10 unmissable things to do in Singapore

Singapore is a beautiful, busy, multicultural metropolis. The people are unbelievably kind (one lady gave us money for the bus when we had no cash left!) and there’s always something going on. I spent four days exploring the city, speaking and hanging out with locals and experiencing my first “capsule hostel”. I stayed at the Port Hostel and would definitely recommend it, if you’re looking for cheap accommodation.

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Here are my top 10 things to do:

10) ?Swoon at the Joo Chiat shophouses

For avid architecture and instagram fans, and those who like to experience all aspects of a city, head to Joo Chiat street and admire the super cute shophouses! You can catch the number 16 bus there from the centre (we bought tickets onboard for around 1.50$)

9) ?Try a Singapore sling

The Singapore Sling was originally created for the Raffles Hotel in Singapore in the early 20th century. It is a gin based cocktail mixed with cherry liqueur, cointreau, grenadine, lime juice and pineapple juice.

Head to the Raffles Hotel to sip your cocktail and eat nuts whilst throwing the shells on the floor!

If you’re on a tighter budget you will also find this cocktail in lots of other bars starting from around 8$.

8) Eat in one of the many hawker stalls

My budget for Singapore was over double my budget for the surrounding Asian countries as I thought that the food as well as accommodation would be super expensive. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Hawker stalls in Singapore are just as cheap and frequent (and yummy) as in Malaysia! For around 5$ you can enjoy a main meal covering all Asian cuisine. I particularly liked Lau Pa Sat which is located not to far from Marina Bay.

7) ?Spend the evening in Kampong glam

A super trendy area of Singapore, come here at night for a drink and some live music. Make sure you walk down down Haji lane and admire the brightly graffitied streets before heading to the golden mosque via multiple beautifully tiled arabic restaurants.

6) Have a chilled lunch at Chjmes

I was lucky enough to have a friend living in Singapore as my guide and he took me to Chjmes for lunch. The former all girls school was converted into a beautiful open space with restaurants all surrounding the pristine white church. There is something to suit everyone and although it’s more expensive than the hawker stalls it’s still reasonably priced. We went to “Privé” which I would definitely recommend! They had a gorgeous terrace and the restaurant itself has huge sliding windows to bring the outdoors inside!

5) ?Soak in the culture at China Town

China Town is not like your ordinary China towns, as it is where all the immigrants originally settled and thus it’s a complete mish mash of cultures!

Take a walk down Keong Siak road and admire all the super cute and instagrammable houses. Then head to people’s park, one of the largest hawkest centres in Singapore, to grab a cheap lunch.

Don’t miss out on Thiang Hock Keng temple and the Sri Mariamman temple.

5) ?Take a walk around the Botanical gardens

The botanical gardens in Singapore are huge, diverse and best of all FREE!

Stroll around the lake and peak at the many turtles, enjoy the “walk of the giants” where you can bounce on the rope trampoline surrounded by huge trees, or head to the Orchid garden for only 5$ per person!

It’s a big park so I would give yourself a few hours if you wish to see it all.

3) Take in the view from Marina Bay Sands

If you stay in the Marina Bay Sands resort you’ll have the luxury of using the infinity pool however you’ll need to fork out for the room!

If you’re on a tighter budget but still want to enjoy the views you can head to the bar on the top floor. The bar is called “Cé la Vi” and to access you just need to go to the end of Marina Bay Sands building (ground floor) and get the lift up (you’ll get a stamp).

Definitely the most expensive bottle of beer i’ve ever drunk (4 bottles of Tiger were 75$!) But just the most unbelievable views over Singapore!

You could also just get the lift up, have a peak at the views and then head back down again if you’re on a super tight budget!

2) ?Walk around Marina Bay

Singapore is such a nice city to walk around with my favourite part being around Marina Bay.

First watch the sunrise at Merlion Park which is situated opposite Marina Bay Sands (the funny looking building) here you’ll find the Merlion fountain. Its name combines “mer” (meaning the sea and representing Singapore’s origin as a fishing village) and “lion” (the symbol of Singapore i.e Lion City).

Then walk round over Jubilee bridge towards Helix bridge. The Helix bridge is a wonderful piece of architecture and will lead you straight to Gardens by the bay and Marina Bay Sands!

1) ?Explore the Gardens by the bay

Hands down the coolest park i’ve ever been too. The super trees are covered in a beautiful array of tropical flowers and are such an amazing site to see! There are 18 in total with 12 located at the Supertree Grove and the remaining six are split into clusters on three at the Golden and Silver gardens. You are better off taking photos of the supertrees in the latter two areas as there are less tourists.

The park itself is free to enter and then you will need to pay to do activities such as visit the conservatories (28$), which house the worlds highest indoor waterfall, and the Skyway (8$), the bridges between the Super trees.

Make sure you visit the park twice – once during the day time and once at night as the Super trees light up to music each night at 19h45 and 20h45.

I hope you have the best time in this bustling metropolis!

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