Make your way to Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum fast and affordably by following these detailed steps.
Welcome to our guide on how to get to Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum in Singapore.
This comprehensive guide will focus on using public transportation to access this popular museum in Queenstown, Singapore.
One of the convenient aspects of getting to Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum is that you can use a combination of MRT and bus services to get there. By first using the MRT to reach a station, you can easily connect with public bus services to reach the Museum.
One of the clear benefits of using the MRT and bus to reach Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum is that you completely avoid parking headaches. The last thing you want to do is spend 15 minutes looking for a place to park in Singapore.
You will also save money by avoiding unnecessary taxi fees getting there.
Singapore’s public transport system is world-class, and in this article, we will explain exactly how to use it to reach Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.
Visiting Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum
You should highly consider visiting Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in Singapore. It is located on the National University of Singapore’s Kent Ridge Campus and is named after Lee Kong Chian.
It officially opened on April 18th, 2015.
Operationally, Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum consists of two main branches:
1) The plant and animal collections
2) The public gallery
This popular museum consists of several zones spread out over a seven-storey green building providing 8,500 square metres of space which includes world-class exhibits on the origin of life, evolution and biodiversity.
It has over 560,000 catalogued lots and well over a million specimens, with a few thousand on display. When you visit the Museum, you can check out all the bottled and dried specimens.
Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum is quite famous for its dinosaur and whale exhibits. The descriptions and displays are easy to understand, and children typically spend around 2 hours here. If you’re into biodiversity, plan on staying here for the whole day!
Getting to Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum via MRT and Bus
Step 1: Walk to the closest MRT station.
If you want to take the MRT to Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, we suggest staying as close as possible to a station.
Being able to walk directly to a station makes getting around easier, cheaper and faster.
Actually, many Singaporeans purposely buy and rent properties near the metro to ensure affordable and timely commuting.
If you haven’t booked a room yet, always double-check how close you will stay to a station. Staying within 500 m or less is a wise decision!
Here are two popular examples below:
Fullerton Hotel – 2 minutes from Raffles Place Station
JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach – 2 minutes to Esplanade Station
Also, check verified guest reviews to ensure the area is safe and the property is well-managed before booking.
Learn More: Fullerton Hotel – Closest MRT station?
Step 2: Plan your trip to Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum: Stations, Lines and Transfers.
Conveniently, there are several MRT stations that you can use to access Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum with connecting bus services.
We recommend heading to one of these three stations:
Clementi Station (EW23)
Dover Station (EW22)
One-North (CC23)
Based on their station codes, you can see that they are on different lines.
Both Clementi and Dover are on the East-West (Green) Line.
One-North Station is on the Circle (Orange) Line.
We suggest referring to the metro map and selecting the closest one of these to your starting point in Singapore.
Step 3: Buy an MRT card for your trip.
Stored Value Cards and Singapore Tourist Passes are the two main options for getting on buses and the MRT in Singapore.
Singapore Tourist Passes – As the name suggests, are intended for foreign visitors to the city. Once you buy one, you can use them unlimitedly on buses and trains.
These are perfect for busy itineraries between 1-3 days. And you can often return the card for a partial refund.
Stored Value Cards – We used a stored value card while discovering how to get to Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum in Singapore using public transportation.
Like Tourist Passes, stored value cards are accepted on buses and trains. Your card balance with automatically adjusted every time you exit the public transportation system.
These cards are very popular with long-term guests and Singaporeans.
Read More: Buying public transportation cards in Singapore – The Complete Guide
Step 4: Ride the MRT to Clementi (EW23), Dover (EW22), or One-North (CC23) Station.
As mentioned earlier, you have the choice of travelling to the most convenient of these three stations to access the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum:
Clementi
Dover
One-North
Make any necessary line transfers to access the East-West Line if you plan on getting off at Clementi or Dover.
Travel to the Circle Line to access One-North Station.
Step 5: Alight at your preferred station.
Get off the train at your station of choice with all your belongings.
Step 6: Travel from the train platform at the station to the correct exit level to access bus services.
Once you’re off the train, your next step to reach Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum is connecting with bus services.
You should focus on finding the right level of the station and the correct exit to access the bus to the Museum.
The section below outlines the exit information at Clementi, Dover and One-North Station.
Exiting Clementi Station (East-West Line)
You will arrive at Level 3 of Clementi Station (East-West Line Train Platforms).
Level 3 – Train Platforms
L2 – Concourse
Level 1 – Street Level
Head down from Level 3 to Level 1 of the station using the stairs, elevator or escalator.
There are several bus services that you can take from Clementi Station to reach Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.
We will focus on the fastest bus connection, which is accessible from station Exit B.
Exiting Dover Station (East-West Line)
Like Clementi, Dover Station is built above ground along the East-West Line.
It has three levels in a similar layout to Clementi:
Level 3 – Train Platforms
L2 – Concourse
Level 1 – Street Level
Travel down from Level 3 to Level 1.
Then take Exit A to access buses to Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.
Exiting One-North Station (Circle Line)
One-North Station is built underground, and you will arrive at the Level 3 Train Platform.
L1 – Street Level
B2 – Concourse
B3 – Circle Line Train Plaforms
In order to access bus services to Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, travel down to Level 1.
Take Exit A at One-North Station.
Step 7: Take a bus from Clementi, Dover or One-North Station to Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.
The section below explains how to get to Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum from Clementi, Dover and One-North Station using public bus services.
Bus Directions from Clementi Station
There are several bus services that you connect with at Clementi Station to access Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.
Some of the most popular bus services include:
154
184
52
183
188
According to our research, Bus 183 is the fastest to reach the Museum, so we will discuss those directions below.
Exit B will bring you out on Commonwealth Avenue West.
Walk over to the following bus stop:
Clementi Stn Exit B – Stop ID: 17179
Get on Bus 183 to reach Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.
Stay on Bus 183 for 4 stops and get off at this bus stop.
NUS Fac Of Engrg – Stop ID: 16159
Once you’re off the bus, walk north on Clementi Road toward Kent Ridge Crescent.
Take a right onto Kent Ridge Crescent.
Turn left onto Conservatory Drive, and you should see the entrance to Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum directly north.
Bus Directions from Dover Station
Similar to Clementi Station, several bus services are heading to Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum from Dover Station.
Some of the most popular bus services are:
105
106
147
166
185
74
151
The simplest and fastest route involves Bus 151, but it involves a short walk from Dover Station to get to the right bus stop.
Here are the directions below.
Head northwest on Commonwealth Avenue West.
Take the crosswalk.
Turn right onto Technology Drive.
Cross the road.
Turn right onto Commonwealth Avenue West.
Turn right onto Clementi Road.
Go to the following bus stop on Clementi Road:
Opp Blk 352 – Stop ID: 17109
Get on Bus 151 and stay on it for a couple of stops until you reach this bus stop:
Opp Blk 352 – Stop ID: 17109
Head west on Kent Ridge Crescent toward Conservatory Drive.
Turn right onto Conservatory Drive and walk to the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum entrance.
Bus Directions from One-North Station
There are several bus services connecting One-North Station to Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, including:
95
33
196
One of the fastest bus routes from One-North station involves Bus 95.
Exit A will bring you out onto Ayer Rajah Avenue.
Walk northwest on Ayer Rajah Avenue until your reach North Buona Vista Road.
Turn left onto North Buona Vista Road.
Walk south along North Buona Vista Road until you reach this bus stop:
Ayer Rajah Ind Est – Stop ID: 18129
Get on Bus 95 and stay on it for 6 stops.
Alight from the bus at this stop:
Yusof Ishak Hse – Stop ID: 16171
Walk northeast on Kent Ridge Crescent.
Turn left onto Conservatory Drive.
Slight right to stay on Conservatory Drive until you reach Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.
How long does it take to travel from Clementi, Dover and One-North Station to Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum?
The travel time from these stations to Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum will depend on which bus you get on and how long you have to wait.
From Clementi Station, the bus trip usually takes about 15 minutes (including walking time).
Dover Station to Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum via bus will talk slightly longer – around 17-18 minutes (including walking time).
And lastly, One-North to the Museum will take about 17-18 minutes.
As you can see, Clementi is only a few minutes faster on average, so it probably makes sense to get off at whichever station you arrive at first.
Other Places to Visit During the Same Day
Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum is directly east of the NUS Museum and NUS University Cultural Centre.
One of the closest malls near the Museum is West Coast Plaza (Directions).
Consider heading to Clementi Woods Park (Directions) or West Coast Park for some exercise.
The East-West Line makes getting to/from downtown Singapore super easy! You can take it to the business district and world-famous Marina Bay without transferring lines.
Best Accommodation Options
There are very few hotels in western Singapore in comparison to downtown. Most people choose a place in Marina Bay, Chinatown, Little India or Bugis and then use the MRT or bus network.
Here is a list below for your convenience if you want to stay at a place near Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum
ibis Budget Singapore West Coast
Fragrance Hotel – Ocean View
The Quay Hotel – West Coast
All of these are south of Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.
Learn More: 5 Things I Love about Chinatown Singapore
Conclusion
We really hope that this step-by-step guide on how to get to Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum in Singapore has been useful.
Conveniently, you do have some choices while heading there.
The three most convenient MRT stations for accessing the Museum are:
Clementi
Dover
One-North
From these stations, you can connect via public bus and make it right to Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum. The travel time from these MRT stations using the bus is typically 15-20 minutes, with Clementi being the fastest (by only 3-4 minutes).
We suggest you take the East-West Line to Dover or Clementi and get off at the first station. Alternatively, you can access One-North using the Circle Line if that’s more convenient for you!
Always double-check where you need to transfer lines on the way to Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, and it should be smooth sailing.