Stroll along the river while learning about this island nation’s fascinating history, from its origin over a thousand years ago, to its transformation in the 20th century and, finally, to its current role in 21st century Asia.

What you see today is the second church building constructed on the site of the original Church of St Andrew, a location selected by Stamford Raffles himself in 1823. The land this church was built on was donated by Singapore’s first Arab settler, Syed Omar Ali Aljunied, upon request by Raffles. The original church building was completed in 1837 but, much to the chagrin of Governor Surveyor John Thomson, it didn’t have a spire. He ordered one to be added to the building later, but forgot to install one very important piece of technology.

Feel free to wander around during this next track and keep an eye out for the National Gallery on your right as that’s our next stop.

So here we have the second half of Singapore’s National Gallery, the Former Supreme Court Building. This was the last grand Neo-classical building constructed before the Second World War. Have a look at its distinctive copper dome, the Tympanum sculptures featuring the personification of Justice with bas-relief porch panels depicting scenes of early Singapore. Can you spot any of the stories we mentioned?

The Arts House - Another cultural hub of Singapore! Much like the National Gallery, it wasn’t originally intended as an artistic institute. You see, built in 1827 as a residence, this is probably the oldest surviving building in Singapore. Having gone through various alterations and additions, it is likely that the arches inside the porch are the only original structure that has remained.

Welcome to Singapore’s Town Hall! Before it was a city, Singapore was a town. The building you see before us completed construction in 1862 as a Town Hall, and served as a venue for public meetings, dances and other social functions. Like the National Gallery, we’re looking at two separate buildings attached down the middle. Next to the Town Hall, the Victoria Concert Hall, formerly known as Victoria Memorial Hall, was erected in 1902 to honour Queen Victoria.

Anderson Bridge was constructed in 1901 when the nearby Cavenagh Bridge was unable to cope with the load. Anderson, Cavenagh and Elgin Bridge, where we started the tour, were all manufactured in Britain and then shipped to Singapore. Another example of Singapore’s seafaring roots and connection to Europe!

And what better place to finish our walking tour of downtown Singapore than right here, on Marina Bay. From here, you can get a real idea of the city’s natural and artificial landscape! The lotus flower looking building across the bay is Singapore’s ArtScience Museum, home to some fascinating exhibits on Design and Technology. Just behind that you’ve got Marina Bay Sands, a bizarre building that looks like a floating ship that dominates Singapore’s skyline. That’s a truly iconic hotel 55 storeys in the air with, unsurprisingly, some of the best views of the city you can imagine. You’ve also got the Singapore Flyer to our left, a Ferris wheel overlooking the bay and the Red Dot Design museum over to our right, an international design museum specializing in the design of products. And of course, Singapore’s financial hearts looms over us in the form of skyscrapers that create quite the impressive light show if you come and visit at night!