Introduction to Marina Bay Sands
Marina Bay houses the most iconic hotel in Singapore – Marina Bay Sands. The world’s largest rooftop infinity pool offers a breathtaking view of the city. The connected Marina Bay Sands Shopping Mall not only features international luxury brands and local Singaporean brands but also has a sky park and a water – light show, making it a famous Instagram – worthy destination in Singapore.
Marina Bay is undoubtedly the top choice for must – visit attractions in Singapore. It embodies the advanced, luxurious, and futuristic image of Singapore that lingers in my mind. The landmark building of Singapore that appears in every tourism promotion – Marina Bay Sands (room rates) – is located here. The world – renowned infinity pool on the top floor of the hotel and the stunning night view have earned it the reputation of a five – star hotel that one must stay in at least once when in Singapore.
The entire Marina Bay area includes the “Helix Bridge” connected to Marina Bay Sands, the “Super Trees” in Gardens by the Bay with a dreamy beauty like that of Avatar, and the wonderful “Marina Bay Sands Shopping Mall”. It is a place filled with a sense of the future and a place to understand Singapore’s pursuit of excellence. In this guide to Marina Bay Sands, I have gathered attractions and food in the entire Marina Bay area, hoping that you will fall in love with the beautiful Marina Bay just as I did.
Transportation in Marina Bay
Marina Bay is a bay located in the southeast of Singapore, surrounded by three large green spaces – the Youth Olympic Park, the Marina Bay Golf Course, and Gardens by the Bay. It has a large area. The choice of transportation can be determined according to your itinerary. You can get off at the following two subway stations:
Bayfront Station: If you plan to directly enter Marina Bay Sands, visit Gardens by the Bay, or go to the Super Trees, it is recommended to get off at this station. It is very close to Marina Bay Sands on foot after exiting the station. Promenade Station: After getting off, you can reach the Youth Olympic Park and can walk along the Singapore Flyer, Helix Bridge to Marina Bay Sands.
Half – day Walking Route in Marina Bay
A Half – day Stroll in Marina Bay: Singapore Flyer → Helix Bridge → ArtScience Museum → Marina Bay Sands Shopping Mall → Marina Bay Sands Hotel → The Beauty of Marina Bay at Sunset and Night
I have experienced both ways starting from the two subway stations. This article introduces the route from ‘Promenade Station’ to Marina Bay Sands. The recommended walking and 停留 time is 3 hours. If you have limited time and want to focus on playing at Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay Super Trees, you can refer to another article:
For a direct visit to Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, you can refer to: [Gardens by the Bay] How to Play at Super Trees, Skyway, Flower Dome, and Cloud Forest.
Attractions around Promenade Station in Marina Bay
Singapore Flyer: A Romantic Spin in the Sky
After exiting the subway at ‘Promenade Station’, follow the crowd towards the direction of the Ferris wheel, and you can make your way to Marina Bay Sands. On the way to Marina Bay Sands, you will see one of the world’s largest Ferris wheels – the ‘Singapore Flyer’. It’s perfect for a romantic outing with your significant other or a love interest. From 165 meters above, you can admire the Merlion Park, the Singapore River, and the entire night view of Marina Bay, experiencing the bustling urban landscape of Singapore. It’s cheaper to buy discounted tickets online than on – site: Singapore Flyer.
Helix Bridge: A Stunning Architectural Wonder
After passing the Singapore Flyer, you will encounter the uniquely designed ‘Helix Bridge’. You can see Marina Bay Sands at the other end of the bridge from a distance! Although there is a cross – river bridge next to the Helix Bridge for vehicles and pedestrians, tourists, of course, prefer to walk on the beautiful Helix Bridge. The Helix Bridge looks very industrial in the morning, but at night, with colorful lights, it’s incredibly romantic. If you have watched the Taiwanese idol drama “In Time with You” starring Ariel Lin, you may remember the scene where Big Ren and Chen Ping’an made a bet, and Lin Kai witnessed this moment. This scene was filmed on the Helix Bridge.
Singapore Captain Explorer Duck Tour: A River Adventure
Under the Helix Bridge is the romantic Singapore River, and from time to time, you can see duck boats passing by. If you’re interested, you can also experience a duck boat tour along the Singapore River. Along the way, you will pass by landmarks such as the Esplanade, Marina Bay Sands, and Gardens by the Bay. There are bilingual (Chinese – English) tour guides to introduce the history and culture of Singapore. If you want to take a duck boat: Singapore Captain Explorer Duck Tour discounted tickets.
Youth Olympic Park: A Place of Beauty and Memory
Don’t miss the beautiful ‘Youth Olympic Park’ before going up the Helix Bridge. It’s a park named in memory of the 2010 Youth Olympic Games held in Singapore in August. It’s also one of the best angles to take pictures of Marina Bay Sands.
Toast Ice – cream in Singapore: A Refreshing Delight
Don’t miss the ice – cream sandwich vendors in the park. The ice – cream sandwich is a must – eat refreshing treat in Singapore. It’s simply ice – cream wrapped in toast, but in the hot Singapore, it tastes especially delicious. Besides the ice – cream sandwich with toast, there’s also the option of ice – cream with biscuits. I personally prefer the crispy texture of biscuits.
Attractions around Bayfront Station in Marina Bay
ArtScience Museum: A Futuristic Exploration
First, we come to the blue – colored area on the map, the lotus – like building – the ‘Marina Bay ArtScience Museum’. It’s a museum themed on the future world, with interesting interactive facilities such as 3D scanning dynamic projections and presentations of future possibilities based on data. If you want to be an arty type today but don’t want to waste time queuing up to buy tickets on – site: ArtScience Museum discounted tickets. If you come to Marina Bay Sands during the day like I did, it’s highly recommended for art – loving youths or those with children to visit this museum filled with art, science, and design. After a visit, you’ll still feel like there’s more to explore. Most importantly, the “Beyond Future: The Convergence of Art and Science” exhibition has technology provided by the super – popular Japanese projection art gallery teamLab in Tokyo, taking everyone into the light – and – shadow world of art interaction. For more information: [Tokyo Odaiba New Attraction] teamLab: Japan’s Super – beautiful Projection Art Gallery, a Global Hot Instagram – worthy Spot. Even if you don’t visit the exhibition, you can take pictures by the pool in front of the ArtScience Museum. The pool is filled with lotuses. In fact, the museum is also known as the “Big Lotus”. Looking closely, the petals are like fingers, symbolizing “The Welcoming Hand of Singapore”. These “fingers” hold the raindrops falling from the sky and recycle them for use in the building’s toilets. It’s a very environmentally – friendly architectural design.
Marina Bay Sands Shopping Mall: A Shopper’s Paradise
Next, we introduce the passage connecting the green, purple, and pink areas on the map, which is the blue – green ‘The Shoppes’, also known as the ‘Marina Bay Sands Shopping Mall’. Along the passage are various international brands and local Singaporean boutiques. This is not an ordinary department store. The design of the entire mall is like the future world in movies. Like most buildings in Singapore, it uses transparent glass for lighting to welcome the bright sunlight of Singapore. During the day, you can feel the comfortable natural light in the mall. Around the mall are green tree – lined walkways, and there are also rows of green plants inside the mall. Suddenly, you can deeply feel the realization of the ideal of a “garden city”. Once Singapore had a poor living environment, but now it is recognized as a garden city worldwide. A country really needs a leader with a long – term vision and the perseverance to carry it out. Lee Kuan Yew has really done an excellent job in this regard.
Souvenirs at Marina Bay Sands Shopping Mall
There are many famous stores from all over the world in the Marina Bay Sands Shopping Mall. For example, the chocolates at the AWFULLY CHOCOLATE MARINA BAY LINK MALL branch are delicious. You can also enjoy French bakery Paul.
Dining at Marina Bay Sands Shopping Mall
Of course, Din Tai Fung from Taiwan is also present. If you want a drink, there are also beverage shops like LiHO in the mall.
The Venetian – style Canals in the Mall: A Unique Experience
On the basement floor of the Marina Bay Sands Shopping Mall, there is a place imitating the Venetian canals. Tourists can take traditional Singaporean sampan boats similar to gondolas here, and there are also restaurants on both sides for dining. In the center of the canal, there is a “Rain Window”. The huge bowl – shaped structure above it is used to collect natural rainwater, and the Rain Window will release these natural waters every hour, just like the waterfall in Jewel Changi Airport’s Rain Vortex.
Digital Light Canvas: An Artistic Illusion
Also on the basement floor of the Marina Bay Sands Shopping Mall, in a different area from the canal, there is the ‘Digital Light Canvas’. Besides the ArtScience Museum introduced earlier, it’s another place in Singapore where you can experience the light – and – shadow art of the Japanese art team teamLab. The theme of ‘Digital Light Canvas’ allows children and parents to feel as if they are in the ocean with fish swimming under their feet, and there are crystal lights above. You can interact with the ocean art through drawing with your feet. For more information: [Tokyo Odaiba New Attraction] teamLab: Japan’s Super – beautiful Projection Art Gallery, a Global Hot Instagram – worthy Spot.
Marina Bay Sands Casino: A World of Luxury and Chance
However, when coming to Marina Bay Sands Casino, I’m certainly interested in the casino. In fact, the entire Marina Bay Sands hotel area, including the shopping mall, casino, and sky park, is invested by the Las Vegas Sands Group (a Las Vegas casino group). Of course, there’s an important casino inside. Foreigners can enter the casino for free with their passports. After some inspections and identity verification, they can enter. However, photography is prohibited in the casino, so I can’t present the luxurious atmosphere inside to you. The casino provides free coffee, cola, and other beverages. You can enjoy a drink comfortably while gambling. The environment is really excellent. For more information: [Las Vegas Free – trip] How to Have a Great Time in Las Vegas.
Spectacular Light and Water Show at Marina Bay Sands
My favorite attraction is the nightly light and water show at the entrance of Marina Bay Sands. This most famous water show in Southeast Asia is incredibly generous as it’s free and lasts for 15 minutes. Professional lighting designers, artists, and DJs are invited for the performance. It’s one of the most wonderful free shows I’ve seen besides the water show at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. The water show is located in the gray – colored area facing Marina Bay in the shopping mall on the map. There are opportunities to see it along the entire Marina Bay coast. The best viewing spot is the outdoor activity square at ‘Promenade’, with the best sound and light effects. On the other side, at the Merlion Park, you can take pictures with Marina Bay Sands as the background. I watched it at Promenade. It’s recommended to reserve a spot 20 minutes before the water show starts. Otherwise, if you’re at the back, your view will be blocked by the people in front.
Infinity Pool at SkyPark: A Luxurious Oasis
After visiting the mall, you can walk towards the brown – colored area at the back, which are the three iconic towers ‘TOWER1, 2, 3’ of Marina Bay Sands. The most famous here is the ‘Marina Bay Sands SkyPark’ on the top floor (57th floor) of the hotel. It’s as large as three football fields! It includes bars, restaurants, swimming pools, and other facilities, offering a panoramic view of Marina Bay, the sunset, and the night view. If you come before 20:00 in the evening, there’s also a light show to watch. The infinity pool in the SkyPark is a luxurious spot for swimming and taking Instagram – worthy pictures. Only hotel guests of Marina Bay Sands can enter: Check the latest room rates of Marina Bay Sands. The exclusive pool for guests in the SkyPark is the world’s largest rooftop infinity pool with an unbeatable view. However, the room rate is about $300 per night, which is really high. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money to stay, you can also buy tickets to the SkyPark of Marina Bay Sands. For less than 5% of the room rate, you can enter the ‘rooftop observation deck’ of the SkyPark. Although the view is not as dreamy as that of the pool, you can still enjoy the beautiful urban scenery of Singapore. Buy tickets in advance to avoid queuing on – site: Purchase tickets to the SkyPark of Marina Bay Sands.
Gardens by the Bay: A Green Wonderland
Besides the Marina Bay Sands area on the map above, Singapore also has a very famous attraction – Gardens by the Bay, located further behind the three towers. The super – popular Hollywood movie “Crazy Rich Asians” had the wedding carnival party scene filmed in Gardens by the Bay. Inside the gardens, there are garden greenhouses such as the ‘Cloud Forest’ and ‘Flower Dome’, and the super – photogenic ‘Super Trees’ and other attractions that can be visited together. You can refer to my travelogue: [Marina Bay Attraction] How to Play at Gardens by the Bay Super Trees, Skyway, Flower Dome, and Cloud Forest. Extended reading: [Crazy Rich Asians Movie Attraction] Singapore + Malaysia Star – Malaysia Tourism Attraction Twin – City Experience. Discounted tickets: Gardens by the Bay (Super Tree Observation Deck + Indoor Greenhouses: Flower Dome, Cloud Forest).
A Stroll along Marina Bay at Sunset and Night: A Captivating Experience
Besides having fun in the air – conditioned environment of the Marina Bay Sands Shopping Mall, Marina Bay is actually very suitable for a stroll along the coast. However, it’s recommended to come out after 18:00 in the evening. This is about the time for photographing the sunset, and it’s also less likely to get heatstroke, allowing you to better experience the feeling of Singapore as a garden city. First, I started walking from near the Marina Bay subway station. Here, you can photograph the prosperous appearance of the entire Singapore with its numerous high – rise buildings. It’s a bit different from the financial buildings in Shanghai’s Bund and Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour. Many photographers have already positioned themselves here waiting for the sunset. It happened to be around the Dragon Boat Festival. The Singapore dragon boat race DBS Marina Refatta was held on the Singapore River. We saw many winning teams celebrating. However, the participating teams were from various countries around the world. It felt quite different from the Dragon Boat Festival in Taiwan with a strong Chinese – ethnic atmosphere. It had a very multicultural flavor of Singapore. Walking all the way towards the direction of ‘Raffles Palace’, there were Dragon Boat Festival – related activities throughout the Marina Bay area this weekend. There was also a small pool where children could experience rowing dragon boats. I also found that some people were playing inflatable bumper balls in the park. It’s quite interesting to play football in this colliding way, and you can also see many funny scenes of people being knocked down and unable to get up. When walking to the area of Fullerton Hotel, you can take a panorama of Marina Bay Sands, the shopping mall, the ArtScience Museum, and the Helix Bridge across Marina Bay. It’s a good shooting location. If you’re interested in walking all the way to One Fullerton to take pictures of the beautiful Merlion Park, you can also refer to my travelogue about the Singapore River: [All rights reserved. Reproduction prohibited.] Article source:
