Sentosa

The busiest of the three beaches. Being the western end, the sunset drops straight in front of it, and volleyball courts and water attractions sit right on the sand. Almost no swell reaches it, which suits sitting in the water more than swimming.

A suspension bridge leads to a lookout on a small island. A sign up there claims the southernmost point of continental Asia, and the bridge is narrow enough that meeting anyone coming back means standing still. Children's water play is concentrated here.

The furthest east of the three and the quietest. It takes a walk from the last monorail stop, which keeps numbers down, and palm shade runs along the water so there is no need to hire an umbrella.

The British set these guns facing the sea to guard the harbour. The Japanese came overland instead, so the guns never fired the way they were meant to. Underground magazines and a room staging the surrender are still there. The woodland walk above is free.

There are two lines and two tickets. One crosses from Mount Faber to the island, the other runs along it to the beaches, and the crossing goes over the harbour with the container terminal underfoot. Strong wind stops it, so check on a grey day.

The monorail leaves from the third floor of VivoCity. The fare is charged going in and nothing more once you are on the island, so it pays to use it for moving between beaches. Trains come often enough that a timetable is beside the point.

This is the way in on foot. It is roofed, with travelators on the climbs, and takes about ten minutes; coming in this way there is no entry fee. A channel of moored yachts runs alongside the whole length.

A ring lifts and turns with your feet hanging in the air. There is a harness and no wall, so the wind arrives undiluted, and one rotation brings the island and then the harbour past in turn, with cameras round the neck because they cannot be held.

One room gives a single tank the whole wall. Manta rays and sharks pass across it while people sit on the floor, and the feeding times are posted for the day. It is cold inside and under cover, which is why rain fills it.

One stretch of forest path survives among the attractions. It climbs Imbiah hill to the cable car station and costs nothing, the shade holds the whole way so it walks even at midday, and squirrels and monitor lizards cross in front of you.

A 2010 theme park inside Resorts World Sentosa: seven film-themed zones round a lagoon. The headline ride is a pair of duelling roller coasters. Outdoor rides halt when lightning strikes, so in the season of afternoon storms ride the big ones in the morning.

A night show staged above the sea at Siloso Beach, with projections on curtains of water and fireworks. There are two performances each night, about 20 minutes each time. Sea breeze carries spray onto the front rows, so the middle towards the back is better.

A garden walkway opened in 2024 crossing the island's centre on foot from Resorts World to Beach Station. Scented plants and sound-making sculptures are arranged to play on all five senses in turn. Admission is free, with lighting switched on after dark.

The country's highest pedestrian bridge, passing 36m above Henderson Road. Its wave-shaped timber ribs curl over into shaded alcoves. A forest trail links it to Mount Faber, so it pairs with the Sentosa cable car station on one walk.

A park made in 1937 by the Aw brothers of Tiger Balm, its hillside scattered with about a thousand statues from Chinese myth and folklore. The grounds are free; only the museum staging the ten courts of hell sells tickets. Some scenes will scare children.