Singapore travel guide
Where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Things to do in Singapore, planned over three days
Best time to visit Singapore
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months: lowest rainfall, floral shows starting and manageable crowds after Chinese New Year week.
Wettest time in the Northeast Monsoon, with prolonged downpours that can rain off outdoor walks.
Southwest Monsoon: pre-dawn squalls then often a clear afternoon, generally drier for sightseeing.
Inter-monsoon afternoon thunderstorms and the hottest, most humid feel, May typically hottest.
Worst weather window from late November to mid-January, when indoor picks save the trip.
Possible transboundary haze in some years, dropping air quality and hiding skyline views.
What's on
- Light to Night Festival January
Civic District buildings lit and projected for a free evening festival.
- Thaipusam late January or early February, on the full moon of the Tamil month of Thai
Kavadi procession from Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple along Serangoon Road to Tank Road.
- Chingay Parade February, around Chinese New Year
Multicultural floats and performers, the Chinese New Year season's big public spectacle.
- i Light Singapore about three weeks around June
Free sustainable light-art trail around Marina Bay, paired with GastroBeats food festival.
- Great Singapore Sale June-July
The annual shopping peak across the city.
- Singapore Food Festival July
The annual food peak, usually held in July.
- National Day 9 August
Fireworks over Marina Bay, flypasts and road closures around the Padang.
- Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix late September
Night race and concerts, Marina Bay fenced and hotel prices at their annual peak.
- Mid-Autumn Festival September/October
Lantern displays in Chinatown and at Gardens by the Bay, best after dark.
- Christmas / Orchard Road light-up mid-November to December
Orchard becomes a light show and malls open late through the festive season.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Singapore
Gardens by the Bay
Two cooled conservatories and the Supertree Grove make this the non-negotiable first visit, best finished at night.
Singapore Botanic Gardens
A UNESCO tropical garden where locals jog and picnic, with the National Orchid Garden as the paid highlight.
National Gallery Singapore
Southeast Asian art inside the former Supreme Court and City Hall, with a rooftop view over the Padang.
National Museum of Singapore
The best single place to understand Singapore in about 90 minutes, from fishing village to city-state.
Kampong Glam
The Malay-Arab quarter of Sultan Mosque, Arab Street textiles and Haji Lane boutiques and murals.
Joo Chiat
Pastel Peranakan shophouses on Koon Seng Road in a residential neighbourhood with strong local food.
Tiong Bahru
Art Deco flats, Yong Siak Street indie shops and a beloved market in Singapore's oldest housing estate.
Southern Ridges
A green ridge walk via Henderson Waves and Forest Walk, best at sunset and free to do.
Where to stay in Singapore
Civic District / City Hall
first trip, all-round base
Walk to the Gallery, Museum, Marina Bay and Bugis, with City Hall MRT interchange.
Marina Bay
luxury, skyline, special occasion
You wake up to the postcard, but budget and cheap local food are weaker here.
Chinatown / Tanjong Pagar / Duxton
best value and best food base
Three hawker centres on foot plus Duxton Hill and Keong Saik bars and restaurants.
Bugis / Kampong Glam
mid-range creative base, groups of friends
Central and younger, walkable to Haji Lane, Little India and the Civic District.
Orchard Road / Tanglin
shopping and Botanic Gardens access
Malls and hotels with supreme convenience, but less character at street level.
Clarke Quay / Robertson Quay
nightlife and river base
Robertson Quay upriver is the local version, with wine bars and cafes on the river.
Think twice about
- Geylang
The legal red-light district on the even lorongs, with hourly hotels and street solicitation after dark. Visit for supper, sleep elsewhere.
- Jurong West / Tuas, Woodlands and Yishun outskirts
Not a safety issue, just 45 to 60 minutes from everything you came for, with no walkable visitor neighbourhood.
- Little India
Visit enthusiastically but base cautiously: crowded and noisy, especially Sundays, and many budget rooms are small and windowless.
Best restaurants in Singapore
Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice
The chicken rice benchmark at Maxwell, with fragrant oily rice and chilli that bites.
Old Airport Road Food Centre
The locals' hawker centre, with 150 plus stalls to share four or five dishes between you.
Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle
Starred bak chor mee since 1932, worth the peak queue for a bowl that costs little.
Candlenut
Peranakan food elevated without losing its soul, in a nice but not stuffy Dempsey setting.
Burnt Ends
Modern Australian barbecue from a wood-fired oven, with counter seats watching the fire.
Odette
Singapore's flagship three-star dining room inside the National Gallery, with lunch the accessible version.
Restaurant Labyrinth
A modern Singaporean tasting menu reworking hawker and home dishes into fine dining.
Song Fa Bak Kut Teh
Peppery Teochew pork rib soup with unlimited refills and dough fritters for dipping.
Outdoor things to do in Singapore
Sentosa Golf Club
Two championship courses on Sentosa, Serapong for prestige and Tanjong for a more forgiving round.
Laguna National Golf Resort Club
Mainland championship golf on the Masters and Classic courses, easiest combined with the on-site hotel.
Orchid Country Club
27 floodlit holes beside Lower Seletar Reservoir, the accessible visitor round with night golf.
East Coast Park
Rent a bike and ride dedicated coastal lanes, or the full 42km Eastern Coastal park connector loop.
Pulau Ubin
As a full active day, paddle the mangroves by guided kayak and cycle the kampong roads to Chek Jawa.
MacRitchie Reservoir
Mainland jungle trails and reservoir loops up to 11km, with the TreeTop Walk as the headline route.
Skyline Luge Singapore
Gravity carts down four tracks from Imbiah with a chairlift back up, and the night luge is the favourite.
Mega Adventure Park - Singapore
MegaZip flies 450m over jungle to Siloso Beach, alongside high ropes and a free-fall simulator.
Best hotels in Singapore
Raffles Hotel Singapore
The colonial all-suite icon with the Long Bar, the splurge address in the Civic District.
The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore
Luxury in the Civic District, walkable to the Gallery, Museum and Marina Bay.
Fairmont Singapore
Smart mid-range rooms directly over City Hall MRT interchange.
Swissôtel The Stamford
Tall, central and directly over City Hall MRT, a reliable first-time base.
Grand Park City Hall
Mid-range Civic District base within walking distance of the main museums.
Marina Bay Sands Singapore
The skyline icon, and the only way to use the guests-only infinity pool.
The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore
Bay-facing luxury for a special occasion in the postcard view.
Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
Marina Bay luxury for couples splurging, with the bay on the doorstep.
Is Singapore expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | SGD 150 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | SGD 300 a person |
| Splurge | SGD 650 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Gardens by the Bay: a few days ahead
- Night Safari: a few days ahead
- Sentosa Golf Club: weeks ahead
- Laguna National Golf Resort Club: weeks ahead
- Orchid Country Club: a few days ahead
- Pulau Ubin: a few days ahead
- Bintan Resorts: a few days ahead
- Candlenut: weeks ahead
- Odette opens 60 days ahead, book dinner at least 30 days out.
- Burnt Ends, Candlenut, Labyrinth and Cloudstreet need 2 to 4 weeks for prime times.
- Book Gardens conservatories and Night Safari timed slots online, and F1 weekend 6 plus months ahead.
Is Singapore safe?
- One of the world's safest cities, but watch bags in crowded hawker centres and on the MRT.
- Drugs have zero tolerance and vaping is banned outright, including at the border and in transit.
- No drinking in public places from 10:30pm to 7am, and everyday fines cover MRT eating, littering and jaywalking.
- Check your government's current travel advice before you go.
Singapore travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Newton Food Centre seafood touting without clear per-weight pricing.
- Always confirm crab species, weight and price per 100g before it is cooked.
- Clarke Quay tourist bars, Sim Lim lower-floor electronics touting and Orchard malls as an attraction.
Getting around Singapore: public transport and more
- MRT covers every pick, every 2 to 3 minutes, tap a contactless card or phone at the gantry.
- Use Grab for late nights, Mandai, the Ubin ferry and East Coast seafood.
- Plan walks before 10:30am or after 4:30pm and cut through air-conditioned malls.
Who Singapore suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Singapore your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store