Sandeep PinjerlaFirst Int’l trip for parents. Gotta be a lovely place. Different from India still easily adaptable. A short flight journey could be better. Which one is the best? It popped up in my mind almost immediately and I am happy I made that decision. It’s the country where ‘East meets West’, thus having the best resources everywhere. With top hotels, the best food, incredible museums, and the most advanced airport to man-made trees, it’s the city where #PassionMadePossible is. You guessed it right! It’s a beautiful and impressive city/state – Singapore. Check out these places to visit Singapore that made our trip unforgettable.
Little India
As soon as we checked into the hotel, this had to be the first place to stroll. We started with an Indian breakfast, exchanged our money at Mustafa Center (recommended by most and is the best), and wandered the streets of Little India. It has colorful buildings like the House of Tan Teng Niah, and famous temples like Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple and is a paradise for shopping with huge collections of almost everything at Mustafa Center or Little India Arcade.
Pick any restaurant in Little India with crowds and reasonable prices; there is little chance to go wrong. Every restaurant has its own style.
- Worth : ♥♥♥♥
- Time spent : 3 hours
- Best time to visit: Day (Didn’t like the crowd at night)
Singapore Flyer and Helix Bridge
Singapore flyer is must must-visit if heights and views are your things. This Ferris wheel offers spectacular panoramic views of Singapore and neighboring islands. One can easily obtain tickets on-site if needed. The wait isn’t too long but it takes 30 min to complete rotation. When done, take a walk along the waters to Helix Bridge it is a great spot for perfect photographs of Singapore downtown along with the views of the Merlion (Singapore’s unofficial mascot) statue and Marina Bay Sands (A gorgeous structure for a luxurious hotel with infinity pool). Helix Bridge and Flyer are dazzling at night.
- Worth : ♥♥♥♥
- Time spent : 3 hours
- Best time to visit: Night
Carry an umbrella at all times protecting from sun or rain, two extremes in Singapore.
Night Safari
It’s a unique experience and one will love it if haven’t visited too many popular zoos already. We could see a good amount of animals and it was fun. Prepare for large crowds and severe heat. Always get in line first for the beloved ‘Creatures of Night Show’ as there will be huge lines later in the night and the entry is not guaranteed. Once done, other activities can be leisurely covered. It might be still over-crowded for Tram rides but there are several of them. Also, it might be just the right time for feeding the Big Cats. ( 8, 8:30, 9, 9:30 PM on Friday, and Saturday). There are walking trails to explore, the Leopard Trail being the famous one. Be sure to check out the fire show at the entrance (6:45 PM or 10:00 PM) which completes the experience of Night Safari.
- Worth : ♥♥♥
- Time spent : 3 hours (7:00 PM to 10:00 PM)
- Best time to visit: Night, Duh!?
We covered these on Day 1, yes with Flyer and Helix bridge in the afternoon, though we wished to see them at night.
City Tour
A city tour is always a good option to cover places where otherwise one wouldn’t stop. Our tour passed through Little India and the Civic District offering a quick peek at Parliament House, the Cricket Club, the Raffles Hotel, the Fountain of Wealth, the National Library, the National Museum, the Supreme Court & City Hall. We made our first photo stop at the Merlion statue (God, it’s so crowded atop extreme heat) looking over Marina Bay Sands and Fullerton Hotel. Our final stop is at China Town’s oldest temple, Thian Hock Keng which is worth stopping for.
- Worth : ♥♥♥
- Time spent : 2 hours
- Best time to visit : Day
It is advisable to book all the sightseeing tickets together to save. Hotels provide tours/tickets and may have discounted prices. Otherwise, there are hundreds of tourist agencies in Singapore. We booked our tour with Vuelo Travels which included the hotel, complete transportation, and all the tickets which saved time and money.
Sentosa
Sentosa is the most famous tourist attraction in Singapore and it could take days to complete. It is an island resort with several beaches, hotels, golf courses, and theme parks. It has its transportation which includes trains, shuttles, and cable cars. We arrived from Mount Faber Line with a Singapore Cable Car Sky Pass. It is one of the prettiest ways to reach with great views of resorts down below. Once inside Sentosa, we used the Sentosa Express train. Imbiah station for Madame Tussauds, Waterfront station for SEA Aquarium, Universal Studios, and Beach Station for Wings of Time.
The cable car dropped us at Imbiah station which is about 5 min walk to Madame Tussauds.
There are other attractions here like Sky Tower and Adventure Land. We spent about a couple of hours inside Madame Tussauds which is filled with popular wax statues of David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sachin Tendulkar, Narendra Modi, Taylor Swift, Mahatma Gandhi, Jackie Chan, Leonardo DiCaprio, Bollywood IIFA experience with Shah Rukh, Amitabh, Aishwarya Rai, and several others.
Make sure the entrance ticket includes the Marvel 4D experience and thrill to the next level. There are fast food and multi-cuisine restaurants down the hill and transit is on 4 long escalators. Food is about average. So plan accordingly.
Later we took Sentosa Express to Waterfront Station to enjoy the SEA aquarium.
We spent about a couple of hours and is sure a paradise for ocean lovers. Be sure to check the feeding times. Adventure Cove Water Park and Dolphin Island are the other attractions around here. Then we headed to Beach station for the ‘Wings of Time‘ show. It is the perfect way to end the day at Sentosa. An outdoor night show with laser, water, fire, and music effects taking us back in time. It’s a unique and wonderful experience.
Sentosa is just another example to show that Singapore loves tourists.
- Worth : ♥♥♥♥♥
- Time spent : 10 hours
- Best time to visit: Check out special attractions timings in the brochure.
- SEA Aquarium – Afternoon with best shows starting from 2 PM, Open Ocean at 4 PM (Tue-Sun) is the main feature.
- Wings of Time – Daily 7.40 and 8.40 PM
Our empty and tired stomachs are craving for real food and there is nothing better than a hawker center in Singapore. Most centers are available all night and probably many of them are the best. Our personal favorite is Tekka Center in Little India.
It’s a wrap for Day 2. This is a long day with a lot of walking in Sentosa and is worth it.
Universal Studios
Universal Studios Singapore can be skipped if visited in other cities. There were not any different rides and Jurassic Park was kinda of disappointed after visiting LA. My parents loved it though as they were experiencing it for the first time. We loved the Transformers and Cylon roller coaster ride. Mummy’s ride is about average. Look out for show timings in the brochure, Donkey Live was funny. There are restaurants in each zone and the food is average. Waterworld is among the best shows and is sure to check out. Even without an express pass, we managed to complete most of the rides.
- Worth : ♥♥♥
- Time spent : 8 hours
- Best time to visit : Check out various show timings.
- Donkey Live at Far Far Away – 3:45 PM
- Waterworld in The Lost Zone – 4:30 PM
Gardens by the Bay
There isn’t a better way to end a day than to cool off in this huge nature park. This is one thing I wish every major city had. Spanning about 250 acres, it has more than 1,000,000 trees. It’s a vast, colorful, and futuristic botanical garden. The major attractions here are Cloud Forest, Flower Dome, and Supertree Grove.
Cloud Forest – Yes we are still in Singapore and not Costa Rica. This artificially created world with mountains, rare plants, and beautiful flowers is a visual feast. The whole world stood still at that moment when the largest indoor waterfall welcomed us inside with the pleasant mist. Then we took about 2 hours leisurely to absorb this conservatory. It is one of the insane creations and must-visit places in Singapore. Later we proceeded to Flower Dome and spent about 30 minutes here. It is a heavenly kingdom for those who admire flowers. There are flowers from various countries marked in zones. Cherry Blossoms were a highlight when we visited.
Above all, there is Supertree Grove.
These tall tree-like structures exhibit almost everything that trees normally do except these are man-made. Singapore technically created almost everything that is otherwise not found here naturally so they can be a complete country. This is truly advanced stuff. We gave a pass on the OCBC Skyway which is a walkway between Supertrees providing a different view of gardens and decided to enjoy the magnificent Sound and Light Show here at Grove. It is themed and features Jurassic Park, and Pirates of the Caribbean music. Worth it.
Cloud Forest and Flower Dome tickets are usually sold together. OCBC Skyway has a separate entrance ticket, however, entrance to Supertree Grove is totally free and so as the Light Show. Be sure to arrive early to secure a good spot (right in front of Marina Bay Sands)
- Worth : ♥♥♥♥♥
- Time spent : 3 hours
- Best time to visit : Evenings. Light show at 7:45 PM
Overall, it’s a wonderful Day 3. Gardens by the Bay surprised us and it’s a whole new experience. We skipped Marina Bay Sands. The observation deck and Spectra (9 PM daily), another free sound and light show are popular attractions here. The infinity pool is reserved for hotel guests.
Jurong Bird Park
It’s hard to miss the world’s largest bird park spreading over 50 acres with 5000 birds when in Singapore. Who doesn’t love birds right? After all, they are the ones who taught us to fly. From Flamingos, Penguins, Owls, Macaws, name it, and Jurong Bird Park has it.
Do not miss the bird shows and it is the best way to cover several species in style. It also hosts one of the world’s tallest man-made (Duh! Its Singapore) waterfalls. One can easily spend a day here but we decided to spend half a day. Tram ride helps to get around easily in the park.
- Worth : ♥♥♥♥♥
- Time spent : 4 hours
- Best time to visit : Various show timings
- Kings of the Skies – 10:00 AM
- High Flyers – 11:00 AM
Jurong Bird Park is about 30KM from the city. It’s easy and surprisingly affordable to GRAB( rideshare) a cab but it can add up quickly. Mass Rapid Transport is the best way to get around in Singapore.
Changi Airport
Above all, Singapore Changi Airport has to be one of the prime reasons to visit Singapore. With the world’s best airlines and technologically advanced features, it makes the boarding process a breeze. Moreover, it makes the airport feel wonderful with a two-level butterfly habitat, 24-hour movie theaters, spas, theme parks, and food courts. All we can do is wish to check in early or have a comfortable layover in this World’s best airport, 7 times in a row.
Check here if your airline allows you to check-in early. Or take some time to explore at least boarding areas, restrooms, and duty-free shops, just enough to cheer.
- Worth : ♥♥♥♥♥
- Time spent : 4 hours
- Best time to visit : All Day and Night.
End of Day 4 and time to bid goodbye to Singapore.
Let’s make it easier, shall we? Here are all the worth-saving places. Click the link below and add places to your Google Maps. Download an offline map and roam around Singapore like a local. Feel free to check my reviews of food spots and decide. How about that??
How did we do it? Comment your thoughts and share this with your travel buddies.
Looking to complete the trip to Kuala Lumpur. Check out our trip to the city in a day.
Cheers!!!
