What to expect
HarbourFront is a large mall at the foot of a green hill, and the contrast is the appeal: you can be in air-conditioning and in secondary forest within the same twenty minutes. The hill gives a genuine view over the harbour and the southern islands. From there a chain of ridge parks and pedestrian bridges runs several kilometres west, which is one of the better long walks in Singapore and almost entirely shaded.
Getting there
HarbourFront on the North East and Circle lines, directly beneath the mall. For the ridge walk, Telok Blangah on the Circle line is a better starting point and saves the initial climb.
When to go
Early morning or late afternoon for the hill and the ridges - the climb is steep enough that midday is unpleasant. The mall is a reasonable wet-weather option at any hour, and the cable car runs into the evening.
What a resident would tell you
Most visitors go up the hill by cable car and come straight back down. Walking west along the ridges instead, over the wave-shaped bridge and through the forest walk, is free, shaded, and the better part of the area entirely.
Worth knowing
The full ridge route is around ten kilometres. Doing a section is sensible; attempting all of it without water in the afternoon is not. There are exit points to MRT stations along the way.
If it rains. Mall is covered; the ridge walks are exposed and hilly.