Presiding at the mouth of Singapore River is the Singapore Flyer a gigantic 165 meter high observation wheel, with 28 air-conditioned capsules each as big as a bus. From here visitors can experience some of the best views of the Singapore, you not only can see the city area, Changi Airport and Sentosa Island, but also the largest city in southern Malaysia Johor Bahru and part of Indonesia, the view of 3 countries at one spot!
It also cater for special events like birthday parties, wedding solemnization and corporate events.
Plan and book Singapore Flyer tickets now. Book ahead to save time and money!
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Duck Tour is the name given to the 1 hour guided tour around the city and into the water to explore the harbour on an ex Military Amphibious Vehicle just like the one that served in Vietnam War. The tour starts at the Suntec City Mall. You get to see the War Memorial, The Padang, Victoria Concert Hall, Supreme Court, City Hall, St Andrew Cathedral......go into the sea and view the city from another perspective.
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A good place to start the colonial trail is the City Hall MRT Station as most of the historical sites are within 1KM radius from this point, except the Presidential Palace and the old Sultan Palace.
Just next to the station is the Saint Andrew Cathedral, the first Anglican Church in Singapore built in 1830s. To the east of the station along Bras Basah road stands the world renowned 120 years old Raffles Hotel that is now a national monument, it is also the location where Singapore's last sole surviving wild tiger was shot dead in 1902, and the birth place of the cocktail Singapore Sling. List of famous guest includes Queen Elizabeth II, George Bush Senior, Charlie Chaplin, Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor and so on.
To the west of Saint Andrew Cathedral is the City Hall. This elegant building with Corinthian columns has witnessed many historical events, it was in this building in 12 September 1945 that Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten from the Allied Forces accepted the Japanese Surrender, officially ending the Japanese Occupation of Southeast Asia. It was also in this same building in 1965 that Lee Kuan Yew declared the country's independence. Just adjacent to the City Hall is the Surpreme Court which was originally a hotel back in the 1930s.
And besides the Supreme court you will find the old Parliament House and Victoria Concert Hall. The Parliament House is the oldest surviving structure in Singapore. If was built in 1822 during Raffles abscense, as a residence for a scottish business man called Maxwell, he never get to move in as when Raffles returned to Singapore he took over Maxwell's house for government offices. According to Raffles's initial plan, the south bank of Singapore River was allocated for business and commerce, the north bank was allocated for government use, Maxwell's house happened to be on the wrong side. The Victoria Concert Hall formally known as Victoria Memorial Hall was built to as a memorial to Queen Victoria when she passed away in 1901.
Just meters away along the east bank of Singapore River stands the Asia Civilisations Museum which was the old Registry of Births and Deaths in the 1980s where many older Singaporeans got their Identity Cards. Facing the entrance of the museum is the Cavenagh Bridge over Singapore River, it was actually constructed in Scotland in 1860s then shipped out to Singapore where it was assembled using indian convict labours. The other side of the bridge lies the opulent Fullerton Hotel, which used to be Singapore's General Post Office. Near the Asian Civilisation Museum you can find another status of Raffles standing on the spot where he first set foot on Singapore on January 29, 1819. Further upstream is the present Parliment House
Further upstream is the Ministry of Information and The Arts Building which was known as the Hill Street Police Station until 1980s when the Police vacated the building. It is a six-storey building covering a total floor area of 25,000 sq m with two internal courtyards. The building was built in a typical neo-classical style that characterised many public buildings during colonial rule. Its façade is symmetrically-designed, furnished with balconies, arcades, columns and rough surface masonry blocks. It is now a National Monument.
Just behind the Mita building is Fort Canning Park (Forbidden Hill as it was known), this is the most historical site in Singapore, according to the Malay Annals, Sang Nila Utama the first ruler of Singapore that gave Singapore it's name was buried here in the 14th Century, although the exact spot is yet to be found, but the fifth king (known as Parameswara in Chinese & Portuguese archives) Sultan Iskander Shah's grave can be located on the south side of the hill, (Sultan Iskander Shah was the founder of Malacca). After the British took over Singapore, the hill became the residence of Raffles and subsequently the residence of the governors of Singapore until 1860s when the British decided to convert the hill into a fort with canons facing the harbour. On the western foot of the hill is the 120-year-old National Museum.
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