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Think Singapore and your mind probably doesn’t immediately go to theme parks but the resort island of Sentosa is in fact home to the small, but perfectly formed, Universal Studios Singapore. With 7 lands and some classic rides alongside a few exclusive attractions, you can easily visit in a day, making it the perfect addition to your Singapore trip! Find out how to get there, what to ride and where to stay with this Universal Studios Singapore guide!
Step 1: Buy your Universal Studios Singapore ticket in advance here.
How to Get to Universal Studios Singapore
Universal Studios Singapore is located on Sentosa, a resort island just off the mainland of Singapore. The Sentosa Express monorail runs from VivoCity which can be found at the HarbourFront MRT stop (NE1/CC29). It costs $4 to get from VivoCity to Sentosa then it’s free to use within the island and to get back again. You can just tap on with your debit card in the same way you would for the MRT.
You can also walk across the boardwalk bridge which takes around 20 minutes as Universal Studios is one of the first places you’ll reach on Sentosa. You’ll have a long day on your feet though and Singapore is outrageously humid so I’d recommend getting the monorail.
Sentosa is actually home to loads of other attractions including a waterpark, beaches and luge track so why not add some more thrills to your trip! You can find out more in my Sentosa Island Guide here.
Lands At Universal Studios Singapore
Universal Studios Singapore is made up of 7 different themed lands, some based on your favourite films and characters, and some based on eras and locations. Due to the small size of the park, it’s easy to explore all of the lands fully, taking advantage of photo ops and character meet and greets as well as just rides!
Hollywood
Styled like vintage LA, you’ll stroll down Hollywood Boulevard as soon as you enter the park. Full of shops and restaurants, this is a great place to relax. You never know who you’ll bump into!
Highlights: Pantages Hollywood Theatre, street entertainment and character meet-and-greets.
New York
A little slice of New York in the middle of Singapore, complete with a Cookie Monster cookie shop, Sesame Street characters and a stage for special events, you’ll be taking photos on every corner.
Highlights: Sesame Street Spaghetti Space Chase and Lights, Camera, Action!
Sci-Fi City
A futuristic land combining a lot of sci-fi movie attractions. Be sure to check out what time you can meet the Transformers. Megatron is particularly worth a visit as he can be pretty sassy!
Highlights: Battlestar Galactica: HUMAN vs CYLON, and TRANSFORMERS The Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle.
Ancient Egypt
Despite only being a small land, Ancient Egypt was incredible impressive, making up for it’s small area by building upwards. You’ll find giant Egyptian tombs, statues and pillars with incredible detail, as well as the Revenge of the Mummy ride with a really exciting queue.
Highlights: Revenge of the Mummy and Treasure Hunters.
The Lost World (aka Jurassic Park)
Nothing beats the excitement of entering through the the classic Jurassic Park gateway to discover an adventurous jungle world full of dinosaurs. Also home to the classic WaterWorld stunt show, you won’t leave this land dry!
Highlights: Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure, Canopy Flyer, Dino-Soarin’ and the WaterWorld stunt show.
Far Far Away
A fairytale kingdom inspired by Shrek, complete with a giant castle, Far Far Away Hollywood sign and several attractions. This is also where you can meet Hiccup and Astrid from How To Train Your Dragon as they don’t have a separate land.
Highlights: Puss in Boots’ Giant Journey, Enchanted Airways and Magic Potion Spin.
Minion Land
Welcome to the world of Despicable Me! Packed full of details like the Bank of Evil, Gru’s House, and countless minion themed photo spots, you’ll find yourself getting swept up in minion fever. It’s also home to the fun-fair style section that’s great for kids. And yes, you can win the fluffy unicorn.
Highlights: Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, Buggie Boogie and Silly Swirly.
The Best Thrill Rides at Universal Studios Singapore
Battlestar Galactica: Human vs Cylon
Best For Thrill-Seekers
By far the best ride in the park, Battlestar Galactica: Human vs Cylon is a duelling coaster that boasts two completely different tracks and carts battling through the sky. I very much assumed both tracks would be the same but almost all aspects were different. Cylon is an inverted hanging coaster full of inversions including loops and corkscrews while Human is a traditional coaster car with no upside down portions. Both are fun and worth a ride but I’d recommend Cylon over Human if you’re looking for big thrills!
You need to put your belongings in a locker beforehand, but there are free ones just for the ride around to the left of Human as you enter.
Minimum height: 125 cm
Revenge of the Mummy
Best Indoor Coaster
Don’t get lured into a false sense of security as this ride starts meandering through some scenes from The Mummy. You’ll soon be flung into darkness, with fast drops and backward sections that make this one of the most exciting rides in the park.
Minimum height: 122 cm
TRANSFORMERS The Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle
Best Immersive Experience
Join Optimus Prime and the Autobots in a spectacular battle against the Decepticons. A moving ride vehicle, giant 3D visuals and dramatic motion make you feel as though you’re right inside the action. It’s a great choice even if you aren’t a roller-coaster fan but full disclosure, this ride triggers my motion sickness like nothing else so I do tend to skip it.
Minimum height: 102 cm
Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure
Best Water Ride
The Jurassic Park water ride is an iconic inclusion in a lot of Universal parks and Singapore is no exception. The ride vehicles here are circular rafts which give a slightly different ride experience depending on where you sit. Be ready to get wet (especially if you end up going backwards down the main drop) but with the Singapore heat, you’ll be dry again in no time. The motion can be pretty jolty and I found the seatbelt to be extremely uncomfortable cutting into my stomach so be prepared.
Minimum height: 107 cm
Despicable Me Minion Mayhem
Become a minion on this silly adventure with Gru and the gang. This motion-based attraction combines a giant animated adventure with simulated movement, making it entertaining for families and adults alike. A must-do if you love the Despicable Me movies.
Minimum height: 102 cm
Puss in Boots’ Giant Journey
A charming family rollercoaster that takes you on an adventure with Puss in Boots. Expect elevated tracks, turns and storybook scenery rather than extreme speeds. It’s a lovely middle ground between true kids rides and the more intense coasters.
Minimum height: 100 cm
Canopy Flyer
A suspended ride that gives you a bird’s-eye view of The Lost World and its dinosaur-themed surroundings. It’s shorter and gentler than the major coasters, but the elevated perspective and swinging sensation make it well worth trying.
Minimum height: 92 cm
Enchanted Airways
A fun, family-friendly junior roller coaster that winds through the world of Shrek and his friends. It’s a good option for children who want a proper coaster experience without the intensity of Battlestar Galactica or Revenge of the Mummy.
Minimum height: 92 cm
Sesame Street Spaghetti Space Chase
An indoor family ride where you join Elmo, Big Bird and the Sesame Street gang on a space adventure. It’s gentle, colourful and particularly good for younger children or anyone wanting a relaxing break between bigger rides.
Minimum height: 92 cm
Where To Stay For Universal Studios Singapore
There is one big decision to make when visiting Universal Studios Singapore and that’s whether you choose to stay on Sentosa or in the city.
Stay in the City
Staying in the city is the best option for the majoirty of Singapore travellers. If you’re visiting the park as part of a wider trip, it’s likely much easier for you to just stay in the city and visit as a day trip. The transport is so easy to use that you can very easily get there and back in a day. Plus, the park usually doesn’t open until 10am and closes between 6pm and 8pm so plenty of travel time before and after.
This option means you get to experience everything else Singapore has to offer as the food and nightlife on Sentosa are not anywhere near as good as the city!
Stay in Sentosa
The main benefit of staying in Sentosa is that it’s so easy! You can spend a whole day at the park and have your hotel right on your doorstep. It gives you more of a resort feel like other Universal and Disney parks which could be great for families. It could also be a good option if you plan on visiting some of the other attractions such as Adventure Cove Water Park as it will save you going back and forth to the city.
Top Tips for Visiting Universal Studios Singapore
And finally, here are my top tips for making the most of your trip!
Arrive early and head straight for the big rides – This is true of almost any theme park but it’s never been more true for me that it was here! We arrived at 9.40am for a 10am open time and they opened the gates at 9.45am. There were quite a lot of people there at this time but we headed straight to the Cylon branch of Human vs Cylon and walked on. By the time we finished the ride, the queue for Human was only 5 minutes so we went straight on and ticked off the two biggest coasters before the actual opening time! This was crucial for the day as the queues sat around 70 minutes each for most of the day.
Use the free lockers for Battlestar Galactica and The Mummy rides – These two rides (well, 3 if you count Human and Cylon) require you to put everything in a locker before you ride. Make sure you do it or you could risk being turned round when you get to the front of the queue! There are free lockers for both rides, just make sure you use the right ones, they should be clearly marked!
Be prepared for all weather – Bring suncream and bring waterproofs! The weather can be really changeable and you want to be prepared!
Queues can be shorter straight after rain – Lots of people take cover to wait out the weather or leave the queue is rides stop running; this makes them much shorter when they reopen!
Don’t miss the Water World show and character meets – Water World is a classic Universal show and is well worth a watch, as well as fun meet and greets all over the park. You can skip the Donkey show though, that was really disappointing.
Get the app – I will say that the user interface of the app left a lot to be desired but it was still useful to have the ride wait times and schedule for meet and greets and shows readily availble.
