Marina Bay, Singapore Building

Address: Marina Bay precinct, Downtown Core, Singapore

Website: https://www.marina-bay.sg/

Hours: Public area - open 24 hours

Admission: Free (public precinct)

Marina Bay is the central waterfront district of downtown Singapore, built largely on reclaimed land and developed as a mixed-use civic, commercial and entertainment precinct. It contains many of the city’s landmark buildings and cultural venues.

Key attractions around the bay include large-scale developments, public promenades, gardens and performance venues that together create the iconic Singapore skyline. The area is heavily visited for skyline photography, waterfront dining and scheduled light and sound shows.

The modern district was created through successive land reclamation and urban development projects from the late 20th century onward to expand central Singapore’s available land for civic, commercial and recreational use. Development concentrated major cultural and tourist facilities along the bay edge.

Marina Bay sits immediately adjacent to the Downtown Core of central Singapore at the mouth of the Singapore River, within the island’s central business district and a short distance from major transport nodes.

• Best time to visit: Evening light shows at the bay - including the integrated resort and the Gardens - are the best time to see the waterfront skyline and public projections.

What to See#

• Marina Bay Sands: Large integrated resort with three hotel towers linked by a rooftop SkyPark and popular public viewing areas that frame the Marina Bay skyline.
• Gardens by the Bay: Extensive urban park with cooled conservatories and a vertical Supertree Grove that has illuminated light shows after dark.
• Merlion Park: Iconic waterfront statue and small waterfront plaza popular for photos and close views of the bay skyline.
• Esplanade and waterfront promenade: Promenade and performance venue between the bay and the Esplanade area that hosts festivals and offers unobstructed skyline views.

Marina Bay is centrally located and well served by public transport. The area is accessible via Bayfront MRT (CE1/DT16) for Marina Bay Sands, Bayfront and ArtScience Museum; Marina Bay MRT (NS27/TE20) for the eastern promenade; and Raffles Place MRT (NS26/EW14) for the northern promenade. Buses and taxis also serve multiple piers and shore access points.

• Come after sunset for the light shows: the Marina Bay Sands light-and-water shows and the city skyline glow are at their best then.
• Walk the north promenade for less traffic and better sightlines to the Helix Bridge and Esplanade.
• If photographing, include the reflections on the bay in the brief window after a rain shower - the puddles become low-angle mirrors.