[UPDATED] 7 walking tours to sign up for in Singapore this January

January is packed with lots of artsy tours, ranging from those at the Singapore Art Museum’s exhibitions and one along the North East Line with Art Outreach. If you don’t like art, the Love MacRitchie Walks provide some respite away from the bustle of the city. It’s time to wander and become just a little bit more knowledgable about your hometown.

Love MacRitchie Walks (Jan 10, 23)

The NUS Toddycats will be conducting fortnightly tours at MacRitchie’s Venus loop from Jan to Mar next year. The tours are a response to LTA’s announcement of the new Cross Island Line MRT (CRL), which will run through this ecosystem.The walk is to check out MacRitchie’s diverse ecosystem and the habitats (all with minimal disturbance, of course). The guides will also show some of the cool stuff that can be found in the forest, and to urge people to help save it before development takes over. Sign up for
the Jan 10 and 23 walks here and here respectively. Free

Singapore Art Museum’s Tour Of Art and Architecture (Jan 16, 23)

Part of SAM’s Singapore Art Week, this tour is all about finding how the principles of art have shaped the historical buildings of Singapore. There are two time slots, one from 10am-11:30am, and another from 10:30am-12pm. Look out for the intricate craftsmanship in these monuments. $3

Art In Transit Tour: North East Line (Jan 16-17, 23-24)

ArtOutreach is having a tour of the artwork that appears on the North East Line. If your face is usually buried in your iPhone, it’s a good time to stop and smell the roses at all these busy stations and find out the deeper meaning behind all the work. Tours are conducted on the weekends, at both 10am in the morning an 2pm in the afternoon. Register here. Free

Singapore Art Museum’s Time of Others Curators Tour (Jan 18)

Artwalk Little India (Jan 17-23)

Little India is getting on the Art Week bandwagon, where you’ll get to check out the artwork along the district and explore its culture and heritage from 7:30-9:30pm. Organized by LaSalle College of the Arts and Singapore Tourism Board (STB), you’ll see work by alumni, which ranges from mixed media murals to video projections. There’s also some music on the tour, with traditional Indian percussion mixed with Western music. Free

My Community’s Queenstown Tours (Jan 30, 31)

My Community is organizing two tours along Queenstown and they are the Dawson and Alexandra Heritage Trail (Jan 30) and the Tanglin Halt and Margaret Drive Tour (Jan 31). Both tours start at 9am. The first tour is a walk around Alexandra Hospital, Princess House and through the military installations along Kay Siang Road. The residents from Singapore’s first point block of flats will also tell you some of their stories. The Tanglin Halt and Margaret Drive route covers the the very first HDB Block in Singapore, the oldest library in town (Queenstown Public Library), and, of course, the Tanglin Halt estate, which will be demolished in four years. Sound cool? Sign up here. Free

Fullerton Heritage Tour (Through Feb 7)

You may have heard that the Fullerton Hotel is now a National Monument, and the staff are organizing a one-hour tour to check out the Neoclassical building’s architecture, as well of the many stories that the building holds. The tour will touch on its history as a post office, and how it witnessed tha many events from Singapore’s colonial years to present day. The tour takes place every Saturday and Sunday at either 11am or 2pm, and it costs $20. Participants will receive a $20 voucher that can be used at restaurants in The Fullerton Hotel Singapore and The Fullerton Bay Hotel. Sign up here. $20.