Jurong West is Singapore’s largest residential town — a planned satellite city on the western tip of the island that is home to over 300,000 residents and represents the standard of Singapore’s public housing model at its most comprehensive. For most international tourists it lies off the beaten track, but several attractions here are worth the 30-minute MRT ride from the city centre.
Science Centre Singapore has been one of the country’s best family attractions since 1977. Located on Science Centre Road off Yuan Ching Road, the sprawling complex houses over 1,000 interactive exhibits across themed galleries: the Kinetic Garden explores physical forces through oversized kinetic sculptures, the Ecogarden covers Singapore’s natural environment, and the Innovation gallery features robotics and future technology. The lightning demonstration in the Physical Sciences hall is a crowd-pleaser. Tickets cost SGD 15 per adult and SGD 10 per child.
Snow City, attached to the Science Centre, is a uniquely Singaporean phenomenon — a permanent indoor snow slope in the tropics, maintained at -5°C year-round. For many Singapore children, it is their first exposure to actual snow. The slope is 60 metres long and suitable for children and adults. Insulated suits and boots are provided with ticket purchase. At SGD 30 for a 45-minute session, it is not cheap by hawker stall standards but is a genuine experience that confounds the geography.
Jurong Lake Gardens, Singapore’s third national garden, opened progressively from 2019 around the shores of Jurong Lake. The 90-hectare lakeside garden replaced the old Chinese and Japanese Gardens, though both historic gardens were preserved within the development. The Grasslands Garden is planted with over 70 species of grasses and sedges, creating a naturalistic meadow atmosphere unusual for Singapore. The Forest Ramble children’s adventure garden and the Floating Wetlands are popular weekend destinations for Jurong families.
The older Japanese Garden (adjacent to the Chinese Garden MRT station) remains one of Singapore’s most serene spaces — formal Japanese landscaping with stone lanterns, moon bridges, koi ponds, and bonsai arranged around a central lake. Completed in 1973 as a gift of friendship between Singapore and Japan, it was designed by Professor Yoshiaki Yamashita of Waseda University in the classical South Garden style. Entry is free.