Singapore is famous for its lush greenery with its variety of trees and plants planted all around. It’s also home to a variety of famous Parks and Gardens, most of which have free entry for everyone making them the excellent Budget hangout spot. Today, we’ll be taking a look at two beautiful parks located in central Singapore which are the Marina East Park and Fort Canning Park.
What is the Marina East Park?
The Marina East Park is a small park located at the other end of the relatively famous Gardens By The Bay East in the Tanjong Rhu district. It’s easily accessible by either taking the bus to Gardens By The Bay East and walk throughout the length of the garden or by taking a bus and alighting at the Marina Barrage and crossing the Marina Bridge.
Unique features of the Marina East Park
Compared to Gardens By The Bay East where you can find a variety of unique plants and trees living in their own habitat, the Marina East Park is relatively low key in which the park contains mostly the bare minimum when it comes to features and amenities.
Even though it’s low key, the Marina East Park is a popular fishing hotspot and the views are completely different from what you can see at Gardens By The Bay East. One has views of the freshwater reservoir and the city, while the other has views of the beautiful open sea and the ships roaming about.
The Marina East Pier
A popular attraction of the Marina East Park is the pier located at the far end of the park. Venture into the pier and you can get an up close view of the open sea. It’s a favourite spot among photographers and drone enthusiasts to take photos of the aerial view of the pier. The end of the pier also acts as a ‘helipad’ for the drone devices.
What is the Fort Canning Park?
Another interesting park in central Singapore is the Fort Canning Park. It’s a very hilly park with a lot of historical origins and it’s also known as one of the oldest parks in Singapore. Fort Canning Park is easily accessible by using either Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station or the newly opened Fort Canning MRT Station on the Downtown Line.
Opening of the Fort Canning MRT Station
With the opening of the new Fort Canning MRT Station on the Downtown Line in October 2017, getting to the park is now easier than ever. Previously, Fort Canning Park was accessible with the Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station although it’s still quite a distance. With the new MRT station, it also links to the Liang Court shopping mall and the surrounding River Valley district breathing new life to the once sleepy part of the Singapore River.
A Historical Destination
Fort Canning Park is home to a variety of historical trees as it’s one of the oldest Parks in Singapore. Many trees even have information boards describing the tree and the year it was born perfect for botany enthusiasts.
Fort Canning Park also has a variety of historical structures still standing to this day like the iconic Fort Canning Gate, the Old Married Soldiers Quarters and of course the famous Battlebox command centre which is now a paid attraction popular among history buffs. Not a fan of the historical structures? No worries, the park is a great place for you to exercise or take a stroll too.
The Fort Canning Arts Centre
The building which used to house government offices back in the day has been refurbished and renamed the Fort Canning Arts Centre. For a period of time from 2015 to 2016, it used to house a short-lived French art gallery before closing down for good. There were also several F&B establishments located within building which was opened together with the short-lived art gallery.
As of December 2017, the building and the food establishments were still in operation and the old gallery has been turned to a temporary exhibition space for arts exhibitions. However, there were talks of the building closing down due to extremely low foot traffic which was quite a waste as the building has a unique charm to it.
The Fort Canning Green
A popular area in Fort Canning Park is the open field called Fort Canning Green which doubles up as an events space. It’s home to a wide range of low and high profile concerts and events. The Fort Canning Green is also a popular picnic spot where concertgoers can have a picnic and rock on to their favourite performers. Check back event websites for regular happenings at the Fort Canning Green.
Conclusion
Both the Marina East Park and the Fort Canning Park have their appeal and they’re perfect places to hangout and get out from the hectic and bustling life. With their central locations and easy accessibility with a range bus services and MRT stations, there’s no excuse not to get to these two great places. Visited them recently? Let us know in the comments!
Getting Here
(Marina East Park)
Bus services available: 400 (Bus stop along Marina Gardens Drive outside Marina Barrage)
Nearest MRT station: NS27/CE2 Marina Bay MRT Station (North South Line/Circle Line)
Website: Not available
(Fort Canning Park)
Bus services available: 32, 54, 195, 530 (Bus stop along River Valley Road opposite Liang Court)
Nearest MRT station: DT20 Fort Canning MRT Station (Downtown Line)
Website: https://www.nparks.gov.sg/gardens-parks-and-nature/parks-and-nature-reserves/fort-canning-park