HarbourFront & Mount Faber

HarbourFront is where the MRT, the Sentosa crossings and the Batam ferries meet, at the foot of one of Singapore's best walks. VivoCity is the mall you'll pass through on the way. Behind it rises Mount Faber Park, 56 hectares of free hillside that's open 24 hours, one of the oldest parks on the island and without wheelchair access. Walk up the Marang Trail, about 15 minutes of path and stairs, or ride the cable car from HarbourFront Tower 2 up to Faber Peak. The same line runs the other way, over the water to Sentosa. On the Mount Faber Line, 18 cabins are themed for the Pokémon Day-to-Night Adventure, with UV torches in play from 7.45pm, and they take the same Sky Pass as any other cabin.

We'd walk the Southern Ridges in the late afternoon, reach Henderson Waves for golden hour, then ride the cable car as the port lights come on. The bridge is 274 metres of timber, 36 metres up, and its seven curving ribs double as alcoves. It's Singapore's tallest pedestrian bridge. Beyond it, Telok Blangah Hill Park covers 34 hectares. Forest Walk runs through the canopy with the harder Earth Trail below it, and Terrace Garden is the semicircular lookout. The Sembcorp Forest of Giants is an arboretum of threatened trees. The park is open 24 hours, though the Earth Trail is off limits after 7pm. The ridges carry on past HortPark to Kent Ridge if you have half a day and water, but most people stop after Telok Blangah Hill.

Labrador Park MRT puts you at the western end. From Exit A, signs lead along Labrador Villa Road to Labrador Nature Reserve, 22 hectares where the park areas are open 24 hours and the reserve section 7am to 7pm. Pets stay on the boardwalks and in the park. The Keppel Coastal Trail passes a replica of the Dragon's Teeth Gate and WWII relics on the headland. The Casemate and the Rocky Shore are closed, and the Berlayar Creek boardwalk is shut for improvement works until March 2027. Gillman Barracks, a former British camp that's now a contemporary art precinct, is a short walk from the same exit. Further west on Pepys Road, Reflections at Bukit Chandu tells the story of the Malay Regiment's last stand from a WWII bungalow.

When it rains, head to the Singapore Art Museum at Tanjong Pagar Distripark, near Cantonment MRT. It's open daily, which makes it a good Monday plan too, since Reflections closes on Mondays. Batam ferries leave from the new HarbourFront Ferry Terminal at 5 HarbourFront Avenue, behind HarbourFront Tower 2 and about 70 metres from the old counters in HarbourFront Centre. It's the new Singapore Cruise Centre building. Sindo Ferry's counter there is #01-11, and Batam Fast has moved over too. Give Batam a day of its own, bring your passport, catch the first ferry out and leave a buffer before the last one back.

Where to eat

• Seah Im Food Centre, 2 Seah Im Road: a hawker centre of small stalls on their own hours, by the bus interchange across Telok Blangah Road from Exit A
• Telok Blangah Crescent Market & Food Centre, 11 Telok Blangah Crescent, opposite Mount Faber SAFRA: dinner after Henderson Waves. Stalls set their own hours
• Faber Peak, at the top of Mount Faber: the easy meal if you're already riding the cable car
• Canopy at HortPark, 33 Hyderabad Road: handy if you start the ridges from the gardens end
• VivoCity, HarbourFront MRT Exit E: mall food out of the heat, or ride on to Chinatown or Tiong Bahru for dinner after the walk