Singapore absolutely blew us away with how child friendly the city is, and not only that – so much is free!
We had heard horror stories about how expensive the city was and how much money we would spend, but we had such an epic cheap week there, so we wanted to share our top 5 free things to do with kids in Singapore!
We had no idea that so much of Gardens By The Bay was free to walk around and explore. Of course there are lots of paid sections as well, but you could spend a whole morning there and not spend a thing! They also have the most incredible (free) children’s playground and splash pad! We spent a morning there having so much fun together as a family, and it’s still one of my favourite memories from our trip so far. Josh and I didn’t have togs (swimwear) with us, so we got drenched head to toe but it was actually so refreshing in the heat. They also have changing rooms (if you’re more organised than we are), and a cafe.
This is the only UNESCO World Heritage site in Singapore and it is totally free! Within 5 minutes of being in the gardens we had seen monitor lizards, squirrels, some really unique birds, and loads of beautiful butterflies. The gardens are also home to one of the best (if not THE best) children’s playgrounds in the city – Jacob Ballas children’s garden. We love nature play so it was right up our alley, but there are lots of educational aspects for older kids as well. If you go to Singapore with a child, this is a must.
Jubilee Park / Fort Canning Park
Fort Canning Park is beautiful to walk around and you can get some stunning views, but if you have an active little one (like us), who isn’t a fan of walking around a park, then Jubilee Park is a super cool playground to check out, and it’s in a pretty central location. The slides weave through bushes (and come in a range of sizes), there are swings, climbing logs, sandpit areas, and it even has free drinking fountains to refill your water bottle.
Whenever we go to a new place, one thing we love to do is go for a walk and explore by foot. Chinatown is so rich in culture, and there are so many beautiful buildings to look at. There are interesting stalls, food markets that are really different to home, and new languages to overhear. Experiencing new cultures is a huge part of why we travel, and we love that we can share that with Gaia.
Go to a Hawker Centre or try some local food
This technically isn’t *free*, but as you have to eat at some point, you won’t be spending any extra money so I’m sneaking it into this list. Eating locally generally saves you money as well! If you want to check out some of the places we ate at while in Singapore, you can watch our vlog here, or read our blog post here.