Do & See on a long weekend in Singapore

Going to Singapore? Here’s my recipe for a perfect stay in this amazing city.

Overview

Singapore is a great city to visit all year round both for adults and kids. Weather is always warm (30-33C) and while it rains on most days, it’s typically only couple of brief showers in the afternoon.

The city is also super easy to navigate: it has both a well functioning metro as well as cheap taxis. For efficiency, I typically recommend taking a taxi since it’s typically max 10€ and if you have limited time you want to maximize your free time. Metro is also efficient but there are no stops next to all tourist destinations.

The below ideas are suitable both for adults travelling on their own as well as for families with kids.

Chinatown

Chinatown with it’s buzzing streets and pretty wooden buildings is one of the mains sights in Singapore and a must visit. Since days are really hot, I highly recommend walking around either early in the morning or later in the evening.

Beyond the beautiful wooden houses you can see everywhere with a feel of old France (don’t ask, that’s just how it feels!), the two biggest sights are the Buddhist Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and the oldest Hindu Temple in Singapore, Sri Mariamman. They are both free to visit and highly recommended.

Sri Mariamman Hindu Temple

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in Singapore’s China Town

Gardens by the Bay

My absolute favorite place in Singapore are the Gardens by the Bay. Honestly, I did not know people can build this amazing gardens indoors! And Outdoors! It’s truly an unique place.

Gardens by the Bay consists of three main attractions: Flower Dome with changing flower exhibitions (we visited during the Japanese cherry tree exhibition), Cloud Forest which is an in-door jungle, and Supertree Grove with the OCBC Skyway.

My favorites out of these were definitely the Cloud Forest and the Skyway, and I will definitely visit these again on my next trip. They are just stunning!

The gardens can be visited during day and night. If you go during day prepare for the heat, and during the night prepare for the crowds especially during the daily light shows.

Marina and Dinner

There is no visit to Singapore without a stroll in the Marina after dark and admiring the stunning skyline of Singapore.

We visited the city during the annual i Light Marina Bay festival and go to enjoy even more stunning lights at the bay.

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i Light Marina Bay, Singapore

Best part of the evening was still our perfect dinner at LeVel33, World’s highest craft brewery with an amazing restaurant. I could not recommend this place more, excellent value for money in Singapore where prices are really high especially for places with great views. Ad if you don’t want to have dinner, you can also come and check out if there’s a free spot on the terrace for enjoying a drink while admiring the views.

Beach & sunset at Sentosa

Most people see Singapore as a city destination, and while they are not wrong, Singapore does also offer a decent beach life as well. All the beaches are located on Sentosa island just 10min outside the city center.

Sentosa doesn’t actually have just 1 beach but three. They all are sandy and nice, with Siloso and Palawan beaing the easiest to reach, and Tanjong be further away with less services. Easiest way to get there is with a taxi (prepare for a surcharge due to Sentosa entry fees), but if you have time you can also take the cable car in a combination with the express monorail to the Beach station.

Sentosa is also a perfect place for drinks of dinner at sunset.  We had our dinner at Spanish TOC Fentosa which had excellent vibe and drinks, but food was average.

Singapore Night Safari

Honestly, I’ve been to several safaris in different parts of Africa and I still enjoyed my second trip to the Singapore Night Safari 🙂 So I guess you could say I recommend it 🙂 It’s outside the city and can be reached with a bus (long trip) or taxi. Longest lines are just after sunset, so if you want to avoid lines get there only after 9pm after families with smallest kids have left. Also, don’t just take the tram which takes everyone around to explore the animals but also explore the different trails in the zoo to see more animals at close range.

Universal Studios

Are you into amusement parks?  Then you should definitely not miss Universal Studios in Sentosa.  While the lines get pretty long especially in the afternoon, the rides are amazing and the park otherwise also very impressive.

Wings of Time light show

First when I heard of the Wings of Time light show I was pretty skeptical about it being too touristic. Was I wrong to worry? Yes and no. It is clearly a tourist attraction, but it’s also a really impressive 30 min light show. The show takes place every night 7:40 and 8:40 in Sentosa and you can get tickets in advance. There’s no reserved seating and on most nights there’s plenty room – just come early to secure a good spot to watch the show on the beach.

Wings of Time light show, Singapore

Wings of Time light show, Singapore

Wings of Time light show, Singapore

For our full itinerary in Singapore, check-out this – it includes all restaurants, sights and also the hotel I stayed at.