13 Best Museums and Galleries in Singapore

A visit to Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) – one of Singapore’s most acclaimed national museums – is a great way to take a journey through the interesting pan-Asian arts and culture scene. The Asian Civilisations Museum has 1,000 plus artefacts in its 11 galleries on three levels in the Empress Place Building.

Being the only museum in the region that is dedicated to the Asian civilisation, the museum enables you to explore an extensive selection of relics on Southeast Asian, South Asian, Chinese and West Asian cultures – some of which are more than 5,000 years old.

The National Gallery Singapore houses the world’s largest public collection of Singaporean and Southeast Asian art, with nearly 10,000 pieces in total. Located in the Civic District of Downtown Singapore, this is the real historic heart of the country, with the gloriously renovated building once being home to City Hall and the National Supreme Court.

Dubbed as Singapore’s latest ‘visual arts institution’ (a fancy name for an art gallery), the government-backed projected aims to ‘strengthen Singapore’s role as a regional and international hub for visual arts’. It’s also the largest of its type in the country with over 64,000 sq m of floor space, overtaking the ever-popular Singapore Art Museum in Clarke Quay.

The National Gallery Singapore houses the world’s largest public collection of Singaporean and Southeast Asian art, with nearly 10,000 pieces in total. Located in the Civic District of Downtown Singapore, this is the real historic heart of the country, with the gloriously renovated building once being home to City Hall and the National Supreme Court.

The exhibits are spread across 6 galleries. The Goh Seng Choo Gallery and Singapore History Gallery have some of the museum’s most incredible exhibits.

Shaped like an outstretched hand – or perhaps even a bunch of bananas – the ArtScience Museum sits on the waterfront in the shadow of Marina Bay Sands, and provides the city with ever-changing displays, from Dali to Harry Potter.

A place of great interest for children and adults, a visit here is both entertaining and educational, exploring the links between art and science. The gallery is impossible to miss, on the bay side walkway of the famous Marina Bay Sands Hotel, 10 minutes’ walk from the Bayfront MRT station.

This sobering museum is situated at Changi Prison which is still being used as a prison today. It gives a glimpse of the life of prisoners of war during the Japanese Occupation of World War II. Next to the museum is a replica of the simple chapel built by Allied prisoners during their internment. Pinned to the building are notes from people who lost loved ones in Changi.

Located at Imbiah Lookout on Sentosa Island, Images of Singapore is a must-visit historical museum featuring audio-visual presentations showing Singaporean history and culture, focusing on its people and their lives. In an old-style warehouse format, exhibits include the period when the Malaysians rule, the arrival of the British and the post-colonialist period under Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and more.

After a walk around the museum, visitors can stop by and enjoy Singapore cuisine at Tastes of Singapore. The menu includes real local dishes like Nyonya lobster laksa, tandoori chicken and assorted jumbo satay.

Located in the same grounds as Istana Kampong Glam (aka the Sultan's Palace) in Kampong Glam, this heritage centre is dedicated to Malay Singaporeans. Like in many rural areas in Southeast, the Malays in Singapore lived in traditional wooden huts on stilts (or 'kampong' in Malay) for many decades until the 1980s when the government relocated most Singaporean into apartments. That move spelled the end of the Malay kampong in Singapore.

This exhibition takes people back to the old period to see the life and culture of the Malays; not only their traditional kampong residences but their arts and crafts.

The Peranakan museum explores this unique culture that’s still a part of Singapore’s living heritage. The museum features 10 galleries exhibiting more than 1,200 items of Straits Chinese artefacts. Those items include silver, porcelain, jewellery, textiles, food and religious items.

It also covers the links with Peranakan communities in Southeast Asia such as Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Myanmar. Check out this small museum which houses one of the finest collections of Peranakan artefacts in the world.

Red Dot Design Museum will make you look at everyday objects in a different light. Taking the mystery out of innovations that make our life easier and exploring some of the more unusual gizmos and gadgets, it is easy to spend an hour or so here. Although it’s a fairly small gallery, the spectrum of design is large and varied – everything from advertising posters, packaging, computers to household appliances.

The Singapore Art Museum is where you can see close to 8,000 pieces of Singaporean and Southeast Asian modern and contemporary art. It's located in the centre of Singapore’s major shopping district on Bras Basah Road, and is easily accessible by MRT and bus. Spanning over 10,000 sq m, this museum offers 14 fully climate-controlled galleries. You can find a collection of cafés and restaurants inside the museum, along with a gift shop.

For those with questions about Singapore there is no better place to learn about the history and future of the city than the Singapore Discovery Centre. The centre has been described as an art gallery, science museum and outdoor play area all in one and is a great half day out for younger children, with plenty of easy to understand interactive displays and just about enough to keep adults entertained as well. Located on Upper Jurong Road, it's about a 10-minute walk from th Joo Koon MRT station.

Housed in a quaint old building which dates back to 1908, a browse around the Singapore Philatelic Museum makes for an interesting afternoon for both stamp collectors and non-collectors. There's a fine collection of local and international stamps, as well as first day covers.

The stamps provide a thought-provoking glimpse of the development of Singapore and its multicultural society across the decades, through the pictorial, artistic and administrative lens of the different historical periods. There's also a detailed visual display of how stamps are made, from the drawing board to the printing plates and progressive sheets, to the final product. Visitors may ask for guided tours at the reception area or arrange tours by calling ahead of time.