GCI Places

Curated collection · Solo afternoon

The Civic District on Foot

The colonial administrative core around the Padang and the river, where most of Singapore's national institutions now occupy the buildings that governed it.

Assembled and reviewed by Global City Intelligence on 2026-09-07. The order below is a suggested route, not a ranking.

The route

  1. National Gallery Singapore

    City Hall

    The former Supreme Court and City Hall, now the national art museum.

    The glazed Padang Atrium of National Gallery Singapore, with the retained City Hall colonnade
    The Padang Atrium inside National Gallery Singapore. Jacklee · CC-BY-SA-4.0

  2. The Arts House

    City Hall

    The old Parliament House of 1827, the oldest government building in the country.

    A pink and white classical building with a pillared portico, floodlit after dark
    The Arts House, the former Parliament House, lit at night. Frank Schulenburg · CC-BY-SA-4.0

  3. Asian Civilisations Museum

    City Hall

    Across Empress Place, in an 1867 government block.

    Photograph of Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore
    Asian Civilisations Museum, Empress Place. Terence Ong · CC-BY-2.5

  4. Merlion Park

    Downtown Core

    The river mouth itself, five minutes further on.

    Photograph of Merlion Park in Singapore
    Merlion Park, Singapore. Bjørn Christian Tørrissen · CC-BY-SA-3.0

4 of 4 places shown on the map. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.