Situated just one degree north of the equator, Singapore is a sunny, tropical island. Their goal is to be a “City in Nature” and as one of the greenest cities in the world, they are well underway. To date over 20,000 acres of green space have been protected in the city whose green cover stands at a whopping 40%.
Nature aside, food is another star of Singapore. Numerous hawker centers (think massive, chaotic, outdoor food court) dot the city making delicious and cheap food available at nearly every turn. In fact, hawker center culture is so vital it was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020.
Thanks to the ubiquitous green spaces, low crime rate, and impressive food culture, we are hard-pressed to think of a better stopover city in which to enjoy a few days.
Singapore Map
Below is a map of our trip including points of interest, activities, and restaurants. Toggle the sidebar for details.
Arrival & Helpful Tips
SG Arrival Card (SGAC)
If you plan to clear immigration in Singapore, as a foreign visitor you must submit a SG Arrival Card (SGAC) with Electronic Health Declaration before arriving in Singapore. You can submit the information up to within 3 days of arrival to Singapore.
While you can submit the form online, we found it easiest to do by downloading the MyICA Mobile app. As we were traveling together, I was able to submit the information for both of us by selecting “Group Submission”. As part of completing the short questionnaire, you’ll need handy your passport information and details of where you are staying. There are also a few questions about your health. Once completed, I got an acknowledgement in the app and was also emailed the same information.
Since our passports are issued in the US, no separate visa or fee was required to visit Singapore. Once we arrived we used the automated passport kiosks and away we went!
Note: While it says travelers must submit their SGAC before arrival, we saw plenty of people in the arrivals hall frantically trying to connect to WiFi and scan a QR code to complete the document. As of January 2025, this appears an option, but we recommend saving yourself the hassle and completing everything ahead of time.
Getting Around
Simply put, Singapore’s MRT is superb. The six lines connect 140 stations all over Singapore, meaning you’re never far from one. This is very key in a place where it is frequently sweltering and raining!
For our time in Singapore, we found it easiest and cheapest to simply tap-and-go at the MRT stations using our contactless credit cards. Just know if you have two travelers in your party, you will each need a different card (in our case we had to use two different travel credit cards so the numbers were different).
Another option is to purchase a Tourist Pass which gives unlimited rides for 1-5 days, depending on the duration you select. When we visited a 4-day pass was SGD 37, but we spent only SGD 18 on MRT rides the four days we were there, so this did not make financial sense for us to purchase.
Pack for Rain
On average, Singapore receives over 85 inches of rain annually! Many times the rainstorms are short, but drenching. And while you can dodge a lot of the rain thanks to the vast underground subway network, a plethora of malls, and helpful covered walkways, you should still prepare to get wet. We recommend packing a small umbrella and raincoat or poncho. We visited during monsoon season and another thing that really came in handy for us was our sturdy Keen water sandals. They may not have been the most fashionable but they dried a heck of a lot more quickly than shoes and socks. Trust us!
Where We Stayed
We stayed at the Pullman Singapore Hill Street. The hotel was super new and fancy and our deluxe king room on the corner was great. The bed was the most comfortable of our whole trip and our room had plenty of space to spread out. The hotel had a great gym area, two pools, and restaurants onsite.
Day 1 | Settle In & Sightsee
Our flight arrived midday, so after dropping our luggage at our hotel, our first order of business was to find food asap. We opted to walk into the mall (Singapore has lots of malls) right across the street from our hotel. We stumbled upon Szechuan Alley and had an amazing first meal of dan dan noodles and beef stew. Very spicy!
A note on food in Singapore: Like us, for many people food is the star of the show in Singapore. We came in with no set agenda of places we “had” to try, and in fact made no food-related plans whatsoever. There is something to fit every budget in Singapore from $1 bowls of noodles to high-end steak. In our blog post we’ll share where we ate, but recommend you seek out whatever food you’re craving at the time. We ate the majority of our meals at hawker centers.
Marina Bay Sands & ArtScience Museum
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands is one of Singapore’s largest luxury shopping malls. Even if you’re not into shopping, it is an impressive space that we think is worth visiting to at least walk through. We took the MRT to the Promenade station and walked through the mall to get to the ArtScience Museum.
The ArtScience Museum contains immersive exhibits combining art, science, culture, and technology. Having visited the similar teamLab Borderless in Tokyo just a few months prior, we were really looking forward to our visit. Instead, we were incredibly disappointed by the experience and would not recommend visiting here. The main exhibits were very sparse and only took us 20 minutes to go through.
One highlight was, however, the museum’s Studio Ghibli exhibit. Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio known for stunning visuals and lovable characters. The exhibit we visited contained large-scale immersive sets depicting scenes from some of the most popular movies. We had so much fun exploring, even though we had never seen a Studio Ghibli movie. As soon as we got home we watched our first one and we’re hooked.
Need to Know
- Hours: Generally open 10am-7pm Sunday-Thursday and 10am-9pm Friday-Saturday, but check the website for current hours and for any exhibit closures.
- Tickets: Purchasing advance tickets online are strongly recommended as they are for specific time slots which can sell out. Tickets prices vary by exhibit, so check the website for the most current pricing.
Explore Chinatown
Singapore has some great craft breweries and we were able to check out two of them in the Chinatown area our first night in Singapore. Be forewarned, really good craft beer is really expensive! Like we’re talking SGD 20 (around USD 15) for a pint. Ouch! This is because Singapore has an extremely high alcohol tax.
We first visited The Otherside which felt like entering a speakeasy. They had a cool bar space and rooftop patio.
Since we were in the area, we decided to grab more beer and dinner at the Maxwell Food Centre. This hawker center has over 100 stalls, sure to cater to every craving.
We got another pint at Welcome Ren Min and had paired it with delicious spring rolls and banh mi from Baguette Huong Viet.
The Maxwell Food Centre ended up being our favorite hawker center in the city. Beware it can be quite hot, so try to find a table under a fan. Also, make sure to bring your own napkins and do like the locals: save your seat with a pack of tissue paper in an act called “chope-ing” (a Singlish slang term meaning to reserve your seat).
Just across the way you’ll find the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. Admission is free and once inside you can travel to the top floor to view the temple’s namesake. On display is what Buddhists regard as the left canine tooth of Buddha, recovered from his funeral pyre in India. There is also a giant prayer wheel on the rooftop. The temple is generally open 7am-5pm daily.
Just a short walk down the road lies Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore’s oldest Hindu temple. Here we think the main attraction is the ornate exterior adorned with intricate carvings of Hindu deities. You can also visit inside if you wish. Admission is free and the temple is generally open 6am-12pm and 6-9pm, daily.
As with any religious site, you can expect to need to remove your shoes and to wear appropriate clothing (no bare shoulders or legs) at both temples.
Merlion Park & Spectra - A Light & Water Show
In the evening, we headed to Merlion Park home to the iconic half-lion half-fish Merlion. This 30-foot statue spouts water from its mouth and is designed to capture Singapore’s origins as a humble fishing village and the city’s original name of “lion city”. There is also a mini-Merlion statue, the Merlion Cub, nearby. Day or night, this is definitely a fun place to visit and have a laugh at silly poses with the Merlion.
Spectra – A Light & Water Show is a free, nightly 15-minute show using lasers, visual projections, fountain jets, and music. The show takes place at 8pm and 9pm daily, with an extra 10pm showing on Friday and Saturday evenings.
I had read that the Merlion Park was a good place to view the show. And while it was neat looking across the water at the Marina Bay Sands structure, we would not recommend watching the show here. We could not hear the music at all, nor see the details of the fountain jets. Instead, we recommend viewing this right outside the Marina Bay Sands in an area between the Louis Vuitton and Apple island stores (you read that right, there really are stores on mini-islands here!).
Day 2 | Bike Tour & Food Tour
One of our favorite foods in Singapore was the traditional kaya toast set. Kaya toast is two slices of toast served with butter and kaya, a coconut jam. This is typically served with two soft-boiled eggs and kopi, a coffee made from Robusta beans roasted in margarine and sugar and strained through a sock. The traditional kopi in Singapore is black coffee with condensed milk and we were 100% addicted during our trip.
We ate at the chain, Toast Box, every morning of our trip. They have locations every few blocks and the prices were incredibly reasonable. We fell into a groove, modifying the set slightly to get hard-boiled eggs instead (the soft-boiled were an acquired taste) and iced kopi instead of hot.
Lion City Bike Tour
We love finding active ways to explore new cities and the 4-hour Lion City Bike Tour was the perfect introduction to Singapore. Our tour was led by a passionate native Singaporean who led our group of 11 on a 12-mile ride through historical landmarks and gorgeous green spaces. We gained newfound knowledge of Singapore’s history and why the city is laid out the way it is today, as well as cultural norms and a Singlish lesson. We also got invaluable local recommendations on what to see, do, and eat during our time in the city.
We got to cycle on a small part of the F1 racetrack, eat a samosa and drink refreshing sugar cane juice in Little India, and had fun photo opportunities throughout. We highly recommend this tour and tour company as a great way to explore Singapore! The tour is held daily from 9am-1pm with the meeting point right outside Nicoll Highway MRT station.
Singapore Stories Food Tour
Singapore is an amazing place to take part in a food tour. We thoroughly enjoyed our 4-hour Singapore Stories food tour with A Chef’s Tour. We met our guide and started our journey in Chinatown at the Maxwell Food Centre, but went on to explore the Little India and Arab Street neighborhoods. This meant our 14+ tastings covered Chinese, Malay, and Indian cuisine. Our guide was personable and engaging and with only one other couple on our tour we could have meaningful dialogue the whole evening. We needed to take the MRT between some stops, all of which was included in the tour. We enthusiastically recommend booking this tour.
Here is what we ate during our time together. The portions were full-size, so come hungry!
One more bit of Singlish slang that you’ll use quite often on the tour. “Shiok!” Which is an expression of pleasure or delight and can definitely be used when describing a meal.
- Kopi (already know and love this!)
- Laksa: Noodles in a thick, spicy coconut soup whose broth has dried shrimp paste with toppings like egg, fish cakes, and prawns.
- Fried oyster cake: Batter made of rice flour and stuffed with minced oyster and spices.
- Carrot cake: Daikon radish are the “carrots” cut into cubes and mixed and fried with egg, garlic, veggies and soy sauce. This was one of our favorite dishes and we returned later in our trip for more!
- Popiah: Thin, paper-like crepe stuffed with cooked vegetables, meat, and chili. Like a mini, rolled burrito.
- Kueh: A traditional snack, ours was savory and in a fried, molded shape with meat, vegetables, and chili filing.
- Kaya toast: Also, already know and love this coconut jam and butter on toast combo!
- Muah chee: Glutinous rice flour made into dough covered in sugar and ground nuts. This reminded us of a Japanese mochi.
- Hawker Chan: A chef who received a Michelin star for this hawker stall, putting Singapore on the Map. We ate his famous soya sauce chicken served with rice, egg, and bok choy (literally one of the best chicken dishes we’ve ever had) and Thai-style tofu with apples and sweet chili sauce.
- Chai tea: Spiced Indian tea with spices like cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, and black pepper. Watching our server prepare the tea was great fun!
- Murtabak: Thin, flaky flatbread filled with spiced mutton, onions and other spices, cooked on a griddle until crispy. Also another favorite dish!
- Dosa: Indian crepe made of fermented rice and lentils, served with dipping sauces.
- Appam: Thin pancake made from fermented rice batter and coconut milk cooked in an appachatti (a deep pan similar to a wok), served with a side of coconut milk and orange sugar.
- Knafeh: Turkish dessert made with shredded phyllo dough layered with mozzarella and served with a sweet syrup on the side. Our dish had a side of pistachio ice cream to top it all off!
Day 3 | Gardens by the Bay
Having seen various elements of Gardens by the Bay highlighted by David Attenborough in the Planet Earth series and in movies (Crazy Rich Asians, anyone?), to be able to visit in person was a dream come true. This sprawling 250-acre green space is worthy of most of a day’s visit and was our favorite thing we did in Singapore.
Flower Dome
The cavernous Flower Dome holds the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest glass greenhouse. Maybe even more surprising than its sheer size was the fact that it was comfortably air conditioned! Temperatures usually hover around 75 degrees Fahrenheit which is quite a bit cooler than outside!
We began our day here shortly after the 9am opening time and had it virtually to ourselves. Inside you have the chance to wander through gardens of different climates such as the Mediterranean, South America, California, and Australia.
When we visited, the flower field section was all decked out for the upcoming Chinese New Year and was gorgeous!
Also unique to when we visited there was a Monet exhibition which brought this Impressionist’s paintings to life. On your way out, don’t miss the succulent garden which had some of the most unusual plants we’ve ever seen!
All told, we spent about an hour wandering through the Flower Dome.
Cloud Forest
Just across from the Flower Dome is the entrance to the Cloud Forest. Immediately upon entry you’ll be awestruck by the giant indoor waterfall spilling over a mountain with plants bursting from its interior.
In contrast to the Flower Dome, it is quite humid inside the cloud forest. Note: The Cloud Forest is “misted” only at certain times of the day, generally every two hours beginning at 10am and ending at 8pm. We arrived right at the tail end of the 10am misting and it was really neat to experience, so we recommend timing your visit accordingly.
Walking through and taking in the details of the exotic plants like Venus Flytraps, pitcher plants, and the most exquisite orchids was amazing. The Cloud Forest is home to over 70,000 different plant species! You then take an elevator to the top of the mountain and make your way down along aerial walkways suspended above the Cloud Forest, called the Cloud Walk and Tree Top Walk. As you near the exit, you’ll walk through the Secret Garden in which plants are set amongst a limestone and cave-inspired landscape. We also spent about one hour in the Cloud Forest.
Stretch Your Legs on the Walking Paths & Lunch
All of the attractions in Gardens by the Bay are connected by walking paths. Close to the water, there are great views across Marina Bay of the Singapore Flyer (observation wheel) and the Marina Bay Sands hotel. We enjoyed wandering around here between attractions, discovering small hidden ponds and sculpture gardens.
Right within the Gardens there are several food options. We didn’t realize it at the time and ended up walking all the way back to the mall food court at Marina Bay Sands. This ate up a TON of time and involved a lot of walking, so we wouldn’t recommend it. While we can’t vouch for the quality directly, we walked through Satay by the Bay later in the day. This outdoor mini-hawker center-style restaurant looked like a good option in the heart of the Gardens.
OCBC Skyway & Supertree Observatory
The Supertree Grove is home to 12 epic Supertrees. They certainly look cool but behind the scenes some are harvesting solar energy while others serve as air exhaust receptacles for places like the Flower Dome. We love that Singapore is constantly looking for environmentally sustainable solutions, and in the case of the Supertrees, making them in the form of gorgeous vertical gardens.
The OCBC Skyway is one of the coolest ways to get the best views of the Supertree Grove. The Skyway is an aerial walkway suspended between two of the Supertrees, 75 feet above the ground! After taking the elevator to the walkway, we spent about 15 minutes making our way along the 415-foot walkway.
Just next door is the the Supertree Observatory, situated in the grove’s tallest Supertree. Once you take the elevator to the top there is an observatory deck that you can explore outdoors, as well as indoors where there are refreshments for purchase. One level higher is the open-air rooftop deck which has unobstructed views of the Gardens, city skyline, and water. We thought this view was so great we actually opted not to pay to visit the SkyPark Observation deck at the top of Marina Bay Sands, as we had originally planned on our itinerary. We spent about half an hour in the Observatory.
Floral Fantasy
Our last stop of the day was at the magical Floral Fantasy, home to creative flower arrangements, some of which were even suspended in the air! When we visited, the exhibition was Disney Garden of Wonder. Walking through these creative topiaries was a fun way to spend our last half hour in the Gardens. The Bayfront MRT station is just outside the exit.
Need to Know
- Hours: Most attractions in Gardens by the Bay are open daily 9am-9pm, the exception being Floral Fantasy which is open 10am-9pm. Note: Each attraction has a planned maintenance closure once per month, so be sure to check the website for current hours and for any exhibit closures.
- Tickets: To avoid the potential of waiting in long ticket lines, it is recommended to book tickets in advance for the attractions where this is possible. We were unable to purchase tickets directly on the Gardens by the Bay website with our US credit card. Instead we purchased one combo ticket for the Flower Dome + Cloud Forest and one ticket for Floral Fantasy via GetYourGuide. A few days before our visit we were emailed our tickets and were able to scan the QR codes directly at the entrances. For the OCBC Skyway and Supertree Observatory, we simply walked up to the kiosk in the Supertree Grove and purchased our tickets there (paying by cash or credit card is possible). None of the tickets were for a specific time slot. A day here is not inexpensive, but we thought it well worth the total price of SGD 84 each.
Afternoon Chill
After our exciting day out, we headed back to our hotel for some R&R. If you’re looking for ways to cool off, other quick stop offs we enjoyed in the city were:
- Smoothies from SF Fruits. We had the mango banana which was so refreshing after walking around in the heat! You can find a list of their Singapore locations here.
- A pint from Upward Taproom. A great place to escape the heat and enjoy a refreshing beverage.
- Gelato from Tom’s Palette whose flavors are constantly rotating. It was very hard to pick what we wanted but among the two of us we had Thai milk tea, carrot cake, and Korean black sesame. We also sampled one that was parmigiano reggiano and crackers.
As mentioned, we loved the food at Hawker Chan so much we went back there for dinner before heading back to the Supertree Grove for a nighttime spectacular.
Garden Rhapsody
At night the Supertree Grove comes alive in a dazzling light and music show called Garden Rhapsody. This free 15-minute performance takes place daily at 7:45pm and 8:45pm.
When we visited the theme was Journey Through Asia which featured songs from different Asian countries. We watched the show by sitting on the ground directly in front of the Supertree Observatory. We think this was a great spot as you are surrounded by all the trees. We spent the 15 minutes in absolute awe!
We arrived about 15 minutes prior to the show to snag a prime spot. Many people brought towels or blankets to spread out on, and even lie down on, during the show. Be aware that the show is insanely popular and so the area is quite crowded. After the show just be patient when exiting among the throngs of people.
Day 4 | Go On An Urban Hike
The Southern Ridges
The Southern Ridges is a 6-mile urban trail that connects some of the best parks and green spaces Singapore has to offer.
We began our hike in the morning at the HarbourFront MRT station and headed directly uphill, mostly via stairs, to Faber Peak via the Marang Trail. At the top, there were fantastic views of the southern waterfront below. There was also a really neat Mural Walk with panels depicting the early history of Singapore.
The trail then crosses the iconic Henderson Waves, Singapore’s tallest pedestrian bridge. The award-winning architecture is on full display in the wave-like pattern of this wood-paneled bridge.
We next headed onto the elevated Forest Walk through Teol Blangah Hill Park amongst the lush trees before making our way to Alexandra Arch, a bridge that opens like a leaf over the road below.
The last highlight of the hike was walking along the boardwalks through Berlayer Creek, one of only two remaining mangroves in the south of Singapore. The trail ends with a loop through Labrador Nature Reserve, hugging the coastline. Walking along the rocky shoreline was a nice change of pace and further inland there is an old fort and cannons you can explore, a part of Singapore’s colonial past. Just outside the Reserve is the Labrador Park MRT station, ready to take you to your next destination. It took us about 3 hours to complete this hike, with lots of photo stops.
Need to Know
- Route finding: We found this map published by the National Parks Board to be really useful in terms of where to go and what we could expect to see along the way. We followed “Route B”.
- What to Pack: With the hot and humid weather we recommend bringing at least 1 Liter of water per person as there were not a lot of options to refill or purchase water without deviating off trail. Also pack a raincoat or umbrella as rain can occur at any time.
- All of the parks are free to visit, making this a great way to spend the day without spending a ton of money.
Explore Funky Haji Lane
Located in Singapore’s Kampong Glam neighborhood, Haji Lane is a narrow, pedestrian-only street lined with eclectic shops, cafes, and bars. We saw everything from ice cream shops to vintage clothing stores to photobooths where you could have your picture taken in a replica airplane lavatory (why?!). We definitely think it’s worth spending some time in this funky slice of Singapore.
We enjoyed watching the world go by sipping pints from Good Luck Beerhouse and Black Sheep & Co, the latter of which had the cheapest beer we bought in Singapore.
Full disclosure: We had originally planned to visit the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel, home of the original Singapore Sling. We arrived close to 3pm and the line was so long it would have been hours to get inside. We decided we didn’t care that much about the experience, especially when the cocktails cost SGD 37 each!
For dinner we strolled over to Ayasofya Turkish Restaurant where we enjoyed a mezze platter and mixed kebabs. Not only was the food delicious, but our outdoor table had a beautiful view of the Sultan Mosque as the sun was setting.
Singapore River Cruise
For our last hurrah in Singapore, we took the scenic Singapore River Cruise from Clarke Quay Jetty. While we had already seen most of the sites from land, seeing them from the unique perspective on the water at night was worth the excursion. As luck would have it, we timed it right so we were able to see a portion of the Spectra show from our boat, getting really close to the fountains and laser show.
Departing from Clarke Quay the boat went through Boat Quay and made a large loop in Marina Bay before turning around. We loved seeing the skyline at night!
Need to Know
- Hours: The river cruises run day and night, departing from three different piers along the water. Clarke Quay departures are between 11am-10pm Monday-Thursday and 10am-10:30pm Friday-Sunday. Bayfront South and Clifford Pier departures are 10am-8pm daily.
- Tickets: We just walked right up to the Clarke Quay ticket counter to purchase our tickets via credit card. They were SGD 28/adult. There was no wait to purchase the tickets, but we did wait about 15 minutes to board a boat.
- Pro tip!: If you want to catch a portion of the Spectra show, we recommend trying to board a boat that departs around 7:45pm. When we visited on a Friday in January, we purchased our tickets at 7:30pm and the timing worked out perfectly. The entire cruise lasted about 40 minutes.
Onward Travel
Getting to the airport early for an international flight can be a real drag, but Singapore’s Changi Airport is one we don’t think you’ll mind having some extra time in.
If you only see one thing, we recommend heading to Jewel in Terminal 1 to marvel at the Jewel Rain Vortex, the world’s tallest indoor waterfall. If you happen to be there in the late evening, there are light and music shows. You can easily walk to Jewel if you are departing from Terminals 1, 2, or 3. From Terminal 4 take the free shuttle bus.
Our flight departed from Terminal 2 and we had a delightful lunch at the hawker-style food court (hello, pork noodles!). There was also a rooftop Sunflower Garden and an exhibit called Dreamscape with water below and moving images above. No matter where you are, you won’t be bored in the Changi Airport!
