1-Arden CapitaSpring: Singapore’s Best Free Rooftop — Our Honest Sky Garden Review

We almost talked ourselves out of going. A full tropical monsoon, black clouds sitting squarely on top of the CBD, and a rooftop garden 51 floors up — on paper, not the smartest plan.But we went anyway. And it turned into one of the best moments from our entire third Singapore trip.

Yep, we’ve been countless times in the little country, and even lived there as slowmads for a little while back in 2025. We visited the best Singapore rooftop, ditching the plans of visiting Marina Bay Sands. Yep, we favoured the view of the glamour, and were rewarded with some of our best photos from Singapore.

This is our honest, first-hand review of the 1-Arden CapitaSpring free rooftop Singapore — what to expect on the floors, what happens when it rains, how to actually get in, and whether it’s worth the fuss at all.

Practical Details for your Singapore Rooftop Visit

Detail	Info
Address	CapitaSpring, entrance on Church Street, CBD
Cost	Free (advance booking required)
Hours	Weekdays only: 8:30–10:30 AM & 2:30–6:00 PM (Excluded public holidays)
Booking	1-arden.sg, slots open 2 weeks ahead – Note: there is a no-show Fee if you book the visit to the Bar (SGD 50 cancellation fee)
Walk-ins	Limited — ask at reception
Level 51 in rain	May close; redirected to L17–20
After 6 PM	Bar/restaurant reservation needed for L51
Nearest MRT	Raffles Place, Exit A
Dress code	None – Except if you visit the high-end restaurants, where a smart casual dress code is required.

How to Book CapitaSpring Sky Garden (Step by Step)

Tickets are released exactly two weeks in advance — not a day earlier — and they go within hours. We had to wait an extra day when booking, because we were late to join the online queue.

We booked the moment slots opened for our Singapore dates, and even then, the choice of time slots was already limited. Because of the unpredictable weather in February in Singapore, we tried to rebook for a later date, but everything was gone for another two weeks.

Here’s the booking process, step by step:

1. Go to the Sky Garden reservation link here.
2. Select your preferred slot — weekdays only, either 8:30–10:30 AM or 2:30–6:00 PM.
3. Confirm your free booking — no payment required.
4. Head to the Church Street entrance (not Market Street), scan your QR code at reception, and take the dedicated lift.

Our experience visiting 1Arden Rooftop in Singapore

We loved our visit to 1Arden at Capita Spring. To be fair, while you aren’t followed during the experience, there isn’t much cultural insight in it, but we loved the peaceful atmosphere. Technically, for most of our visit (let’s say, half of it), we couldn’t see much of the view, so our focus was solely on the design and the garden.

So, many people (us included) might think that this rooftop isn’t worth visiting when it’s raining. However, we are the proof that isn’t true. Of course, the whole experience got better when we made our way up to the 51st floor, the bar area and the multiple terraces. However, the point of visiting this outstanding building facing Singapore Bay isn’t solely about the stunning view.

The Walk There: Boat Quay, The River & a Very Good Pub

We could have taken the MRT straight to Raffles Place and been there in two minutes. Instead, we walked along Boat Quay, following the Singapore River — and we don’t regret it.

Before crossing to the CapitaSpring side, we stopped at The Penny Black, a proper British pub sitting right beside UOB Plaza. A cold pint for $12 SGD, dark wood interior, football on the screen.

We’ve lost count of how many times we’ve said Singapore feels like London — but with palms, sea, and considerably more humidity. For more on getting under the skin of Singapore beyond the tourist trail, check out our honest Singapore guide.

We crossed the river bridge, caught a view of Clarke Quay down the water — one of our favourite evening spots in the city — and spotted the Old Hill Street Police Station with its rainbow-coloured windows. One of the most postcard-perfect photos we’ve taken in Singapore. Then the rain started.

We nearly gave up because of the monsoon

Light drops first. Almost London-like in that deceptive, polite way. Then it became proper tropical hammering.

We ducked under the porticos of the Asian Civilisations Museum — tickets are bookable online, and worth it if you have time — and watched the river churn from a safe dry distance. Behind us: the Arts House and the old Parliament. We’d planned to cross the Jubilee Bridge, but the storm had other plans. We speed-walked to Cavenagh Bridge instead, sheltered under Raffles Place, then pushed on to UOB Plaza.

Standing there, watching the rain turn into a full tropical storm, staring directly at the CapitaSpring building across the road, we genuinely questioned whether this was still worth doing.

This was Singapore’s second monsoon of the day, by the way. Morning: blazing sun, punishing heat. After lunch, the sky collapsed twice. That’s just Singapore doing what it does.

Getting In: The Entrance is on Church Street

When the rain eased slightly, we crossed Market Street under the CapitaSpring porticos and stayed completely dry. The building entrance for 1-Arden is on Church Street — easy to miss if you’re approaching from Raffles Place. Follow the building around.

Inside, there are seats in the foyer. Genuinely useful when you’ve been half-drenched. We sat, recovered, and Ale scanned our QR codes at the desk. The staff were calm and quick. But there was a catch: because of the storm, Level 51 was temporarily closed. We were redirected to floors 17 to 20 only.

The Green Oasis (Levels 17–20): Better Than Expected

The mid-section of the building is a four-floor open spiral garden — and it’s genuinely brilliant even before you get anywhere near the top. The curved architecture keeps it airy and light without exposing you fully to the elements, and the tropical planting fills every corner.

What’s across the floors:

• L17: Garden Café (Sal Luna restaurant), Garden Deck, Nature Courtyard, Work Pod
• L18: Amphitheatre, Jungle Gym, Reverie Lounge, Yoga Alcove
• L19: Forest Walk, Ideation Nest, Jungle Gym, Reverie Lounge, Work Pod
• L20: Foyer, Meeting Rooms, Multi-Function Hall

The first balcony sets the tone immediately — curved paths, tropical plants, views opening up on all sides, a calm that somehow survives a storm overhead. It reminded us instantly of the Sky Garden in London, our favourite rooftop building back home. This is that, but more open, more lush, and considerably more equatorial.

There’s an outdoor gym, yoga corners, egg chairs for sitting and decompressing, and charging points scattered around the building. Free public WiFi too (slow, but present). We sat in the green wicker chairs and edited a couple of Instagram video guides — this place photographs well from every angle. Families had the same idea: kids running laps of the spiral safely, parents relaxed. Can’t blame them.

Staff were busy mopping up rain-soaked sections — some corners were cordoned off. But even from Level 20, on a grey, cloudy afternoon, the views were already working: 

• Marina Bay takes the entire east side.
• People’s Park Building mural and Chinatown area slowly emerging through the breaking clouds on the southwest side.
• On the North side, we enjoyed the Padang, the National Gallery, and the green area of Fort Canning.

Level 51: The View That Changes Everything

At around 6:32 PM — technically past the 6 PM public access cut-off — we were still on Level 20, being gently moved along by a patient guard. We had a chat with him, and found ourselves following the last wave of visitors up to Level 51. Everyone was doing it. It was allowed.

From Level 51, at 280 metres, Singapore opens up completely. It’s not the same feeling we had visiting the tallest building in the world – The Burj Khalifa in Dubai -, but still, you see Singapore from a completely different angle.

This is the highest publicly accessible viewpoint in Singapore — taller than Marina Bay Sands SkyPark, and completely free as a skip-MBS free alternative.

The 360-degree view covers the entire bay, the boats in the harbour looking impossibly vast from this height, the Singapore Flyer in the background, and the river curving below with the white OCBC building and Cavenagh Bridge framing it perfectly. That’s still one of our favourite photos from the whole day.

Our last shots from Level 20: 6:32 PM, full cloud cover.

First clear sky shots from Level 51: 6:39 PM. Seven minutes. The view of Marina Bay Sands from the CBD rooftop — suddenly golden, clear, impossibly good. It was a relief, and it made the entire rain-soaked afternoon absolutely worth it. We’ll be honest: the moody, cloudy version had its own atmosphere, too. Visit both ways if you can.

After 6 PM, Level 51 officially requires a bar or restaurant reservation. We didn’t have one, but the staff allowed a brief visit — it was Chinese New Year’s Eve and the city had a particular looseness to it. We squeezed a drink at the 1-Arden bar before making our way down. Ears popped on the descent from the 51st floor. That’s how high up we were.

What to do after CapitaSpring: Lau Pa Sat & Boon Tat Street

While there is a Hawker Centre within the building – Market Street Hawker Centre – it was closed for a public holiday when we visited. So we had to plan our day out in Singapore Bay differently.

CapitaSpring sits a five-minute walk from Lau Pa Sat, Singapore’s most iconic hawker centre. Full breakdown in our Chinatown Singapore guide — but on this particular evening, we stumbled into something better.

Boon Tat Street was in full swing. Rows of tables packed tightly, the smell of charcoal and BBQ drifting from a block away, vendors aggressively friendly with their menus and pulled-out chairs. It’s essentially an open-air extension of Lau Pa Sat — noisier, smokier, and excellent.

• Tiger beer pints for $3.50 SGD — a genuine steal after $12 at The Penny Black earlier
• Jugs at $26 SGD — good value if you’re in a group
• Satay everywhere, full rows of tables, great energy

About 60% of stalls were open — the rest shut for Chinese New Year, so even our usual reliable spots weren’t available. The Marina Bay fireworks had pushed crowds back towards Lau Pa Sat. Queues were building, but the atmosphere was worth it: people dressed in red and white, families in traditional Chinese dress, even foreign visitors joining in.

Our Honest Verdict: Is 1-Arden Worth It?

The 1-Arden CapitaSpring Sky Garden is the best free rooftop in Singapore, full stop. It beats the Flyer on height and beats MBS on price (and arguably on view). For the cheapest way to see Singapore’s skyline, this is it — nothing else comes close.

Also, we often argue about the fact that a landmark is better viewed than lived. That’s why we still think it’s best to see Marina Bay Sands, then actually go to the top to see the rest of Singapore. I know that it’s a very personal point, but at that price tag, we really are comfortable with the choice of skipping it.

Another tip we want to remark is to book the afternoon slot, aim for late in the day, and don’t cancel if it rains. The sky clears fast here. The seven-minute transformation from storm to golden hour over Marina Bay is the kind of thing you’ll remember for a long time.