Exclusive Editor’s Tips:

Visit an offbeat cultural park

It’s off the usual tourist trail, but retro Haw Par Villa is worth a cab ride for its eye-opening take on Chinese culture and folklore. Part museum, part theme park, the sprawling 21-acre space is filled with more than 1,000 bizarre statues and dioramas that teach Confucius values through Chinese mythology. Opened in 1937 by Aw Boon Haw, a philanthropist better known as the founder of the herbal ointment Tiger Balm, the park has seen a revival in recent years due to a change in management and new offerings such as overnight camping. Don’t miss its centerpiece: The Hell’s Museum with its ‘10 Courts of Hell,’ a macabre exhibition that delivers a graphic look at sin and punishment. 

Go birding at an architectural marvel

Singapore is known as the Garden City, but it’s tough to grasp just how lush it is from street level. At Henderson Waves, the country’s highest pedestrian bridge at 120 feet above ground (and a 30-minute walk from Singapore Cruise Centre), you can observe wildlife like tropical songbirds and long-tailed macaques, and enjoy sweeping views of the island. In the evenings, the entire platform is illuminated in soft LED lighting, giving the area a romantic vibe. Panoramas aside, the bridge itself is an architectural stunner, with voluptuous curves made of native Balau wood that echo the natural environment, and plenty of shaded spots to rest and admire the landscape.

Taste flavors unique to the Lion City

For a fine-dining experience that truly represents Singapore and its surrounding region, book a table at Seroja or Restaurant Fiz  —two young restaurants with passionate chefs who are dedicating themselves to elevating ingredients from the Malay Archipelago. Even if you’ve eaten all over the world, the food—like Seroja’s barbecued duck with crispy rice from a remote Borneo tribe or Fiz’s delicate blood clams swathed in peanut sambal—is sure to surprise and delight. At Seroja, you can also choose to pair your meal with non-alcoholic beverages made in-house with the restaurant’s fruit and vegetable scraps. Go for it, because every drink is a progressive adventure in flavor. Reservations at both restaurants, which can be made on their websites, are essential.