NUS Baba House

This is a beautifully conserved heritage building. All visits are by appointment only. Tours from Tuesdays to Fridays at 10am and on Saturdays at 10am and 2pm. Tickets cost $5-18++. It is a pity that no photography is allowed inside the building. Ironically, the person in charge of welcoming visitors at the door wasn’t welcoming at all. This middle aged man might be the Donald mentioned by past reviewers.

Need to prebook in advance & ticketed place. No photography allowed indoor so can only take photos of the exterior. Guided 1 hour tour. Very informative on the Peranakan culture.

This museum is owned by NUS. We had a docent tour by Audrey who provided interesting accounts of the Peranakan way of life and knowledgeable insights. While no pictures are allowed inside the house, you can take pictures outside. There is an elevator for those with mobility issues, to access the second floor. There are also some well preserved artifacts in the house and I like how this living museum is also used as a research centre for NUS architecture students.

House is good, but guide can improved a bit. Not to compare with other local Paranankan house museums (like Penang or Malacca), the Chinese reference have some error or can’t differentiate between general Chinese and Hokkien heritage of its own… good but not satisfied.

My university professor brought us here for an enriching learning journey about the past and building conservation. The building is beautifully maintained, and the tour guide was very enthusiastic in explaining the history of NUS Baba House to us. I also learned some history of Peranakans for the first time. I hope more historical buildings will be conserved and maintained like this

This is a beautifully restored, century-old house that once belonged to a peranakan Chinese family. I'm thankful for the fact that it was donated to NUS, and that NUS did a great job with its restoration. This has allowed us as members of the public to tour it and appreciate its history, as well as understand lesser known cultural facts. The volunteers caring for this place are very kind and hospitable indeed. I wasn't the easiest of visitors by showing up slightly late and trying to take photos of the inside despite signs stating it isn't allowed, but the volunteers were simply patient throughout. That it is free for Singaporeans, even with their weekday guided tours, is something I also appreciate very much - keeping in mind that similar places like The Intan charge upwards of 60 SGD for a simple visit! Thank you very much to the team who keeps this place open to all curious visitors! 🙇

Having been to the peranakan museum already, this place is the perfect complement to it. The interior feels like a time warp and once inside, one can only feel what it must have been like in the past for a wealthy peranakan family. NUS Baba house gave me an authentic and up close feel into the probable past lives of its previous owner.

Full disclosure: I'm currently a staff of NUS and took a catered tour for staff and students. Hence my experience might differ from the one given to the public. Nonetheless this house is beautiful (just look at the blue walls!) and worth a visit. Very unique Peranakan home in Singapore as we got to tour the inside rather than just admire the outside. The guide was very knowledgeable, and the artifacts inside were well preserved. In fact, the items are so precious that we couldn't take pictures inside for fear the flash will spoil the furniture... I took a similar tour in Maleka Malaysia, and while the general home layout is the same, the focus of the two tours were completely different. Hence, this tour is still worth going even if you've toured other historical Peranakan homes! But it does feel smaller compared to the one in Maleka. Heads up: no air-conditioning except for the newly added 3rd floor. It was HOT!