The illuminated Merlion statue spouting water at night, with the light-show towers of Marina Bay Sands behind

asia

SingaporeTravel Guide

Singapore8 stories

The city-state at the tip of the Malay Peninsula turns hotels into landmarks: the 1887 colonial splendour of Raffles, the skyline-defining infinity pool of Marina Bay Sands and the monumental Fullerton anchor one of the world’s great luxury stays scenes.

When to come

Year-round; February–April slightly drier

What it costs

Expensive. Part of the reason to come is what you can book when you arrive.

What we've planned, and who for

We have a full day here planned hour by hour. Longer stays are covered by subject rather than by route.

One full day

Singapore is inThe ones everyone goes to Worth the splurge

When to go

Year-round; February–April slightly drier

Budget level

Luxury

Typical cost profile for visitors

Combine it with

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia310 km
a short hop — comfortable overland · but their best months do not overlap with this one · a different price level (mixed)
George Town, Malaysia600 km
half a day's travel · both good in February, March · a different price level (budget)

Plan itWhere to stay in Singaporead · Booking.comTours and tickets

On the map

Finding Singapore

Open in Google Maps Larger map

The stories

Reading Singapore

Aerial view of Marina Bay Sands’ three towers and SkyPark at dawn, with the lotus-shaped ArtScience Museum in the foreground

Itineraries

24 hours in Singapore when every hour counts

Singapore · 15 min

Planning

Singapore, place by place

Everything below is named in one of our own stories about Singapore. The line under each is the sentence that recommended it, and the link goes to the piece it came from.

Where to stay

The areas and addresses our writers put first

weihan goh
Raffles Singapore
Opened in 1887 and named for the city's founder, Raffles is the grande dame of Southeast Asian hotels — a low white colonial confection of verandas, travertine and frangipani courtyards on Beach Road, most recently re…
Singapore's most iconic stays: from Raffles to Marina Bay Sands Check prices
Jayden Bek
The Fullerton Hotel
The Fullerton occupies the monumental 1928 General Post Office building at the mouth of the Singapore River, all Doric columns and coffered ceilings, reborn as a hotel in 2001.
Singapore's most iconic stays: from Raffles to Marina Bay Sands Check prices
Marina Bay Sands
Singapore
Marina Bay Sands, opened in 2010, stands as three 55-storey towers crowned by the SkyPark — a cantilevered deck carrying gardens, bars and the famous 150-metre infinity pool that seems to spill off the roof into the s…
Singapore's most iconic stays: from Raffles to Marina Bay Sands Check prices
Goodwood Park Hotel
Singapore
Quieter in reputation but rich in history, Goodwood Park began life in 1900 as the Teutonia Club for Singapore's German community; its Rhineland-style tower is a national landmark just off Orchard Road.
Singapore's most iconic stays: from Raffles to Marina Bay Sands Check prices
Capella
Singapore
For resort seclusion without leaving the island, Capella on Sentosa weaves two restored 1880s colonial bungalows into a contemporary curve of a building by Foster + Partners, set in 12 hectares of gardens where peacoc…
Singapore's most iconic stays: from Raffles to Marina Bay Sands Check prices
Goodwood Park
Singapore
Singapore's most iconic stays: from Raffles to Marina Bay Sands Check prices
The Civic District
Singapore
The museums, the Padang and the grand 19th-century architecture cluster here — along with the most famous hotel in Asia.
Where to Stay in Singapore: The Neighborhoods and Their Classic Hotels Check prices
Orchard Road
Singapore
Singapore's great shopping avenue is lined with international hotels of every stripe, and just off it sits the Goodwood Park Hotel, a Tudor-towered property whose building dates to 1900.
Where to Stay in Singapore: The Neighborhoods and Their Classic Hotels Check prices

Where to eat

Tables worth crossing the city for

Heap Seng Leong
Singapore
Heap Seng Leong, near Lavender, is a survivor of the Hainanese coffee-shop tradition and typically opens from around 5 am to around 5 pm; it is one of the last places serving kopi gu you, coffee with a knob of butter…
Singapore at Dawn and After Dark: The City Before and After the Tour Groups See on the map
Tiong Bahru Market
Singapore
Tiong Bahru Market, refurbished and reopened in 2025, has breakfast stalls that generally start from around 6 am and a crowd of regulars rather than visitors, and the art deco estate around it is one of the most pleas…
Singapore at Dawn and After Dark: The City Before and After the Tour Groups See on the map
Tong Ah
Singapore
Tong Ah, in the Keong Saik area, typically opens from around 7 am and does a charcoal-grilled version of the toast.
Singapore at Dawn and After Dark: The City Before and After the Tour Groups See on the map
Lau Pa Sat
Singapore
At institutions like Maxwell Food Centre, Lau Pa Sat and the vast Chinatown Complex, a plate of Hainanese chicken rice, char kway teow or laksa typically costs less than a coffee elsewhere in town — and some stalls ha…
Singapore on a Budget: How to Do the Expensive City Well for Less See on the map
Chinatown Complex
Singapore
Singapore on a Budget: How to Do the Expensive City Well for Less See on the map
Tong Ah Eating House
Singapore
For something rougher and more atmospheric, Tong Ah Eating House on the Keong Saik strip grills its toast noticeably thinner and crisper and is generally open from early morning until evening.
24 hours in Singapore when every hour counts See on the map
Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice
Singapore
The queue you will see is for Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice, poached chicken over rice cooked in its own stock, and it is worth joining once, though be warned that the stall typically closes on Mondays, which catch…
24 hours in Singapore when every hour counts See on the map
Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake
Singapore
The Michelin Guide also lists Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake and a long-running rojak, popiah and cockle stall in the same hall, and either will have you eating in five minutes rather than forty.
24 hours in Singapore when every hour counts See on the map
Chinatown Complex Food Centre
Singapore
Chinatown Complex Food Centre, a short walk uphill, is larger, hotter, scruffier and considerably more local.
24 hours in Singapore when every hour counts See on the map
Hawker Chan
Singapore
This is where Hawker Chan sells soya sauce chicken rice.
24 hours in Singapore when every hour counts See on the map
Lian He Ben Ji Claypot
Singapore
The better reason to climb up here is the rest of the floor: the Michelin Guide's own hawker roundup points to Lian He Ben Ji Claypot for claypot rice cooked over charcoal and Ann Chin Handmade Popiah for fresh spring…
24 hours in Singapore when every hour counts See on the map
Long Bar
Singapore
The Long Bar at Raffles Hotel will sell you a Singapore Sling for somewhere north of S$40; it is a genuine piece of history and an indifferent drink, and you should decide in advance which of those two facts matters m…
24 hours in Singapore when every hour counts See on the map

What to see

The things that justify the trip

Samson Thomas
Singapore Botanic Gardens
Singapore Botanic Gardens. The UNESCO-listed gardens typically open at around 5 am and admission is free.
Singapore at Dawn and After Dark: The City Before and After the Tour Groups See on the map
Aparna Johri
Marina Barrage
Marina Barrage. The rooftop is public and generally accessible around the clock, at no cost.
Singapore at Dawn and After Dark: The City Before and After the Tour Groups See on the map
Jim Tran
Fort Canning Park
Fort Canning Park. Open at all hours and free.
Singapore at Dawn and After Dark: The City Before and After the Tour Groups See on the map
Josephine Wong
MacRitchie Reservoir
MacRitchie Reservoir. The reservoir boardwalk at dawn is monkeys, monitor lizards and flat water.
Singapore at Dawn and After Dark: The City Before and After the Tour Groups See on the map
The Southern Ridges
Singapore
The Southern Ridges. The ridge path and its wave-formed timber bridge are open at all hours and free, and the decorative lighting typically runs from around 7 pm until the small hours, which makes this one of the few…
Singapore at Dawn and After Dark: The City Before and After the Tour Groups See on the map
Thian Hock Keng
Singapore
Down in Telok Ayer, Thian Hock Keng was built by Hokkien sailors giving thanks for surviving the crossing; it once faced open sea, before the land it now sits behind was reclaimed.
24 hours in Singapore when every hour counts See on the map

Our picks

What we'd do in Singapore

See and do

The city before eight
Pick one dawn anchor, not three.
Read: Singapore at Dawn and After Dark: The City Before and After the Tour Groups
The free blockbusters
Singapore's flagship attractions are surprisingly generous.
Read: Singapore on a Budget: How to Do the Expensive City Well for Less
National Gallery Singapore
The heavyweight.
Read: Singapore's Best Museums and Galleries, Ranked
Find tickets
Pulau Ubin
A ten-minute bumboat ride from Changi Point lands you in the Singapore of the 1960s: a sleepy island of kampong houses, jungle tracks and flooded granite quarries.
Read: The best day trips out of Singapore, ranked
Find tickets
The city after eight
The evening has a natural running order, and following it means you never queue and never double back.
Read: Singapore at Dawn and After Dark: The City Before and After the Tour Groups

Where to stay

The great equalizer
hawker centres mean the pod-hotel guest and the suite guest queue at the same stalls
Read: Sleeping well in Singapore, whatever the budget
Raffles Singapore
Opened in 1887 and named for the city's founder, Raffles is the grande dame of Southeast Asian hotels — a low white colonial confection of verandas, travertine and frangipani courtyards on Beach Road, most recently restored in a top-to-bottom renovation completed in 2019.
Read: Singapore's most iconic stays: from Raffles to Marina Bay Sands
Check ratesad · Booking.com
Marina Bay Sands
No hotel on earth is more recognisable.
Read: Singapore's most iconic stays: from Raffles to Marina Bay Sands
Check ratesad · Booking.com
The Fullerton Hotel
The Fullerton occupies the monumental 1928 General Post Office building at the mouth of the Singapore River, all Doric columns and coffered ceilings, reborn as a hotel in 2001.
Read: Singapore's most iconic stays: from Raffles to Marina Bay Sands
Check ratesad · Booking.com

Before you go

Practical essentials for Singapore

Money

Singapore dollar (SGD)

Language

English is an official language and used for everything official, alongside Mandarin, Malay and Tamil

Power

Type G, 230V 50Hz

Getting around

Tap any contactless Visa, Mastercard or Amex card or phone at MRT gates and on buses through SimplyGo — no local card needed, though foreign cards carry a small daily admin fee.

Tipping

Not customary — restaurants add a 10% service charge plus 9% GST, and tipping is actively discouraged at the airport.

Tap water

Tap water is safe to drink straight from the tap.

Driving

Left-hand side; a national licence covers stays of up to 30 days, after which a 1949 International Driving Permit is required.

Emergency

999 (police), 995 (ambulance and fire)

Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.

Keep exploring