Who needs a sightseeing tour when the city's regular buses double as the best-value tours around? A roundup from The Smart Local highlights 13 bus routes across Singapore that deliver skyline views, coastal sunsets and heritage streetscapes — all for the price of a standard fare.
The standout for drama is bus 117 or 103, whose crossing over Yishun Dam went viral for resembling the famous water-crossing train scene in Spirited Away. Sit on the upper deck of a double-decker and time your ride for around 6.30pm to catch the sun setting behind the dam. Bus 117 also passes Seletar Aerospace Park, where waterfront cafes like Wheeler's Estate serve lazy weekend brunches, while bus 103 stops near the Japanese Cemetery Park and Kampong Lorong Buangkok, Singapore's last surviving village.
For skyline classics, bus 70 runs a tourist-friendly route past Marina Bay Sands, the ArtScience Museum and the Singapore Flyer — basically a budget Big Bus Tour with locals onboard. Bus 518 is the epic option: a two-hour, 90-stop express service from Pasir Ris that crosses the Benjamin Sheares Bridge with postcard views of the Flyer, Marina Bay Sands and the Helix Bridge along the way.
Nature lovers get plenty of choices too. Bus 925 crosses Kranji Dam with reservoir views on one side and the Johor Straits on the other, and on Sundays you can connect to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. Bus 200 tackles the famously twisty South Buona Vista Road — nicknamed the "99 turns" — before finishing near Kent Ridge Park's treetop walks. Bus 980 swaps city blocks for the leafy Sembawang hinterlands, with a stop at Springleaf Nature Park, a quiet spot for spotting kingfishers and long-tailed parakeets.
Chasing coastal vibes? Catch the first bus 35 at 6am for a sunrise ride down Tanah Merah Coastal Road towards Changi Bay Point, a serene spot for a seaside picnic (note: it stops running at 7.30pm on weekdays, 3pm Saturdays, and not at all on Sundays). Bus 29 rolls past nostalgic old low-rise housing in Changi Village; hop off for the boardwalk and a sunset that turns the coast pink and purple before 7pm. Bus 5 brings palm-lined, almost Bali-like stretches along Flora Drive, while bus 65 threads heritage shophouses in Little India up to Orchard Road — best ridden during Deepavali or Christmas, when the streets are lit up. Even bus 36 from Changi Airport has its fans, looping through all four terminals under a canopy of rain trees.
Practical stuff: fares start at S$1.28 with a contactless bank card or stored-value card like EZ-Link (S$2.10 cash), capped at S$2.57 per journey by card. Always tap in and out with the same payment method, or you'll be charged the maximum fare. Worth knowing too: fares are set to rise by up to 13 cents from 26 December 2026 — the biggest public transport hike yet.
For travellers on a stopover or anyone who'd rather see a city at street level than from an observation deck, these routes turn a S$1.28 ride into a half-day of sightseeing. Pick one, grab an upper-deck seat, and let the driver do the navigating.
