Walk to Independence: A Guide to Modern Singapore

Singapore's skyline hides a past stretching back centuries before the British ever arrived. On this walking tour, you'll find out how Malay sultans, pirates, and colonial administrators all shaped the same patch of riverbank. You'll also hear how wartime occupation and political upheaval forged the independent nation Singapore is today.

The tour starts at Clarke Quay, beside the Singapore River, and crosses the Coleman Bridge toward Fort Canning Park, once a forbidden hill housing the graves of Singapore's early sultans. You'll pass the Old Hill Street Police Station, walk beneath the Parliament House's kampong-inspired roof, and cross the Cavenagh and Anderson Bridges, tracing how the city grew from a colonial trading post into a modern metropolis.

Along the way, you'll stand beside Raffles's statue to learn why the British divided the city along racial lines, and pass the Fullerton Hotel, once home to Singapore's general post office. You'll hear how Japanese occupation during the Second World War left thousands dead and reshaped locals' views of colonial rule, and how leaders like David Marshall and Lee Kuan Yew steered Singapore toward self-government. The tour ends outside the Supreme Court, near the site where Singapore's parliament first debated its future.

On this 60-minute tour, you'll have a chance to:

• Visit the Iskandar Shrine, a keramat marking the resting place of Singapore's last sultan
• See the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, site of Singapore's first-ever film screening
• Walk past the Asian Civilisations Museum, home to artefacts spanning the wider Southeast Asian region
• Learn how Raffles Institution became known as the Gateway to the Ivies
• Stop at the Civilian War Memorial, nicknamed The Chopsticks, honoring Japanese Occupation victims
• Pass St Andrew's Cathedral, built by Indian convict laborers who later worshipped there
• Hear how the Cenotaph's four steps commemorate each year of the First World War

By the time you reach the Supreme Court, you'll understand exactly how sultans, colonizers, and revolutionaries all left their mark on modern Singapore.