The ArtScience Museum is the white, lotus-shaped building on the waterfront at Marina Bay Sands, and it is one of the most recognisable shapes on the Singapore skyline. Inside, the ArtScience Museum mixes a long-running immersive digital art exhibition with touring shows that bring together art, science, design and technology. It is an easy add-on to a Marina Bay evening and a good indoor option when it rains.
What the ArtScience Museum is like
The museum opened in 2011 as part of the Marina Bay Sands development. The roof is shaped like a lotus flower, or an open hand, depending on who you ask, and it collects rainwater that runs down through the centre of the building. The galleries spread across several levels inside the "petals".
Exhibitions change regularly, and that is the main thing to understand before you go: what you see depends on when you visit. Past shows have covered topics from ancient history to space travel and contemporary photography. Alongside them, the long-running Future World exhibition, created with the Japanese art collective teamLab, fills a set of dark rooms with interactive projections that react as you move.
How to get to the ArtScience Museum by MRT
The nearest station is Bayfront, an interchange on the Circle Line and the Downtown Line. Follow the signs for Marina Bay Sands and The Shoppes. You can stay underground and inside the mall for most of the way, then step out on the waterfront side where the museum sits at the end of the promenade. It takes around five to ten minutes on foot.
Another pleasant approach is to walk around the bay from the Merlion or the Esplanade and cross the Helix Bridge, which brings you out close to the museum.
ArtScience Museum tickets
Each exhibition is ticketed separately, and there are usually combination tickets if you want to see more than one. Prices differ between exhibitions and between residents and visitors, and timed slots are common for popular shows. Book on the official Marina Bay Sands website, which lists current exhibitions, ticket options and opening hours. Booking ahead is worth it for weekends and school holidays.
Best time to visit and how long to stay
Weekday mornings and early afternoons are quietest. Weekends and school holidays can be crowded, especially in Future World, where children love the interactive rooms. A late afternoon visit works well if you want to combine it with sunset on the waterfront and the evening light and water show outside Marina Bay Sands.
Allow about an hour for Future World and one to two hours for each touring exhibition. Most people spend two to three hours in total.
Highlights
- Future World: the teamLab rooms include a space of hanging lights, a digital waterfall and areas where children's drawings come alive on the walls.
- The building itself: walk around the outside to see the lotus shape from different angles, and look at the lily pond around its base.
- Touring exhibitions: check what is on before you go, as some are major international loans that will only be there for a few months.
For photos of the building, the far side of the bay near the Merlion and the Helix Bridge give the best angles.
Practical tips for the ArtScience Museum
Check the official listings a few days before you go, because exhibitions open and close throughout the year and a gallery you read about may already have moved on. If you are visiting Future World with small children, go early in the day when the rooms are calmer and children have more space to play with the interactive walls. Wear comfortable shoes, as some exhibits involve standing for a long time or walking on uneven, dimly lit floors. Large bags may need to be left in lockers. The museum's cafe and the many restaurants in The Shoppes next door make it easy to take a break between exhibitions, and the waterfront promenade outside is a good place to rest once the evening heat drops.
Nearby on the same stop
Bayfront is the station for the whole Marina Bay Sands area, so it is easy to fill a day here:
- Marina Bay Sands SkyPark: the observation deck on top of the hotel towers.
- Gardens by the Bay: the Supertrees and conservatories are across the footbridge behind the hotel.
- The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands: the mall with the indoor canal and food court.
- Helix Bridge: the curved pedestrian bridge towards the Esplanade side of the bay.
Find the museum on our ArtScience Museum page, or browse more stops on the Singapore metro guide.