by Hi my lovely readers!
Singapore is one of my favourite cities in the world. The mix of Western and Asian cultures, old and super modern has intrigued me and won my heart over. It was the first destination I ever visited that I want to return to one day as I feel like I haven’t seen it all.
For instance, I didn’t have enough time to visit Sentosa Island or Clark Quay to enjoy the night life, I haven’t had the time to visit Little India and the list goes on. I definitely have to go back to visit those sights and I want to eat more of the local food and drink another Singapore Sling in the Raffles Hotel for sure. It is soooo tasty, I am literally still dreaming about it and the sesame peanut butter balls I found in one of the Hawker Centres.
I spend 4 days in Singapore back in 2017 before heading to Kuala Lumpur and one of my favourite parts was the ride on the Singapore Flyer. Forget the London Eye. The views from the Singapore Flyer are just amazing, it’s the best location to get a view of the most known landmarks of Singapore including Marina Bay, Gardens by the Bay and many more.
With no further ado, here is your guide to where to get the best views of Singapore and all you need to know about the Singapore Flyer.
ABOUT THE SINGAPORE FLYER
The Singapore Flyer is Asia’s largest observation wheel, offering visitors a view of the city from a whole new perspective, from 165 m above that is. It opened its doors to the public back in 2008 and visitors can see as far as 45 km. Just to give you a perspective, Singapore measures about 50 km from east to west and 27 km from north to south.
The capsules themselves are 4×7 m, roughly the size of a city bus. There are 28 capsules on the Singapore Flyer and each of them can accommodate 28 visitors.
Each rotation takes about 30 min. The speed it rotates at is 0.24m per second. The ride is very smooth and each capsule is fitted with a cooling systems and shielded UV protection, which makes a visit a welcoming break from the heat and sun. I can definitely second that.
The ride is for everyone, unless you’re afraid of heights? Getting on and off the capsule is super easy. There is a big platform for people to get on and off and as the wheel moves very slowly, you will have enough time to make it. No need to panic. The platform makes getting on and off the capsule also easy and accessible for wheelchair users, which is great.
The attraction is well designed. There is a small sort of garden underneath the wheel, which makes waiting and getting to the wheel very pleasant. You can find the ticket sales and shop easily and within walking distance you’ve got Marina Bay. Therefore, you can easily incorporate a visit to the Singapore Flyer into your itinerary.
HOW TO GET TO THE SINGAPORE FLYER
The Singapore Flyer is located in Marina Bay, you basically can’t miss it. The wheel can be spotted from afare. You can get there by MRT, bus and cab.
The closest MRT station is Promenade Station. You will need to take exit A when leaving the station and take a short walk to the Singapore Flyer, about 8 min.
The closest bus stop can be found opposite the Ritz-Carlton, which is bus stop 02171. Several busses service this bus stop. Here is the list of them:
- 36, 36A, 36B
- 70A, 70M
- 97, 97e
- 106
- 111
- 133
- 162M
- 502, 502A
- 518, 518A
- 700A
- 857
And of you don’t want to take public transport, you can always just call a cab or use a cab app similar to Uber. Back in 2017 I used Uber, but from what I can see they have pulled out of Singapore. Still, there are plenty other companies that offer similar services to Uber such as Grab.
TICKETS AND OPENING TIMES
There are several ticket options that you can choose from depending on what experience you’re looking for. There are tickets for day time, well afternoon slots and night time experiences, some that include a romantic dinner or champagne option. These are:
- Singapore Flyer and Time Capsule Tickets
- Singapore Flyer Ticket
- Time Capsule
- Singapore Flyer Sky Dining
- Singapore Sling Experience
- Premium Champagne Experience
- Private Capsules
I went for the standard Singapore Flyer experience, which currently costs SGD 33 for adults, that is about £18. The experience includes one rotation lasting 30 min and the use of the in-capsule interactive screen and audio guide that tells you a bit about the past, present and future of Singapore during the rotation.
I went on a day when it wasn’t very busy and my partner and I were lucky enough to get one capsule to ourselves. However, this isn’t guaranteed and you might have to share a capsule with other visitors.
The Singapore Flyer is open Thursday to Sunday and on Public Holidays. It doesn’t operate from Monday to Wednesday. The earliest admission is from 2pm and the last flight is 9:30pm.
LANDMARKS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE TOP
The view from the Singapore Flyer is just amazing. You get to see the city from a new perspective and the views of Marina Bay and the Gardens by the Bay are just the best. When you look up to the wheel from the ground it doesn’t really look that tall, but once you start to go up bit by bit and reach the highest point, you realize how tall it actually is.
From the top you can see of course the famous Marina Bay including all the popular attractions and sights located within this area including the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Gardens by the Bay, the Merlion, the ArtScience Museum shaped as a lotus flower as well as the Esplanade, the building that looks like a durian fruit and the Marina Barrage.
If you are lucky, you can even spot Changi Airport, Sentosa Island and parts of Malaysia and Indonesia in the distance on a day with good visibility and the Singapore cruise terminal, which is close by for anyone taking a cruise.
Furthermore, you are able to spot the East Coast of Singapore, the Marina Bay Financial Centre (MBFC) and the National Stadium.
As you can see, there is seriously a lot to see. Besides all these well known attractions, you can spot interesting looking building between skyscrapers and apartment blocks where people live in.
I truly enjoyed my ride on the Singapore Flyer.
