How would I describe Singapore? Sparkling clean, a paradise for foodies, and a place that leaves you speechless by day and night. We spent 4 days in Singapore and wanted to give you an overview of our highlights during those days. To get around, you can either take public transportation, which is pretty good, or walk. We also used Grab to get around, which is similar to Uber or Lyft in the US.
Visit the Gardens by the Bay at day and night
The Gardens by the Bay are beyond beautiful. I honestly did not expect to be that amazed by them. The whole area is vast and a beautiful place to wander around. I never felt like it was too crowded or too full. The Supertrees were a highlight for me in Singapore. It is just fascinating to see, and in the evening, they are even more beautiful.
Unfortunately, we missed the light shows at night, another reason to come back to Singapore. Showtimes of the gardens by the Bay Light Show are 7:45 pm & 8:45 pm daily with additional shows during holiday seasons. The shows are about 15 minutes long, and there is no admission fee.
The entrance to the Gardens is free, you only have to pay for getting up on the Supertrees, Cloud Forest, Flower Dome, and Floral Fantasy. There are several tickets that you can purchase – either package deals or separate entrance tickets.
Make sure to plan enough time, because you can actually walk and explore forever. During the 4 days, we came back 3 times, because we could not get enough.
Floral Fantasy
Floral Fantasy changes its interior decorations depending on the season. We were there in December, which is why the flowers were from this season. The entrance fee is 20 dollars for non-Singapore residents. I loved the first part of the Floral Fantasy, especially for pictures, but I was disappointed by how short it was and not sure if it is worth the 20 dollars, to be honest. If you want an instagramable picture, though, you definitely will get it there!
Opening hours: 9.00am – 9.00pm daily
Find more information here.
Flower Dome
First, we were not sure if we even wanted to visit the Flower Dome, but it comes as a package with the Cloud Forest for 30 dollars. Now I am happy we had to visit the Flower Dome because I was pleasantly surprised by how beautiful and big the area was. The Christmas decoration was also so well done!
Opening hours: 9.00am – 9.00pm daily
Find more information here.
Cloud Forest
For sure, one of my highlights at the Gardens by the Bay. The indoor waterfall is just mind-blowing and so fascinating. Bundle price for the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest is 30 dollars.
The Cloud Forest is a 35-meter tall waterfall. It was the biggest one worldwide until last year when they opened the indoor waterfall at the Changi Airport in Singapore.
Opening hours: 9.00am – 9.00pm daily
Find more information here.
Discover Singapore’s prettiest houses – Peranakan Houses
I loved visiting this cute neighborhood with the prettiest pastel houses which is home to Chinese descendants the Peranakans, who moved to Singapore in the 15th century. This area was a coconut plantations back then. Now you can find the cutest cafes, restaurants and shops in this neighborhood. Plan some time to stroll around this area.
HOW TO GET TO THERE
- Taxi or Share Ride
- Take the MRT East-West Line, get off at Eunos and walk about 15-20 mins
- Take a Bus, bus number 33 is going there
Address: Koon Seng Road
Check out the Botanical Gardens
Another place that should not be missed during your Singapore visit is the Botanical Garden in Singapore. The admission is free, the only place you have to pay a 5 dollar fee is the Orchid garden, which is really beautiful. You actually follow a path and see several flower arches along the way and those offer perfect photo opportunities.
Singapore Botanic Gardens
Daily, 5am – 12am
National Orchid Garden
Daily, 8.30am – 7pm
(last ticket sales at 6pm)
More information here.
ArtScience Museum
On a rainy day, we decided to visit all the exhibitions at the ArtScience Museum. In December 2019, 3 exhibitions were going on: Future World, Disney, and 2219 Futures Imagined. We really enjoyed Future World and Disney.
The price for one exhibition is 19 S$, for 2 exhibitions 32 S$ and all cost 40 S$.
If you want to take photos at the Future World exhibition, make sure to come right when it opens and try to avoid going on the weekend. Note that flash is not allowed, but you can use a tripod (which we did not know, unfortunately).
Find more information here.
Stroll through China Town
I loved walking through china town, and not only because of the endless food opportunities there. But let’s be honest, the food was one of the reasons I went there several times. Another reason was the huge parking yellow parking garage complex, that reminds me of Hong Kong. Do not miss the magnificent Buddha Tooth Relic Temple that offers a cool photo opportunity but is also incredibly beautiful on the inside.
In general, it is nice to walk around china town and enjoy the beautiful architecture and the food markets. It is also an excellent opportunity to buy souvenirs because things in china town are not too pricey.
Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
Address: People’s Park Complex : 1 Park Road, Singapore 059108 (NE4 DT19 Chinatown)
Address: Buddha Tooth Relic Temple : 288 South Bridge Rd, Singapore 058840
Visit the Masjid Sultan Mosque
The famous Sultan Mosque is located in the Kampong Glam neighborhood, which has a unique middle eastern architecture style. The mosque was built in 1824 for the first sultan of Singapore. Currently, there are 75 mosques in Singapore. If you like middle eastern food, you will love this area of Singapore, tons of restaurants offer this kind of food.
Where to stay?
We decided to stay at the Four Seasons during our Singapore visit, and we loved our stay there. The location was perfect and just a couple minutes from the most famous shopping street in Singapore: Orchard Boulevard. The view from our room was lovely, and the breakfast was really delicious.
Where to eat?
Hawker centers are famous all over Singapore. You can find Michelin Stars food stalls at some Hawker centers. We tried two of them and loved them. First of all, the food at those stalls is super cheap and taste delicious. Since food in restaurants in Singapore is really expensive, Hawker center are a good cheap alternative with good quality food.
Chicken and rice is a famous simple Singaporean meal and we tried it at Tian Tian and HawkerChan (one with soy sauce and one without, we liked the one without soy sauce better). It was only about 3 S$ and tasted good!
