Private History & Culture Tour with River Cruise, Hawker Dinner & Tea Tasting
Overview
Join us on a journey through Singapore from past to present. Enjoy dinner in a Hawker Centre and a tea ceremony.
You start your journey with the founding of Modern Singapore by Sir Stamford Raffles, visiting historic colonial buildings to learn about the early pioneers who came to Singapore.
You will board a bumboat and cruise down the river through to the present day. Visit Merlion Park and soak in the sunset view of Marina Bay whilst learning about the mega construction project behind it.
Discuss the political reform by Mr Lee Kuan Yew and discover how Singapore went from third-world to first-world in one generation.
Feast on Singapore’s most iconic dish; Chicken Rice at Hawker Centre in Chinatown. Your guide will teach you Hawker Centre etiquette and point out all of the must-try foods in Singapore.
After dinner, retreat to a beautiful teahouse for a traditional tea-tasting experience. Try the Imperial tea that Queen Elizabeth II was served in the very same teahouse.
You start your journey with the founding of Modern Singapore by Sir Stamford Raffles, visiting historic colonial buildings to learn about the early pioneers who came to Singapore.
You will board a bumboat and cruise down the river through to the present day. Visit Merlion Park and soak in the sunset view of Marina Bay whilst learning about the mega construction project behind it.
Discuss the political reform by Mr Lee Kuan Yew and discover how Singapore went from third-world to first-world in one generation.
Feast on Singapore’s most iconic dish; Chicken Rice at Hawker Centre in Chinatown. Your guide will teach you Hawker Centre etiquette and point out all of the must-try foods in Singapore.
After dinner, retreat to a beautiful teahouse for a traditional tea-tasting experience. Try the Imperial tea that Queen Elizabeth II was served in the very same teahouse.
Inclusions
- Dinner (Chicken Rice)
- Traditional tea tasting experience with take home souvenir
- Professional guide
- Private tour
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
- Sugar cane juice
- Entry/Admission - Hello Singapore
- Entry/Admission - Clarke Quay
- Entry/Admission - River Cruise
- Entry/Admission - The Pinnacle @ Duxton
- Entry/Admission - Maxwell Food Centre
- Entry/Admission - Tea Chapter
What to expect
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Hello Singapore, Singapore Singapore
This private tour of Singapore is just for you and your friends/family. No one else will join your tour. You can bring a maximum of 12 people on your tour. Private history and culture tours can be booked any day of the week and can start any time between 9:30 am and 3:30 pm Sunday to Thursday and any time from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Tours last 4.5 hours and finish in Chinatown.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: St Andrew's Cathedral, 11 St. Andrew's Road St Andrew’s Cathedral, Singapore 178959 Singapore
Visit the oldest Western religious building, St Andrews Cathedral. It is the largest in Singapore and has existed on the site since 1836
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: City Hall, City Hall, Singapore
Now a national monument, this impressive historical building was built in 1926, it bears witness to Singapore's Colonial past and the Japanese occupation, leading up to its independence.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: National Gallery Singapore, 1 St. Andrew_s Road, Singapore 178957 Singapore
National Gallery is an art museum, overseeing the world’s largest public collection of Singaporean and Southeast Asian art, consisting of over 8, 000 artworks.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: 3 River Valley Road Clarke Quay Nearest Train Station: NE5 Clarke Quay MRT and DT20 Fort Canning Station, Singapore 179019 Singapore
Walk up to the Singapore River to the bustling entertainment district of Singapore and learn more about early traders that built their businesses along the river
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: River Cruise, 57 Boat Quay, Singapore 049846
Board a relaxing ride on a bumboat for an enjoyable cruise along the river. The cost of the Boat Quay River Cruise is included in your tour
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: 1 Fullerton Road One Fullerton Merlion Park, Singapore 049213 Singapore
Visit Merlion Park and soak in the sunset view of Marina Bay whilst learning about the mega construction project behind it
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Esplanade Park, Connaught Drive, Singapore Singapore
Visit Esplanade Park, one of Singapore's oldest parks, and reflect on the contributions made to Singapore by many great men at its various memorials.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Marina Bay, Marina Boulevard, Singapore 018980 Singapore
Soak in the sight of Singapore's bustling bay as you stroll along the waterfront. It is home to some of the city's most distinctive architectural icons
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: The Fullerton Waterboat House, 3 Fullerton Road, Singapore, Singapore 049215 Singapore
Check out the Fullerton Waterboat House, located at the mouth of Singapore River, adjacent to the Merlion Park. It is part of the Fullerton Bay Hotel, built in the 1940s.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: 1 Cantonment Road The Pinnacle @ Duxton, Singapore 080001 Singapore
The Pinnacle@Duxton is a 50-story residential development in Singapore's city center. It features the world's two longest sky gardens of 500 meters (1, 600 ft) each, on both the 26th and 50th floors
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Maxwell Food Centre, 1 Kadayanallur Street, Singapore 069184 Singapore
Come and enjoy the famous Maxwell Hawker Centre or other popular food centres in the Chinatown area and taste Singapore's most iconic dish: Chicken rice! and wash it down with freshly squeezed Sugar Cane juice; a real hit on our tours!
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Tea Chapter, 9 Neil Road, Singapore 088808 Singapore
Visit a beautiful tea house and learn the art of the tea ceremony and try the Imperial tea that Queen Elizabeth II was served in the very same tea house!
Duration: 30 minutes
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Hello Singapore, Singapore Singapore
This private tour of Singapore is just for you and your friends/family. No one else will join your tour. You can bring a maximum of 12 people on your tour. Private history and culture tours can be booked any day of the week and can start any time between 9:30 am and 3:30 pm Sunday to Thursday and any time from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Tours last 4.5 hours and finish in Chinatown.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: St Andrew's Cathedral, 11 St. Andrew's Road St Andrew’s Cathedral, Singapore 178959 Singapore
Visit the oldest Western religious building, St Andrews Cathedral. It is the largest in Singapore and has existed on the site since 1836
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: City Hall, City Hall, Singapore
Now a national monument, this impressive historical building was built in 1926, it bears witness to Singapore's Colonial past and the Japanese occupation, leading up to its independence.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: National Gallery Singapore, 1 St. Andrew_s Road, Singapore 178957 Singapore
National Gallery is an art museum, overseeing the world’s largest public collection of Singaporean and Southeast Asian art, consisting of over 8, 000 artworks.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: 3 River Valley Road Clarke Quay Nearest Train Station: NE5 Clarke Quay MRT and DT20 Fort Canning Station, Singapore 179019 Singapore
Walk up to the Singapore River to the bustling entertainment district of Singapore and learn more about early traders that built their businesses along the river
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: River Cruise, 57 Boat Quay, Singapore 049846
Board a relaxing ride on a bumboat for an enjoyable cruise along the river. The cost of the Boat Quay River Cruise is included in your tour
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: 1 Fullerton Road One Fullerton Merlion Park, Singapore 049213 Singapore
Visit Merlion Park and soak in the sunset view of Marina Bay whilst learning about the mega construction project behind it
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Esplanade Park, Connaught Drive, Singapore Singapore
Visit Esplanade Park, one of Singapore's oldest parks, and reflect on the contributions made to Singapore by many great men at its various memorials.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Marina Bay, Marina Boulevard, Singapore 018980 Singapore
Soak in the sight of Singapore's bustling bay as you stroll along the waterfront. It is home to some of the city's most distinctive architectural icons
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: The Fullerton Waterboat House, 3 Fullerton Road, Singapore, Singapore 049215 Singapore
Check out the Fullerton Waterboat House, located at the mouth of Singapore River, adjacent to the Merlion Park. It is part of the Fullerton Bay Hotel, built in the 1940s.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: 1 Cantonment Road The Pinnacle @ Duxton, Singapore 080001 Singapore
The Pinnacle@Duxton is a 50-story residential development in Singapore's city center. It features the world's two longest sky gardens of 500 meters (1, 600 ft) each, on both the 26th and 50th floors
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Maxwell Food Centre, 1 Kadayanallur Street, Singapore 069184 Singapore
Come and enjoy the famous Maxwell Hawker Centre or other popular food centres in the Chinatown area and taste Singapore's most iconic dish: Chicken rice! and wash it down with freshly squeezed Sugar Cane juice; a real hit on our tours!
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Tea Chapter, 9 Neil Road, Singapore 088808 Singapore
Visit a beautiful tea house and learn the art of the tea ceremony and try the Imperial tea that Queen Elizabeth II was served in the very same tea house!
Duration: 30 minutes
Additional information
- Not wheelchair accessible
- You must be physically fit and be able to walk 9km to join this tour. We do walk at a slow casual pace but if you tire easily we will suggest to make use of the occasional taxi ride to cut down the walking. In this case taxi costs would be payable by yourself.
- Stroller accessible
- If you are a vegetarian we promise to get you something to eat at the Hawker Centre but we can not guarantee what will be available, it might be quite basic (like rice and veg)
- Service animals allowed
- If the tea house is closed for any reason we will include a larger dinner section.
- If the rooftop of The Pinnacle is closed due to bad weather we will take you to a different HDB building.
- Near public transportation
- Cancellation Policy: If you cancel more than one week (more than 168 hours) in advance we will give you a full refund (excluding the booking service fee). If you cancel between 7 days and 2 days (between 167 and 48 hours before) we will give you a 50% refund (excluding any service charge). No refund under 48 hours cancellation.
- Infant seats available
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Ticket delivery
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
Cancellation
If you cancel at least 7 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, there is no cancellation fee.
If you cancel between 3 and 6 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, there is a 50 percent cancellation fee.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, there is a 100 percent cancellation fee.
If you cancel between 3 and 6 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, there is a 50 percent cancellation fee.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, there is a 100 percent cancellation fee.
roa43
October 2019
I thought the guide did a very good job of summarizing the major characteristics of Singapore’s government including housing, medical care, taxation, and planning. And this was done at the same time we were visiting some of the more interesting parts of the city. I thought the visit to the top ...
I thought the guide did a very good job of summarizing the major characteristics of Singapore’s government including housing, medical care, taxation, and planning. And this was done at the same time we were visiting some of the more interesting parts of the city. I thought the visit to the top of a government apartment complex was an especially nice touch. I would have loved to see the inside of an apartment, but realize that would be very difficult to arrange.Ronnie W
September 2019
My wife and I had returned to Singapore to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary and having lived in the country some 46 years previously decided to take this tour mainly to familiarise ourselves with the Singapore we knew all those years ago. The tour and the tour guide Gee Soo Boo did not disa...
My wife and I had returned to Singapore to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary and having lived in the country some 46 years previously decided to take this tour mainly to familiarise ourselves with the Singapore we knew all those years ago. The tour and the tour guide Gee Soo Boo did not disappoint. His knowledge of the country, it’s history and culture was second to none. His English was perfect. We had found some tremendous changes to Singapore since we lived there and Gee Soo Boo in his presentations really brought out the Singapore we were familiar with in tandem with the progressive, modern country Singapore is today. We were totally impressed with the passion that he had, an outstanding guide and ambassador for his country. I would thoroughly recommend this tournewjm
May 2019
We scheduled a private night walking tour of Singapore with Hello Singapore and Su Ling as our tour guide. It was an excellent tour and we loved Singapore! Su Ling is extremely knowledgeable about past and present Singapore and our tour was both comprehensive and fun. Su Ling met us at our hotel...
We scheduled a private night walking tour of Singapore with Hello Singapore and Su Ling as our tour guide. It was an excellent tour and we loved Singapore! Su Ling is extremely knowledgeable about past and present Singapore and our tour was both comprehensive and fun. Su Ling met us at our hotel and gave us a brief summary of what we were about to embark upon during our tour. She shared pictures on her iPad throughout the tour including both past and present Singapore, the development of the Marina Bay area and construction of the Marina Bay Sands, which helped visualize what she was explaining to us . We began the evening at St Andrew’s Cathedral explaining the founding of Singapore by Sir Stamford Raffles. Next was the National Gallery where we visited the prison cells and took some very “interesting” photos. Walking past the Old Parliament House to the Raffles Statue where Su Ling shared a bit more history of Singapore and Raffles. We walked along the Singapore River through Boat Quay to Clarke Quay and then took the Singapore River Cruise down the river and around Marina Bay. After the river cruise we stopped to see the Merlion. We experienced eating at the Maxwell Hawker Centre, then stopped for a roof top view of the city and ended with a delightful tea ceremony at the Tea Chapter. After our tour, Su Ling emailed us suggestions for restaurants and how to spend our remaining time in Singapore. Su Ling is passionate about Singapore and was happy to answer all of our questions regarding the culture, people and history. We enjoyed Su Ling’s company very much and had a wonderful time with her. Su Ling is a fabulous guide and I highly recommend you tour with her.Mrinal M
August 2018
Daryl was my host for the night tour. He was wonderful - friendly and informative and I had a really good time. Highly recommended.
Daryl was my host for the night tour. He was wonderful - friendly and informative and I had a really good time. Highly recommended.Jo V
August 2018
We had a 9 hours layover at Singapore airport on our way from Bali to Europe. So few weeks ago we asked ourselves how we best could use our time in Singapore as we had never visited the city before. We considered joining the free city tour organised by the airport, or to explore the city oursel...
We had a 9 hours layover at Singapore airport on our way from Bali to Europe. So few weeks ago we asked ourselves how we best could use our time in Singapore as we had never visited the city before. We considered joining the free city tour organised by the airport, or to explore the city ourselves but felt that these options would not give us the optimal experience. Until we found out about Hello Singapore's private walking tours. We felt immediately that Hello Singapore could offer us the maximum that we could get from just a few hours in this great city. And reality proved we were right: the tour was indeed super great, meeting all our expectations and even beyond as we discovered areas that we normally would never come to with only such limited time. Our guide Su Ling contributed tremendously to this experience. Not only super friendly and helpful but also very knowledgeable with great story telling about Singapore's past and present. And above all, she was our perfect time keeper so we could return back to the airport on time allowing us to take a shower before embarking our flight back home.David O
August 2023
This tour is not for the casual sightseer. Richard gives a 4.5 hour serious short course on Singaporean history and culture! Lots of walking, lots of talking, lots of sights, and if you are up for it — you will learn. Richard is a true educator. He is also very solicitous of those on the tour. He...
This tour is not for the casual sightseer. Richard gives a 4.5 hour serious short course on Singaporean history and culture! Lots of walking, lots of talking, lots of sights, and if you are up for it — you will learn. Richard is a true educator. He is also very solicitous of those on the tour. He took pictures of us along the way, saw us safely onto transport at tour’s end, and after the tour messaged us with suggestions for our trip to Malaysia.Similar tours
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