Photo Spots: Where to Stand
Sixteen shots and the exact spot to stand. Your feed will send a thank-you note.
Everyone photographs Singapore; few know where to stand. For each spot we give the exact position and the hour when the light behaves. Most are free, several are best at sunrise, and all of them beat another photo of your conference lanyard.
0/16 · Fresh off the plane
1. Merlion Park
Sight · Marina Bay · Free · MRT Raffles Place (EW14/NS26)
Hours unknown, check before you go
8.6 metres of national mascot facing the bay. Yes, you will take the mouth-catching-water photo.
💡 Go before 9am or after dark; midday is hot and packed. The jetty in front gives the cleanest shot.
2. Cavenagh Bridge
Sight · Civic District · Free · MRT Raffles Place (EW14/NS26)
Hours unknown, check before you go
A white Victorian suspension bridge for walkers only, with the Fullerton Hotel on one side and the bank towers stacked behind.
💡 Stand on the Asian Civilisations Museum bank and shoot along the bridge at blue hour, about 7.15pm, as the lamps come on.
3. Helix Bridge
Sight · Marina Bay · Free · MRT Bayfront (CC34/DT16)
Hours unknown, check before you go
A 280-metre footbridge built as a double helix and lit up at night. Science never looked this good in a selfie.
💡 Use the viewing pods that stick out over the water for skyline shots. Best at blue hour.
4. ArtScience Museum lily pond
Sight · Marina Bay · Free · MRT Bayfront (CC34/DT16)
Hours unknown, check before you go
The museum looks like a giant open hand, or a lotus, or a bunch of bananas. Whichever you pick, the pond in front doubles it.
💡 Stand on the promenade at the pond's edge, crouch low and shoot up at 8am, when the white petals are lit and the lilies are open.
5. Supertree Grove, Gardens by the Bay
Sight · Marina Bay · Free · MRT Bayfront (CC34/DT16)
Daily 05:00–02:00 (Supertree lights off 23:30)
Towering steel trees wearing real plants. Looks like sci-fi concept art, costs nothing to stand under.
💡 Come at dusk, stay for the 19:45 light show, and lie flat on the ground like everyone else does.
6. Cloud Forest
Sight · Marina Bay · $$$ · MRT Bayfront (CC34/DT16)
Daily 09:00–21:00 (last entry 20:00)
A chilled glass dome with a misty mountain inside. The best air-con in Singapore, with orchids.
💡 Take the lift to the top and walk down. Bring a light layer; it is properly cold in there.
7. Jewel Rain Vortex
Sight · Changi · Free · MRT Changi Airport (CG2)
Daily 10:00–22:00; light shows 20:00 & 21:00 (plus 22:00 Fri–Sun)
A 40-metre waterfall pouring through a glass doughnut next to the airport. Absurd, and free to stare at.
💡 The water runs 10:00–22:00 only. The free view from the Level 1 forest floor is the best one.
8. Old Hill Street Police Station
Sight · Clarke Quay · Free · MRT Clarke Quay (NE5)
Hours unknown, check before you go
A stern 1930s police station whose hundreds of shutters were painted in a full rainbow. The friendliest ex-lockup you'll ever see.
💡 Stand on the opposite corner of Hill Street and River Valley Road around 9am, when the sun lights the rainbow side head-on.
9. Fort Canning Tree Tunnel
Nature · Fort Canning · Free · MRT Dhoby Ghaut (NS24/NE6/CC1)
Hours unknown, check before you go
An underpass stairwell that opens to a perfect circle of sky and tree canopy. Looks like a portal. Is actually a pedestrian tunnel.
💡 Stand at the bottom of the spiral stairs, photographer below shooting up. Come before 8am; by 10 there's a queue of tripods.
10. Raffles Hotel facade
Sight · Civic District · Free · MRT Esplanade (CC3)
Hours unknown, check before you go
Gleaming white arcades, fan palms and a gravel drive straight out of 1887. The doormen have posed for more photos than most actors.
💡 Stand across the driveway on the Beach Road pavement in mid-morning light. The inner courtyards are open to walk through too.
11. Sultan Mosque from Bussorah Street
Sight · Kampong Gelam · Free · MRT Bugis (EW12/DT14)
Hours unknown, check before you go
The gold dome of Singapore's best-known mosque, framed dead centre by two rows of palms and shophouses. Symmetry fans, this is it.
💡 Stand mid-street at the Baghdad Street end at about 6.45pm for a glowing dome. It's a place of worship; be discreet at prayer times.
12. House of Tan Teng Niah
Sight · Little India · Free · MRT Little India (NE7/DT12)
Hours unknown, check before you go
A 1900 Chinese villa in Little India painted in every colour the hardware shop had. Each shutter and panel is a different shade.
💡 Stand in the small square in front of the house, about 10am, when the sun hits the facade. Exit E of the MRT is two minutes away.
13. Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
Sight · Chinatown · Free · MRT Maxwell (TE18)
Daily 07:00–17:00
Four storeys of red lacquer and gold, with a stupa upstairs and a quiet roof garden most people miss.
💡 Cover shoulders and knees. Take the lift to the rooftop garden first, then work your way down.
14. Koon Seng Road Shophouses
Street · Joo Chiat · Free · MRT Marine Parade (TE26)
Hours unknown, check before you go
A row of 1920s houses in pink, mint and blue, with tiles and plasterwork to match. Peak Singapore pretty.
💡 People live here, so stay on the pavement and keep your voice down. Morning light is best.
15. Bandstand, Singapore Botanic Gardens
Nature · Tanglin · Free · MRT Napier (TE12)
Hours unknown, check before you go
An octagonal white bandstand on a little hill, circled by yellow-leafed rain trees, in a UNESCO-listed garden. Wedding shoots agree.
💡 Stand at the bottom of the lawn path looking up at the gazebo, at about 7.30am, when the light is gold and only joggers are about.
16. Chinese Garden pagoda
Nature · Jurong Lake Gardens · Free · MRT Chinese Garden (EW25)
Hours unknown, check before you go
A classical Chinese garden of pagodas, stone bridges and willows, reopened in 2024 after a long makeover. Gloriously far from the crowds.
💡 Stand on the arched stone bridge by the entrance and shoot towards the pagoda at 5.30pm, for warm side light and long shadows.
Unofficial · not affiliated with TOKEN2049. Hours and prices change; check before you go.