Singapore River cruise tickets: the 40-minute bumboat, the jetties and the evening packages with the light shows

💡 The Short Version: The official Singapore River Cruise is a 40-minute circular bumboat voyage connecting Clarke Quay, Boat Quay, and Marina Bay, priced at S$28 for an adult and S$18 for a child (3 to 11). Walk-ins are accepted at all four active jetties: Clarke Quay, Read Bridge, Bayfront South, and Clifford Pier. Bumboats operate daily from 10:00 to 22:00. Or book a tour: when you want an evening boat ride synchronized with the Marina Bay waterfront light shows, the Singapore River Cruise, Garden Rhapsody & Spectra Tourad (from S$30, 4.8 stars from 1,991 reviews) combines the 40-minute bumboat cruise with both evening spectacles.

⚠️ Boarding points: Only four jetties are currently operational: Clarke Quay, Read Bridge, Bayfront South (beside ArtScience Museum), and Clifford Pier. All intermediate stops (such as Fort Canning and Raffles Place jetties) remain closed until further notice.

Official ticket fares and departures

Official rates published by Singapore River Cruise (rivercruise.com.sg). Fares include GST. Tickets are available at physical kiosks situated beside each operational jetty and via authorized digital partners.

• Ticketing counters:
  • Clarke Quay Jetty counter: Monday to Thursday 11:00 to 22:00; Friday to Sunday 10:00 to 22:30.
  • Bayfront South Jetty counter: 10:00 to 21:00 daily.
• Departure intervals: Boats depart every 15 to 25 minutes depending on queue volume.
• Route format: A single continuous loop. You board and disembark at the same jetty. If you wish to use the bumboat as point-to-point water transport (for instance, travelling one-way from Clarke Quay to Bayfront South), you must disembark and forfeit the remainder of the 40-minute circuit.
• Vessel mechanics: Modern Singapore bumboats are 100% electrically powered, having replaced diesel engines to protect the water quality of the Marina Reservoir. Seating is divided between an air-conditioned enclosed forward cabin and an open-air stern deck with perimeter wooden benches.

Clarke Quay at dusk. Photo: Eggjeezprata, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Evening packages and guided tours

Evening packages pair the water journey with reserved vantage points for Singapore’s signature free light spectacles.

Singapore River cruise with Garden Rhapsody and Spectra

From S$30 · 4.8 stars from 1,991 reviews · 4 hours · cruise and dual light shows

Singapore River Cruise, Garden Rhapsody & Spectra by CYTad: combines the 40-minute traditional electric bumboat cruise with an English-speaking host who coordinates your evening timing. Guides you to prime viewing spots for the 19:45 Garden Rhapsody music-and-light performance at Gardens by the Bay, followed by the 21:00 Spectra water fountain show outside Marina Bay Sands.

Evening waterfront cruise and light shows tour

From S$35 · 4.9 stars from 150 reviews · 3.5 hours · Evening package

Singapore River Cruise, Gardens & Spectra Light Shows Tourad: an evening itinerary that combines a river cruise with the Gardens by the Bay and Spectra light shows.

Chinatown, Little India and Arab Street walking tour

From S$90 · 4.9 stars from 466 reviews · 4 hours · Guided walk

Singapore: Chinatown, Little India, Arab Street Walking Tourad: a four-hour guided walk through Singapore’s three main cultural quarters.

Official ticket or tour package: the prices side by side

Standard boat admission compared with evening packages and combined walking tours.

The four operational jetties

Only four piers along the river corridor are currently active for passenger boarding:

All other jetties (including Boat Quay, Promenade, Esplanade, and Fort Canning jetties) are temporarily closed for structural pier refurbishments.

The Fullerton Hotel and Cavenagh Bridge on the Singapore River. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

Historic bridges and river landmarks

The 40-minute journey traces the commercial lifeblood of 19th-century colonial Singapore, traversing three historic quays and nine landmark bridges:

• Bumboats (Twakows & Tongkangs): Historically used to lighter cargo from oceangoing square-riggers anchored in the roads to riverbank godowns (warehouses). Painted with traditional dragon eyes on the bow so the vessel could “see” hazards ahead. Following the massive 10-year Singapore River Clean-up initiated by the government in 1977, cargo operations moved to modern container ports, and the fleet transitioned to clean electric tourist vessels.
• The Quays:
  • Clarke Quay: Named after Sir Andrew Clarke, Singapore’s second Governor. Once packed with Chinese boatmen and spice godowns, today converted into riverside dining terraces under distinctive tensile shade structures.
  • Boat Quay: A curved belly along the southern bank shaped like the belly of a carp (symbolising wealth in Chinese geomancy). Lined with restored two- and three-storey shophouses backed by the 280-metre skyscrapers of Raffles Place.
  • Colonial Civic District: Houses the Old Parliament House (The Arts House), the 1862 Asian Civilisations Museum (former Empress Place Building), and the marble statue marking Sir Stamford Raffles’ 1819 landing spot.
• Historic Bridges:
  • Read Bridge (1889): Named after merchant William Henry Read; historically a gathering point for Teochew storytelling labourers.
  • Elgin Bridge (1929): An elegant cast-concrete arch bridge marking the historic divide between Chinese merchants on the south bank and European traders on the north bank.
  • Coleman Bridge (1886): Decorated with Victorian wrought-iron gas lamps and decorative arches.
  • Cavenagh Bridge (1869): Singapore’s oldest surviving suspension bridge, manufactured by P&W MacLellan in Glasgow, Scotland, and shipped in prefabricated sections. The original police notice forbidding cattle and horses from crossing still hangs on the end pillars.
  • Anderson Bridge (1910): Heavy rusticated granite piers and structural steel trusses, crossing near the entrance to Marina Bay.
• Marina Bay Waterfront: The boat clears the Anderson and Esplanade bridges to enter open waters, offering 360-degree views of the Merlion spouting into the bay, the durian-shaped twin domes of the Esplanade theatres, the lotus-inspired ArtScience Museum, and the soaring towers of Marina Bay Sands.

The Merlion at Marina Bay. Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Practical advice and getting there

• Timing your ride: For the most atmospheric experience, board between 18:45 and 19:15. This allows you to catch the golden sunset light reflecting off the financial skyscrapers, experience the city transition into dusk, and view the illuminated quayside shophouses.
• Getting to Clarke Quay Jetty: Take the North East Line to Clarke Quay MRT Station (NE5). Take Exit G, cross the pedestrian footbridge over the river, and walk 50 metres along the promenade to the ticket kiosk beside the Slingshot ride.
• Getting to Bayfront South Jetty: Take the Downtown Line or Circle Line to Bayfront MRT Station (CE1/DT16), walk through The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands to the outdoor waterfront promenade outside the ArtScience Museum.
• Onward walking routes: Combine your cruise with the pedestrian Chinatown to Marina Bay walk or stroll the illuminated harbour perimeter on the Marina Bay evening walk. For riverfront dining and nightlife hotels, see the Clarke Quay recommendations in where to stay in Singapore.