In the footsteps of Raffles

General information

Destination	Category
Singapore, Singapore	Sightseeing Tours

Program details

Singapore got lucky the day Thomas Stamford Raffles landed on the island almost two centuries ago and founded what has gone on to become one of the world’s wealthiest countries. This intriguing historical tour retraces the footsteps of the colonial adventurer who left such a massive imprint in such a small island. See Raffles’s landing site, the legendary Raffles Hotel and explore the Singapore River just like he did.


Your adventure starts where it all began – at Raffles Landing Site, where the great man himself is believed to have first stepped ashore in 1819 in what was then a hamlet with a few huts. Today a statue of Raffles stands dwarfed by the skyscrapers of the modern city. Continue to an exhibition that traces the history of the Singapore River and learn all about the waterway that was central to the city’s development as a global commercial centre.


Next, stop at the Raffles Hotel, a beautiful cream-coloured relic of colonial Victorian society and the birthplace of the world-famous Singapore Sling cocktail. As you sip afternoon tea in the arcades or courtyards, it is all too easy to imagine yourself in the halcyon days of empire. You can choose either tea with English or local delicacies or the cake and tea set.


Board a bumboat and cruise along the Singapore River, disembarking at Clarke Quay, a riverside festival village where you will visit a Pewter Gallery. Learn about pewter and role of tin in the development of Singapore as a trading port and see a demonstration on pewtersmithing.


Meeting/pick-up point: Pick up at 1.30pm at city hotels but for some located in narrow streets, a nearby location will be advised.

Duration:Four-and-a-half hours.

Languages:English.