The best museums to visit in Singapore

Established in 2002, the gallery promotes artistic experimentation in the media of print and paper and showcases contemporary artworks in collaboration with various international curators, collectors and gallerists. The gallery hosts free monthly walk-in classes for visitors to get crafty, such as charcoal print-making sessions.

Don’t miss Directions to My House (until August 1, 2026), which presents works by Zarina, a late printmaker known for her minimalist geometric designs, inspired by her life living across countries. Curated by her former studio manager Sarah Burney, this exhibition marks the artist’s largest showcase in Southeast Asia.

An offshoot of the famous Red Dot Museum in Germany, the largest exhibition of contemporary design in the world, this local version is located along the Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade. It showcases the latest in product and communication design by winners of the prestigious Red Dot Product Design Awards.  

This Asian art museum has over 8,000 artefacts and artworks divided across four collections. The Lee Kong Chian Collection consists of a wide representation of Chinese materials from ancient to contemporary art; the South and Southeast Asian Collection holds a range of works from Indian classical sculptures to modern pieces; and the Ng Eng Teng Collection is a donation from the late Singapore sculptor and Cultural Medallion recipient of over 1,000 artworks.

Currently, the artist’s works are also on display in a new exhibition, The Evocative Head, in which he uses the human head as the main subject to express complex emotions. It runs till May 29, 2027. A fourth collection, the Straits Chinese Collection, is located at NUS Baba House.

The main story of Japan’s victory is punchily told, alongside displays on resistance hero Lim Bo Seng and Force 136, and on the experience during the Japanese occupation. The ‘Surrender Chambers’ contains exact waxwork replicas of the main players and is surprisingly effective at reconstructing the British surrender to the Japanese, and vice versa. But the main attraction is the fort's sprawling structure.

Wandering around the gun emplacements and underground complexes at your own pace gives a material sense of a place lived in and fought for that is just as striking (if not more so) than any number of theatricals. You can also learn how the restored gun battery Fort Siloso played a vital role in Singapore’s defence in World War ll. Climb through tunnels and examine original guns, cannons, film clips and photographs from days past.  

How did Singapore, the impregnable fortress and all that jazz, fall to the Japanese in 1942, even though we had twice the number of soldiers? Find out at the Battlebox Enhanced Experience for an extra $20. The 40-minute audio guide tour takes you into the namesake underground command centre, where the decision to surrender was made and retells the story of how Malaya and Singapore succumbed to the Empire of Japan in just 70 days. 

The experience also includes access to two 270° projection rooms, leading you into the final moments before Singapore’s surrender. Grab a pair of anaglyph glasses in The Moments Before room to witness the contrasting perspectives of the Allied and Japanese on the battle.

Even though the museum is housed in a purpose-built venue, and the chapel is a reconstruction (the original was shipped to Australia after the war), this is the most iconic of the WWII sites in Singapore. The main interest lies in the stories of industry and ingenuity within POW camps here. 

The chapel, located in the museum courtyard, encourages quiet reflection. It also houses copies of the kitschy but affecting Changi murals, recreated by the original artist, Stanley Warren, after a widely publicised international effort to find him.  

Housed in the country’s oldest fire station – a striking red-striped, red-bricked colonial building – this gallery showcases Singapore’s civil-defence developments from the nineteenth century to the present. In addition to antique fire engines and interactive stations where you can experience what firefighters go through during an operation, visitors can ascend the hose tower, which was Singapore’s highest viewpoint in the 1920s. 

Scan through various displays of rare artefacts detailing the history of Buddhism and the different traditions practised in Asian countries at the Buddhist Cultural Museum. On the same floor, located at the rear of the hall, you’ll find the Sacred Buddha Relics Chamber. This houses what are regarded as the Brains, Blood, Muscle and Flesh Relics of Buddha. Another must-see is the 15-foot Maitreya Buddha that sits on the ground floor of the main hall. 

Located at the historic Istana Kampong Gelam, this museum traces the history of the Malay community from the earliest settlers and the seafaring might of the Bugis villagers to the golden years of the Malay entertainment industry. Featuring six sub-galleries, the exhibits include the history of Kampong Gelam and the contributions of various Malay pioneers.

‘Peranakan’ describes both a rich culture and a unique ethnic group that arose from the meeting of Chinese and Malay peoples. This ten-gallery exhibition venue houses documents and artefacts of Peranakan culture, brought to life by interactive and multimedia displays spread over three floors.

The Eurasian Heritage Gallery gives an insight into the lives of the Eurasian community in Singapore. Located in the Eurasian Community House in the heart of Katong, the gallery showcases the community's most prominent personalities, the history of Eurasians in Singapore, and its culture – including weddings, traditional attire, and cuisine, among others. 

Co-curated by NHB and the Kreta Ayer Community Club (CC), the 100 sqm Kreta Ayer Heritage Gallery serves as a platform to showcase the rich history of Kreta Ayer and Chinatown. The gallery displays objects, photographs and personal effects contributed by intangible cultural heritage practitioners and former residents. Admission to the gallery is free. 

Growing up in mainland China, Mr Bian Hui Bin was exposed to Chinese opera from a young age. He has harboured a deep love for the art form ever since, so when he came to Singapore, he wanted to introduce the different types of Chinese opera to locals and foreigners alike. Tucked away on the second floor of Textile Centre, the museum showcases the styles, costumes, and props used in various forms of Chinese opera in Singapore. 

Singapore's first museum dedicated to kids aged 12 and below takes over the former Singapore Philatelic Museum building, transforming two floors of galleries into interactive and educational play areas. Four permanent galleries on the first floor of Children's Museum Singapore (CMSG) take kids on a journey through time, exploring Singapore's past, present and future through National Collection artefacts, creative storytelling, and engaging sets and games. On the second floor, CMSG has a special exhibition Into the Hawkerverse, where kids can hear stories from ‘hawker heroes’, run a food stall while learning about nutritional ingredients, and explore the future of hawker culture through new gadgets and technology.

Aside from the usual army of international superstars like Zendaya and Michelle Yeoh, visitors can take selfies with some of our local celebrities, including Zoe Tay, at the A-List Party section. Another feature to look out for is the indoor boat ride, Spirit of Singapore, which is unique to the Singapore outpost. It features some of our native plants, models of sightseeing attractions, and glimpses into local culture, such as a re-enactment of a traditional Chinese opera.

Be enchanted by tinkling musical boxes in a museum dedicated to these delightful trinkets. Through the museum's doors lies centuries worth of history. Here, you can learn about the popularity of musical boxes throughout the years, how they first came to Singapore, and how Singapore played a pivotal role in bringing musical boxes to Southeast Asia in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Most of the musical boxes here are centuries-old antiques, each telling a unique story of the craftsmanship of yesteryear. The museum aims to preserve these artefacts, and its collections mainly hail from Switzerland, Germany and the US.

This revamped museum, which traces the development of the Republic of Singapore Air Force from its early days as the Royal Air Force in 1927 to the present day, has nine indoor galleries which feature air force artefacts and dioramas with audio-visual effects. Besides a uniform showcase honouring RSAF personnel, the museum has a new immersive theatre with curved screens and vibrating seats to give you the cockpit experience when watching the five-minute film Homeward. The outdoor gallery showcases fighter planes such as the A4-C Skyhawk, the SF 260 Marchetti and the Hunter Hawker. 

Head to the second floor of The Cathay and you’ll find more movie magic at The Cathay Gallery. This hidden gem is a time capsule of movie memorabilia wallpapered with vintage film posters of the most iconic flicks in Singapore’s cinematic history from the 50s and 60s. A walk through The Cathay Gallery will take you on a journey through the storied history of the Loke family, pioneers of Singapore's film industry and founders of the Cathay Organisation.