remain in the city, the morning can be kept beautifully simple: breakfast at the hotel, a final walk through the Civic District, or one last visit to the gardens before departure.
When it is time, your driver takes you to Changi for your onward flight. Singapore also connects naturally into Malaysia, by road through Malacca and Kuala Lumpur, or by air into Langkawi, Penang or Borneo, should this be the first chapter of a longer Malaya Travel journey.
Your final day flexes around your departure. If time allows, Sentosa offers several moods: a quiet beach walk, a coffee overlooking the water, or an hour among the tunnels and coastal guns of Fort Siloso. For something more playful, the island’s attractions can be added privately and selectively.
If you prefer to remain in the city, the morning can be kept beautifully simple: breakfast at the hotel, a final walk through the Civic District, or one last visit to the gardens before departure.
When it is time, your driver takes you to Changi for your onward flight. Singapore also connects naturally into Malaysia, by road through Malacca and Kuala Lumpur, or by air into Langkawi, Penang or Borneo, should this be the first chapter of a longer Malaya Travel journey.
