The Lion City definitely holds a very special place in my heart. After five months of living and studying here, there actually remains a lot to be explored – however, with that being said, it’s a great place for a stopover or a quick vacation. I’d say around 4 days and 3 nights is an ideal amount of time to get to experience the city without rushing yourself.
Coming into the city rather unprepared, I hope to pass some of my personal faves an recommendations in a somewhat condensed matter: note that this blog is moreso a personal diary, rather than a ‘travel blog’ – just here to document some memories of this period of my life
This first post is an introduction about some handy basics that would be great to know before coming! After this, I’ve split the guide into eight categories:
- Guide to Food
- Malls, shopping and cafés
- Nature walks & greenery
- Museums and Art Galleries
- Instagrammable Locations
- Marina Bay Area
- Exploring the city: Orchard Road, Chinatown, Bugis, Clarke Quay
- Other: Sentosa, Pulau Ubin, Johor Bahru
Geography & Where to Stay
As a bit of context, a taxi from Changi Airport to the Clementi area will set you back only around 30 mins (without traffic) and only $25 in an Uber – i.e. Singapore is not very large. As per the map, it is split into five regions: central (red), east (green), north (grey), north-east (yellow) and west (blue). I personally spent barely any time in the north, north-east, east and far west – these are perhaps more local and living areas (fewer tourist attractions)
If you’re visiting for a couple days, almost all of your activity will be located in the centre red area, consisting of the main regions:
- Southern Island: shopping at VivoCity and link to Sentosa
- Outram: Chinatown
- Singapore River: Clarke Quay, Boat Quay and harbourside vibes
- Orchard: SHOPPING, SHOPPING, SHOPPING
- Downtown Core: central business district, all your main companies are here
- Marina East/South: Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay etc.
- Museum/Rochor: cultural melting pot & lots to do: haji lane, bugis, Little India
- Newton: food
- Geylang: red light district (don’t book hotels here)
As a simple guide, anywhere within 2 MRT stops radius of this central red district will be convenient place to stay at is is linked very conveniently with MRT stops no more than 10 minutes away.
Other areas that you may like to venture to outside the Downtown Core may include:
- Tiong Bahru: best coffee culture
- Bukit Timah: natural reserves
- Queenstown/Clementi: quirky shops here and there
- Jurong East: large mall
Weather & Clothing
As Singapore is ONE DEGREE from the equator, tropical is an understatement. Perhaps this graph is a tell-all:
Needless to say: its summer all year round baby.
Spending the majority of the time around uni, the style worn is quite casual (a lot of shameless sports merch and tees, and shorts for both guys and girls). However, in the city the style etiquette is best described at smart casual – like everyday is casual Friday in the office. For women, it’s usually a short sleeved top and skirt/shorts, or light pants. However, always bring a cardigan because there is aircon EVERYWHERE, which means you get technically get away with wearing long pants and a jacket if you plan on staying indoors.
November to January is the rainy season which shouldn’t be taken lightly – usually around 6 out 7 days are gloomy and thunder…y, however the flip side is that it provides respite from scorching temperatures and humidity.
Transport: MRT, buses, Uber/Grab
Public Transport: Singapore has a super clean and efficient transport system with the two modes being MRT (light rail/subway) and buses. I find that the buses may take unfavourable detours, and MRT is the most efficient around the city centre.
- Services come every 5 minutes and at least every 3 minutes during peak time (fees are also higher, and the word PEAK is shown when you’re tapping on)
- Don’t drink, eat or bring a durian (yes serious!). SMRT are very strict and you’ll get fined
Once you get off from the airport – get yourself an ez-link/MRT card! Equivalent to your Opal/Oyster/Octopus etc.. card, it is an upfront $6 card fee (non refundable), and can be purchased at any MRT station. For a 4 day trip, I’d say your spending will not exceed $30SGD.
Uber/Grab: As with many Asian countries, ride-sharing is incredibly popular and cheap. Uber and Grab are fierce competitors, so sign up for both as the price difference can be quite large. They also do heaps of promos so keep an eye out. In my experience, there is an abundance of supply and I’ve never had to wait more than 10 minutes – service is also really great, and super safe even when alone late at night. They aren’t really talkative (culture thing? idk) so if you’re there for the banter maybe try taxi drivers
Other noteworthy:
It’s really hard to gauge spending but a few things stand out to me:
- Food is cheap: especially in hawker centres, you could spend less than $5 on a meal and come out full. However, CBD malls and ‘trendy’ places will set you back similar prices to AUS
- Coffee is EXPENSIVE: if you’re after Western coffee, this is not the place. A cup at Starbucks is like $7, so if you’re searching for the place to kick your caffeine addiction – SG is great! Alternatively, you can opt for Kopitiam/Malay coffee which is only ~$2.
- Alcohol is EXPENSIVE: Singapore is not the ideal place to get lit. Unless you’re a girl and it’s Wednesday (read: ladies night). Alcohol is heavily taxed, so remember to buy from duty free before you leave the airport (it’s really cheap there).
- Withdraw international cards (Visa, Mastercard) from Citibank ATM’s, and check if your bank has partnerships with local ATM’s (I know Westpac cards can be used fee-less from DBS/POSB ATM’s)
- Cash is still king: Singapore has an intergenerational problem with a reliance on cash.
It remains one of the only places in the world where Uber/Grab has to provide a cash option, because of the stigma surrounding cashless tech.
Ironic for one of the most modern cities in the world – but bring around cash for all your spending, and use your card when shopping in department stores, global stores etc..
- Language: everyone knows English (however spoken with strong Singlish accent), and another language – commonly Mandarin Chinese or Malay.
- Toilets are SO CLEAN: actually everything is super clean that you end up taking it for granted until you go to a different country.
- Gum is banned.
LXCATIONS 