Asian Civilisations Museum: Cultural Landmark Next To Singapore River With Free Tours And Exhibitions

Asian Civilisations Museum

There are multiple museums in Singapore, but the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) is the only museum in Asia dedicated to the rich artistic heritage of Asia as well as our Singaporean ancestral cultures. It also boasts permanent collections and innovative special exhibitions with a pan-Asian scope – making it an educational spot to impress a date or simply to bring the family.

Here’s what you can look forward to when you visit this historical building by the Singapore River:

How to get to ACM Singapore

If you’re going by train, you can take the North South Line or East West Line towards Raffles Place MRT Station (EW14/NS26). Take Exit H and walk 5 minutes to the Asian Civilisations Museum. For those who aren’t near any MRT stations, don’t worry, because there are many buses available that will take you to ACM Singapore. The nearest bus stop to the museum is Fullerton Square Bus Stop (03011), which is only a 2-minute walk away.

Is the Asian Civilisation Museum Singapore wheelchair-friendly?

ACM is one of the museums in Singapore that’s completely wheelchair-friendly as all galleries are accessible via the visitor lifts. Level 1 can be accessed by the lift behind the lobby while Level 2 and 3 can be accessed by the lift outside Court and Company gallery at Level 1. Alternatively, you can also take the lift at the Christian Art gallery on Level 2 to get to Level 3.

Their Front and River entrances are also built with ramps that will lead you directly into the museum at the Visitor Services counter. Manual and motorised wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and standard-size strollers are all allowed in. Otherwise, you’re free to borrow a manual wheelchair from the Front Desk at the lobby.

Wheel-friendly washrooms can be found on Level 1 near the Empress restaurant, outside the River Room on Level 2, or near the lift and staircase in the basement. If you need a baby-changing station or a nursing room, you can go to the washroom in the basement.

Galleries at ACM Singapore

Good news for Singaporeans and PR folks – all permanent galleries here are free, and you will only have to pay for tickets to special exhibitions.

Level 1 – Maritime Trade

Galleries on the first floor revolve around stories of trade. Start in the Khoo Teck Puat gallery nestled in the riverfront wing, where you can follow the narrative beginning from a collection that features items from the famous Tang Shipwreck.

Items discovered from the Tang Shipwreck nearly 1,100 years ago.
Image credit: National Heritage Board 

With more than 1,000 pieces of ceramics, gold, and silver displayed, you’ll get a glimpse of the bustling Indian Ocean trade and globalisation from way back in the Tang dynasty during 830AD. These ancient treasures were only discovered in 1998.

Image credit: National Heritage Board 

Following your newfound knowledge of our trade history, check out the Maritime Trade Gallery, where works of art demonstrate the changing tastes of traders who moved across regions. These showcase how Asian cultures have interacted and exchanged ideas with each other for millennia until today.

Level 2 – Faith and Belief

Image credits: National Heritage Board 

Make your way up to the second level, and you will be greeted with sculptures, paintings, and ritual objects in the Ancient Religions Gallery. From Christian to Islamic art, the exquisite works chart the spread of religion across Asia, accompanied with informative descriptions of their influences in society. You can also learn about the diverse ancestral customs and rituals commonly found in many communities in Southeast Asia from the Ancestors and Rituals Gallery.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Visit the Scholars Gallery and be whisked off to ancient China where you’ll uncover the backstory of how respect was accorded to individuals who pursued academic studies and possessed artistic talents. From this, you can better understand how a centuries-old ideal in society is still pivotal to Chinese culture today.

On Level 2, you’ll also find the ongoing Pagoda Odyssey 1915: From Shanghai to San Francisco special exhibition. Available for viewing from now till 1st June 2025, this one requires a ticket to enter and they’re going for $12/adult, but it’s free entry for kids, students, and seniors alike.

Image credit: @acm_sg via Instagram

You’ll get to lay your eyes on a set of 84 hand-carved model pagodas that were originally made in Shanghai and shipped across the globe to San Francisco, for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915. Intricately detailed, these models are inspired by iconic pagodas in the real world, from different regions and historical periods.

The exhibition will be accompanied by various programmes too, all of which are free to attend. The little ones will have a blast creating their own renditions of pagodas using LEGO bricks at Pagoda Land, or explore these archaic buildings yourself using technology at Journey into the Pagoda: A VR Experience. These free activities will also run from now till 1st June 2025.

Level 3 – Materials and Design

From late Qing dynasty Chinese dresses to 19th century Javanese batik, you’ll get a glimpse of the OOTDs of yesteryear here.
Image credit: National Heritage Board 

Featuring a myriad of rooms with a focus on decorative art, the Fashion and Textiles Gallery houses a diverse collection of displays on fashion and textiles that change periodically. Alternatively, make a beeline for the Jewellery Gallery, centered around Southeast Asian jewellery and artefacts.

Image credit: Asian Civilisations Museum

There is also the Ceramics Gallery in the Kwek Hong Png Wing that showcases a slew of magnificent Chinese paintings, calligraphy and ceramics. Try to spot Dehua porcelain AKA “blanc de chine” too – a type of delicate white Chinese porcelain harkening all the way back to the Ming dynasty.

Tours at ACM

The free virtual museum host, Allie, will help guide you along.
Image credit: National Heritage Board 

From daily free guided tours IRL to audio description and virtual tours that you can tune in to from the comfort of your home, there is no shortage of interactivity at ACM. You can also check out Allie, ACM’s free virtual museum host, equipped with everything you need from maps to highlights of the museum.

There are also a slew of virtual tours on the ACM website; they’ve got 12 permanent ones which you can peruse at your leisure, anytime and anywhere you’d like. These include audio description tours for sighted visitors, and also virtual tours featuring 3D models of the museum’s galleries and antiques that you can explore from the comfort of home.

F&B outlets and shopping at ACM Singapore

If you’re looking to make a pitstop to rest and recharge, ACM has Prive in-house, or you can check out Cantonese restaurant Empress. You can also exit via the gift shop Museum Label to pick up heritage and cultural merchandise as mementos.

Visiting Asian Civilisations Museum

As part of the National Heritage Board, ACM Singapore is a must to add to your next museum-hopping itinerary. With an avalanche of Asian artefacts and antiques, everyone from historophiles to casual museum-goers will definitely gain deeper insights about our Asian culture.

For more museum-related reads:

• Museums in Singapore
• Nintendo museum in Kyoto
• Children’s Museum Singapore Into The Hawkerverse
• Upcoming The World of Studio Ghibli exhibition at ArtScience Museum

Cover image adapted from: Wikimedia Commons, National Heritage Board, Asian Civilisations Museum. Last updated by Khoo Yong Hao on 8th September 2024.