The white stays of Cavenagh Bridge with the colonnaded Fullerton behind

LBM1948 / CC BY-SA 4.0

Where to stay in Civic District & the Quays

The colonial centre between the river and Marina Bay: the National Gallery in the old Supreme Court and City Hall, the Asian Civilisations Museum on the water, the Padang, Raffles Hotel at the top of the road, and Boat Quay and Clarke Quay along the river with the city's outdoor drinking on them. Two MRT interchanges sit under it, Marina Bay is ten minutes on foot and Chinatown fifteen. What you give up is a neighbourhood: this is museums, hotels and offices, and it does not feed you the way the quarters either side of it do.

Price level · Upscale

Singapore

Area scorecard

Scored 0–10 by Where Stay Guide. No overall total: every traveller weights these differently.

Sightseeing: 8.5
Walkability: 8.5
Transport: 9.2
Food: 8.0
Nightlife: 8.0
Quietness: 5.0
Families: 7.5
Value: 6.0
Airport / station: 8.5
First trip: 9.0

Best for

A first trip, where being able to walk to four different Singapores matters
Short stays and stopovers
Travellers who want the museums and the river rather than a mall

Choose elsewhere if

You came to eat, and want the hawker centre downstairs
You are watching what you spend
You want the quarters that still feel like themselves

Our picks in Civic District & the Quays

Best on the water

The Fullerton Bay Hotel

Our pick for the centre because it stands on the water at Collyer Quay, on Clifford Pier — the one address in this area that is on the bay rather than near it, with Raffles Place and the museums a walk behind it.