Singapore - tips and things to do

[terry&mike]

I just returned from taking a group of 29 clients on a Diamond Princess Southeast Asia & Japan cruise. Below is information from a web site I set up for the group, to provide them with information. Now that the trip is over, I wanted to pass this information along, in case it is of help to other travelers. 

 

Visa: No visa needed for US citizens.

Money: Singapore Dollar SGD and credit cards accepted. Tipping is not usual practice.

Average Temperatures in January: 77-86 degrees.

Special Notes: No eating or drinking (including water) on public transport; no chewing gum.

Arrival: There are several ways to get into the city from Changi Airport, including taxi, airport shuttle bus, MRT rail, and regular bus, they are all explained in detail here Airport Transfers. Given you may be tired from travel and dealing with luggage, a taxi may be your simplest option, running approximately $20-$40 usd (although USD not accepted) depending on time of day and destination; taxis in Singapore are metered and honest.

Hotels: I am booked at the Pan Pacific Singapore. For an airport hotel, I can personally recommend the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport.

Seeing the sites: you may want to use the "Visit Singapore Travel Guide" or "Citymapper" app to plan your time. If you like paper maps, Lonely Planet Singapore City Map is a good one and includes suggested walking routes. There is a popular Hop On/Hop Off bus in Singapore, and there are many organized tours for many different interests. Good sites for locating tour options are Tripadvisor, Tours by Locals, Viator, etc.

For a great food tour to sample street food from several vendors, hire William from withlocals.com Personable and interesting.

I plan to "DIY" here and see the city on foot, with the addition of an occasional subway ride. I have put together some walking routes below, and you are welcome to follow them on your own.

Sun., 1/5, Day 1 Walk, approximately 4 miles, walk from hotel over Helix Bridge, to Gardens by the Bay (just walk around outside part for free, or do OCBC Skywalk for approx. $7, maybe visit Heritage Garden or Cooled Conservatories), view Marina Sands Hotel (possibly visit Shoppes here for free, or can go up to Skypark for about $17 usd, buying tickets in advance is better), view Merlion, past Fullerton Hotel, over Cavenaugh Bridge (oldest bridge), to Boat Quay, then to Yueh Hai Ching Temple. Can consider adding in Chinatown and Buddha Tooth Relic Temple if up to it.

6:30p or after go to Lau Pa Sat/Telok Ayer Market to eat, order chicken rice, chicken & pork satay, “carrot cake” (carrot & radish dish), bring own napkins. View amazing light show at 7:45p & 8:45p from Supertree Grove. The view from the Lantern Bar on the roof of the Fullerton Bay Hotel is fabulous.

Mon., 1/6, Day 2 Walk, approximately 3 miles, walk past Raffles Hotel, through Kampong Glam/Arab Street area, through Little India, and to Orchard Road area to window shop (maybe visit ION Orchard underground).

Board Diamond Princess, between noon and 2p, sails at 4p; official Check In start time is scheduled for 12:30p. Should be docked at Marina Bay Cruise Centre, 61 Marina Coastal Dr., 5 minutes from downtown, access via metro or approx $19 usd taxi ride. Possibly ship could be moved to Singapore Cruise Center at Harbourfront Centre. Public transportation available to both piers, but taxi may be simplest.

 

[Jojiboy]

Thanks for sharing.

[Junelovestocruise]

Thanks for taking the time to share this info. My sister and I are scheduled to cruise from Hong Kong to Singapore with several stops in Vietnam so a few of your posts are pertinent to our trip and I will be printing them out for reference. We are scheduled to leave Hong Kong on February 15 and given the current Corona virus issues, we realize that there is a possibility that our cruise might be cancelled. We have really been looking forward to visiting a new part of the world for us so I hope that it will still happen.........

[woldridge]

Do you know if taxi's take credit cards?

[terry&mike]

2 hours ago, woldridge said:

Do you know if taxi's take credit cards?

We paid cash for our taxi in Singapore $, but there are several that take credit cards, just be sure to confirm with the driver before you get in. 

[unrealHeather]

On 1/27/2020 at 3:42 AM, woldridge said:

Do you know if taxi's take credit cards?

Not all taxis take credit cards.  The blue & yellow taxis that are Comfort del Grove brand take Visa, Mastercard and American Express.  https://www.cdgtaxi.com.sg/ride-with-us/fares

But you're probably better off to download the Grab taxi app on your smartphone.  Then you can pay by credit card and book directly.

[purdo]

Thanks for Sharing, we're booked on Celebrity Eclipse Feb 20 2021, a while away yet!

[caribnsnrklr]

On 1/26/2020 at 10:38 AM, terry&mike said:

I just returned from taking a group of 29 clients on a Diamond Princess Southeast Asia & Japan cruise. Below is information from a web site I set up for the group, to provide them with information. Now that the trip is over, I wanted to pass this information along, in case it is of help to other travelers. 

 

Visa: No visa needed for US citizens.

Money: Singapore Dollar SGD and credit cards accepted. Tipping is not usual practice.

Average Temperatures in January: 77-86 degrees.

Special Notes: No eating or drinking (including water) on public transport; no chewing gum.

Arrival: There are several ways to get into the city from Changi Airport, including taxi, airport shuttle bus, MRT rail, and regular bus, they are all explained in detail here Airport Transfers. Given you may be tired from travel and dealing with luggage, a taxi may be your simplest option, running approximately $20-$40 usd (although USD not accepted) depending on time of day and destination; taxis in Singapore are metered and honest.

Hotels: I am booked at the Pan Pacific Singapore. For an airport hotel, I can personally recommend the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport.

Seeing the sites: you may want to use the "Visit Singapore Travel Guide" or "Citymapper" app to plan your time. If you like paper maps, Lonely Planet Singapore City Map is a good one and includes suggested walking routes. There is a popular Hop On/Hop Off bus in Singapore, and there are many organized tours for many different interests. Good sites for locating tour options are Tripadvisor, Tours by Locals, Viator, etc.

For a great food tour to sample street food from several vendors, hire William from withlocals.com Personable and interesting.

I plan to "DIY" here and see the city on foot, with the addition of an occasional subway ride. I have put together some walking routes below, and you are welcome to follow them on your own.

Sun., 1/5, Day 1 Walk, approximately 4 miles, walk from hotel over Helix Bridge, to Gardens by the Bay (just walk around outside part for free, or do OCBC Skywalk for approx. $7, maybe visit Heritage Garden or Cooled Conservatories), view Marina Sands Hotel (possibly visit Shoppes here for free, or can go up to Skypark for about $17 usd, buying tickets in advance is better), view Merlion, past Fullerton Hotel, over Cavenaugh Bridge (oldest bridge), to Boat Quay, then to Yueh Hai Ching Temple. Can consider adding in Chinatown and Buddha Tooth Relic Temple if up to it.

6:30p or after go to Lau Pa Sat/Telok Ayer Market to eat, order chicken rice, chicken & pork satay, “carrot cake” (carrot & radish dish), bring own napkins. View amazing light show at 7:45p & 8:45p from Supertree Grove. The view from the Lantern Bar on the roof of the Fullerton Bay Hotel is fabulous.

Mon., 1/6, Day 2 Walk, approximately 3 miles, walk past Raffles Hotel, through Kampong Glam/Arab Street area, through Little India, and to Orchard Road area to window shop (maybe visit ION Orchard underground).

Board Diamond Princess, between noon and 2p, sails at 4p; official Check In start time is scheduled for 12:30p. Should be docked at Marina Bay Cruise Centre, 61 Marina Coastal Dr., 5 minutes from downtown, access via metro or approx $19 usd taxi ride. Possibly ship could be moved to Singapore Cruise Center at Harbourfront Centre. Public transportation available to both piers, but taxi may be simplest.

 

Thanks for sharing!  It looks like we are on the Grand Princess  together 3/21!

[terry&mike]

8 minutes ago, caribnsnrklr said:

Thanks for sharing!  It looks like we are on the Grand Princess  together 3/21!

Wonderful! Yes, DH and I are boarding Grand Princess on March 23, 2021, and doing the 28 day sailing to Rome. Looking forward to it!

 

[caribnsnrklr]

10 minutes ago, terry&mike said:

Wonderful! Yes, DH and I are boarding Grand Princess on March 23, 2021, and doing the 28 day sailing to Rome. Looking forward to it!

 

I am looking forward to it too and will be on to Rome as well. My DH is staying home as it’s too long to be away from work for him.  My friend Tanya is joining me for this cruise. 

[bananavan]

We are hoping to be on the Grand as well on March 23 sailing to Southampton. 
We were in Singapore in 2018 on the Queen Elizabeth World Cruise. 

[cleobella]

This topic is probably closed but if anyone sees this: is it possible to walk from the Crown Plaza to sights restaurants shopping? If taxi is needed how much would that be? Would there be a shuttle to main tourist area?

[Milhouse]

Which Crown Plaza?  When I search on google maps, I only pull up one at Changi Airport.

There's a lot to see at the airport but don't think there's a lot walkable nearby.  On a previous land trip, we went (from "downtown") to Changi Village Hawker Centre somewhat nearby the airport but I wouldn't consider it a major stop with a lot to see.  Most of the more common tourist sights are roughly in and around the Marina Bay area and Singapore River (thereabouts in a broad sense).

Check out wikitravel.org for transportation options and sample pricing.  

[cleobella]

Thanks Millhouse. It sounds like an airport hotel might not be too convenient for looking around

[Milhouse]

Staying at the airport is not completely impractical because Singapore is relatively compact but yes, there are definitely more convenient areas to stay in to hit up the bigger tourist sights.

[dreams_of_travel]

Reviving topic for trip planning next year. 

 

What is the minimum number of days suggested for sightseeing in Singapore?  The originally posted DIY list seems like a lot can be done in 1 1/2 days.  Is there any other must see things there?  Is it worthy of another day or two? 

[Milhouse]

Standard prefix of:  it obviously depends on what interests you.

 

We did a 4D3N visit during our first visit in 2018.  And it was interesting enough for us to follow up with another 5D5N in 2019 as the turnaround point for a points redemption trip.

 

We easily filled out our days during the first trip with the standard list of tourist sights but needed to eventually dig into the second tier items for our second trip after initially doing some repeats and missed items. 

 

I think you could get away with two days of sightseeing with a focus on the iconic Marina Bay  Sands hotel and Gardens by the Bay (and light show) areas which I consider the primary must sees.  The city is also relatively compact so you can hit up a number of places.   But four would be more ideal IMO if you plan on taking more time to check out many of the diverse neighbourhoods and eat at multiple hawker eatery centres which make Singapore special.  There's also a different vibe visting places during the days versus evenings.

[dreams_of_travel]

7 hours ago, Milhouse said:

Standard prefix of:  it obviously depends on what interests you.

 

We did a 4D3N visit during our first visit in 2018.  And it was interesting enough for us to follow up with another 5D5N in 2019 as the turnaround point for a points redemption trip.

 

We easily filled out our days during the first trip with the standard list of tourist sights but needed to eventually dig into the second tier items for our second trip after initially doing some repeats and missed items. 

 

I think you could get away with two days of sightseeing with a focus on the iconic Marina Bay  Sands hotel and Gardens by the Bay (and light show) areas which I consider the primary must sees.  The city is also relatively compact so you can hit up a number of places.   But four would be more ideal IMO if you plan on taking more time to check out many of the diverse neighbourhoods and eat at multiple hawker eatery centres which make Singapore special.  There's also a different vibe visting places during the days versus evenings.

Thank you for your comment. Very helpful.  I'm planning a "stopover" on way back to US from NZ cruise.  I think I will try to schedule two days, and plan to return to this city at some point.   I have more research to do, but this gives me a base starting point. 

[iancal]

We would not stay at the airport.  We did 4N3D in Singapore.  It was about right for us.  Very easy to do DIY sightseeing as others have said.

 

We have snowbirded fairly often in SE Asia.  Singapore/Malaysia/Thailand/Vietmam. Usually Jan-mid/late March.  Weather is perfect.  Warm.  Excellent air connections to SE Asia and to Oz.

[Over from NZ]

On 3/8/2022 at 5:58 PM, dreams_of_travel said:

Thank you for your comment. Very helpful.  I'm planning a "stopover" on way back to US from NZ cruise.  I think I will try to schedule two days, and plan to return to this city at some point.   I have more research to do, but this gives me a base starting point. 

Would suggest 2-3 as a MINIMUM. We had 4 nights pre-cruise and 3-nights post cruise last time. There is just so much to see and do. Particularly nights. You want to catch the nightly light show at the Gardens - it's spectacular. Dining down the Clark Quay at night is lively. Take the Singapore River cruise at night is great! We're going to do the night safari this time too. We did many of these.. there's just so much to see and do - https://santorinidave.com/best-things-to-do-singapore 

[dreams_of_travel]

12 hours ago, Over from NZ said:

Would suggest 2-3 as a MINIMUM. We had 4 nights pre-cruise and 3-nights post cruise last time. There is just so much to see and do. Particularly nights. You want to catch the nightly light show at the Gardens - it's spectacular. Dining down the Clark Quay at night is lively. Take the Singapore River cruise at night is great! We're going to do the night safari this time too. We did many of these.. there's just so much to see and do - https://santorinidave.com/best-things-to-do-singapore 

Thank you for these suggestions.  We arrive late on the first night, then have 2 nights/3 days to explore as much as possible in Singapore.  I want to set up a foodie tour, as well as do the things you suggested.  I'm off to research just what a night safari entails.  😉