Singapore had until now been the great city of Southeast Asia that I resisted. Despite having been in Asia for more than 5 years, I still had not met her. This time I finally visited the best places in winter last year. This year I planned to visit Singapore again. Singapore is reputed to be a boring city, but I have not thought it at all. You must check out the best places to visit in Singapore. On the contrary, it is a city that offers a lot of things to do. A modern, multicultural city (the signs are usually in 4 languages), clean and with a very interesting recent history.
10 best places to visit in Singapore
Like Tokyo or Hong Kong, you can go to Singapore as a backpacker. But due to the prices (especially accommodation), it is not the best destination for it. Singapore is more enjoyable if one does not go very tight economically.
If you are part of the Couchsurfing social network, Singapore is undoubtedly a good place to look for someone to stay at your home. If you go with the adjusted budget, I recommend the article of the partners of Marking the Pole: best places to visit in Singapore.
1) Hallucinate with the skyline at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel
What I like most when arriving at a place is to be able to see it from some high point. It seems to me the best way to get an idea of its dimensions; it helps to get oriented and, in some destinations, like in Singapore, you get incredible views.
Going up to the viewpoint of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel is almost mandatory in every visit to the city. I recommend you do it around 5.30h and you will see the city by day, the sunset and the city illuminated during the night. If you have the budget to stay at that hotel, you can enjoy one of the most famous infinity pools (pools with views) in the world.
Going up to the viewpoint costs $ 23 per person, although you can also go to the Kudetá bar/restaurant for free and have a drink. This Bar is located in the same viewpoint. When you get off the lookout, you can go for a while to the Casino of Singapore which is on the ground floor of the same hotel. They will ask for your passport to enter and inside there is a free drink, without alcohol, of course.
2) Beach on the island of Sentosa
Sentosa is a small island which is connected to Singapore. It has turned into an entertainment place. In it, notwithstanding galleries, attractions and exercises of ‘experience,’ is the well known Universal Studios Singapore. This sort of things does not inspire you. Going to Sentosa is as yet worth putting in a couple of hours or multi-day on one of its excellent shorelines. I went on a Tuesday and there was practically no one. On weekends they say it’s going to burst.
How to get to Sentosa Island? You can go by subway to the HarbourFront Station stop and then take the Sentosa Express train ($ 4) that you will find on the third floor of the Vivo City Shopping Mall. According to the Sentosa website, the following buses also arrive at the Vivo City Shopping Mall. You can also go by cable car ($ 29) from near the Harbourfront Station subway stop.
3) Stroll through Marina Bay and the Museum of Arts and Sciences
Marina Bay is the most beautiful part of the city . That’s where the famous lion-mermaid statue, emblem of the city. The most expensive hotels, the casino and is where the Singapore Formula 1 urban race takes place. There is also the Museum of Arts and Sciences that is in a beautiful building in the shape of Lotus Flower (8-19h).
Every night (at 8:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.), in front of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, they make an audiovisual show in which they project, in a water screen created by powerful sources, a story in images, music, and fire. It’s pretty good Similar to Hong Kong.
If after you cross the modern bridge of The Helix, you can reach Makansutra Gluttons Bay, where you have a good dinner at a good price. Some paraditas offer food of all kinds.
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4) Coffee in Chinatown
Chinatown is still a good place to go to eat snacks and heavy foods. The small neighborhood is formed by traditional houses of colors, very well preserved. In addition to good food, you will find plenty of souvenir shops. Do not forget to take a coffee, the traditional Singaporean coffee.
5) Get lost at the New Bugis Street flea market
This market we found it without wanting and it was an interesting discovery. He is not afraid of anything, it was not a feat to run into it, but I was afraid that he would appear without having it in the plans. If you are going through the Victora Street area with New Bugis Street, you will see it. In it they sell basically clothes at a very good price. Although there is also food, juices and several Durian shops, did you already taste the banned fruit in all Asian public transports because of its strong smell?
After New Bugis Street, you can follow Albert Street where there are also markets.
6) Drinking a Chai Masala or a Lassi in Little India
The Indian neighborhood of Singapore is like a small Chennai but clean and without large masses of people. The main streets of the neighborhood are Buffalo Road and Serangoon Road. In the latter, you can see the typical temple of South India, Sri Veerama Kaliamman.
I recommend a break for tea with milk typical of India, Chai Masala, or delicious yogurt drink, sweet Lassi. You will see that several stores are bored of being the Cheapest Shop in Singapore, it has its grace.
7) Have a beer at night in Clarke Quay
If you have a large budget or you like to spend on food and drinks, spend the night at Clarke Quay on Clark Street. There you will find many restaurants and pubs for dinner or a beer surrounded by locals, tourists, and expatriates. In that area, you also take the boats-tour by the river. The beer was about $ 10.
8) Shopping on Orchard Road
Orchard Road is the street of shopping centers par excellence. If you are looking for international brands, there you will find practically all of them. If what you want are bargains (cheap perfumes, clothes at a good price, etc.) I recommend the Lucky Shopping Mall, a kind of MBK from Bangkok in small.
9) Knowing a park like the Garden by the Bay
Singapore has several parks and botanical gardens that look very cool. Unfortunately, in 3 days I did not really have time to visit them but I could see something of the Garden by the bay and it is impressive. It is a futuristic park, in which there are two greenhouses with microclimates in which plants of Mediterranean climate grow. In the park there are also the famous artificial trees that make photosynthesis and to which you can climb.
Other famous parks are the Fort Canning Park or The Padang.
10) See the Sultan Mosque and the Arab Street area
The Sultan Mosque is also one of the typical images of the city. It is a mosque with a very photogenic golden dome, which is located in a beautiful tourist district where there are several souvenir shops, the occasional hostel and a couple of streets with a good offer of restaurants and pubs to have a drink.
10 + 1) Discover your wildest face in Geylang at night
I and my partner stayed at the Fragrance Hotel which is located at the Geylang Lor 20. Geylang Road turned out to be in a very authentic neighborhood. By day it seems normal but at night it is transformed, and its streets become the typical dark district where everything that is done seems to have to be illegal. Basically what you will see are men playing in makeshift casinos that ride in the street, while others stroll looking for the services of one of the dozens of prostitutes waiting along the streets. A good neighborhood contrast compared to Marine Bay.
How to go to Geylang? By subway, get off at the Aljunied stop and walk to Geyland Road. You will see the atmosphere of which I speak if you go at night and you walk through the different Lor de Geyland Road (alleyways).
Read also: 10 Of The Most Beautiful Railway Stations In The World
How to move around Singapore?
As you have seen in the article, the subway is very good in Singapore. In general Singapore’s public transport is of high quality and is not expensive. So I recommend using the metro (MRT) and the bus. A subway or bus ticket usually costs about $ 1.50 or $ 2.50 depending on the distance. The metro is perfectly connected to the airport (Changi Airport), and in half an hour you are downtown. Taxi taxis start at $ 3, and usually cost about $ 10-35 per trip.
Final thought,
Above the section detailed above, we only share our real experiences. We add the cost according to our expense. Demand is not the same for all person. Some want luxury, some find normal level trip. You can travel by bus or train. We visit all the place by Air. If you enjoyed reading the best places to visit in Singapore, don’t forget to share.
