8 BIGGEST Tourist Trap in Singapore – What to Do Instead

This is a blog version of my video guide published on YouTube:

Planning a trip to Singapore? Before you book your tickets, let me, your local guide, save you some cash by exposing the city’s biggest tourist traps—and showing you better, budget-friendly alternatives. From iconic views to exploring local attractions, here’s how to make the most of your visit without breaking the bank.

1. Sands SkyPark

FIRST, you might want to see the city in its FULL glory from above…One option is the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark.

Sitting atop level 55, the Sands SkyPark offers a stunning view of Singapore—a clear look at the iconic Marina Bay AND a bird’s-eye view of the Gardens by the Bay.

Very impressive, HOWEVER, the entry to the observation deck alone costs $35 SGD for adults. And let’s be honest—it can feel overpriced when all you get to do is see the view… and then, that’s it.

Want an EVEN WORSE deal? Get on the Singapore Flyer.

2. Singapore Flyer

The Singapore Flyer is technically one of the best high viewpoints in the city. Hop on the giant Ferris wheel, and you’ll be wheeled up to enjoy an unblocked, panoramic view of Singapore. Sounds great, right?

BUT here’s why I say it’s a worse deal:

Not only is the Flyer actually SHORTER than Marina Bay Sands, but you’ll only get to enjoy the highest point for about 10 minutes before you’re slowly wheeled back down to ground level.

And to add more salt to your pocket, this experience will cost you $40 per person.
Now, let me share a MUCH better way to get more value for your money!

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Paid Alternative #1: Rooftop Bar

For a similar view, visit this rooftop bar at the Marina Bay Sands: LAVO . With a minimum spend of $30, you can enjoy food, drinks, and the view at your leisure. If you girl math this, your view is FREE!!

To get here, simply make a reservation, turn up at the MBS tower 1. It’s the tower on the blunt end. Approach the LAVO reception counter and tell them your reservation. Then simply take the lift and voila~

NOTE: There’s another rooftop bar: Ce La Vie. HOWEVER I don’t recommend because not only their minimum charge is $35, you only get access to their bar area.

Paid Alternative #2: SuperTree Observatory

Located in the Gardens by the Bay, the SuperTree Observatory offers a fantastic vantage point at just $14 per adult. If you’re also buying tickets for Flower Dome / Cloud Forest, you might be able to get it for cheaper by buying as a bundle.

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Paid Alternative #3 SkyBridge

Enjoy a panoramic view from the 50th-floor skybridge of Singapore’s most expensive public housing: The Pinnacle@Duxton. There is a sky-bridge that is accessible to the public for $6. Though Marina Bay isn’t visible, the heritage shophouse views make up for it.

To get here, find the reception counter at tower G. You will need an EZ-Link card for payment.

FREE Alternative #1: Roof Terrace

Do you want a FREEE alternative? Very easy, just go to the ESPLANADE!
It’s the durian looking building. Get inside, get to level 4, and head to the Roof Terrace.
It’s not as high, but it’s almost as magnificent and you’re ~$30 dollars richer. Free and crowd-free, this hidden gem offers a lovely view of Marina Bay.

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FREE Alternative #2: GBTB Overpass

For another FREE cool viewpoint of the gardens, we gotta go to the GBTB overpass. This is the bridge that brings you from MBS to the GBTB.

The quickest way is to get there is to take the GLASS Elevator from ground level between tower 1 & tower 2. Once above, walk towards GBTB and get to the end of the overpass where you’ll be at a nice viewing point overlooking the beautiful gardens. Enjoy!

NOTE: If you like the Garden Rhapsody, the FREE Light & Musical show at the Supertrees, you can enjoy another perspective of the show from here. Though the music might be too soft.

FREE Alternative #3: Helix Bridge

A worthy mention that’s super easy to get to is the Helix Bridge. Find this DNA looking bridge, and enjoy a good view of the ArtScience museum along the Marina Bay. Don’t forget to look up and get a unique angle of the MBS.

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3. Sentosa Island

Sentosa is packed with attractions like bungee jumping, indoor skydiving, and theme parks. But let’s face it—none of these are uniquely Singaporean, and they come with steep prices.

Especially bungy jumping and indoor skydiving. We are not known for extreme sports. Besides, I feel that you NEED to be doing these a scenic area for it to be memorable: like the mountains of New Zealand!

Or bungee jump down a dramatic cliff. MAYBE if they have Bungee jump from the top of MBS I’d be interested.
MOREOVER, these activities carry a hefty price tag. If you don’t mind the price and enjoys the convenience of everything being on this resort island- Sentosa is great for you.

BUT if you want to explore the most UNIQUE aspects of Sentosa at NO COST… Come along to my favorite spots.

Free Alternative #1: Skywalk

Fun fact: they charge you $15 to get up to the observation deck at the bungy jump area.. BUT if you just walk 400 meters further down the road you can get it for FREE.

To get here, find the Fort Siloso Skywalk which looks like this colorful tower, and get up the elevator. Enjoy the beach and waterway view for absolutely FREE. If you girl math this you profit $15!!

NOTE: The lifts only operate from 9AM-10PM

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FREE Alternative #2: Ancient Military Forts

Did you know the Sentosa island whose name means “Peace & Tranquility” used to be called Pulau Blakang Mati that translates to Island of Death at the Back?? What a drastic rebranding right?

Then in the period following WW2, it became a military fortification. Today, you can still visit some of them!

Fort Siloso

If you were to follow through the Siloso Skywalk, you’ll actually end up at Fort Siloso. It’s the most preserved and the whole complex is now a museum you can visit and learn about the fall of SG.

Fort Imbiah

BUT if you’d like to see a fort in its most original state, you’d have to hike through the jungle via the Imbiah Trail and visit the Imbiah Fort.

Here’s where you can see the old gun emplacements.

Fort Serapong

There’s another big one atop the hill… but it’s closed to public. You can only get there via a heritage guided tour that costs $120/pax.
I’d say Imbiah is good enough.

FREE Alternative #3: SensoryScape

There’s also a FREE light exhibition that’s especially GREAT for children called the SensoryScape. It’s quite a large light installation that can be enjoyed over one to two hours. It’s especially interactive and engaging. I saw many children happily playing with this.
So if you’re around the area in the evening and you’re looking for a dazzling experience, come and check it out.

Since we’re at the topic of Sentosa, let me share a trick to get here for FREE.

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How to Get to Sentosa for FREE

MOST tourists will spend $4 to get on the Monorail to get into Sentosa. BUT with this secret trick you’ll get there for FREE – and enjoy a BEAUTIFUL short walk along the way.

Simply start your trip from Harbourfront Station. Instead of going to the top floor to take the Monorail, go to level 1, and walk straight towards the glass door exit to the Sentosa Boardwalk.

You’ll see a water body with Sentosa island in the background. Walk along the boardwalks with the water on your right. Within just 15 minutes of walking along the beautiful boardwalk you’ll be within a stone throw away from many major attractions such as
– Universal Studios Singapore (USS)
– Adventure Cove
– SEA Aquarium

The boardwalk is actually one of my favorite dating spot to have an evening walk with my wife. It’s amazing for sunset watching. I also often see people picnicking along the walkways.

BUUUT now, what if you wanna get to the beach??? EASY. Just board the Monorail from the station beside USS (Resorts World Station S2). Which will be FREE for you because you ONLY have to pay for the monorail if you board it from the Harbourfront-Vivocity station.

Voila! Saved you another $4 😉

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4. Orchard Road

Another tourist trap is the Orchard Road. It’s actually our world-famous shopping street, but most of the stores are international luxury brands you can find anywhere. Buying it here is not any cheaper either… so I’d say why bother?

Shopping Alternatives

For more UNIQUE local shopping experience, I recommend visiting the Haji Lane where you can explore many cute local boutique shops.

OR… This very new mall that just opened called New Bahru. It’s so new that its name translate to “New New” because “Bahru” means “New” in Malay. The very special thing about New Bahru is that they ONLY carry Singapore homegrown brands so you’ll have a uniquely Singapore shopping experience.

My personal favorites here is the One Fattened Calf burgers: Best burger I’ve eaten bar none. But it’s ultra expensive, about 20 dollars for the burger alone.

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5. Singapore River Cruise

After this point…. NO tour operator will want to work with me ever again hahahah….

Would you like to SEE every point of interest along the iconic Singapore River and Marina Bay? For $ 28 SGD per person, you can get on the Singapore River Cruise! Sail from Clarkey Quay, down the Singapore River, and around Marina Bay then back where you came from.

But let me tell you a secret…. The whole stretch of the Singapore River and Marina Bay is SUPER walkable! So you can actually just save your $28 dollars, and have a lovely hike along the river.

Before I share the routes I recommend, theres another similar tourist trap…

6. The Duck Tour

Do you know why it’s called a DUCK tour? because on this duck-boat-car you’re gonna be touring on land AND water, just like how a duck can walk on land and swim in water hahah

Anyway, for the added novelty and additional land tour route, each duck tour ticket will cost you $45 per pax. The route is almost the same as the River Cruise.

Alternative Route Lv1: Marina Bay

For just the GIST of SG most iconic sights, take a simple stroll around the Marina Bay. You’ll catch the Merlion, MBS, Esplanade, Artscience Museum all from different angle around the bay.

BUT if you have the time and energy to see more…

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Alternative Route Lv2: Marina East

For those looking for MORE unique perspective of Singapore Skyline, I recommend hiking adding Gardens by the Bay && the Marina East into your route.

To get here, simply get to the Marina Barrage which by itself is a fantastic spot. Fun fact: this is one of Singapore’s most important infrastructure. We dammed up the SG river to store more fresh water for our use!

After crossing the dam to the other side, walk further down the park… and you’ll get to see the view of GBTB and MBS that 90% of people don’t get to see.

Alternative Route Lv3: Heritage Trail

Have a little taste of our history and take in some of our MOST historical buildings. Walk to the Padang, St. Andrew’s Cathedral, and the National Gallery to soak in Singapore’s history.

From the Merlion, just cross under the big road and follow the road. Cross the Anderson bridge then you’ll meet a LARGE open field we call the Padang. This is where we throw big national events like our National Day. Walk around it and admire our old city hall, St Andrew Cathedral, and WW2 memorial.

After that you can continue onto Esplanade. One downside of this route is that as of 2025, part of the bay is under renovation to build the NS-Square. Just skip this section for now.

CAVEAT:

The SG River Cruise & the Duck Tour does have their merits. If you prefer to be comfortably seated while the city sights fly by you, these will serve you well. They are also perfect for visitors with limited mobility.
If you only have 1-2 hours to see everything, those will also be a great fit for you.

Feel free to book using my affiliate links 😉
– SG River Cruise
– Duck Tour

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7. Hop-On Hop-Off (HOHO) Bus Tour

Tourist Trap number 7… the Hop on & Hop Off bus or in short HOHO -for HOHOHO your money’s gone.

It’s marketed as the EASIEST way for tourists to get around the MOST popular attractions around the city. For $63, you get a DAY pass giving you on the

CITY route covering the
– Singapore Flyer
– Gardens by the Bay
– Singapore Art Museum

or the HERITAGE route covering
– Little India
– Kampong Glam
– Chinatown

BUT you’ll feel very scammed after you look at the map:

Yep, most of the destinations are actually VERY near to each other. SO NEAR that you could easily walk it. The added bonus if you walk these areas: you get to admire these murals lining the heritage streets.

How about those further away?? WELL, they’re easily be covered by public transportation. Which is at at least $50 cheaper than the HOHO bus. In fact, ALL of the destinations can be reached by the public transportation.
BUT UH-OH at least the HOHO offers UNLIMITED rides right??

Well yeah unlimited BUT you better be quick because the bus only runs from 930am to 530pm. On the other hand, our buses and trains operate from as early as 5.30AM all the way till midnight.

and the MOST annoying part about the HOHO…. it’s actually harder to navigate than the public transport because the HOHO stop points do NOT appear in google maps. So you need to rely on their pictorial guide to find where to board.

Though most of the stops are borrowing the public bus stops, some of the stops are not marked so good luck finding them.

HONESTLY if I’m a tourist I rather just rely on google maps and the public transport navigation. Heck I’m a local and I still use google maps hahahah. SOOO, save yourself the $50 and just take the public transport, which is super easy to learn, very affordable, and reasonably comfortable!

BUT beware of the UNLIMITED Public Transport pass….

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8. Singapore Tourist Pass

SHEESH I might get a bit of flak from Singapore Tourism Board for this. BUT you guys deserve to know the truth and only the truth.

Tourist Trap number 8: The Singapore Tourist Pass. I start to see a pattern, whenever something is designed for tourists most of the time you pay tourist price – whether or not it actually adds value for the premium paid.

With the STP, you get UNLIMITED rides on the public transport, so get on as many bus and trains as you can for 1 to 3 days. At first it sounds good but if you see look at the price per day and compare it to average public transport costs per day WITHOUT the pass- you’ll see how it’s not really a good deal anymore.

You’ll hardly spend more than 10$ per day with the public transport in Singapore because most attractions are very walkable as long as you plan your itinerary well. SOOO maaaybee ehhh maybe the 3 days one would be an OK deal. The only time I recommend using the STP is if you already planned to benefit from the discounts that comes with the pass such as ticket to Bird paradise, Gardens by the Bay, SEA Aquarium.

The public transport is SUPER easy to use in Singapore. I have just the right video guide for you to master it in under 6 mins:

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Final Thoughts

Just to be clear, I actually love my city Singapore very much and I did not mean to defame any of the tourist attractions I mentioned. My only intent is for every visitor to my city to have the FULL knowledge of the experiences available to them. So I hope that this post provided those options for you to get the MOST value of what you’re gonna spend here.

I’m actually shooting my own foot here because as a YouTuber/Blogger I get my income from affiliate links. So telling all of you not to buy stuff hurts me hahahahah.

ANYWAY if you’re gonna buy any ticket still, the best way to support me is to use my affiliate links here. I’ve summarised each attraction and their price for your convenience as well. THANKS!

Dashing Heights