National Museum of Singapore facade.

National Museum of Singapore

Top choice in Colonial District, the Quays & Marina Bay


Imaginative and immersive, Singapore's National Museum is good enough to warrant two visits. At once cutting edge and classical, the space ditches staid exhibits for lively multimedia galleries that bring Singapore's jam-packed biography to vivid life. It's a colourful, intimate journey, spanning ancient Malay royalty, wartime occupation, nation-building, food and fashion. Look out for interactive artwork GoHead/GoStan: Panorama Singapura, which offers an audiovisual trip through the city-state's many periods. Free guided tours are offered daily; check online for times.

The museum's neoclassical wing, graced by a stained-glass rotunda, once housed the Raffles Museum and Library.