Everything you need to know about a Singapore Citytrip
- Jul 21
- 4 min read
Why visit Singapore?
Personally, we think Singapore is one of the most enjoyable cities to visit. In our opinion, it is also the perfect place to start or end a journey through Asia. Many airlines offer direct flights to Singapore, and there are plenty of affordable flights from Singapore to other destinations, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Singapore is an ultra-modern city, incredibly clean and very easy to travel around. It is also around 58 times smaller than the Netherlands, which means you can see a lot in a relatively short amount of time.
If you are travelling to Asia, it is therefore almost impossible to resist adding a short Singapore city break to your itinerary. Singapore Airlines even offers special stopover deals, including discounts on selected hotels and other offers for attractions.
How many days do you need in Singapore?
Because Singapore is not very large and most of its main attractions are relatively close to one another, two to three days is more than enough time to visit many of the city’s highlights. If you would also like to visit one of Singapore’s theme parks, it is useful to plan an additional day. Do you only want to see the main highlights, or do you have limited time because of a long layover? You can already see quite a lot with just one day in Singapore!
What is the best time to visit Singapore?
Singapore is warm and humid throughout the year, and tropical rain showers can occur during any month. November to January is generally one of the wetter periods, with December and January often receiving the most rain. These tropical showers can be heavy, although they are often brief. You can therefore visit Singapore throughout the year. February is often a relatively dry month, while the period from February to October can generally be a good time for a Singapore city break.
However, the weather remains tropical and unpredictable, so it is always useful to carry a small umbrella.
How do you get around Singapore?
Most international visitors arrive in Singapore by plane, although it is also possible to travel overland from Malaysia. You can take the metro from Changi Airport, but we recommend booking a taxi through Grab. Grab works in a similar way to Uber and is widely used in many Asian countries. We found the app very easy to use.
At the airport, simply enter your pick-up location and destination in the app. Depending on traffic and exactly where you are staying, it generally takes around 20 to 30 minutes to reach the city centre.
Once you have arrived, you can continue travelling with Grab or use the metro. Both options are relatively affordable.
What is there to do in Singapore?
There is an incredible amount to do in Singapore. Depending on how many days—or even hours—you are staying, you can visit several different attractions.
Singapore is particularly famous for Gardens by the Bay, which is also a great place to start your city break. Here, you can admire the beautiful, almost Avatar-like Supertrees.
You can walk along the elevated OCBC Skyway, visit Cloud Forest or explore the area around Marina Bay Sands. You can also buy a ticket for the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark Observation Deck and enjoy an incredible view of the city. The famous rooftop infinity pool is only accessible to guests staying at the Marina Bay Sands hotel. In the evening, you can watch the light show at Gardens by the Bay, which you definitely do not want to miss. Altogether, you can easily spend an entire day exploring this part of Singapore.
If you have more time, you can visit one of the city’s many large shopping malls or spend a day on Sentosa Island, where you will find several theme parks and attractions. You can also explore Singapore’s colourful neighbourhoods, including the Arab Quarter, Little India and Chinatown.
What are you not allowed to do in Singapore?
Once you arrive in Singapore, you will quickly notice how clean the city is. There is a good reason for this: Singapore has several strict rules designed to keep public spaces clean. Did you know that the sale and import of most chewing gum is restricted in Singapore? You will therefore not normally find chewing gum for sale in shops.
Eating and drinking are also not allowed on the metro or in certain other public places. Smoking is only permitted in designated areas. Fines for breaking these rules can be high. Whenever you see a sign saying that eating, drinking or smoking is prohibited, make sure you follow the rules. It would be a shame to end your Singapore city break with an expensive fine.
Where to stay in Singapore
If you do not want to use Grab regularly, it is useful to choose a hotel in or near the city centre, or close to an MRT station. We stayed at JEN Singapore Orchardgateway by Shangri-La, around two kilometres from the centre. It was a convenient base for spending several days in Singapore and travelling around with Grab. There were several nice restaurants nearby, and the hotel has an amazing rooftop swimming pool with views towards Marina Bay Sands.
