I have already published a blog on Singapore with a details on what all you should see and visit and reason you should try and visit Singapore during the Chinese New Year.
So, if you are planning to visit Singapore anytime soon, my recommendation still would be to visit this country during the festive season i.e. Chinese New Year!
However, in addition to places and things I have mentioned in my earlier blog, you must visit the other attractions as well which can be visited all year round.
Before I jump to the attractions and details on how I explored them, here are all the essential details which would definitely help you planning a trip to Singapore!
Visa Requirements
British citizens do not require a tourist visa for Singapore. Indian citizens do require a visa, which can be applied and obtained through one of the authorised agents at a cost of approx. Rs 2000. It takes anywhere between 1 to 5 days to obtain visa authorization, which then gets emailed to you
The immigration and baggage collection process in Singapore is extremely efficient and it won’t take you more than 10-15 minutes from the point you off-board the plane to the time you end up at the Arrivals
Flight bookings
Booking a return or a one way ticket to Singapore doesn’t make much of a difference in terms of cost, so if you are setting off for a flexible itinerary or have a plan to visit another country along with Singapore, and have no time constraints, I would recommend to book a one way ticket
Indigo is a low budget airline, hence book your preferred seats and a meal on-board in advance; however, a 15 kg check-in luggage is usually included in your ticket price
Travelling in Singapore
You can take either a taxi or a Metro to reach the center of the city from the airport. Depending on the time of your arrival and where your accommodation is, decide on a taxi or a Metro. I landed in Singapore at 4:00 AM in the morning and had to travel to Bedok from the airport (approx. 7 KMs), hence decided to take a taxi which cost me 18 SGD (including an additional 50% night charge – night charges apply between 00:00 to 06:00 AM)
Travelling around Singapore is very convenient and cheap by Metro. The Metro service in Singapore is super convenient, fast, frequent, clean and comfortable
Buy a Metro card that costs 12 SGD and has a credit of 7 SGD. Your card is valid in both buses and trains. An average journey in Singapore in a Metro would not cost you over 2 SGD. I could never spend more than 7/8 SGD even on hectic days when I used public transport the most
Please avoid taking buses for longer journeys as even though they are very comfortable, they are super slow and a bit infrequent
Food and Accommodation
Being vegetarian I couldn’t find anything specific to sample in Singapore. My meals usually were sandwiches, a packed meal (from my relatives’ :)) or anything miscellaneous from a shop that I came across during the lunch time.
That said, I know Singapore is famous for its sea food delicacies. I remember locals and tourists enjoying a grand sumptuous sea food meal at various small shops in China Town along with a glass of beer. Clark Quay is another famous area for food, drinks and night life in Singapore wherein one can spend their evenings either sitting at a riverside restaurant enjoying the food and drinks, or clubbing around in famous clubs like Zouk or “The Crazy Elephant”.
Again, as I mentioned earlier, I stayed with one of my relatives and then with my best friend hence have not much to say about accommodation. However, as the title of my blog says “Uber Posh” – Singapore is famous for its posh hotels @ “Mariana Bay Sands” which boasts an infinity pool on the 57th floor giving you some unparalleled views of the Singapore skyline. If you have the budget, do sample the same as it definitely looks out of the world in some of the pictures I have seen on social media
Useful Facts
In general, Singapore is an expensive country, especially food, drinks, accommodation & entrance fees for various attractions, so budget your travel accordingly
My recommendation is to do enough research on what all attractions you want to visit and budget for them in advance as that would be one of your major cost items. E.g. what all parks/attractions you want to see in Sentosa or at the Bay area
Try to check on any promotions/free entries for the famous rooftop bars (e.g. 1 Altitude, Ce La Vi etc.) and time your visit accordingly, as I am sure you would not like to miss visiting one of these unique places in Singapore
Depending on the number of people travelling together and the place you are visiting, weigh your option of Metro Vs Taxi and choose the means of transport accordingly
Though I have already mentioned this enough in my blog earlier, however please consider travelling to Singapore during the Chinese New Year and you will definitely be rewarded with more than what this country has to offer in the true sense
A quick spend guide
A quick spend guide for my 2 weeks trip (14 days) :
Visa cost: None
Flights: 300 USD
Local Travel (Metro): 100 USD
Stay: None (Stayed with friends and relatives)
Food & Drinks: 350 USD
Tours/Entrance Fees: 220 USD
Miscellaneous (Taxi, souvenirs etc.): 75 USD
Total trip cost: Approx. 1050 USD (72,000 INR) for 1 person (door to door)
Please feel to go through the following blogs to read about what all places you should visit while your are in Singapore:
