Fort Canning Park

This historic hill located in downtown Singapore was once known as Bukit Larangan or ‘Forbidden Hill’. It holds a significant spot in Singapore’s history for several reasons including being the residence of old Malay rulers of yore and modern Singapore’s founder Sir Stamford Raffles, but most notably for the Fort Canning Bunker or Battle Box, which is where the British colonials made the difficult decision to surrender Singapore to the Japanese during World War II. Several other military relics can still be seen in the park today, though these days the gardens are used for much happier purposes - its central location and sprawling outdoor lawns make it a popular venue for concerts, festivals, theatre productions, corporate events and even just for simple picnicking. Free guided walks are available on Saturdays - check the website for more details. Some notable spots in Fort Canning Park include the Spice Garden, an experimental and botanical garden established by Raffles, as well as Singapore’s only actual archaeological excavation site and exhibition which began in 1984. The park is located right next to the National Museum of Singapore, so quite often is the site of exhibitions and installations that extend from works displayed at the museum.