Weekend getaways from Singapore with kids: 8 easy trips for families

Which weekend trips from Singapore are easiest with kids?

We picked the places on our list where young children have the most to do, and where the travel won’t eat the weekend. All of them are under four hours away. Johor is a day trip, Bintan and Kuala Lumpur work in two days, and the rest want three or four. They’re in rough order of how easy they are with small children.

1. Legoland Malaysia, Johor Bahru

Legoland Malaysia Resort, at Iskandar Puteri on the western side of JB, has three parks: the Legoland theme park, a water park and a SEA LIFE aquarium, plus a Lego-themed hotel. It’s the easiest family day out from Singapore: you can be at the gates in about an hour if the checkpoint is kind. Check each park’s opening days before you go. Legoland tickets on Klook.

Time it around Johor’s school holidays. Johor’s children follow Malaysia’s school calendar, so the parks fill up when they’re off. In late 2026, Singapore’s holidays start on Sat 21 Nov November, a fortnight before Johor’s on Sat 5 Dec December, so those first two weeks are the quieter time. In June 2027, Johor’s schools go back after Sun 6 Jun June, while Singapore’s are off until Sun 27 Jun June. Check our Causeway jam outlook before you set off.

1. JJanuary: OK
2. FFebruary: Best
3. MMarch: Best
4. AApril: Best
5. MMay: Best
6. JJune: Best
7. JJuly: Best
8. AAugust: Best
9. SSeptember: Best
10. OOctober: Best
11. NNovember: Wet
12. DDecember: Wet

JB is at its best from February to October. November and December are the wettest months, when the theme park is a better bet than the water park. More on Johor Bahru.

2. Desaru Coast, Johor

On Johor’s east coast, Desaru Coast is a resort strip with the Adventure Waterpark and four big beach hotels: Hard Rock Hotel, The Westin, Anantara and Mandarin Oriental. It’s a longer drive than Legoland, so plan on a night or two. Without a car, Batam Fast runs a ferry from Tanah Merah to Desaru Coast from Thursday to Sunday, leaving at 10.10am (timetable from 15 October 2026). Check the waterpark’s opening days before you book: they change outside Malaysia’s school holidays. Waterpark tickets on Klook, or compare Desaru Coast hotels.

3. Bintan

Bintan Resort Ferries take about 1 hour 10 minutes from Tanah Merah to Bandar Bentan Telani, the terminal for the Lagoi Bay resorts, and the island is an hour behind Singapore, so little ones lose no sleep. It’s a resort weekend: big pools, villas with room for grandparents, and Treasure Bay’s Crystal Lagoon, a huge seawater lagoon for swimming and kayaking. Older children can try the mangrove kayaking and ATV trails. Give it at least 2 days.

1. JJanuary: Wet
2. FFebruary: Wet
3. MMarch: Best
4. AApril: Best
5. MMay: Best
6. JJune: Best
7. JJuly: Best
8. AAugust: Best
9. SSeptember: Best
10. OOctober: Best
11. NNovember: Wet
12. DDecember: Wet

Bintan is at its best from March to October; from November to February the monsoon brings rain and choppier crossings. Batam, on the same ferries’ doorstep, is cheaper but has less for children: our Batam or Bintan guide compares them. More on Bintan.

4. Kuala Lumpur

An hour’s flight, and the city has rainy-day options to spare. Aquaria KLCC, under the convention centre next to the Petronas Towers, has Malaysia’s longest underwater tunnel. Petrosains, the science centre in Suria KLCC upstairs, is a good second stop. KidZania, at Curve NX in Petaling Jaya, lets children aged 4 to 17 role-play grown-up jobs, open daily from 10am to 6pm. Sunway Lagoon in Bandar Sunway has a water park, an amusement park and a wildlife park in one; it’s closed on Tuesdays except during Malaysian school and public holidays.

1. JJanuary: OK
2. FFebruary: Best
3. MMarch: OK
4. AApril: Wet
5. MMay: OK
6. JJune: Best
7. JJuly: Best
8. AAugust: Best
9. SSeptember: OK
10. OOctober: Wet
11. NNovember: Wet
12. DDecember: Wet

KL’s driest months are February and June to August, which puts the June school holidays and National Day in season. More on Kuala Lumpur.

5. Penang

About 1h 25m by air. George Town’s street art makes a treasure hunt for children, and the funicular up Penang Hill is a ride in itself. At Teluk Bahang, on the north coast past the Batu Ferringhi beaches, Entopia is an indoor and outdoor butterfly and insect park, and ESCAPE is an outdoor adventure park with ziplines, climbing and water play. Allow 3 days.

1. JJanuary: Best
2. FFebruary: Best
3. MMarch: Best
4. AApril: OK
5. MMay: OK
6. JJune: OK
7. JJuly: OK
8. AAugust: OK
9. SSeptember: Wet
10. OOctober: Wet
11. NNovember: OK
12. DDecember: Best

Penang is at its best from December to March, so the year-end holidays and Chinese New Year suit it. Avoid September to October, its wettest months. More on Penang.

6. Phuket

Under two hours away, Phuket is the beach pick, best from December to March, when the west-coast sea is calm enough for small swimmers. From May to October the southwest monsoon brings big waves and red-flag days. For animals without rides, the Phuket Elephant Sanctuary is watch-only: its 90-minute canopy walkway tour and half-day programme are both open to all ages. Allow 3 days. More on Phuket.

1. JJanuary: Best
2. FFebruary: Best
3. MMarch: Best
4. AApril: OK
5. MMay: Wet
6. JJune: Wet
7. JJuly: Wet
8. AAugust: Wet
9. SSeptember: Wet
10. OOctober: Wet
11. NNovember: OK
12. DDecember: Best

7. Bangkok

About 2h 25m away, and good value. SEA LIFE Bangkok Ocean World, in the basement of Siam Paragon, is open daily from 10am to 8pm and makes an easy half-day out of the heat. Safari World, on the north-eastern edge of the city, is a full day of animals. In between, there’s Chatuchak Weekend Market and boat rides on the Chao Phraya. Bangkok is at its best from November to February, dry and a little cooler. More on Bangkok.

1. JJanuary: Best
2. FFebruary: Best
3. MMarch: OK
4. AApril: OK
5. MMay: OK
6. JJune: OK
7. JJuly: OK
8. AAugust: Wet
9. SSeptember: Wet
10. OOctober: Wet
11. NNovember: Best
12. DDecember: Best

8. Hong Kong

The longest flight here, about 3h 50m, and you’ll want 4 days, but it has two of the region’s best theme parks. Hong Kong Disneyland, on Lantau, is reached on the MTR’s Disneyland Resort Line from Sunny Bay, and its World of Frozen land opened in November 2023. Ocean Park, with its own MTR station on the South Island Line, has giant pandas (twin cubs were born there in August 2024, the first giant pandas born in Hong Kong) and a cable car between its two halves. Its Water World is a separate ticket and closes for part of the year, so check its dates. Disneyland tickets and Ocean Park tickets on Klook.

1. JJanuary: OK
2. FFebruary: OK
3. MMarch: OK
4. AApril: OK
5. MMay: Wet
6. JJune: Wet
7. JJuly: Wet
8. AAugust: Wet
9. SSeptember: Wet
10. OOctober: Best
11. NNovember: Best
12. DDecember: Best

Hong Kong is at its best from October to December, which lines up with the year-end school holidays. From May to September it’s hot, wet and typhoon season. More on Hong Kong.

What are the best long weekends for families in 2027?

Every public holiday is a school holiday too, but MOE adds days off that workers don’t get: a day in lieu when a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, and days like Youth Day and the day after National Day. Where they meet a weekend, children get a long weekend and a parent needs just one day of leave to match it. Here’s every 2027 break of three days or more when school’s out, from our 2027 school holidays page, with the places on this list that are at their best and fit the days:

The best value for school families:

• Chinese New Year, Sat 6 – Tue 9 Feb. Schools take Tuesday 9 February off in lieu, so one day of leave gives you 4 days together. Much of the region is on holiday too, so book early. In season: Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Phuket and Bangkok.
• National Day, Sat 7 – Tue 10 Aug. Tuesday 10 August is a school holiday, so take it as leave for 4 days: enough for Johor Bahru, Bintan and Kuala Lumpur.
• Teachers’ Day and the September holidays, Fri 3 – Sun 12 Sept. 6 days of leave give you 10 days. September is the rainy season in most of the region, so this is one for Johor Bahru and Bintan.
• Labour Day and Youth Day are three-day weekends for one day of leave, Labour Day because it falls on a Saturday and schools close on the Monday. Both suit Johor or Bintan.

One to skip if your children are in school: the Hari Raya Haji and Vesak week in May is the best leave deal of the year for adults, but schools are open on the three leave days.

Any week of the long school holidays costs five days of leave for nine days off. Our leave planner fits a fixed number of leave days around all of them, and the long weekends page ranks destinations for each.

Where can you go with kids during the 2026 year-end school holidays?

Singapore’s year-end school holidays run from Sat 21 Nov November to Thursday 31 December, and with New Year’s Day and the weekend after it school is out until Sun 3 Jan January. Christmas Day and New Year’s Day both fall on a Friday, so four days of leave make ten days off together:

December is the start of the dry season in Penang, Phuket, Bangkok and Hong Kong, so all four are good picks for the Christmas week; Hong Kong is cool and dry. Johor and Bintan are in their wettest months then, so go early in the holidays if that’s your plan, before Johor’s own holidays start on Sat 5 Dec December. Before all that, Deepavali gives everyone Sat 7 – Mon 9 Nov off without leave, though Johor’s schools are off that weekend too.

How do you make a short trip easier with young children?

• Pick the flight times. On a three-day trip, a morning flight out and an evening one back gives you a full middle day. Phuket, Penang and Bangkok are all under three hours.
• Book theme parks for a weekday. Malaysia’s school holidays fall at different times from Singapore’s, so the school holidays page shows when both are off at once. Many parks close one weekday a week, so check the opening calendar too.
• Check the arrival cards and passports. Each child needs their own passport, and Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand each have their own arrival card rules: our arrival card guide has the official sites.
• Go by ferry or land if flights are the hard part. Long weekends without flying covers Johor, Batam, Bintan and Melaka.

Questions

Sources

Checked October 2026.

• Legoland Malaysia’s parks and location: Legoland Malaysia Resort.
• Desaru Coast hotels and the Adventure Waterpark: Desaru Coast. Ferry from Tanah Merah: Batam Fast timetable, effective 15 October 2026.
• Bintan ferry time and time difference: Bintan Resort Ferries. Treasure Bay’s lagoon: Crystal Lagoons.
• Kuala Lumpur: Aquaria KLCC, Petrosains, KidZania Kuala Lumpur and Sunway Lagoon (opening days and the Tuesday closure).
• Penang Hill: Penang Hill Corporation.
• Bangkok: SEA LIFE Bangkok Ocean World. Phuket: Phuket Elephant Sanctuary.
• Hong Kong Disneyland’s lands and the Disneyland Resort Line: Hong Kong Disneyland. Ocean Park’s panda twins and Water World: Ocean Park Hong Kong.
• School holidays: MOE press release, school terms and holidays for 2027 and the MOE calendar for 2026. Johor’s school holidays: Malaysian Ministry of Education, Kalendar Akademik 2027. Public holidays: Ministry of Manpower.
• Weather ratings: 1991–2020 monthly climate normals, as listed for each place on its destination page.