HomeSingaporePrivate History & Culture Tour with River Cruise, Hawker Dinner & Tea Tasting
Singapore, Boat Charters

Private History & Culture Tour with River Cruise, Hawker Dinner & Tea Tasting

4 hr 30 min
Viator
5.0/5
Product code: 53204P13
5.0 · 15 reviews
Price from
$216.33
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About this activity

Join us on a journey through Singapore from past to present. Enjoy dinner in a Hawker Centre and a tea ceremony. You start your journey with the founding of Modern Singapore by Sir Stamford Raffles, visiting historic colonial buildings to learn about the early pioneers who came to Singapore. You will board a bumboat and cruise down the river through to the present day. Visit Merlion Park and soak in the sunset view of Marina Bay whilst learning about the mega construction project behind it. Discuss the political reform by Mr Lee Kuan Yew and discover how Singapore went from third-world to first-world in one generation. Feast on Singapore’s most iconic dish; Chicken Rice at the famous Maxwell Hawker Centre. Your guide will teach you Hawker Centre etiquette and point out all of the must-try foods in Singapore. After dinner, retreat to a beautiful teahouse for a traditional tea tasting experience. Try the Imperial tea that Queen Elizabeth II was served in the very same teahouse.

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What is included

All taxes, fees and handling chargesOther
Cancellation Policy: If you cancel more than one week (more than 168 hours) in advance we will give you a full refund (excluding the booking service fee). If you cancel between 7 days and 2 days (between 167 and 48 hours before) we will give you a 50% refOther
Dinner (Chicken Rice)Other
Face masks required for guides in public areasSafety face masks required for guides in public ar
Face masks required for travellers in public areasSafety face masks required for travelers in public
Guides required to regularly wash handsSafety guides required to regularly wash hands
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staffSafety hand sanitizer available to travelers and s
If the rooftop of The Pinnacle is closed due to bad weather we will take you to a different HDB building.Other
If the tea house is closed for any reason we will include a larger dinner section.Other
If you are a vegetarian we promise to get you something to eat at the Hawker Centre but we can not guarantee what will be available, it might be quite basic (like rice and veg)Other
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or strollerStroller accessible
Prices do not include the costs of transport to get to the start and from end points of the tour.Other
Private tourOther
Professional guideOther
Public transportation options are available nearbyPublic transportation nearby
Regular temperature checks for staffSafety regular temperature checks for staff

Itinerary

  1. 1
    Hello Singapore

    4 hr 30 min - Private History and Culture tour can be booked any day of the week and can start any time between 2 pm and 4:30 pm Sunday to Thursday and any time from 2 pm to 6 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Tours last 4.5 hours, start in the Civic District of Singapore and finish in Chinatown. Over the course of the night tour, we will undertake an in-depth exploration of Singapore’s history and development. We will start our journey with the founding of Modern Singapore by Sir Stamford Raffles and progress through time to the present day. We will learn about the incredible development of Singapore over the last 60 years and about modern-day life for the average Singaporean. We start our Singapore night tour in the Civic District where will we visit some of the historic colonial buildings and learn about the early pioneers who came to Singapore to make a living. We will then board a bumboat and take a 30-minute cruise down the river through to the present day. We visit Merlion Park and soak in the sunset view of Marina Bay whilst learning about the mega construction project behind it. Our journey through time progresses by bus to a residential district called Tanjong Pagar. We will discuss the political reform by The Founding Father of Singapore, Mr Lee Kuan Yew and discover how Singapore went from third-world to first-world in one generation. We will be accessing the roof of an award-winning Housing development Board (HDB) residential building from where we will get the most amazing birds-eye view of downtown Singapore. The fourth stop of our night tour of Singapore is the famous Maxwell Hawker Centre in Chinatown where we will enjoy Singapore’s most iconic dish; Chicken Rice. We will wash it down with a freshly squeezed Sugar Cane Juice; a real hit on our tours! Your guide will teach you Hawker Centre etiquette and point out all of the must-try foods in Singapore. We will make sure that you know how to eat like a local for the remainder of your time in Singapore. After dinner, we retreat to a beautiful tea house for a traditional tea tasting experience. You will learn the art of the tea ceremony and try the Imperial tea that Queen Elizabeth II was served in the very same tea house. You'll receive a small souvenir to take home to remember the experience. This tour is packed full of ‘must see’ and ‘must do’ highlights. We cover some very interesting historical and political subjects and can go as deep or as light as you like on them. Our promise is to keep it fun and informative.

  2. 2
    St Andrew's Cathedral

    10 min - Visit the oldest Western religious building, St Andrews Cathedral. It is the largest in Singapore and has existed on the site since 1836

  3. 3
    City Hall

    10 min - Now a national monument, this impressive historical building was built in 1926, it bears witness to Singapore's Colonial past and the Japanese occupation, leading up to its independence.

  4. 4
    National Gallery Singapore

    20 min - National Gallery is an art museum, overseeing the world’s largest public collection of Singaporean and Southeast Asian art, consisting of over 8,000 artworks.

  5. 5
    Clarke Quay

    30 min - Walk up to the Singapore River to the bustling entertainment district of Singapore and learn more about early traders that built their businesses along the river

  6. 6
    Stop 6

    30 min - Board a relaxing ride on a bumboat for an enjoyable cruise along the river. The cost of the Boat Quay River Cruise is included in your tour

  7. 7
    Merlion Park

    20 min - Visit Merlion Park and soak in the sunset view of Marina Bay whilst learning about the mega construction project behind it

  8. 8
    Esplanade Park

    Visit Esplanade Park, one of Singapore's oldest parks, and reflect on the contributions made to Singapore by many great men at its various memorials.

  9. 9
    Marina Bay

    30 min - Soak in the sight of Singapore's bustling bay as you stroll along the waterfront. It is home to some of the city's most distinctive architectural icons

  10. 10
    The Fullerton Waterboat House

    10 min - Check out the Fullerton Waterboat House, located at the mouth of Singapore River, adjacent to the Merlion Park. It is part of the Fullerton Bay Hotel, built in the 1940s.

  11. 11
    The Pinnacle @ Duxton

    30 min - The Pinnacle@Duxton is a 50-story residential development in Singapore's city center. It features the world's two longest sky gardens of 500 meters (1,600 ft) each, on both the 26th and 50th floors

  12. 12
    Maxwell Food Centre

    30 min - Come and enjoy the famous Maxwell Hawker Centre and taste Singapore's most iconic dish: Chicken rice! and wash it down with a freshly squeezed Sugar Cane juice; a real hit on our tours!

Cancellation policy

If you cancel at least 7 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund. If you cancel between 3 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund. If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.

Custom

Refund rules

100% refundable until 6 days before departure
50% refundable from 2 to 6 days before departure
0% refundable from 0 to 2 days before departure

Reviews

5/5

Wonderful evening

This was the day-night tour booked through Hello Singapore Tours. We had booked a tour prior in Hong Kong last year through Hello Hong Kong owned by the same parent company. We were happy with that tour and thought we’d try a tour in Singapore. We were not disappointed. Su Ling, our guide, met us at our hotel and we had 5 wonderful hours learning about the history of Singapore, the different cultures and food varieties. The river cruise was a bonus showing us a vibrant part of Singapore that we likely would not have seen on our own. We are heading back to do the river walk on our own. The chicken/rice dinner followed by a traditional tea ceremony was a perfect end to a great evening. We have used Hello Hong Kong and Hello Singapore and have been happy each time. We have one more tour with Hello Singapore prior to heading home. My wife and I highly recommend The Hello Tour company.

Reviewed by Voyager577955 - 2019-11-02
5/5

A great tour highlighting the contrast of old and new Singapore.

Fantastic tour with a wonderful guide, Gee Soo, who was full of interesting facts and titbits about the places he took us. We visited a great range of places from jail cells to rooftop gardens with amazing views and hidden away treasures like the old Chinese Tea house.

Reviewed by mishi612 - 2022-08-31
5/5

A must do if you want to know about Singapore

Gee Soo, you are a credit to Hello Singapore Tours. Your enthusiasm and knowledge made for an awesome experience and we thank you. Right from the moment we met you until the time we said goodbye, we had a great time. The humidity was tough but that wasn't your fault. I highly recommend a Gee Soo tour to anyone who wants to know about Singapore.

Reviewed by JandJvW - 2020-03-12
5/5

Highlight of our Time in Singapore

We had a fabulous time with Hello Singapore cultural tour. Our guide, Gee Soo, was so knowledgeable and very entertaining, too. He took us to many locations that we would never have seen without him, such as The National Gallery, where we had a fabulous view of the marina, and the Old Parliament House where we visited the old chamber and prison cells. The tour was nicely varied, too. After our history tour, we took a boat ride down the Singapore River, discussing the development of the city along the way. We also rode a local bus, learned about the housing of Singaporeans and and how the Marina Bay Area was developed over the years. We topped off the evening with dinner at Maxwell Hawker Center and a tea ceremony at a historic tea house. Best of all was the company of vivacious and energetic Gee Soo, who made the tour come alive. I highly recommend this tour of Singapore!

Reviewed by PennynGreg - 2020-02-27
5/5

Very Personal and Informative

Gene! Thabk you very much for having me. The places we visited were very breathtaking and spectacular. Having you there to provide backgrounds gave me a deeper appreciation and understanding of Singapore. It's my first time in Singapore but I feel amazingly safe and comfortable here. Thanks again! I'll mention your tour to my friends and coworkers back home. Cheers!

Reviewed by vinny4u808 - 2020-02-06
5/5

The Best Personalized Intro to Singapore Ever!f

We couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to Singapore than the very special two days we spent with our guide Gee Soo of Hello Singapore tours! Gee Soo will be a friend for life, and Singapore will always be synonymous with Gee Soo. We biked, walked, took busses and trains around this marvelous city under his guidance and in his good company. We felt culturally immersed traveling with a local and learned so much through Gee Soo’s insights about Singapore history,culture, architecture, politics and urban planning. As a Travel Advisor, I will be recommending Project Expedition Hello Singapore Tours and requesting Gee Soo as a guide in the future. Thank you for making our visit to Singapore a most memorable one, full of heart! We are changed forever. Lisa and Jay Spiller

Reviewed by worldchick24 - 2022-12-22

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