Clarke Quay

A row of candy-coloured 19th-century godowns (warehouses) along a bend in the Singapore River, Clarke Quay trades sleepy heritage by day for neon nightlife after dark. Once the city's bustling trading wharf, it's now lined with riverside restaurants, craft-beer bars, late-night clubs and the occasional thrill ride, all spilling onto pedestrian lanes under canopy shades. It's touristy but genuinely fun, and the prettiest way to arrive is by a wooden bumboat river cruise that glides past the bridges to Marina Bay. Come for dinner and stay for drinks. A recent makeover has added more daytime cafés, but Clarke Quay still belongs to the evening.