Top 5 Things to do in Singapore When it Rains

On my way home from a recent trip to India I stopped off for one day in Singapore, and, unfortunately, it happened to rain for half the day. Since Singapore is a mere 85 miles from the equator, a warm rainy day is not a rare occurrence. Did rain ruin my one day? Absolutely not. Will it ruin yours? Not if you heed my top 5 things to do in Singapore when it rains.

1. Shop. Singapore is made for shopping. I count on my map around 30 malls on Orchard Road, with just about every kind of store, flip flops to couture. Even the window shopping and people watching are good if you aren’t going to take advantage of the tax-free shopping. And, the malls are so close that you can stay dry under their overhangs as you walk between (or pop across the street via the train station tunnels).
2. Eat. Singapore has more great food than you can shake a stick at, much of it in the malls mentioned above. I know, I know, mall food does not sound good, but it in Singapore some of the best restaurants are in the malls. My two favorite mall restaurants? My Humble House in the Esplanade and Din Tian Fung in The Paragon. Take an eating tour of a mall. Take a food tour of Singapore. Alternatively, take in the English tradition of high tea at one of the posher hotels, I prefer The Fullerton’s to Raffles’s, but darling that’s a matter of taste.
3. Get out of town. This is sort of cheating since its not in Singapore, but if you know rain is forecasted, book a trip to Malacca or Johore Bahru.
4. Visit the Asian Civilizations Museum.
   

   Esplanade Theaters

   A lovely museum with exhibits ranging across many Asian cultures. I was particularly into the Chinese snuff bottle exhibition – very cool.

5. See a performance at the Esplanade theaters. The Esplanade is an amazing theater and arts complex (and yes, it’s near a mall) featuring multiple world class performances in music, theater and dance at any given time. When I was in town, to my great chagrin, we missed scoring tickets to see Sir Ian McKellan in King Lear.

Don’t let a little rain spoil all your fun. And if you’re looking for more things to do check out Viator’s 45+ things to do in Singapore (in any weather). At a loss at where to start or just need a little inspiration? Check out Viator’s Singapore itinerary.

– Kelly G

Browse photos of Singapore over on the Viator Flickr site.