Fort Canning Park

Fort Canning Park, set atop a modest hill in downtown Singapore, is the city’s oldest civic green space—one that quietly bridges centuries of history. Within its shaded pathways and manicured gardens are echoes of Malay royalty, colonial ambition, and wartime strategy.

The hill has carried different meanings through time—from the settlement of 14th-century Malay kings to its use by the British military in the 19th century, and as the headquarters during World War II. Remnants of these phases—like the colonial-era Fort Gate, the underground Battlebox, and archaeological gardens—are woven into modern lawns and flowering paths.

• Sang Nila Utama Garden reimagines a 14th-century royal garden in Javanese style, with tranquil pools and sculpted symmetry.
• Pancur Larangan—the “Forbidden Spring”—once served royal women with freshwater washes, now restored in a Javanese courtyard of volcanic murals.
• Spice Garden links back to Singapore’s first attempt at economic botany—hundreds of spice trees recalling Raffles’ early agricultural plans.
• Additional thematic zones—Raffles, Farquhar, Artisan’s, and a public Jubilee Park—offer quiet corners, historic fragments, and spaces where modern Singaporeans relax and climb.

Walk the Ancient History Trail for artifacts and markers tied to Malay palaces, the “Forbidden Hill” legend, and the mythical Singapore Stone. Or explore the Colonial History Trail, passing the old timeball tower, the Fort Gate, and the foundations of British plantations and barracks.

Beneath the park lies a wartime command bunker known as the Battlebox—a steel-and-concrete remnant where leaders plotted during WWII. It now operates as a museum, quietly showing the decisions and stories that shaped Southeast Asia’s 20th-century history.

Open 24 hours, every day

Free Entrance