What to do when visiting Singapore

Singapore: A city of Tall buildings, humidity, light up trees, the Singapore Sling and underground malls.  Before I visited Singapore I knew very little and didn’t know where to start in our exploring, we relied on information from taxi drivers and locals for what to do and where to head first since they know best!  It’s a surprisingly small City with lots to see, read on to find out my most recommended spots…

First up is one of the oldest and most famous hotels in Singapore; Raffles.  Compared to the 70 story skyscrapers surrounding it, it seems very small, but it holds 115 large suites, as well as luxury shops and restaurants.  A night in a suite at Raffles can start from approximately £870 so if staying at raffles isn’t in your budget then visiting is a must!  While you’re there take a picture with the famous doorman, visit the gift shop and then stop for drinks at the world famous Long Bar.  Be warned, you can’t book in advance (unless you’re a Raffles residence) so queues can be long!

The Long Bar is mostly famous for being the ‘Home of the Singapore Sling’ which if you haven’t heard of it, is classed as Singapore’s national drink.  The history behind it is when Women couldn’t drink in Singapore, a barman in the Long Bar added gin and liqueurs to a women’s usual ‘juice like’ beverage which gave women the chance to drink alcohol in public whilst looking ‘feminine’.   As well as being famous for serving the Singapore Sling, Long Bar is also famous for being a bar that serves complimentary peanuts on every table which then once eaten, the shells can be thrown and crushed on the floor.  The reasoning behind this is that apparently it keeps their wooden floors in good condition but either way, it’s good fun!

After your day at Raffles the obvious next stop is Raffles City, a large shopping centre above and underground full of luxury shops and restaurants.  Beneath Singapore isn’t just their Metro system, they have a whole maze of underground malls.  Each area in the city has a shopping mall of their own and they are all connected underground by either a metro or just a short walk.  It would take days to cover the whole mall but it’s a good opportunity to get out of the blazing heat as there are entrances all over the centre of Singapore.  If you’re looking for some bargain shopping, Bugis Street and People’s Park complex (First mall built in Singapore) are 2 of the best spots for bargain hunting.

As well as some shopping, Singapore is a perfect place for eating!  There are cultural restaurants all over the City where you can try their national dishes such as their famous chicken rice.  Singapore also has a wide range of food markets, but not just any food markets, Michelin star food markets!  The stalls are that good that some of them achieve a Michelin star and it is absolutely worth trying.  Food markets to check out include: Tiong Barhu Market, which serves traditional and modern food, and Maxwell food markets located in Chinatown, known for famous chicken rice and Cantonese dishes.

Marina Bay Sands is one of the largest (if not THE Largest) Hotel in Singapore with 2600 rooms and suites.  It is made up of 3 55-story towers and a ‘ship’ structure across the top which holds infinity pools, bars and luxury restaurants.  You can book to visit the Marina Bay Sands’ observation deck but I definitely recommend booking an evening meal at one of the 3 restaurants on the top level.  Top Tip:  Book at sunset to get the best view of the Singapore Skyline.

Marina Bay Sands also looks down onto the ‘supertrees’ at Gardens By The Bay.  The supertrees are 50 Metre tall tree-like structures made of solar panels, plants and lights which dominate part of the Singapore skyline.  There are 18 of the structures within the Gardens by the Bay that perform a light show every evening at 7:45pm and 8:45pm that is completely free to the public.  During the day you can also walk 75 feet in the air between the trees and take in the Gardens from above.  Within the Gardens there are also 2 large dome shaped conservatories; one is the Flower Dome and the other is the Cloud Forest Dome.  They both are filled with the most beautiful plants, waterfalls and tropical flowers from all over the world.  

As I’m sure most people know, Singapore have one of the best airports in the entire world.  One so big that you couldn’t possibly explore in just a layover or while awaiting a flight so luckily it’s open to the public to visit anytime!  There are hundreds of shops and reaturants and you can visit the Worlds tallest indoor waterfall.  A few hours in Singapore airport is a great way to separate a hot day.

Something I didn’t know Singapore had to offer was a Universal Studios theme park! Located just outside of the city centre, you can take a train, cable car or monorail directly into the park. We had the most fun day with exciting rides, great food and shows to keep us entertained for hours.

Finally, my all time favourite thing to do in all cities is the Big Bus Tours and Singapore is the perfect place to do it.  Since the heat in Singapore can be quite unbearable at times, doing a bus tour gives you a chance to see all of the sights across a couple of days with a nice breeze!  You can get off at all of the stops you want to see or just sit back and enjoy the ride, either way you’ll get to see everything mentioned in this post and more, like China Town and Little India, whilst also getting a guided tour with all the fun facts you need to know.