Marina Bay Sands is Singapore’s most recognizable landmark — a 2,500-room hotel balanced on three 55-story towers, topped by a ship-shaped SkyPark that stretches 340 meters and cantilevers 65 meters beyond one tower’s edge. It opened in 2010 and transformed Singapore’s skyline into one of the world’s most photographed urban landscapes.
The complex sits at the heart of the Marina Bay waterfront district, which itself was reclaimed from the sea. This artificial bay is ringed by some of Singapore’s greatest architectural achievements: the Esplanade Theatres on the Bay, the Helix Bridge (designed to resemble DNA), the iconic ArtScience Museum, and the Gardens by the Bay Supertrees visible just beyond.
SkyPark Observation Deck is the must-do for visitors. The 57th-floor deck gives you 360-degree views of central Singapore — the glass forest of the CBD to the west, Sentosa and its resort islands to the south, and on clear days you can see across the Strait of Johor to Malaysia. Tickets for non-hotel guests cost SGD 32 and can be purchased at the tower 3 lobby. Sunrise and sunset are the most dramatic times to visit, but the city-at-night view is equally special.
The Spectra Light and Water Show runs every night at 8pm and 9pm from the Event Plaza waterfront — and it is completely free. Jets of water synchronize with colored lights and lasers projected across the marina surface, creating a fifteen-minute display that packs hundreds of tourists shoulder-to-shoulder along the promenade. Arrive at least twenty minutes early for a front-row position.
ArtScience Museum is housed in a lotus flower-shaped building that appears to float on the marina. The ten lotus “petals” open upward to harvest rainwater that feeds a waterfall inside the building. The museum runs world-class travelling exhibitions blending technology, science, and contemporary art. Check current exhibitions before you visit — quality varies but the best shows rival anything in London or New York.
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands is one of Asia’s premier luxury shopping malls, with a canal running through the basement level where gondolas operate. Even if you are not buying, the architecture and window shopping is entertaining. The food court in the basement (The Shoppes Food Court) offers decent hawker-style meals at mall prices.