Having lived in Singapore for three years now, I spent the first two years exploring a little bit of Singapore itself, and a lot of outside of Singapore (Japan to Timor-Leste). Given Covid-19 we have not been able to travel since March 2020. Cycling became a regular pastime. I’ll first go through the more scenic and relaxed routes, and then jump to the more hardcore ones towards the end.
Six Scenic Routes
East Coast Park - 15km
This is probably the one cycling route that everyone knows about in Singapore. It’s a very long park that stretches across the South East promenade with a beautiful view of the ocean whilst cycling through a lush green garden. I say garden, as this place is very well maintained, the grass being mowed, the trees trimmed and the rubbish being collected. The park opened in the 1970s after the reclamation project at Changi had been finalised.
With 185 hectares the park is one of the largest in Singapore and given its 15km long cycle path it’s great for an afternoon cycle or a bit of training. On the weekends the park is packed with groups and families picnicking, playing games or roller skating. Be warned, there will be a lot of cyclists in general, and if you like going fast, you might get annoyed by the kids crossing the road right when you have a lot of momentum. However, during the week, especially in the morning, it is blissful as the park is deserted.
An advantage of the park catering to families and groups is that there are a lot of cafes and restaurants along the cycle path, including a lovely PS. Cafe with an outside sitting area. If you don’t have your own bike (which given the current bike prices and dwindling supply in Singapore wouldn’t be surprising), there are plenty of bike rental shops along the coast, e.g. Coastline Leisure.
Pulau Ubin
I’d say the second most known cycle route in Singapore is on its island Pulau Ubin. The island is about a 20min ferry ride off the mainland on the East side. In the 1960s the island was home to a few thousand settlers, but only a few dozen remain. It’s said that things haven’t changed much on the island, and things have almost been left as they were in the 60s, which means going to the island is like going back in time.
The cycle routes all along Ubin are tarmacked, which means all major areas are easily accessible. However, there are some off-road areas that can get more challenging and are a lot of fun. The nature you are greeted with is very diverse from mudskippers to monkeys and wild boar. The monkeys we’ve seen were usually macaques and I’d therefore recommend keeping all of your belongings close and being careful with food and your phone out. They can be quite vicious and are always on the lookout for something to steal. Bikes can be rented cheaply on the island, just be aware that they are usually quite old and not in great condition (which is totally fine though). Lastly there are some small restaurants on the island where you can have some seafood and coconuts. Nothing fancy though.
Singapore River & Alexandra Canal - 5km
People who have explored a bit more of Singapore will probably know this path. It stretches over 5km from the Marina Barrage in the city centre all the way to Redhill. Along it you are passing beautiful areas of the city, including Clarke, Boat and Robertson Quays with lots of restaurants and cafes for a pitstop. On top of that it’s an easy cycle, because there is no need to navigate or check for directions, as long as you keep the river on the same side of you.
If you want to go for a bit longer, you can even go all the way in one direction on one side of the river and then cycle the 5km back on the other side with a nice brunch as a reward in front of the Shoppes at Marina Bay. Another great thing about this cycling route is that I always see some turtles in the canal, and sometimes have even stumbled upon one of our famous otter gangs.
Sentosa Cove - 5km
The most famous island south of Singapore with lots of luxurious beach clubs, gorgeous mansions AND a cycle path to see all of it is Sentosa, and specifically Singapore Cove. Starting from Vivo City across the bridge to Sentosa, through the centre of the island and then towards the South-East coast, all the way to the end of Sentosa Cove covers around 5km, and makes for a great afternoon ride on the weekend. Given that Sentosa is not completely flat, it’ll even work those legs of yours a bit on the hills.
The tricky part is that Sentosa Cove is a private area, which is only open to people who live there. The cycle path goes along the Marina, which can be accessed through several gates. The only way to get in there is by waiting for someone to open the gate and then let yourself in. It can take some time depending on how busy the day is, but the views are definitely worth the wait! You'll be able to enjoy the coastline whilst admiring the incredible condos and pools.
Fort Canning - 2.5km
This place is one that is not usually mentioned to go cycling. It’s a park in the city centre of Singapore (close to Clarke Quay) that consists of 9 historical gardens. Accessing it is a bit of a pain, as you might have to carry your bike up a flight of stairs… BUT once you get up there it’s a beautiful labyrinth of paths above the city with amazing views and surrounded by nature. It’s not a crazily long distance as, in total, it amounts to around 2.5km. It also makes for a nice weekend activity that is not too strenuous but will give you a new perspective of Singapore.
Coney Island - 3km
Last, but not least (for the easier cycle routes), we have Coney Island, also called Pulau Serangoon. This little island is highly underrated in my opinion, as it has a great 3km long cycle path. It’s in the very North of Singapore, part of the city Punggol, and therefore not usually on the list of a first time visitor. What is lovely about this island is that it offers both nice beaches and thick jungle with lots of animals to see. Aside from Macaques (which can be found all across Singapore) what is unique to Coney island are the wild street dogs, who it seems were congregating around the entrances.
They seemed to be chasing the macaques, which was very entertaining. We also saw a gang of otters, monitor lizards and lots of turtles. Singapore is definitely not lacking wildlife. To access the island you need to cross a bridge, and when finished I would also recommend visiting the wetlands at the exit. If you don’t have your own bike or (like me) are too lazy to bring it all the way to Punggol, you can rent one not far from the entrance to the island. I can recommend GoCycling.
Two Hardcore Routes
City Centre to Changi - 40km
We’ve already talked about ECP (East Coast Park), if you missed that section, please scroll back up. ECP is part of this cycling route, which measures a total of around 30-40km one way, depending on where you start. I would definitely recommend bringing plenty of water, as a long stretch of this is directly in the sun without any cover. This route leads you from the City Centre (e.g. Marina Bay Sands) through ECP and then to the Eastern village of Changi. In that village is a cute brewery with great food and IPAs called Little Island Brewing Co., which I usually choose as my end point.
If you are feeling ambitious you can then take the ferry to Ubin and continue with the Pulau Ubin cycle path (see above). Keep in mind that you will most likely have to cycle back the same route, so save some energy for that. They have now installed a Jurassic Park Dinosaur mile along the path to Changi (which I hear is hopelessly overrated, but might be a nice extra if you are going anyway).
All around Singapore - 130km
A cycle all around Singapore stretches for around 130km, and I know what you are thinking now. Why do that to yourself right? Well, let me tell you that you will see a lot of areas in Singapore that you probably haven’t seen before, such as the Kranji marshes, the Jurong lakes and the Lorong Halus bridge. Plus you can approach it as a bit of a challenge and a bucket list item. It’s crucial to start early, I’d recommend 6am latest, in order to do as much as possible of the route in bearable temperatures. It took us around 8h with breaks, but I’m sure with better bikes (we have hybrids) it can be done faster. I know someone who cycles this route every week in 5h, so it’s definitely doable.
The main advice I have for you is to bring lots of water and check before where you can buy more. E.g. in ECP they have a lot of water fountains, so that’s an easy one, but when you get to Punggol or especially Kranji there aren’t that many shops. We ran out of water and had to spend quite some time looking for the next shop. Running out of water in 35°C is not fun. It can and should be avoided. Snacks and sunscreen are the other essentials if you want to succeed with this one. If you are interested in this cycle route, I would highly recommend to do the one to Changi (see above) before attempting the around island route, as it will give you a good idea of distances and speed.
And that was the end of the main cycle routes I can recommend in Singapore, happy cycling everyone and keep pushing yourself!
“Tough times don't last. Tough people do.”
Comments