Updated January 2023.
City of Gardens
Despite the size of the country, Singapore boasts a lot of world’s “largest”--the world’s largest greenhouse, the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, the world’s largest floating stadium--and above all, a myriad of different gardens throughout the city.
Another nickname is "The Lion City", as the Sanskrit word “Singa” means lion and “Pura” means city. Even if lions have never lived in the area, there is a popular legend about Sang Nila Utama, a prince from Palembang (present-day Indonesia), who first visited the island and thought he saw a lion, naming it Singapore.
Another nickname is "The Lion City", as the Sanskrit word “Singa” means lion and “Pura” means city. Even if lions have never lived in the area, there is a popular legend about Sang Nila Utama, a prince from Palembang (present-day Indonesia), who first visited the island and thought he saw a lion, naming it Singapore.
Overview
Path is ~ 11.5 miles of walking.
- 6:00 AM - 8:00AM: Singapore Botanic Gardens (2 miles) - UNESCO World Heritage Site with beautiful gardens
- 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM: Little India (1.5 miles) - Indian cultural enclave
- 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Kampong Glam (2.5 miles) - Malay cultural enclave
- 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM: Lunch
- 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM: Chinatown (1 mile) - Chinese cultural enclave
- Marina Bay Sands (5.5 miles)
- 3:00 PM - 6:30 PM: Gardens by the Bay - Heritage Gardens, Flower Dome, Cloud Forest, Sun Pavilion, World of Plants
- 6:30 PM - 7:45 PM: Dinner
- 7:45 PM - 8:00 PM: Supertree Grove - light show and tall artificial trees
- 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM: Sands SkyPark Observation Deck - 57-story viewpoint on top of the iconic hotel
- 9:00 PM - 9:15 PM: Spectra Light Show - water and light show
- 9:15 PM - 9:30 PM: Helix Bridge and the Float - curved bridge and largest floating stadium
- 9:30 PM - 10:00 PM: Merlion Park - fountain with Singapore's iconic lion.
- 10:00 PM - 11:00 PM: Lau Pa Sat - famous Hawker center
Click the star to add the map to your Google Maps! To view it, simply open Google Maps, navigate to the Menu, choose “Your Places,” click "Maps", and voila, the map should be added.
Travel Tips
Getting Around
Mass Rapid Transport (MRT)
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Singapore Cable Car Network Between Mount Faber and Sentosa, there are three stations on two lines with a connecting point between the Sentosa and Imbiah Lookout stations. They offer panoramic views but also provide great transportation.
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Bumboat Water taxis that provide river tours and transit. They are painted with eyes and faces to “see the danger ahead”:
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WaterThe tap water is safe to drink!
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SIM CardSIM Cards are readily affordable in Singapore. One can buy them from different cell stores (Singtel, Starhub, MobileOne (M1), Simba) or even buy one at a 7-11. They have great 4-week deals of 100 GB for $15. One can also pre-order online to pick up at a convenient location.
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Cultural Enclaves
The metro begins at 5:30 AM. Take the Circle Line (Yellow) or Downtown Line (Blue) to Botanic Gardens metro station. or the Thomson-East Coast Line (Brown) to Napier metro station.
6:00 - 8:00 AM: Singapore Botanic Gardens (Free)
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Singapore's first UNESCO World Heritage site that was an unused plantation transformed into 60 acres of gardens. It's free to visit the gardens, but one needs to pay to enter the National Orchid Garden.
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Whichever station you started in, walk across the park to take the other one Botanic Gardens or Napier metro stations.
Head to the Littie India metro station.
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM: Little India
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Walk to Kampong Glam
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Kampong Glam
Malay heritage district
Malay heritage district
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One can either grab lunch in Kampong Glam or in Chinatown. See Restaurant section for details. Head to the Chinatown metro station.
1:00 - 3:00 PM: Chinatown
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This area was the landing site for Chinese immigrants who sailed south from mainland China.
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Marina Bay Plan
Take the Circle Line (Yellow) or Downtown Line (Blue) to the Bayfront metro station.
Marina Bay is the tourist epicenter of Singapore with the Supergrove Tree, a floating stadium, and the iconic Marina Bay Sands Resort. There are two light shows here at night, so it is preferable to remain in this area; however, food options are limited. For a 1-day plan, I suggest spending the later half of the afternoon and evening here, but due to hot temperatures, one may opt to come here earlier in the day.
3:00 PM - 6:30 PM: Gardens by The Bay (Open 5 AM - 2 AM)
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From the station, head towards "The Planet" (Floating Baby) sculpture to walk north. A surreal sculpture of a massive baby balanced on its right hand. It is created by UK sculptor, Mark Quinn. |
Heritage Gardens
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Floral Clock Over 20 foot diameter clock with GPS-guided hands gifted to Singapore for their 50th anniversary in 2015.
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Flower Dome & Cloud Forest (SG$53)
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The Flower Dome holds the Guinness World Record for the largest glass greenhouse, filled with a multitude of gardens and a variety of species of Baobab (bottle trees).
The Cloud Forest has unusual vegetation native to cloud forest habitats and a 114-foot-tall man-made mountain with the world’s tallest indoor waterfall that can be seen through the Cloud Walk or the Tree Top Walk. There is currently an "Avatar Experience" part that, in my opinion, reduces the experience. |
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Sun Pavilion
Known for its desert-like landscape, the garden has over 1,000 desert plants with over 100 different species and variants.
World of Plants
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One can dine in the gardens. There are restaurants and a place called the "Jurassic Nest".
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7:45 PM - 8:00 PM: Supertree Grove An urban jungle composed of 18 “supertrees” supporting the 419-foot OCBC skywalk and one can also view the observatory.
A light and music show (Garden Rhapsody) occurs every night at 7:45 PM and 8:45 PM.
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8:00 - 9:00 PM: Sands SkyPark Observation Deck (SG$22.5)
Intriguing hotel consisting of three towers and a ship-shaped SkyPark at the top. One can head up to the top of the 57 levels for an all-expansive, 360-degree view at the boat's "Stern". Make sure to buy tickets in advance.
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9:00 - 9:15 PM: Spectra Light Show Head to the Event Plaza to watch the beautiful 15-minute light and sound show show with dancing fountain jets, visual projections, and lasers.
Times: Sun – Thu: 8pm & 9pm Fri & Sat: 8pm, 9pm & 10pm |
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9:15 - 9:30 PM: Helix Bridge and The Float
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The Helix Bridge is a pedestrian bridge shaped like a double helix to resemble DNA. It has 4 viewing platforms and is a world's first.
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The Float is the world's largest floating stadium and is an outdoor field for people to watch.
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9:30 - 10:00 PM: Merlion Park
Known for the 28-foot tall “Merlion” (head of a lion, body of a fish) statue that spouts water into the Marina Bay. It pays homage to Singapore’s first name, Singapura, which means “lion city” in Malay, and to Singapore’s roots as a fishing town.
Merlion Park
Night Life
- Lau Pa Sat: Famous hawker center that has a variety of delicious foods and is accommodating to tourists. Go after 6 PM where they close off Boon Tat Street for streetside Satay.
- Tanjong Pagar: Area of Chinatown known for bars and street food.
- Clarke Quay: Hub of nightlife where warehouses have been converted into bars and restaurants.
- Chupitos: Over 130 types of shots
- Crazy Elephant: Blues and Rock & Roll bar
Southern Ridges and Sentosa
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Composed of multiple parks that offers city views and wildlife, this ~5 mile trek (from the Kent Ridge MRT station to the Harbourfront MRT station) takes you out of the city and provides a fun walking opportunity. The route offered starts at the Kent Ridge MRT station:
Take the Marang Trail down the mountain or take the Singapore Cable Car to head to the Harbourfront MRT station or use the cable car to head to Sentosa. |
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Sentosa ("Asia's Favorite Playground")
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A one-day resort island thought of as the Las Vegas in a forest on a beach
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Other Attractions
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Museums
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Nature Parks
- Bukit Timah Nature Reserve (7 AM - 7 PM): Wildlife reserve in the geographic center of Singapore that offers hiking and cycling trails.
- Start at the Exhibition Hall, which serves as the visitor's center.
- Take the Downtown Line (Blue) to Beauty World metro center.
- Jurong Bird Park: Large aviary filled with multiple types of birds.
- Pay SG$5 fee for a guided tram tour.
- High Flyers and Penguin Feeding shows
- Lory Loft, where one can interact with birds landing on shoulders.
- Singapore Zoo: With 11 zones and 12 exhibits, the zoo is known for its tours and safaris, especially the night safari.
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Sights
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Shopping
Given the heat and humidity, one might take a break at a mall and just check out how big they are. Malls are also known for having some great, cheap eats. They all have helpful directories with walking directions |
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Restaurants
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Singapore is known for Hawker Centers, with Lau Pa Sat being one of the most famous. However, there are a quite a few other great places to dine, that may have cheaper prices and less crowds. Explore the area and discover new centers with stalls.
NOTE: Hawker centers can become quite busy around meal times, so be prepared for crowds. Some stalls may also not speak English, but you can get around this by pointing at things on the menu. Food can also be found in malls, such as:
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Food
Singapore has a wide range of different cultures, leading to an exquisitely diverse range of foods from all over the area. Most can be found at Hawker stalls or malls.
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Restaurants and food mentioned in Crazy Rich Asians:
- Lau Pa Sat: Char kway teow, fried oyster omelette (orh luah), rojak, Hokkien mee, chicken and beef satay. This is where Rachel heads to on her first night in the book.
- Newton Circus Food Centre: Known for Michelin Guide restaurants Kwee Heng, fried turnip cake and oyster omelettes; Alliance Seafood, barbecued seafood and black pepper crab. This is also where Rachel heads to on her first night in the movie.
- No Signboard Seafood: Chili crab, but actually better white pepper crab. Rachel overheard about this place on the way to Araminta’s bachelorette party on Samsara Island.
- Min Jiang: Dim sum at lunch and with Sichuan and Cantonese cuisine. This is where Peik Lin invites Rachel and Nick to dine.
- Rojak Line: Nick claims Holland Village stall serves good rojak, but Eleanor claims that the best is the rojak stall on the top floor of Lucky Plaza (now closed)
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Drinks
*Raffles Long Bar also has some other signature drinks and variants off of the Singapore Sling:
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