Travel to Singapore for an incredible mix of cultures and cuisines. Enjoy food from hawker centers, climb to the top of pagodas, and soak in the beautiful gardens.
Singapore Botanic Gardens is a UNESCO World Heritage Site – one of three gardens in the world, and the only tropical garden, to be recognised as such.
Here is our guide to travel to Singapore in 2023.
General Information
Population: Roughly 5.6 million
Capital: No capital as a city-state.
Location: Singapore is located in southeast Asia.
Flag: The flag consists of two horizontal colored bars in red and white and over top in the upper-left sits a white crescent moon facing a pentagon of five small white stars.
Time Zone: Singapore Standard Time (UTC + 8:00)
Currency: Singapore dollar (S$) (SGD)
Language: The national language is Malay. Other official languages include English, Mandarin, and Tamil.
Climate: Singapore has a tropical rainforest climate with high humidity, rainfall, and similar temperatures year round.
Religion: Most religious denominations are present, with Buddhism being practiced the most.
Travel Visa Information: To find out if a visa is required from your country for travel to Peru — and easily get yours if needed — check out iVisa.com.
Best Time Of Year To Visit: The best time of year to travel to Singapore is anytime! Its climate is warm but maintains similar temperatures year round.
Health & Safety
As of January 2023, the CDC says it is safe to travel to Singapore, but that you should be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 before doing so. There are also several other vaccines that the CDC recommends, as well as preventable illnesses that you can find here.
Find information regarding COVID-19 and travel to Singapore here: https://sg.usembassy.gov/
Follow the CDC guidelines for current travel advisories, as well as the U.S. Embassy guidelines.
Typical Costs in Singapore
The average price for one person for accommodation in Singapore is SG$101, or $75 USD. As in many places, taking taxis vs. public transportation is more expensive. An average meal will cost SG$12 or $8.95. Now, depending on where you live, travel to Singapore might be a bit of a journey!
Food To Eat in Singapore
Singaporean food is a beautiful blend of Malay, Chinese, and Indian cuisines. The people that live in this country generally eat 5-6 meals a day and food is a major talking point among the locals!
Be sure to try all the best dishes at the hawker centres, or open-concept food courts. Psst! It’s where you will find the cheapest food too. Also, look out for packets of tissues on tables in the hawker centres, it means people have ‘reserved’ the table or scooped it up!
Here’s what to try.
Kaya toast with soft-boiled eggs is the most traditional Singaporean breakfast dish. White toast is slathered with kaya, a sweet creamy spread made from coconut milk and it is accompanied by two soft boiled eggs. This is a common dish you’ll find when you travel to Singapore.
Bak Chor Mee is a noodle dish that can only be found in Singapore! It is a minced pork broth served with flat or thin egg noodles.
Another popular breakfast, Chwee Kueh, are steamed white-flour rice cakes topped with fried pickles. They are served on brown food paper with red sambal chili.
Chai Tou Kway, or fried carrot cake, is much different from its counterparts versions of carrot cake. Made from steamed radish cakes, it is fried and made crispy, and sprinkled with spring onions. You can get black or white carrot cake, with the black cake being made sweeter with black sweet sauce, and the white being crispy and oily.
Nasi Lemak has two variations – the Singaporean Malay and Singaporean Chinese versions. The Malay version is made with a sweeter sambal, and it’s served with ikan bilis, peanuts, an omelette or fried egg. The Chinese version is served with a wider variety of sides: deep-fried drumstick, fried chicken franks, sliced fish cake, curried vegetables, and tongsan luncheon meat. Travel to Singapore and try both!
Kueh can be a wide variety of bite-sized snacks or desserts. It describes cakes, dumplings, pudding, or pastries usually made with rice or glutinous rice.
Drinks To Try in Singapore
It’s a MUST to try a Singapore Sling, where the drink was born! The Raffles Hotel. Here’s what we know: There are many variations of this colorful cocktail unless you specify what you want, you won’t actually get just that when ordering it. The Singapore Sling is a type of gin sling, so it features a good amount of gin.
Looking to try more iconic cocktails? Check out our list of 16 iconic cocktails from around the world.
Teh tarik is a hot milk tea beverage popular in Singapore and Southeast Asia. Its name means “pulled tea,” because the tea is poured back and forth from a distance to aerate it and improve the flavor.
Drink local Kopi in a bag. Get your caffeine fix from a plastic, spill-proof bag.
Top Cities to Visit in Singapore
When you travel to Singapore, you won’t really be visiting any cities, because Singapore itself is a city state. Known as the Garden City, when you visit Gardens by the Bay, you’ll see why. The Gardens by the Bay are one of three gardens in the world, and the only tropical garden, to be recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Pretty cool!
Aside from these magnificent gardens that you’ll be snapping photos of for hours, there are so many things to see and do in this southeast Asian gem.
Marvel at the pastel-painted facades of Little India and Sri Veeramakaliamman, enjoy dim sum, and if you’re feeling like art and museums, check out the ArtScience Museum, the Asian Civilisations Museum and the National Gallery Singapore.
Stroll through the shops on Orchard Road and check out some of the city’s buzzing bazaars. Check out the Thian Hock Keng Temple (the oldest temple in Singapore), visit the infamous Merlion statue, and take in all that this incredible city state has to offer.
Must-See Sights in Singapore
- Gardens by the Bay
- Singapore Botanic Gardens
- Singapore Zoo
- National Gallery Singapore
- Jewel Changi Airport
- Night Safari
- ArtScience Museum
- National Museum of Singapore
- Supertree Grove
- Cloud Forest
- Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
- Asian Civilisations Museum
- Haw Par Villa
- Sultan Mosque
- Marina Barrage (for sustainability enthusiasts!)
- Merlion statue
- Marina Bay Sands – go to the roof!
How To Get Around Singapore
By subway: The subway system in Singapore is excellent and can get you all over the city.
By bus: Similar to the subway system, you can get almost anywhere in the city via bus.
By foot: A very walkable city!
Bucket List Experiences in Singapore
- Visit Gardens by the Bay.
- Eat hawker centre food.
- Explore Singapore Botanic Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage site, one of three gardens in the world, and the only tropical garden, to be recognised as such.
- Go on a bum boat ride and travel back in time to 1960s Singapore.
Where To Book Flights
The cost of airfare can quickly eat up your budget.
>> Click here to find the best flights to Singapore.
Where To Book Accommodation
Singapore is home to some fantastic hotels.
>> Click here to find the best hotel deals in Singapore.
Housesitting is a great way to cut down on travel costs.
>> Click here to find housesitting opportunities in Singapore.
Hostels are an affordable option when it comes to accommodations.
>> Click here to find hostels in Singapore.
Booking a vacation rental can help to save the budget.
>> Click here to find vacation rentals in Singapore.
Best Travel Tours/Packages in Singapore
TourRadar: Extravaganza Singapore Trip – 5 days
With your loved ones, take in Singapore’s breathtaking scenery. Enjoy thrilling pursuits like night safaris, river safaris, and indoor skydiving. Get lost in the vibrant environment that is filled with skyscrapers and tall structures, supported by a beautiful skyline and a variety of things to do.
GAdventures: Bangkok to Singapore – 14 days
Now’s the time to explore Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore on your terms with this tour that’s affordable for young travellers. Bliss out on world-class beaches in lush southern Thailand, cool off in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia, and savour the street food and nightlife of Singapore. In this part of Southeast Asia, you’ll get to focus on your own adventure: pack your trip with everything you want and nothing you don’t.
ToursByLocals: Singapore Highlights – Half day tour
Get a panoramic view of the city from the Sands SkyPark Observation Deck at Marina Bay Sands, walk through Chinatown and learn of the life and activities of Chinese – the largest ethnic group in Singapore, or visit the Civic District and learn of Singapore’s colonial past. Would you want to find out why are there so many ships docked just outside Singapore? Or why is there a Hindu temple in the middle of Chinatown? Where did our founding father, Sir Stamford Raffles first landed in Singapore? Not just these. There are more must-visit attractions in my list below.
Additional Reading
Books: Ponti by Sharlene Teo; Nimita’s Place by Akshita Nanda; This Is What Inequality Looks Like by Teo You Yenn
Movies: Apprentice; A Land Imagined; A Yellow Bird; Sandcastle
Check out these Journo Adventures of other travelers who have been there!
Ready to travel to Singapore? Did we miss anything? Leave us a comment below!
