Singapore has been one of my favorite destination of my trip so far. Read my article, 6 Reasons I love Singapore to hear more. One thing that I left off the list is the abundance of things to do. Below is a list of 20 things to do in Singapore starting with my favorite, Gardens by the Bay.
No trip to Singapore would be complete without a stop at the famous Gardens by the Bay. You can easily spend a whole day there and I made a stop every day of my trip because I loved the area so much. Read my article, Planning Your Visit to Gardens by the Bay, for more details of the OBDC Walk, Flower Dome, Cloud Forest, and nightly show.
By far, the best rooftop bar in the city. I guess I didn’t get to try them all but I can’t imagine anything topping this one. Most of the bar overlooks the promenade but the bar has two sections so wander around to see nearly 360 degree views of the city. My favorite view was overlooking the Gardens of the Bay. It is also named as one of the best places in the city to watch the sunset.
Planning your visit: I would try to go an hour or so before sunset. That way you can experience the day time views, sunset, and if you stay long enough then the night view as well. The downside is you have to pay a $20 Singapore Dollars or ~ $15 USD fee to enter the bar which they give back to you in the form of a food and drink voucher. Let me tell you the voucher didn’t even cover the cost of my $26 glass of wine which was $30 Singapore Dollars or $22.30 USD once tax and tip were included. So you may not want to drink too much on the Rooftop Bar but it is a great place to get one, slowly sip it, and take in the views. I just missed Ladie’s Night when I was there but I was told on Wednesdays that women get in free plus one free drink!
Sands Skypark Observation Deck
If you don’t feel like drinking or don’t want to shell out for expensive Singapore Drinks but still want to visit the Marina Bay Sands 57th floor, then you can go to the Sands Skypark Observation Deck. The Deck runs on the outer part of the Ce La Vi Rooftop Bar so you will get virtually the same view. They charge a fee of $23 Singapore Dollars or $17 USD for an entrance fee. There were a ton of tourists up there but I preferred to pay to visit Ce La Vi where I could get a drink.
Kampong Glam
I wasn’t sure what to expect when walking around this neighborhood and I was happily surprised. Haji Lane was filled with cute shops, trendy cafes and bars, and some amazing street art. It was a small street but packed with a trendy vibe. I could have sat for hours in Blu Jaz Cafe to soak it in and people watch. On Arab Street and Bussorah Street, you can find more traditional Muslim restaurants with some cute outdoor seating areas. They also had shops selling perfumes, rugs, clothes, etc. Masjid Sultan Mosque looked beautiful from the outside but unfortunately it was closed when I walked by.
Little India
I actually stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Singapore Serangoon in Little India and it was a perfect spot to get around the city. I have never visited India but Little India made me feel like I was really there. Indians make up 9% of Singapore’s population with a majority living in Little India or at least visiting on the weekends. It was filled with authentic Indian restaurants and shops. There were some beautiful Hindu temples to explore as well. I just happened by a 930am free walking tour of the neighborhood so I got some of the back story of it as well. Make sure to include a visit to the house of Tan Teng Niah. Treat yourself to a meal for some authentic Indian Food. It was a nice change of pace from all the Asian food I had been eating during the last two months.
Chinatown
Singapore’s population is made up of 74% Chinese people which explains why this is the most authentic China Town that I have ever seen. Most China Towns tend to be a block or two of Chinese Restaurants that ,try to get tourists to visit by slapping on the China Town name. Not Singapore’s China Town. It is an actual neighborhood filled with Chinese. There are numerous delicious Chinese restaurants to choose from. Or just wander down the street shopping from the vendors. I was there for New Years and they invited me to write a New Year’s wish to stick on a giant dragon. Maybe consider getting a reflexology treatment while there. I was tempted but didn’t have time. Just allow yourself to get lost for a couple of hours wandering the neighborhood.
For once in my trip, I didn’t plan on taking a free walking tour. Shocking, I know!! But as fate would have it, I got to the Little India stop at 9:30am to find a group of tourists waiting right outside the station. Of course, I instantly knew it was probably a free walking tour. I decided to throw out my plan of visiting Southern Ridges to be spontaneous and join the tour instead. It turned out to be a tour of the neighborhood, Little India, where I was staying. I got to see the neighborhood in a whole different light.
Merlion
While most people posed sweetly beside the lion, I went for the water in the mouth look. I don’t regret it. I have so many selfies and carefully staged photos that sometimes it is nice to have a little fun with your photos. Merlion is located on the Promenade opposite of the ArtScience Museum and Marina Bay Sands. Tourists were lined up to get photos with Merlion so you have to be careful with your angles to get a good solo photo.
Walk along the promenade
As I have been traveling for months, one of the things I enjoy the most is to just walk around a new place to get a feel for it. One of the most beautiful areas of Singapore is the promenade that really runs in a circle from the Art Science Museum to Merlion to the Helix Bridge to Marina Bay Sands. There are many cute restaurants and food stalls to stop along the way for a bite to eat or something to drink.
Night Safari – I wanted to love the Night Safari, I really did but I just couldn’t get over the lines . I felt like I was at Walt Disney World or another theme park where you have to wait in line for three hours for one ride. I always hated that! It took me three and half hours from the time I left dinner until the time that I started the Night Safari. With better planning, most of this waiting could have been avoided so I really am to blame.
The Night includes hippos, flamingos, tigers, etc. It was really cool to see the nocturnal animals awake and in their natural habitat. My one complaint is that the tram doesn’t actually come to a complete stop so you are literally doing a drive by of the animals. I don’t have any good photos because they were all a blur. Now if I had arrived earlier then I could have walked around a leisurely pace after the tram ride to see the animals again. They also had several shows and feedings that I missed.
Planning your visit: So here is my advice to try and make your visit a little smoother than mine. The Night Safari opens at 7:15pm but it is part of the bigger part of Singapore Zoo. Consider spending some of the day wandering the zoo and combining it with the Night Safari. They have several joint ticket options. If you only want to go to the Night Safari only, consider buying your ticket online ahead of time but only from the official zoo website. If you buy it from a third party then you will be forced to wait in line to pick up your ticket. I waited in line for a good 30 minutes to buy my ticket so I wish I had planned ahead and purchased it online. Once you get your ticket, you will be given a time to enter the Night Safari – 7;15, 8:15, 9:15, or 10:15. You then have to get in line again to enter the Zoo at your appointed time. There is nothing to do but eat or drink until you enter the Night Safari. That is why I suggest buying a ticket online, arriving early to avoid lines and so you can actually see the shows, feeding times, and get to ride the tram.
Getting there: Getting to the Night Safari is a little bit of hike, you can take the MRT to Choa Chu Kang (NS1) Station. Then you need to take the bus which runs every 20 minutes from there to the Zoo. I got to the station just as one bus was pulling away and there was a giant line. I waited patiently for the next bus to arrive only to get to the front of the line and have the bus driver close the doors of the full bus. So I waited almost 40 minutes just to get on the shuttle. You may want to consider using the app, Grab, to go from the MRT station to the Zoo. It should cost around 10 Singapore Dollars.
Dine at the cheapest Michelin Rated Restaurant in the world.
Have you dreamed of eating at a Michelin Rate Restaurant but have never wanted to fork over the money to do so? Well Singapore is the place that can change all of that. I ate at Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle for a mere $4.50 Singapore Dollars or $3.32 USD. Plan on getting their signature dish of chicken and rice or chicken and noodles. This is the home of the first ever Hawker Stall to be awarded a Michelin star. The chef Chan is proud to bring attention to the world of Hawker Stalls, or food stalls as I would call it.
Another very affordable Michelin Rated Restaurant is Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodles which I had every intention of trying just to find out that they are closed on Tuesdays. They are known for their Pork Noodles which are served for breakfast and lunch but they are closed for dinner. A meal here will cost you around $5 Singapore Dollars or $3.50 USD.
Drink a Singapore Sling where it was invented at Long Bar within Raffles Hotel.
Not many drinks can actually be traced back to the exact place where they were invented so it is a treat to get to have a drink where it originated. The Singapore Sling was invented by Ngiam Tong Boon, a Hainanese bartender, working in the Long Bar at in Raffles Hotel in 1915. The Singapore Sling is made with gin, cherry brandy, and citrus juices for a sweet drink topped with a piece of pineapple and a cherry. They do have some other drink options if you so choose. Be prepared that the drinks are expensive. The Singapore Sling will cost you $31 Singapore Dollars plus tax and tip or around $27 USD when all is said and done.
The bar itself was a little odd to me. It is fancy yet they serve all you can eat peanuts which everyone throws the shells all over the floor. Usually you don’t see peanut shells on the floor of such a fancy bar. They also won’t let you stand by the bar. What kind of bar doesn’t let you stand and socialize?? You must either be seated on a bar stool or at a table. It tried too much to be prim and proper to me that it didn’t really have a fun atmosphere where you can drink the night away. I obviously only had one and then moved on..
I absolutely loved my visit to TeamLab Tokyo and was so excited when I found out that Singapore had a TeamLab museum as well. The museums are both digital art museums but they both had a very different feel to them. In Singapore, the first room had images of butterflies fluttering across the wall. You could actually interact with the art by touching a butterfly which would cause it to fall to the ground. In the next room, they had a special Christmas themed town mural up on the wall. They provided paper with houses and cars on them that you could color in however you wanted. When you were done, you would scan your picture and you could see it come alive and be dropped into to the Christmas themed town on the wall. This was a huge hit with the children in the museum. I don’t want to give away everything but it is very worth visiting if you have the time. If you are traveling with children then it is a must!
Shop along Orchard Road – Do you want to do some high-end shopping or just maybe just some window shopping? Then Orchard Road is the place to go. They had a large variety of store and restaurants. I easily spent a few hours there. Since I am on a budget, I sadly didn’t get to purchase anything though!
The rest of the items on my list were all things that I wanted to do in Singapore but I ran out of time or money. I had so much exploring the city that I just didn’t have time to see everything.
Swim at the infinity pool at Marina Bay Sands but you must be a guest!!
On my travel bucket list is to stay at the Marina Bay Sands hotel. This hotel is opulent and luxurious but the most amazing part is their rooftop Infinity Pool on the 56th floor that overlooks the city. You can’t get a better view. The next time I come to Singapore, I plan on getting one night at the hotel and spending my whole day by the pool soaking in the sun and views! The reason I didn’t get a room there was it costs anywhere between $400 t0 $1000 Singapore Dollars per night. ($300 to $750 USD). Unfortunately for me, they don’t offer any sort of guest pass to their pool. It is strictly for guests of the hotel only! I got to view the pool from the Ce La Vi bar and I was filled with jealousy that I wasn’t swimming in the pool instead.
National Art Gallery – If you love art then give the National Art Gallery a try. It has the largest collection of Southeast Asian Art containing over 8,000 pieces. There is a $20 Singaporean Dollar entrance fee.
Singapore Botanical Gardens – If you love flowers, then this is the place to be. It is the first UNESCO site in Singapore and has been around for 160 years. The Botanical Gardens are free to visit and they even have free walking tours on Saturdays. The Orchid Garden contains over over 1000 species and 2000 hybrids but is $5 Singapore Dollars or around $3.50 USD. The Botanical Gardens are open daily from 5am to midnight.
Southern Ridges – Want some nature? Walk the 10km long Southern Ridges which includes Mount Faber Park, Telok Blangah Hill Park, HortPark, Kent Ridge Park and Labrador Nature Reserve. I was drawn to Southern Ridges for the bridges that run through the treetops. During your walk, make a stop at Henderson Wave, the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore. The shape of the bridge gives you some cool opportunities for good photos as well! Planning your visit: I would try to go early in the morning because Singapore gets pretty hot during the day. I was on my was there in the morning when I got distracted by a free walking tour!
Sentosa Island – Want to get out of the city for day? Head to Sentosa Island to lay on the beach and relax. Plenty of restaurants and bars are around so treat yourself for a leisurely day of eating and drinking. Sentosa Island is one of the top places in Singapore to see the sunset so make sure to stick around for that.
Head to Stickie’s Bar for cheapest drinks in town. I only discovered this place after my visit but they have a famous Beer O’Clock promotion where starting at 2pm, any draft beer or wells drink is $2, at 3’oclock it is $3, etc. So if you want to drink on the cheap in Singapore, head to Stickie’s. They have two locations and tend to draw a bit of a younger crowd.
I hope to return to Singapore one day to complete the other items on my list of 20 Things to do in Singapore! What did I miss? What did you do on your visit to Singapore?
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