Singapore Museums and Galleries

Chinatown Heritage Centre

Singapore offers many excellent museums. Visit the Chinatown Heritage Centre if you want to learn more about the rich history of old Chinatown and life of its migrants in Singapore.

Images of Singapore

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 @ Imbiah (+65 62 793 278). The menu includes real local dishes like nyonya lobster laksa, tandoori chicken and assorted jumbo satay.

Malay Heritage Centre

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.

Peranakan Museum

The Peranakan Museum was officially opened in 2008 by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The Peranakan culture is a unique culture that is still 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, jewelry, 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 their boutique museum which houses the finest collection of Peranakan artefacts in the world.

Singapore Art Museum

Located in the centre of Singapore’s major shopping district on Bras Basah Road, it is an ideal place to see close to 8,000 pieces of Singaporean and Southeast Asian modern and contemporary art. With over 10,000sqm, this museum, run with international standard museum facilities, offers 14 fully climate-controlled galleries.

No matter what time one visits Singapore, the museum always has interesting exhibitions and programs thoughout the year. Other facilities include the Museum Shop by Banyan Tree (Open daily from 10:00 -19:00), Olio Dome Café (Open daily from 8:30 – 10.00), Trattoria Lafiandra (Open daily from 12:00 to 15:00 and 18:00 – 22:30).

Singapore Mint Coin Gallery

This gallery is housed in the Singapore Mint which makes the country's coins. On exhibit are an array of domestic and foreign coins and medals.

Singapore Navy Museum

The Singapore Navy Museum traces the development of naval forces in Singapore, from the Straits Settlements Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in the 19th century to the Republic of Singapore Navy of today. Also on display are antique marine equipment, historic photos and details of the high-tech missile corvette vessels of the current Navy. Don't forget to bring along your passport.

Singapore Philatelic Museum

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 alike.

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 for tours by telephone.