There’s no other place like Singapore. Located just off the southern tip of Malaysia, this vibrant city-state boasts a beautiful blend of Malaysian, Indian, Chinese, Arab, and English cultures – all with its own Singaporean twist. Learn more about Singapore in this Singapore Travel Guide.
The “Lion City,” as it’s referred to, is filled with delightful culinary experiences, state-of-the-art accommodations and exciting nightlife. My ultimate Singapore travel guide is filled with travel tips to help you plan your own trip!
Singapore, being one of the most prominent cities in the world, will provide you with a different kind of experience from the one you could expect in other Asian countries.
Because Singapore is such a big business center for the whole of Asia most of the locals are bilingual – proficient in English and either Mandarin, Malay, or Tamil.
The Singaporean dollar (SGD) is the currency of choice here. Currently, 1 Euro will get you $1.6 in Singapore dollars.
When you’re budgeting for your trip here, keep in mind that Singapore is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. While you can find some bargains in Malaysia and Indonesia, Singapore is expensive so expect to spend the same as you would in a big European city.
Credit cards are widely accepted, but you should still carry some cash for food stalls, coffee shops, and other small purchases.
Temperatures in Singapore are consistent all year. Typically, on any given day, you will see temperatures between 24 Celsius to 32 Celsius.
The humidity level is high; the country sees an average of 167 days of rain per year.
While Singapore is a small country, there is still a lot to see. Just 31 miles wide and 17 miles long, Singapore has a remarkable amount of must-see neighborhoods like Little India, Bugis, Chinatown, Marina Bay, the Financial District, and Sentosa Island.
The Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) is an easy and affordable way to get around Singapore. The price of tickets depends on where you are going and generally runs around SGD 4 (EUR 3). If you are planning to explore as much of the city as possible, the Singapore Tourist Pass can be a great deal. It gives you unlimited travel for a set period.
An app called Grab is popular here, and the ride prices are cheaper than what a traditional taxi ride would cost. It works just like Uber, which is being phased out in Singapore. While there are a ton of taxis all over the city, they charge peak rates after 18.00, so it can get expensive quickly.
Singapore is one of the most expensive cities to stay in when it comes to hotels or apartments. That is due to being such a big business center for the whole of Asia and also because it is located on a small land mass. Therefore below you can find some accommodations that will please everybody.
If you wish to be located in the central business Singapore district for an affordable price, then Park Hotel Clarke Quay is the way to go. The rooms are clean and have everything you need, alongside the swimming pool that is excellent and quite big. Check out the amazing Park Hotel Clarke Quay.
Location: 1 Unity St, Singapore
Accommodation: Hotel
Price range: €99 +
Located a little bit outside the main attractions of Singapore. This apartment-like hotel is located in a vibrant neighborhood with a lot of restaurants and bars. It is also close to hop on/off bus station and to MRT (metro). Check out M Social Singapore.
Location: 90 Robertson Quay, Singapore
Accommodation: Hotel
Price range: €125 +
Nice hotel in a perfect location. Located in a beautiful white building that is close to the main MRT station it is perfect for everybody. It is a good value for your money, but the breakfast isn’t that big so I would recommend taking a room without breakfast and just eating outside in a nice cafe. Check out Hotel NuVe Heritage.
Location: 13 Purvis St, Singapore
Accommodation: Hotel
Price range: €120 +
This modern and trendy hotel has a perfect location that is ideal for any tourists that like to be staying in the city center and near all the main attractions. It is fairly cheap compared to other hotels near it, the only thing that isn’t there is the swimming pool, but that isn’t such a big minus overall. Check out Hotel G Singapore.
Location: 200 Middle Rd, Singapore
Accommodation: Hotel
Price range: €88 +
One of the favorite restaurants among young Singaporeans, Tanuki Raw serves a wallet-friendly chirashi, beef bowls, rice rolls, and oysters chased down with your choice of beer or cocktail.
Location: 181 Orchard Road, 04-01 Orchard Central, Singapore 238896
Price range: €€
The world’s cheapest Michelin star restaurant is always packed, so you need to be prepared for a little bit of waiting if you wish to eat here. Even if it has Michelin star the owner has stayed true to his original idea, and so have the prices which start from 5$SGD (4 Euros).
Location: 78 Smith St, Singapore 058972
Price range: €
If you wish to try Laksa, then this is a must-visit place. Keep in mind that you won’t have many choices of food here, mainly you can choose from two stars of the show: creamy, coconutty, lightly spicy laksa noodles and the chunky fish otah made with fresh mackerel and wrapped in a banana leaf; and the perfectly decent nasi lemak.
Location: 51 E Coast Rd, Singapore 428770
Price range: €€
Warong Nasi Pariaman is one of the longest-running restaurants in all of Singapore, it has started serving Indonesian rice specialty since 1948. Since this little restaurant is standing there so long, the lines are quite big in the afternoon, so be sure to come fairly early is you want to eat some good food.
Location: 738 North Bridge Rd, Singapore 198706
Price range: €
There is nothing fancy about this spot, it has blank white walls with plastic chairs, but it does not matter because it has one of the best tze char (Chinese-style dishes that approximate a homecooked meal) in all of Singapore. As Warong Nasi Pariaman it fills up quickly so come as fast as possible if you want to try some tze char.
Location: 534 Geylang Rd, Singapore 389490
Price range: €
The night show is one of the most famous attractions in Singapore, and it always brings a number of people. There are regulars shows almost every night near Marina Bay. You can check the schedule here.
You can grab a drink at the Marina bay rooftop even if you are not a guest of the hotel. The view is amazing and that is the memory that you will not forget soon. Just keep in mind that there will probably be a decent amount of people there at any time of the day. Also, admission costs SG$23 (EUR 17) for adults, SG$17 (EUR 12.50) for children aged 2 to 12 years, and SG$20 (EUR 15) for senior citizens aged 65 years and above.
If you are looking for the most famous attraction in Singapore, then this is it. Gardens by the Bay are the winner, and they are absolutely stunning. You have most likely heard about Gardens by the bay or The Supertree Grove, the most recognized landmark of the park, which features 18 “supertrees” that support the OCBC Skyway, a 419-foot-long aerial walkway that affords views of both the surrounding gardens.
Right next to Supertree Grove there is Flower Dome and Cloud Forest. The Flower Dome is the largest greenhouse in the world and showcases numerous types of plants and flowers grouped by country.
The Cloud Forest – a crowd favorite – features a 114-foot-tall mini-mountain that plays host to the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, which visitors can observe via the aerial Cloud Walk or Tree Top Walk.
Just keep in mind that fees vary based on the attractions that you would like to see. All of the administration’s fees can be found here on the Gardens by the Bay website.
Merlion Park is one of the few of Singapore’s most recognizable monuments. It is the head of a lion with the body and tail of a fish, and the hybrid creature spits water from its mouth and into the bay. It is right across the Marina bay so you can take an amazing picture of the Marina bay also.
If you are looking for affordable souvenirs such as shirts, mugs, magnets and everything else this is the place. It has everything and the greatest part of it, it is open 24/7 so you can always stroll there and buy something. Just keep in mind that it is located in Little India so you will always find a lot of people next to the center.
Little India was one of the best experiences that I have had. Since I have never been to Asia and never really felt Indian culture, this was great. You will find everything from street food that is native to India, to Hindi temple to pray. Just to note that it was a real surprise when I saw how many jewelleries there were.
Durian is one of the most famous fruits in Asia. You will mostly see the signs on entrances to almost everywhere that Durian is not allowed to bring in and that is because it has been known that it is the smelliest fruit in the world, and logically if you open it in an enclosed place it will have a terrible smell. I have tried Durian and wasn’t a fan of it.
Since Singapore isn’t that big of a city, you can easily bike to some of the most famous attractions, and there are plenty of biking tours around to find.
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