The geography of Singapore is shaped like a diamond and adequately compact to explore in a couple of days. The southern part of the city state is its older part and called downtown by its residents. Its epicenter is arguably the creek of the Singapore River, the place where Raffles landed from his ship to shore in 1819. At present, it is a place to relax with its buzzing bars and restaurants converted from warehouses.
The British have also left their mark. The Colonial District to the north of Singapore river has a number of grand Neoclassical buildings like Parliament House, City Hall and the world famous Raffles Hotel. You can sift through history in the National Museum. The newest slice of the city is Marina Bay, with a namesake casino resort, an arts center Esplanade – Theaters on the Bay and Gardens by the Bay.