Singapore History & Culture Tour (Private Edition) – From Raffles to Rooftops
From colonial roots to a modern metropolis; explore Singapore’s story on a private tour through history, politics, and culture — complete with dinner, river cruise, rooftop vistas, and a refined tea tasting.
A video of Hello! Singapore’s History and Culture tour. Explore the Civic District, take a river cruise, eat like a local, and enjoy a traditional tea ceremony.
At a Glance
- • Price: From US$395 per tour (see pricing table below for full breakdown)
- • Duration: 4.5 hours (5 hours with optional hotel, cruise terminal, or airport pickup)
- • Schedule: Start any time between 9:30am–3:30pm (Sun–Thurs), or 9:30am–5:00pm (Fri & Sat)
- • Meeting Point: Outside City Hall MRT station (or hotel, cruise terminal, or airport if pickup added)
- • End Point: Traditional teahouse in Chinatown
- • Includes: River cruise, rooftop view access, hawker meal (chicken rice, sugarcane juice, dessert), and Chinese tea tasting
- • Transport: Walking tour (approx. 9km at a slow, steady pace). Taxis can be used to reduce walking, at guests’ expense
- • Group Size: Private – just your group (up to 12 people)
- • Family Friendly: Children of all ages welcome. US$33 for ages 5–11. Free under 5
- • Language: English, Cantonese, Mandarin
About the Tour
Step into the story of Singapore on a private journey through the city’s past, present, and future. This experience isn’t a whirlwind highlights reel — it’s an in-depth, thoughtfully paced immersion into the forces that shaped modern Singapore. You’ll explore how a humble trading post evolved into one of the world’s most advanced cities, and discover how visionary leadership, bold policies, and megastructures helped transform it from third world to first in a single generation.
We begin in the Civic District, home to Singapore’s most elegant colonial-era buildings. As you stroll through this historic area, your guide will share stories of early pioneers — immigrants, traders, and entrepreneurs — who came in search of opportunity and helped lay the city’s foundations.
From there, we board a traditional bumboat and cruise the Singapore River — the waterway that powered the colony’s early trade — gliding past restored shophouses and soaring skyscrapers. As the cruise ends, we quite literally arrive in the present day, stepping into Marina Bay to explore land reclamation, mega projects like the Marina Barrage, and Singapore’s bold vision for sustainable urban development.
Next, we head into the heart of Singaporean life — the Housing Development Board (HDB) flats. From a high-rise rooftop, you’ll take in sweeping skyline views while learning about the public housing model that houses over 80% of the population. Here, your guide will explain the social policies and political reform that drove Singapore’s remarkable growth under founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
We continue on to Chinatown for dinner at a beloved hawker centre. You’ll enjoy Singapore’s national dish — Chicken Rice — alongside fresh sugarcane juice and a classic local dessert. Your guide will walk you through hawker centre etiquette and help you navigate like a local, equipping you with insider tips for the rest of your stay.
Our journey ends in a serene tea house, where you’ll experience a traditional Chinese tea tasting led by an expert in the art of brewing. You’ll learn how to handle the elegant tools, discover the differences between tea varieties, and sip the very same imperial tea served to Queen Elizabeth II. It's a fitting end — tea once powered Singapore’s trade routes, and now brings your tour full circle.
Throughout the experience, your guide will tailor the pace to suit you — with time to dive deeper into the stories that interest you most. Whether it’s politics, urban design, culture, or cuisine, this private tour offers the space to ask questions, linger in places, and truly connect with the city.
The fourth stop of our night tour of Singapore is the famous Maxwell Hawker Centre or other popular food centres in the Chinatown area where we will enjoy Singapore’s most iconic dish; Chicken Rice. We will wash it down with a freshly squeezed Sugar Cane juice; a real hit on our tours! Your guide will teach you Hawker Centre etiquette and point out all of the must-try foods in Singapore. We will make sure that you know how to eat like a local for the remainder of your time in Singapore.
After dinner, we retreat to a beautiful tea house for a traditional tea tasting experience. You will learn the art of the tea ceremony and try the Imperial tea that Queen Elizabeth II was served in the very same tea house. You’ll receive a small souvenir to take home to remember the experience.
Good to Know
- • This is a walking tour covering approximately 9km at a slow, steady pace. Taxis can be used to reduce walking if requested (at your own cost).
- • This tour is packed with must-see highlights and interesting political and historical stories — always kept fun and informative.
- • Children of all ages are welcome on this private tour and we can adjust the pace to suit your group.
- • Tour includes a traditional hawker meal (chicken rice, sugarcane juice, and dessert), Singapore River Cruise, entrance to the HDB rooftop, and public transport during the tour.
- • We can accommodate most dietary needs — guests can choose their preferred dishes at the hawker centre.
- • Foldable wheelchairs are welcome. Guests must be able to walk short distances (on/off the boat) and climb stairs at the tea house.
- • Singapore’s weather can change quickly — expect short, frequent showers. Bring an umbrella or raincoat, just in case!
- • A licensed, friendly private guide will lead your tour. Start times are flexible — from 9:30am to late afternoon depending on the day.
Pricing
All prices listed are in US$ and are the total price for the tour.
| 1-2 People | 3 People | 4 People | 5 People | 6 People | 7 People | 8 People | |
| 4.5 Hours | 395 | 475 | 555 | 630 | 700 | 770 | 840 |
| 5 Hours (Hotel Pick Up) | 430 | 510 | 605 | 680 | 750 | 820 | 905 |