Marina Barrage

Come here at night, and you’ll get a beautiful view of the skyline of Singapore. A friend of a friend led us here on a Friday night, and we walked up a sort of spiraling grassy area, where you can apparently fly LED lighted kites. We didn’t see anyone flying a kite that night, but you can see the 3 trees in the Supertree Grove (separate from the Garden by the Bay), as well as the skyscrapers and architecture, all lit up, all next to each other.

This is way off the beaten track for the typical tourist. We went by car otherwise it’s difficult to get to by public transportation. It’s actually a dam built to prevent floods and store water. There’s a fairly large green space here and you see a lot of people flying kites since the area is very windy. It has some excellent skyline views of Singapore City.

Kites Kites Kites!

I love Marina Barrage — it’s a piece of Singapore where you get fresh air, a great view of the Marina Area which is what I consider to the be prettiest part of Singapore’s skyline, nice blue sky, and a nice grassy area for a picnic and kite flying. That is, of course, the weather permits it and there’s no haze to send you choking or blur the wonderful view.
Bring your own kite, or buy it from the kite shop. There are lots of families, teens, couples, here on a weekend to fly kites and enjoy some outdoor time. It gets a little crowded sometimes, especially during weekend evenings, so it might be difficult to find space for your kite. Nonetheless, it is still quite an enjoyable experience. On really sunny days, consider bringing an umbrella, lots of sunblock, or even a portable fan.
Also bring your own mat and food for a nice picnic :)
My only qualm is that it is really difficult to get to by public transport. There is a shuttle bus from the MRT, but the frequency is pretty low, so you might have to take a cab or drive!

Lovely place to fly kites in the evening or for just chilling out with friends or a loved one. Its windy and you get one of the best, unobscured views of the Singapore city skyline. If you work in the CBD area you can also run here via Gardens by the Bay

When you desperately need some breeze in the city, this is the perfect spot!
Love the view, love how the green field slopes in a perfect arc, love how pretty the city looks here at any time of the day. My favorite is dusk to night.
It is also a perfect end point if you are cycling from the east, or east coast park. You can get here from cycling through Tanjong Rhu, across the bridge. Along the way, you can get an awesome view of the flyer, Gardens by the Bay. Great way to show off Singapore from a different perspective.

For me, my stay in Singapore is not complete without visiting the Marina Barrage. It is like one of their symbols when it comes to being independent for water. Here, you’ll be amazed at how inventive Singaporeans are.
My friend and I went to the Marina Barrage basically to get away from the city. We weren’t sure what to expect first but I have been hearing a lot of good things about this place. True enough, at the bus stop, there were a lot of tourists waiting for the Bus 400 to arrive. When we got to the Barrage, not only it was free of charge, we managed to join the guided tour. It;s amazing that their displays actually simulate how the barrage works. At the end of the tour, you get to stay at the roof top and enjoy the scenery-​and perfect to take some jump photos.
Living or just touring Singapore need not to be expensive, as along as you know where to go. And Marina Barrage is definitely a must go.

This is one of the places where you can see a really panoramic view of the Singapore city skyline. There are several things that you can do here: a picnic, if you fancy a lazy afternoon chatting with friends over food on a picnic mat; kite flying, if you want to relive some of your younger days (it gets really breezy at times); photo-​taking, be it if you are the model in the photo or the photographer (it is quite a popular spot for wedding couples to take their wedding photographs).
Also, I would think the best time to go Marina Barrage is near dusk. At dusk, you can see how the skies change color and then as it slowly becomes dark, you can enjoy the city night view, which is quite beautiful. It is still a little difficult to go via public transport, and it does get a little crowded and noisy on weekends/​public holidays. Otherwise, it is quite an enjoyable place to be at.

Located not very near to any stations, you can get here by bus or car. A great place to hang out and many families bring their kids here to fly kites. You will see many different kites in the sky, forming a nice picture.
The barrage also offers great information on the water schemes of singapore and how we manage this scarce resource carefully. I would recommend couples to visit this place after sun set, as it is cooler and pretty romantic to see the skyscraper of Singapore.
Parking is free, but do note that during weekends the place might be flooded with people who kite.

Definitely one of the few places in Singapore with a clear, unobstructed, breathtaking view of the city’s skyline.
Went here for a friend’s birthday picnic a couple of years ago. The clear skies and open space here allowed us to have great fun flying kites. Thank goodness we were there on a not-​so crowded weekday. We got to enjoy the lights from the CBD at night too.
You can also head to the Conserve Water Interactive Museum to learn how Singapore manages her water resources. Other than these though, there isn’t much else to do at Marina Barrage. I fail to see the hype some people stir up about this place.

I’ve managed to have very positive experiences at the Marina Barrage during my past trips there. Most recently was a Saturday evening and night where we were trying to get a good spot to catch the fireworks during the NDP previews. The weather was perfect early evening with lots of kite-​fliers looking to have some fun. The great thing was although it was a weekend, there wasn’t too much of a crowd at the barrage itself.
Another positive point was the free parking, plus we managed to park right in front of the entrance — score!
What we did was to pack along some snacks and light dinner items to while the time away before the fireworks. It was quite a view to watch the ‘day kites’ being reeled in, and the huge LED fitted ‘night kites’ starting to be flown. Watching the skyline transition from day to night was also really enjoyable and memorable. Great place to bring a tourist friend from overseas!

The best place for flying kites in Singapore, no doubt. The Marina Barrage is actually a dam which blocks the sea from the bay, creating a huge reservoir. A building by the side has big green open fields atop its looping roof which is fantastic for a picnic and of course kit-​flying.
It also provides an excellent backdrop for photography, and you’ll find some models or graduates in their gowns posing for the camera here.
It’s fairly close to the newly opened Gardens by the Bay, so worth a visit if you have some daylight left after the gardens.
The whole place is also great for a run!

I’ve now been to the Marina Barrage twice in the past two days and have surprisingly enjoyed every minute of it, which actually surprises me as much as it might surprise you.
My first visit of the week was at Monday noon, where apart from my friend and I, there were only two other groups of people, so we found ourselves with a great wealth of space — cliched, but perfect for kite-​flying. We decided to pay a visit to the Sustainable Singapore Gallery, which seemed like a very boring idea at first, but turned out to be strangely interesting and intriguing, and definitely educational. I think the Barrage would mean so much more to you once you know what it’s meant to be, and how it works.
My next visit was on Tuesday midnight, where the weather was much cooler, but still as windy. There were people kite-​flying again, but it was much quieter, and you could definitely spot couples in their little corner, sat down, or laying on a mat, watching the skies watching them. It’s a terrific spot for a good late night chat, and I could see myself getting one of those motorised planes with lights on them, just to fly it around through the night sky, with the magnificence of MBS and the new Gardens by the Bay and the Flyer all well lit up. Picture perfect view for picture perfect moments.
If there’s anything that might put me off repeated visits, it would be its inaccessibility. The shuttle bus from Marina Bay MRT to Marina Barrage has stopped since 1 July, so the only real way to get there without a car or taxi would be via bus 400 from the MRT station, which comes only once every 20 minutes. Additionally, on evenings, especially on the weekends, it can get very crowded, so if you’re one to want your own peace and quiet, perhaps it’s the off peak hours you’ll be looking to visit.