This is a country that was once best-known for its stringent rules and regulations. These days Singapore still abides by its many laws, but has grown into one of the most diverse and exciting countries in Southeast Asia. An example of what’s possible through ruthless organisation, Singapore has also managed to retain an impressive sense of authenticity, evidenced by its legions of hawker stands offering some of the world’s best street food.
Yet there’s no ignoring its growing status as an exclusive and expensive destination. Come here and you’ll find an abundance of boutiques and Michelin-starred restaurants, all housed within some of the planet’s most outrageous and ambitious architecture. Below them, look out for preserved colonial buildings and the city-nation’s many public parks — evergreen reminders that the jungle is never far away.
Main photo: nightlife at Clarke Quay (Getty Images)
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1. Visit the Changi Museum
The Singaporean experience during the Second World War is too often forgotten in Europe, but anyone arriving into Changi Airport can get an almost immediate education. After three years of renovations, the Changi Museum and Chapel reopened in 2021 to tell the stories of prisoners of war and civilians who were interned at the infamous Changi Prison during the three-year Japanese occupation. The revamped commemorative site features new content and artefacts presented in an intimate and engaging format, highlighting the personal stories, courage and resilience of the victims of the conflict.
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visitsingapore.com/see-do-singapore/history/history-museums/changi-museum
2. Drink in some of the world’s best bars
Singapore was already making a strong case for having the best nightlife in Asia before the Jigger & Pony was officially recognised as the best bar on the continent in 2021. It’s a hangout famous for its Crystal Ramos gin fizz and its move to the Amara Hotel coincided with its newfound recognition. And, while it’s also listed in the top ten of the world’s best bars, several other Singaporean bars can also make that claim. The ultra-sleek Atlas at Parkview Square is never far from the number one spot, while Manhattan has thousands of admirers, thanks in part to its impressive on-site rickhouse.
visitsingapore.com/editorials/award-winning-bars-singapore
3. Go on a night safari
Like many things in this island nation, Singapore Zoo has moved with the times. When it opened in 1973, conservation wasn’t really on the agenda; somewhat infamously, it had a polar bear in captivity. These days the animals are from more suitable latitudes and the focus is on education and species preservation. As well as the usual exhibits, the zoo offers the chance to go on a night safari, which was the world’s first nocturnal zoo experience when it opened, and today takes visitors through six zones (normally by tram) on the lookout for more than 100 different species in the dark.
4. Stay at Raffles
If any hotel has transcended its original function then it is surely Raffles. Although it was named after the British colonialist who planned Singapore, it wasn’t actually built until 60 years after Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles was last in the region. Nonetheless, its history is packed full of incident and tradition: resplendent Sikh doormen; iconic white walls; tales of a tiger that was shot under its old billiard room; and Rudyard Kipling singing the hotel’s praises. These days the brand has extended globally, and the Raffles name is attached to a series of properties, but this is where it all began.
5. Smell the orchids at Singapore Botanic Gardens
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So far as hangovers from the colonial period go, the Singapore Botanic Gardens are surely the loveliest. Founded in 1860, they are a Unesco world heritage site in their own right and have become an untouchable part of Singapore’s modern fabric. Among 121 acres you’ll find virgin rainforest, a sprawling ginger garden and the Gallop Extension that features two conserved houses and a nature-themed playground. For many, however, the highlight of the visit is the remarkable National Orchid Garden, home to more than 60,000 plants, including 1,000 different species of orchid.
6. Wander round the Gardens By The Bay
While the original botanic gardens are very well protected, Singapore wasn’t content with just preserving what the British left behind. Instead, more than £500 million was spent on the colossally ambitious Gardens By The Bay project, a dizzying high-tech, high-concept take on urban green space. Among many highlights there is a flower dome, the world’s largest glass greenhouse, while the cloud forest is a 100ft-tall artificial mountain and waterfall recreating an environment you might find in Central America. Outside, the supertree grove with its seemingly alien flora has become one of the latest symbols of the city.
7. Explore the Chinatown Heritage Centre
After large-scale investment and renovation, the Chinatown Heritage Centre reopened in 2021. The centre, located within three beautifully restored shophouses on Pagoda Street, is a time capsule presenting stories relating to the country’s largest immigrant group. With exact replica dwellings to show what life was like in the country’s early years, it traces the footsteps of Singapore’s early pioneers and presents the personal stories of those who settled Chinatown. Little ones will love the new olfactory displays in which they can smell spices that would’ve been traded in Singapore’s early years.
visitsingapore.com/see-do-singapore/culture-heritage/heritage-discovery/chinatown-heritage-centre
8. Visit the Indian Heritage Centre
Unsurprisingly, the Indian Heritage Centre is located in the heart of Singapore’s Little India neighbourhood, and its five storeys and five galleries are packed with thousands of artefacts charting the history and experience of Indian people in this part of the world, as well as the important contributions they’ve made to the formation of modern Singapore. The building is suitably ornate too, designed to look like a shimmering jewel in the day and a glowing lantern after sunset.
9. Shop on Orchard Road
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This is one of the world’s great retail arteries and, for some, it’s the reason to come to Singapore in the first place. It’s often compared to New York’s 5th Avenue or Paris’s Champs-Élysées, and covering the entire thing can be a daunting task for the uninitiated. Unlike Orchard Road’s nominal rivals, owing to Singapore’s humid climate and periodic monsoons the majority of the shops here are connected through a vast series of shopping malls. Tangs Plaza has been here for almost a century, while luxe-brand specialist Ion Orchard feels unavoidable. Head to the latter’s 56th-floor Ion Sky observation deck when you need a breather.
visitsingapore.com/see-do-singapore/places-to-see/orchard
10. Take a daytrip to Pulau Ubin
Take a day trip to Pulau Ubin for an idea of what Singapore might be like had it not been swallowed by hyper-development. This jungle-smothered island lies just between Singapore and Malaysia and, while it used to be the site of a large granite quarry, today it has been left to grow back to something wilder. Visitors now typically explore the island by bike, although these aren’t allowed inside the excellent Chek Jawa Wetlands nature reserve. Ditch your wheels and head inside to stroll the boardwalks and look out for false vampire bats, mousedeer and barred eagle owls.
11. Visit Universal Studios
Almost all of Sentosa Island has been dedicated to leisure, holidays and fun, and while there are dozens of ways to pass your day, there feels something inevitable about a visit to Universal Studios. A decade after its official opening, the park has 28 attractions spread across almost 50 acres of the island, including rollercoasters and a revolving line-up of live shows and 4D experiences.
12. Enjoy the view from Marina Bay Sands
If the Raffles hotel represents traditional hospitality in Singapore, then Marina Bay Sands is the modern world screaming for attention. Impossible to ignore, this titanic triple skyscraper is visible from across the city and is packed with hotel rooms, a colossal casino, expensive shops and flagship stores. It’s the three-acre SkyPark on the top that really sets MBS apart, though. Appearing like a ship stranded atop the towers, it has gardens, bars and even a running track. Since opening in 2010, its infinity pool and outrageous views across Singapore have become world renowned.
13. Discover Fort Siloso
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For many visitors Sentosa Island is little more than a mecca for leisure, but beyond the theme parks, fine-dining restaurants and beaches, there’s important Singaporean history too. At the island’s western tip, Fort Siloso was first built by occupying British forces during the Victorian age. However, its more significant action came during the Second World War during Britain’s attempts to defend Singapore from invading Japanese forces. Today an on-site museum details the conflict, while outside a treetop walkway offers views of the old fort from above.
sentosa.com.sg/en/things-to-do/attractions/fort-siloso
14. Eat your greens
Singapore’s traditional dishes are typically meat-heavy, with pork buns and chicken and rice eaten in vast quantities every day. However, it’s also a dynamic, evolving scene and the nation’s first Green Common offers a one-stop culinary destination for plant-based eating. The 3,000 sq ft restaurant and grocery concept store in VivoCity makes eating sustainably more accessible by bringing several vegetarian and vegan brands under one roof. If you have a last-minute change of heart, however, VivoCity is the largest mall in Singapore and has dozens of meaty alternatives.
vivocity.com.sg
15. Eat street food at hawker centres
There are entire constellations of Michelin stars adorning Singaporean restaurants these days, and while locals may visit those formal restaurants for special occasions, the majority will tell you that the country runs on hawker centres. Famously regulated and inspected, they serve what’s most likely the safest street food on the planet, and are so vital to Singapore’s identity that it has been recognised by Unesco. There are dozens of centres dotted around the city — some more air-conditioned than others — with wonderful aromas filling the plazas. If it’s your first time, choose a guided tour to help demystify the culture and ensure you pick the right dishes.
16. Visit the National Gallery Singapore
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What is almost certainly southeast Asia’s greatest collection of art is set in a fittingly grand building. The gallery opened in 2015 after the conversion of the old City Halls and Supreme Court buildings, a combined area of almost 700,000 sq ft to house more than 9,000 works of art from across the region. While there are rotating exhibitions throughout the year, Siapa Nama Kamu? (What Is Your Name?) and Between Declarations And Dreams have been installed for the long haul. As well as all this art, there’s an abundance of food and drink options, including the excellent Smoke And Mirrors bar, to make sure you’re adequately fuelled for your day of culture.
17. Swig a Singapore sling
The Singapore sling cocktail, created in Raffles’ Long Bar by barman Ngiam Tong Boon in 1915, is now generally accepted as the country’s national drink. The Long Bar is still selling them too, usually accompanied by a handful of monkey nuts. Singapore today has some of the strictest anti-littering laws in the world, but it’s still encouraged to throw your empty shells on the floor here. If you don’t fancy paying the high price in the drink’s birthplace, head to the much more relaxed Spiffy Dapper in Chinatown.
spiffydapper.com
18. Party in Clarke Quay
Clarke Quay’s long history, alongside much else, is forgotten at weekends when this waterside neighbourhood transforms into one of Singapore’s liveliest nightspots. It’s popular all year round and gets especially frantic around the Singapore F1 Grand Prix, which is typically held mid-September, when celebrities and sportspeople descend on the Quay’s trendy bars and clubs. Zouk Singapore has hosted revellers for more than 30 years, while Privé and Crazy Elephant are two of the favourite bars. Wherever you end up, be prepared for a frightening credit card bill when you wake up the next morning.
zoukclub.com
19. Explore the Southern Ridges
If you’ve overdone it at the hawker stalls, head to the Southern Ridges to get active. This undulating six-mile-long network of trails and bridges is popular with masochistic runners and anyone looking to stretch their legs without leaving the city. Connecting Kent Ridge Park to Mount Faber and the Labrador Nature Reserve, the vertiginous bridges won’t be for everyone, but even if you don’t fancy crossing them, make a point of looking out for the remarkable Henderson Waves, hanging more than 100ft above the ground.
visitsingapore.com/see-do-singapore/nature-wildlife/parks-gardens/the-southern-ridges
20. Go on a treetop walk
The MacRitchie Reservoir may be the oldest reservoir in Singapore, but today it’s mostly appreciated and explored as a green escape from the city. There are miles of trails leading around its shores where wildlife — including monkeys and mean-looking monitor lizards — can often be spotted. The biggest highlight of the seven-mile route is the chance to look at things from on high during the treetop walk. The 820ft suspension bridge leads through the jungle canopy, giving the best chance of seeing the baffling flying lemurs, which might not be able to fly or even be lemurs, but whose gliding between trees is nevertheless an amazing thing to see.
visitsingapore.com/see-do-singapore/nature-wildlife/reserves/macritchie-nature-reserve
21. Experience Chinese New Year
About 70 per cent of Singaporeans claim Chinese heritage, making Chinese New Year a special time to visit. There are dozens of events and celebrations in late January or early February each year, as well as speciality foods made for the occasion. Among these is yusheng: a salad which is dramatically (and messily) tossed for good luck. Out on the streets, look out for the beautiful lantern displays at the River Hongbao and the raucous Chingay Parade. If you don’t like firecrackers, it might not be for you.
chingay.gov.sg
22. Prehistoric perambulations
For a morning jog or cycle with some brotosaurean differences, the Changi Jurassic Mile presents a path through pre-history. With 20 life-sized dinosaur models fringing the route, there should be plenty of help ignoring the lactic acid burning in your muscles. While there are nine different dinosaur species represented here, the star is almost inevitably the tyrannosaurus, who appears to be crashing through the fence and onto the track. While the designers argue this will help get Singaporeans outside for exercise, it seems most likely to be a popular attraction for kids.
changiairport.com/en/discover/changi-airport-connector/jurassic-mile.html
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