Singapore River Cruise

A river cruise is the gentlest introduction to Singapore, and the most efficient way to understand its layout. The Singapore River is where the modern city began: from the 1820s it was the trading heart of the port, lined with warehouses (godowns), crowded with bumboats ferrying cargo from ships offshore, and bordered by the colonial administrative buildings that are now museums. A big clean-up in the 1970s and 1980s moved the trade out and turned the river into a promenade of restaurants and bars, and today the cruise traces the whole story in about forty minutes. Boats depart from several jetties, including Clarke Quay (Fort Canning side), Merlion Park and Bayfront North in front of the ArtScience Museum, and run a loop with on-board audio commentary in English. Heading downstream from Clarke Quay you pass the colourful restored shophouses of Boat Quay with the towers of the financial district rising behind them, slip under the old bridges, including the white Cavenagh Bridge from the 1860s, and glide past the Asian Civilisations Museum, the Victoria Theatre and the Fullerton Hotel, once the General Post Office. Then the river opens into Marina Bay: the Merlion spouting water on your left, Marina Bay Sands and the lotus of the ArtScience Museum ahead, the Esplanade's spiky domes behind. The boats are modern, covered versions of the traditional bumboat, so the trip works in light rain and the midday sun. It is not a thrill, and the commentary is basic, but nothing else gives you the river, the colonial core and the bay skyline in one sitting.

Timing is everything. The best departures are at dusk, when the skyline lights come on, and in the evening, when the Fullerton, the bridges and Marina Bay Sands are all illuminated. If you can, time the end of your loop for the Spectra light and water show in front of Marina Bay Sands; the bay is full of boats at show times and the view from the water is excellent. Daytime cruises are hotter and flatter in light, but quieter and better for photographing the details of the godowns and bridges.

The ticket sold on Tiqets is a 40-minute cruise with English audio-visual commentary, and the jetties at Clarke Quay, Merlion Park and Bayfront North each open from the afternoon into the evening. Tickets are valid for a period after activation, which makes them flexible: you can buy ahead and go whenever the weather and your legs suggest a sit-down. Queues build at Clarke Quay on weekend evenings; Merlion Park and Bayfront are usually quicker. The ride is gentle and suitable for all ages, though the boats are not ideal for large prams.

Use the cruise as the hinge of an evening. Start at Clarke Quay or Boat Quay for a drink, cruise out to the bay, get off at Merlion Park or Bayfront, then walk the waterfront promenade to the light show or up to the SkyPark. Alternatively, cruise first to get your bearings on day one, then come back on foot to explore the Asian Civilisations Museum, Fort Canning and the riverside restaurants you passed. For the full colonial story, walk the river between Clarke Quay and the bay the next morning; it takes about thirty minutes and the cruise will have shown you what to look for.