Really enjoyed this place. So many different sculptures depicting folk stories as well as myths and weird scenes open to interpretation. It's also free! The Hell's Museum is separate and requires an entrance fee. I believe it's well worth it. Along with numerous scenes of hell and odd methods of punishment, there is a wealth of information on burial practices and beliefs I wouldn't know about otherwise. Overall, I would visit again. One of my favorite places in Singapore.

This is a fun place to spend a couple of hours, the museum is ok but the walk around the park is like going back in time to the 70s. Lots of colourful statues and dioramas telling Chinese stories but quite a few could do with a lick of paint. In its day I should think this was a really popular attraction so people should keep visiting so it can stay open. Definitely recommend for a couple of hours fun

Large dioramas show Chinese legends in graphic form. Great fun, and an easy way to learn about Chinese traditions. Often we’ve left because the concrete paths get so hot. This time light rain was expected all day, and the cool condition made it much better. Actually the day was almost dry, but no sun, perfect for exploring the area. We had lunch at 6th Milestone café. Food was nice, beer was only slightly more expensive than a hawker centre, and the music was relaxing. A very pleasant meal. We didn’t pay to see the courts of hell. I remember them when they were free, and will visit again sometime, but this time we felt too tired of studying Chinese legends to want to go. There was so much to see in the free areas. Maintaining the park is very expensive, so the owners do need support. It’s unique to Singapore, and was one of the first places we saw many years ago. It’s easy to reach on the MRT, and well worth the time to see it.

Happened to past by this attraction and decided to have a glimpse again after so many years. In my memory, Haw Par Villa has always been associated with the Eighteen levels of hell (十八层地狱). The gruesome scenes of sinners boil in steamers, their tongues being ripped out; bodies steamed out in hot burner columns; bodies dismembered into pieces by saws, knives were still fresh and vivid, etched in my memory lanes. It was shock therapy to the young minds. This part of the attraction has moved to the hell museum and admission requires an entrance ticket. Chinese mythology is best depicted here in statues and sculptures with moral lessons for those who understand them. In 白蛇传 (Legend of the White Snake), heaven is moved by the filial piety of the son and the pagoda which towered over his mother (the white snake), collapsed and she was saved from the spell cast by the monk, Fahai. In the Journey to the West ( 西遊記), Zhu Bajie (豬八戒) almost lost his life when he could not resist the temptation of lust and being easily seduced by the `beauties'. In the Investiture of the Gods (封神榜), King Zhou was bewitched by his concubine Daji, who is actually a vixen spirit disguised as a beautiful woman and his indulgence with her to the neglect of his duties as a King resulted in the downfall of the Shang Dynasty. The three deities, Fu lu Shou (福祿壽) stands right in the middle of the villa representing the Taoist concept of Good Fortune (Fu), Prosperity (Lu), and Longevity (Shou). At another corner, the statue of Confucius stands with the word `Ren' 仁 while the statue of Lin Ze Xu (林则徐), stands facing the entrance of the villa. An upright official of the Qing Dynasty, he was well regarded as the national hero who banned the Opium Trade in Guangzhou. But the legacy of the founders, Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par was the most spectacular. They were not very well educated, built their fortunes from the sales of their medicated plaster and medicated oil. When they amassed wealth, they had not forgotten to give back to society. From society and back to society, that was their philosophy of philanthropy (回馈社会, 饮水思源).

We've done quite a bit of attractions in Singapore, so this one may be a little bit off the beaten path. It is easily reachable via the MRT, right at the station. Free entrance unless you want to tour the Hell's Museum. Aw Boon Haw, the founder of Tiger Balm, decided to give back with part of his fortunes, built this villa to display Asian culture and history. One will need to visit in person to appreciate all the amazing things depicted here. Many popular and familiar folklore, legends, and statues can be found here. Some of the things we enjoyed: the ornate entrance gate, bridges over the pond, turtles bathing in the sun, the dragons and pearls wall. We can only imagine how much money it takes to maintain and upkeep something like this. It is no surprise to see faded paintings, weeds, and chipped statues. Unfortunately, this may end up too much expenses exceeding the donations/foundation/income model. So come and visit while you still can!

I had visited this oldest and forgotten cultural park when I was young. It feels so nice to revisit again. It is place to relax and for education. Hell's Museum inside the villa is an excellent place to visit. But villa itself is poorly maintained and no activity to attract visitors. Haw Par Villa needs to come up with activities for kids and family.

When traveling we always try to find the weird and unusual and Haw Par Villa fits the bill. Originally built as gardens and a pseudo theme park by the brothers who invented Tiger Balm ointment it's now a free walk through attraction. The connected Hell's Museum has an entrance fee but the rest of the park is completely free to walk around. Most of the sculptures have plaques in all four of Singapore's official languages so everyone can understand what you're looking at (and sometimes not). It's worth a couple of hours of walking around here just looking at all the oddball stuff but be sure to bring a hat, sunscreen and some water.

Haw Par Villa is such a unique experience compared to many of the other tourist attractions in Singapore. Particularly enjoyed all the dioramas explaining Chinese folklore, as well as the hell museum which walked you through the 10 levels of hell in Chinese culture. This is in my top 5 of experiences in Singapore!

An interesting experience. It wasn't quite what I expected and it came across as more of Chinese mythology meets Disneyland! However, it was informative and an interesting park to walk around. Although it was open to walk around on a Monday, parts of it were closed. Entrance was free and there is an MRT station just a couple of minutes from the main gate. There is a noticeable incline up through the main gate into the park - be aware of this.

In reality gardens, not villa… back in the 1930’s the creators of the Tiger balm, indeed built a villa in circular futuristic style with several domes sadly destroyed during the WWII days; afterwards the owners decided only to decorate the grounds with commissioned statues, creating dioramas depicting scenes of Chinese folklore with messagges related to traditional values and moral standards. All this was done considering to leave it open for the public. Mostly all Singaporean families have childhood memories of this place since it was very popular back from the 50’s until the 70’s. Normal statues and many bizarre ones (mer-people, half human and crab, half human and turtle etc.) and many not Chinese related ones, like a pair of sumo wrestlers, a copy of the NYC statue of liberty and non-endemic fauna. Dioramas are explicit about the different Chinese tales like Journey to the West, Legend of the White snake (missed Mulan, didn’t found her). Some statues are in need of some restoration work. Is free to visit these gardens however there is a paying attraction inside the gardens which is the Hell museum, which entry fee goes towards the maintenance and survival of these gardens, if interested. Children can have fun by feeding the turtles/fish with treats available through donation boxes. A good place where to spend a morning or afternoon away the city crowds very easy to arrive with the MRT (underground railways, subway, metro, tube, whatever is called) P.S.: In Hong Kong there was a similar garden, Tiger balm gardens, demolished for house development making this the only one survived. Considering the cultural importance for Singaporean society and uniqueness of it, could be considered as candidate for Unesco site with the remaining Hong Kong villa, will see in a few years.