I’ve had this on my bucket list for a while! A run along the Singapore River.

The starting point is Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) which is just a short walk from Raffles Place MRT if you’re entering the downtown area.

The run goes in the direction of Clarke Quay on the side of ACM. You’re opposite the shophouses and restaurants that line Boat Quay. On this side, you’ll pass by the nation’s Parliament and you’ll make your way to two pedestrian underpasses to emerge on the Clarke Quay side.

If it isn’t crowded, you can jog along the side of Clarke Quay’s blocks and pass by the restaurants and bars. I’m happy they’ve allowed music to be played again. If it’s crowded, the alternative I think would be to run along the side of the road on the edge of the restaurant blocks.

Continue running along the shared cycling and pedestrian paths and you’ll pass by the demolished Liang Court. I was surprised to see this already taken down. I used to do my groceries at Meidi-Ya a few years ago here. The area is being redeveloped into the CanningHill Piers. Fancy name, huh!

Further down, it’s Robertson Quay and the rainbow-coloured Alkaff Bridge. This bridge was painted by Filipino American Pacita Abad as a “gift to Singapore” before she passed away in 2004. I’m biased here, but it’s the prettiest bridge on this stretch.

Also, restaurants and cafés in this area look extra special at sunset! I really want to try Botany. I spotted one or two izakayas too.

I wanted to turnaround from Great World City but got distracted by a rowdy family of otters near Jiak Kim Bridge. A group of people were gathered around. I honestly thought there was some type of accident. But they were all gathered around watching the otters.

By this point the sun had already set and I turned back towards Boat Quay from the opposite side of the river. I can’t emphasise further… but this route is a dream for the urban runner. I couldn’t help but stop a few times to take it all in. I’d say last night’s run was for familiarisation. I wanted to see which side of the river made more sense so I can do a proper run without any scenic stops next time. 😛

The quieter side of the river is obviously opposite the side of the restaurants and cafés. I noticed they upgraded the sidewalks and added more markers to direct cyclists and runners.

You can find my route on Strava below. The start and finish was from ACM (rightmost side). From right to left, it would be Boat Quay, Clarke Quay, and Robertson Quay aka Kampong Martin (I’ve never heard of that before!).

It’s a great 5km that’s an alternative to doing a loop around Marina Bay. I’m doing more of these runs in the city since I’m back in the office at least twice a week. I try to make it a point to enjoy the downtown area more… since I’ve been cooped up at home in Pasir Ris for far too long.

Definitely recommend this route for those who enjoy running in downtown areas.