Singapore

Reasons to go:

1. Chinatown and the rest of the city centre:
  • Arden Sky Garden at CapitaSpring - one of the highest observation decks in Singapore. Free, book in advance. Another option (not free) is at The Pinnacle ＠ Duxton.
  • Singapore City Gallery - a great place to start your exploration of Singapore. See the giant model of the city upstairs. Free.
  • National Gallery Singapore - the best way to spend a rainy day in Singapore, but don’t skip it if you get no rainy days. My strategy was to start with Southeast Asia Gallery on the Level 3 of Supreme Court wing, work my way up to the rooftop, and then wokr my way down the City Hall wing. Ask for a map at the Welcome desk. A ticket is a sticker you stick to your chest, so you can’t obtain it until you arrive.
  • New architecture: Parkroyal Collection Pickering, Oasia Hotel Downtown, The Pinnacle ＠ Duxton, One Pearl Bank (especially when lit up at night), Pan Pacific Orchard hotel.
  • Peranakan houses: Tg Pagar Road, Tras Street, Emerald Hill Road.
  • These outstanding buildings (from the outside): Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and The Singapore Buddhist Lodge.
  • Colonial architecture: Old Hill Street Police Station, Central Fire Station, CHIJMES, Victoria Concert Hall, St Andrew’s Cathedral, Capitol Building, Stamford House (1.29429, 103.850722), St. Joseph’s Church (Victoria Street), Raffles Singapore Hotel.
  • Parkview Square - an increadible building surrounded by another increadible building from another era. Best view is from (1.299895, 103.85793), and don’t miss the chandeleres here (1.300556, 103.85731). I believe Atlas bar is very beautiful, do visit if you are up for a drink.
  • Lasalle College of the Arts - architecturally interesting building, and there is Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore with free exhibitions, and Earl Lu Gallery.
  • Albert Mall Walking Street lined with temples. Sri Krishnan Temple - look for Suvannamaccha (the Hindu mermaid) on the roof. Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple - a very interesting Buddhist temple. This temple (1.301528, 103.85377) starts Chinese and becomes Thai? Fu Lu Shou Complex - a whole shopping mall of temple goods, totally tourist free and super interesting.
  • Hindu temples: Sri Layan Sithi Vinayagar Temple, Sri Thendayuthapani Temple, Sri Mariamman Temple (don’t miss Masjid Jamae (Chulia) next door).
  • Buddhist/Taoist temples: Thian Hock Keng Temple (don’t miss Nagore Dargah Indian Muslim Heritage Centre (1.281458, 103.84787) next door), Yueh Hai Ching Temple and Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. All three are very much worth exploring on the inside. In between them, see locals playing checkers in Kreta Ayer Square (1.281959, 103.843678), and look for murals by YC.
  • Tiong Bahru neighbourhood with unique architecture. Explore little streets in all directions from (1.283434, 103.831171). There are murals by YC at (1.284408, 103.832776), (1.283751, 103.832085) and (1.282765, 103.832496). Moh Guan Terrace is a nice street with art galleries - White Space Art Asia, Sullivan + Strumpf Singapore. Tiong Bahru Qi Tian Gong Temple.
  • Marina Bay area. Gardens by the Bay are fun to explore in the evening, don’t miss the Sun Pavilion (1.282997, 103.86659) and this tiny beach (1.285368, 103.863778). Iconic architecture (from the outside) of Marina Bay Sands, ArtScience Museum, Flower Dome and Supertree Grove. Good views from The Helix Bridge and Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade. Two shows - Garden Rhapsody, and Spectra Light and Water Show - take place daily, show times are listed as opening hours on Google Maps. On my wishlist is walking across Marina Barrage Dam, walking around Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant, and visiting Sustainable Singapore Gallery. All of these things in Marina Bay area are free.
  • The iconic Merlion statue and iconic views from Jubilee Bridge, Anderson Bridge and Cavenagh Bridge.
  • Fort Canning Park is fun to explore. And don’t miss the nearby Armenian Street.
  • In the evening: Stroll along the Waterfront Promenade for a great view of Boat Quay across the river (you really don’t need to approach it any closer). Walk around Lau Pa Sat food court.
  • Food: Whole Earth (great vegetarian Peranakan restaurant), Eight Treasures Vegetarian Restaurant (great vegetarian Chinese restaurant), Kotuwa (great Sri Lankan restaurant with vegetarian options), Coco Veggie Nyonya (vegetarian Peranakan restaurant), Sawasdee Thai Restaurant (has a separate vegan menu).
  • Coffee: Apartment Coffee and Maxi Coffee Bar.
2. Little India neighbourhood:
  • Serangoon Road is fun to explore, and all the little streets in the area are even more so (areas around Former House of Tan Teng Niah and Indian Heritage Centre).
  • Hindu temples: Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, Sri Vadapathira Kaliamman Temple, Sri Manmatha Karuneshvarar Temple.
  • Non-hindu places of warship (from the outside): Masjid Abdul Gafoor (very pretty), Kampong Kapor Methodist Church, Church of the True Light, Thekchen Choling Singapore, Leong San See Temple, Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple.
  • Little India in the evening - it is a colourful and exciting experience. Don’t miss the market area around (1.309686, 103.85419) and lit up temples.
  • Petain Road Shophouses (1.312104, 103.858499).
  • Kampong Glam area. Sultan Mosque and Masjid Malabar are both magnificent (from the outside). Peek into Jalan Kubor Cemetery from (1.305494, 103.85979) and (1.304125, 103.85886). See this street of pretty houses (1.303617, 103.85983) and the archway (1.302435, 103.85957). Bussorah Street and Haji Lane are very touristy, but worth a quick lap. Look for murals by YC.
  • Around here (1.308894, 103.860772) it was fun to observe numerous businesses making signs on big canvas.
  • Food: Muted Gelato - an absolutely increadible gelato place, do not miss. Mustard Singapore Flavours of Bengal and Punjab - nice restaurant. Delhi6 Race Course Rd Outlet - another branch of my favourite restaurant in Katong, I assume this one is good too. Thong Thai Bistro - has many actually vegetarian options.
3. Singapore Botanic Gardens:
  • National Orchid Garden - magnificent collection of orchids over a large area. Sembcorp Cool House was my favourite bit. This is the only part of the Botanic Gardens that is not free (and it is totally worth it).
  • The huge Botanic Gardens (free) with several entrances. Don’t miss fossilised trees (1.316664, 103.816381) is the Evolution Garden, Hoya collection (1.309964, 103.816254), orchids that are taller than me (1.31061, 103.816004), Plant House waterlilly collection (1.310114, 103.817493), Sun Rockery cactus garden (1.310121, 103.815912), giant trees around (1.313926, 103.816348) and this interactive fountain (1.309291, 103.817109). I saw a bright blue Thyreus Cloak-and-dagger Bee here; I didn’t know bees can be blue, so it blew my mind.
  • Botanical Art Gallery (Inverturret) is interesting. Explore both floors. Free.
  • There is also SBG Heritage Museum, Seed Bank and Centre for Ethnobotany. All three are free and on my wishlist.
  • The neighbourhood around Botanic Gardens Station seems lovely. I had a great coffee at Pocket by Flip Coffee Roasters, but didn’t have time to explore more. They have a branch of LR boulangerie.
4. Katong neighbourhood:
  • This neighbourhood centered around Joo Chiat Road is my favourite place to stay in Singapore, both for short and long visits.
  • Peranakan houses at (1.310372, 103.902457), (1.310951, 103.904193) and (1.313753, 103.90286).
  • Geylang Road is fun to explore. Small streets branching off it are exciting too, I found Lor 11 Geylang, Lor 17 Geylang, Lor 25 Geylang, Lor 24A Geylang and Lor 34 Geylang particularly charming.
  • Hindu temples: Sri Senpaga Vinayagar Temple and Sri Sivan Temple.
  • East Coast Park - perfect for running, well lit up for evening runs. If it has rained a lot, the lawns become puddles and fill up with loud frogs.
  • Food: Delhi6 (great North Indian restaurant), NSEW Sprout (vegan cash-only restaurant, their Kara Kara sesame ramen and Kapitan curry are increadible), Greendot Paya Lebar Square (vegetarian restaurant, try their legendary Lion’s Mane randang), Old Airport Road Food Centre (stall #01-58 Yan Ci Xin Vegetarian was my favourite). For non-vegetarians, there is Dragoncity Claypot Frog Porridge - a great place to try Singaporean frog porridge.
  • Coffee: Humble Origins Coffee Roasters (amazing coffee, happens to be from Myanmar), Vernacular Coffee (great selection of beans available for espresso-based drinks), Cata Coffee, pull.in coffee (try their “not quite a white”, with hints of Earl Grey tea, it is not sweet but very addictive).
5. Tanjong Pagar area:
  • Building 39 Tanjong Pagar Distripark - very cool industial building full of art galleries. Inside there is Singapore Art Museum at Tanjong Pagar Distripark (has free and not free temporary exhibitions), Whitestone Gallery (excellent and free), Linda Gallery (free), MOCA (not free, there was so much else to see that I ran out of time) and many more smaller galleries. Across the road you can see Former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, but it is in a sad state and not accessable.
  • Everton Park community. Start with LR Boulangerie (Everton Park), or with Nylon Coffee. Then explore the rest of this lovely community area.
  • Peranakan houses: Everton Road Shophouses (1.276515, 103.83707) and Blair Plain Conservation Area (1.27649, 103.83666).
  • Silat Road Gurdwara and Church of St Teresa.
  • Round Boy Roasters - great coffee.
6. The Ridge walk:
  • From Kent Ridge Station, head up into Kent Ridge Park. There is a great viewpoint of the port (1.283146, 103.791012).
  • Canopy Walk between (1.281534, 103.79292) and (1.279934, 103.79399) is great.
  • Explore HortPark.
  • Alexandra Arch Overhead Bridge with a great view of The Interlace building.
  • Gillman Barracks might be a worthy detour.
  • Forest Walk was shut (seemingly permanently), so I walked through Telok Blangah Hill Park instead.
  • Henderson Waves bridge with a view of Reflections at Keppel Bay.
  • Merlion at Faber Point (1.273358, 103.81775) - I had no idea there is a second Merlion.
  • From Mount Faber Lookout Point take the Marang Trail down to the sea level.
  • St James Power Station is on my wishlist. Free, pre-booking required.
  • Walk through The Reef at King’s Dock (1.263901, 103.81699).
  • Keppel Bay Bridge (1.264005, 103.81391) for the view of Reflections at Keppel Bay.
  • Bukit Chermin Boardwalk (1.265126, 103.80955) and the viewpoint at Berlayer Beacon.
  • Labrador Jetty (1.26592, 103.79942) for the view of the port and the oil refinery (1.233242, 103.77172) in the distance.
  • Explore Gun Emplacement IV and surrounding area.
  • Berlayer Creek Boardwalk to Labrador Park Station.
7. Other stuff:
  • Kebun Baru Birdsinging Club on Sunday mornings, aim for about 11am. There is an area with tall poles (1.374218, 103.84012) and an area under the roof (1.374918, 103.84081). The less you know what to expect, the better. Afterwards you can read articles here, here and here. The Club’s website is not actively maintained, but it still happens every Sunday. Nearby, KNS Restaurant (#01-03 Kebun Baru Community Club) has amazing South Indian food.
  • Bukit Brown Cemetery. From this bus stop (1.335049, 103.82012) take this road (1.336267, 103.82264) into the cemetery. Look for Peranakan tiles on the graves. My favourite bits were Chew Geok Leong grave (1.335379, 103.82628), Tan Ean Kiam grave (1.335559, 103.82706), Ong Sam Leong and Yeo Hean Neo graves (1.336833, 103.82681) and some cool statues on the overgrown path around here (1.339173, 103.8246). Here is the map and some background information.
  • Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. Free. Here I saw crocodiles, monitor lizards, crabs, mudskippers, huge snails, hornbills and many other birds. From this viewpoint (1.446098, 103.72816) I saw crocodiles and many bird species. This viewpoint (1.444001, 103.73622) has the best view of Malaysia, including very British-looking Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque. There are two entrances to the Wetland Reserve - at (1.44524, 103.72998) and (1.438778, 103.73537). To get here, I took 925 bus from/to Kranji Station, using this bus stop (1.438322, 103.735737). On the way here you could stop at Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre (new and beautifully designed), stall #01-54 Tong Xin Vegetarian is good. If you are into crocodiles, you could pre-book a visit to Long Kuan Hung Crocodile Farm.
  • Rail Corridor - a 24 kilometer disused rail track returned to Singapore from Malaysia in 2011. The hike goes from (1.426074, 103.76152) just outside Kranji Station to (1.27316, 103.8321). My favourite bits along the way were, apart from monkeys and monitor lizards, Upper Bukit Timah Truss Bridge (1.357914, 103.76751), the viewpoint of Singapore Quarry (1.356957, 103.77176), Bukit Timah Truss Bridge (1.336792, 103.78109), historic Bukit Timah Railway Station (1.334476, 103.78111), this sculpture (1.306368, 103.79214) and a view of Sri Muneeswaran Temple. A shorter walk between Rail Corridor Access Commonwealth (1.301874, 103.794593) and Upper Bukit Timah Truss Bridge (1.357914, 103.76751) would be enough for most. Read the story behind the Rail Corridor and check for up to date hiking information.
  • Central Catchment Nature Reserve. I only saw a small part of it - from this entrance (1.351695, 103.83122) near Upper Thomson Station to MacRitchie Petai Trail boardwalk (1.348685, 103.82988), this area ideal for picnics (1.344793, 103.83512) and across the dam (1.342713, 103.83448). On my wishlist is exploring the rest of MacRitchie Nature Trail around the reservoir, TreeTop Walk (1.360401, 103.81262), Jelutong Tower (1.351363, 103.806394), etc.
  • The Peranakan Restaurant Singapore - they have some vegetarian options, but if you WhatsApp them in advace they’ll prepare more. This was the only place where I saw buah keluak nuts on the menu, it’s a non-vegetarian dish by default, but perhaps a veg option can be arranged. Cash only.
  • On my wishlist: Asian Civilisations Museum, NUS Museum (free), Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, Sembcorp Tengeh Floating Solar Farm (if there is a way to arrange a visit), Mother Earth Classic Vegetarian 大地之素 restaurant.

Notes:

  • Submit Singapore Arrival Card (SGAC) before arrival (you can do that as early as 3 days before arrival).
  • I purchased Singtel sim card at the airport and it worked well. The internet was slow for the first 24 hours, but afterwards it was good.
  • Public transport works with bank cards, no need to purchase any phisical objects. Public transport stops at midnight.
  • Good supermarkets: FairPrice Finest, FairPrice Xtra. Little Farms Market sells Fossa 100% chocolate.
  • I needed cash only in Hawker centers, and a couple of family run restaurants. UOB bank ATMs don’t charge for withdrawals.
  • Check online for open days at The Istana, office of the President.
  • Read this article about housing in Singapore, and watch this video by PolyMatter too.
  • Best time to visit: November to January is the rainiest time, but it is still a nice time to visit. Avoid high season (June to August), Lunar New Year and Ramadan.
  • Toilets - shopping, hawker, metro.
  • Weather - google unreliable. https://www.weather.gov.sg/mobile/home/#home-page-singapore
  • navigating hawker centers - stalls are numbered, see photos or adress of your stall.
  • For running and hiking gear, try: Red Dot Running Company - has barefoot shoes and zero drop shoes. Brands include altra, vivobarefoot, zero and Topo. Running Lab Marina Square - also knowledgable staff.
  • Monitor lizards and monkeys are everywhere, don’t make a special effort to see them.
  • Read From Third World to First: The Singapore Story 1965-2000 book by Lee Kuan Yew.
  • Katong centered around Joo Chiat Road is my favourite place to stay in Singapore, both for short and long visits.