In Singapore, the Marina Bay area is a must visit, with its skyscrapers, futuristic bridges, libraries and cafes, restaurants and 5-star hotels. Read the post to organize your trip.
You have recently arrived at Singapore, maybe you have a few days and you don't want to miss the best attractions of this great and eclectic city? Surely, one of the most identifying areas of Singapore is that of Marina Bay, to be admired and experienced in all its entirety.
Despite the presence of some picturesque ethnic neighborhoods such as Chinatown, Little India e Kampong Glam, Singapore is known for being a modern, vibrant and extremely vibrant metropolis. If you don't like skyscrapers and futuristic lines, then in Singapore you'll have to make an exception.
The Marina Bay neighborhood is located in a very impressive point and strategic city-state of Singapore, or at the mouth of the Singapore river that cuts the city in two. Here, once, the most important commercial exchanges of Singapore took place, through the hundreds of boats from China and the Far East that docked at the estuary every day. Nowadays, however, a dam has transformed the Marina Bay area into a large freshwater basin around which luxurious residential complexes and buildings mainly dedicated to tourism and business are concentrated. In general, in the Marina Bay area, about 360 hectares large, you can find hotels, casino, oodles of cafes and restaurants, theaters, museums, gardens, shows and much more; in addition, the streets of this area also make up the Singapore Formula 1 circuit, called Singapore Street Circuit or Marina Bay Street Circuit.
But let's see in more detail what are the things to do and see in the Marina Bay area of ​​Singapore.
Marina Bay Sands
The Marina Bay Sands is probably Singapore's best-known icon: three skyscrapers placed side by side, topped by the Skypark, a huge platform that serves as an observation point and which houses the highest infinity pool in the world. Marina Bay Sands is a large complex built in 2010 which includes, among other things, a luxury hotel (with over 2500 rooms), the casino, a convention center, a large shopping mall, two theaters, an ice rink, various top chef restaurants (such as Gordon Ramsay's) and much more. It is really exciting to find yourself in front of this huge building, during the day but especially at night. Admire it from the outside, then go for a ride to the mall, called The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, and in the hotel lobby. In the square in front of the building, WonderFull is held every evening around 21.00 pm, a show of colors, lights, sounds and water games directly on the bay.
ArtScience Museum
The Marina Bay Sands complex also includes theArtScience Museum, which boasts a spectacular and unique structure in the world. Opened in 2011, the museum has a permanent collection and hosts itinerant collections in the field of art and science, and is built in the shape of a lotus flower, which lights up in many different colors during the night hours.
Singapore Flyer
Opened in 2008 and 165 meters high, the Singapore Flyer is the second Ferris wheel highest in the world. The ticket to get on one of the 28 capsules on the wheel isn't exactly cheap, but the Singapore Flyer promises (and delivers) a crazy view of Marina Bay and the rest of the city, especially at night when the lights color the metropolis. On clear days, however, you will be lucky enough to admire a 360 ° panorama that reaches as far as Malaysia and Indonesia.
Esplanade
His full name is Esplanade - Theaters on the Bay, but everyone knows it simply as The Esplanade. It is a large structure of 6 hectares, which includes a library but, above all, a theater and a concert hall. This very important cultural center of Singapore is beautiful to see inside, but it will strike you above all on the outside: its structure vaguely recalls the shape of durian, the typical fruit of Southeast Asia and, with its pointed walls and its particular shape, it will be one of the most unusual buildings you have ever seen.
Helix bridge
Speaking of particular structures, if you like design architecture, take a walk along theHelix bridge is a must. This bridge was built in 2010 and connects the Marina Bay Sands area to that of the Singapore Flyer; its peculiarity lies in the double helix-shaped structure, like that of the Human DNA: walking surrounded by this metal structure, especially in the evening when it is illuminated, you will feel like taking a leap into the future!
Merlion
As soon as you arrive in Marina Bay, you will immediately notice the great statue (over 8 meters high) of a strange mythological figure, with a lion's head and a mermaid's body. This is the Merlion (the name derives from mermaid, siren, and lion, lion), the most representative and symbolic figure of the city of Singapore. This city has, in fact, the lion as a totem animal (it is also called The Lion City), while the mermaid wants to remember the beginnings of this great and modern city, born as a humble and productive port of fishermen and sailors.
Gardens by the Bay
Just behind the luxury and modernity of Marina Bay Sands stand 100 hectares of greenery and wonder: they are the Gardens by the Bay, a set of gardens and green areas that will leave you amazed. Here, in fact, you will find not only plants and vegetation of many types, but also the famous futuristic trees of the Supertree Grove, a sort of vertical garden in the shape of a tree. During the day you will be admired; at night, when these great "trees”They will light up with lights, music and colors, they will leave you speechless.
A walk through history, future and greenery
If you do not have time to visit and experience all the aforementioned attractions, a walk through the boulevards of Marina Bay is enough to feel part of its atmosphere. The neighborhood is one of the liveliest in Singapore, constantly moving and, above all, constantly evolving. You will find many tourists but also many locals sitting at the tables of restaurants or bars, or walking or doing outdoor sports. You will admire the beautiful structure of the Fullerton Hotel, a luxurious 5-star hotel and one of the oldest buildings in Singapore, which will contrast the breathtaking Marina Bay skyline, to be admired and photographing during the day and in the evening.
You will be amazed at the sight of The Float at Marina Bay, the largest floating platform in the world on which artistic, cultural and sporting events are organized. After all this modernity and to rest from the glitter of the glass and steel skyscrapers that shine in the sun, you can take a stroll in the quiet Youth Olympic Park, a park where greenery and art meet; or, you can get away from the mainland and admire the beauty of this area from the sea, thanks to one of the many mini-cruises that are organized on the mouth of the Singapore River every day.
In short, Marina Bay is truly something for everyone. A place extremely modern and forward-looking, but not too chaotic and perfect for couples, solo travelers and families too. Between historical and futuristic attractions, breathtaking observation points, shows and cultural attractions, green lungs and calm waters, restaurants and shops of all kinds… surely in Marina Bay you will spend a few hours of pure enjoyment.
