Singapore

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Hello Explorers!

So you are headed to Singapore - an excellent choice!

There is so much to see and do for every type of traveler in this "City in a Garden"! As my husband travels to Singapore 3 to 4 times a year for business, we have been to this magnificent city many times. Here are a few of our favorites and also a few disappointments.

1. Gardens by the Bay

The Domes

Three domed botanical gardens are enclosed in climate-controlled (yes air-conditioned!) tropical paradises. These included the cloud forest, the flower dome, and the flower fantasy Each is a wonder to behold but check the website carefully before you visit, due to maintenance and/or private events it is very common that one of the domes will be closed on the day you visit.

The cloud forest dome contains a beautiful waterfall and winding walkways that transport you into a cloud rainforest. The flower dome has to change floral displays based on a theme (one time I visited everything was nursery rhymes). The Flower Fansty dome focuses on hanging displays and transports you into a wondrous world of scent and color. Each is a beauty but beware to see all three will cost you $$$.

The Trees

Another amazing site at Gardens by the Bay is the Super Trees. These fun architectural wonders stand in a lush garden. They are fun to explore and offer a light show in the evening. If you can time it correctly it is really fun to be on the observation bridge during the light show. If not, just find a comfy spot where you can see as many trees as possible and enjoy the show.

There is also a water-light show in the bay on the other side of the Marina

Bay Sands Hotel is worth a view. I suggest watching the SuperTree show or the Bay show but not trying to run from show to show - there are just too many people and not enough time. Also, there are always other amazing displays going on around the park (like this one - view on TikTok).

This is the iconic tourist highlight of Singapore and shouldn't be missed. There is so much to see and do here that you can make a day of it. I like to start by visiting the domes, move over to the Super Trees, catch one of the light shows and end the night with dinner at the Lau Pu Sat Hawkers Center.

2. Southern Ridges and Henderson Wave

If you are up for a beautiful walk through the tree tops, check out the Southern Ridges Pathway and Henderson Wave. One of Singapore's mottos is "A City within a Garden," and the southern walkway is an excellent example. This elevated walkway has been constructed through a forested portion of the city; however, it is still very much within the populated areas. The walkway stretches for 10 km and connects Mount Faber Park, Telok Blangah Hill Park, HortPark, Kent Ridge Park, and Labrador Nature Reserve.

My favorite section of the walkway is from the Singapore cable car at Mount Faber Park to Alexandra Arch just before Hort Park. This section will offer panoramic views of the city, harbor, and the Southern Islands. You will also experience the forest and canopy walk, made up of elevated bridges cutting through the Adinandra Belukar forest. The area offers a wide variety of flora and fauna; if you are lucky, you might also encounter some amazing birds and other wildlife (monkeys)! This route passes over Henderson Waves, a structure not to be missed that connects Mount Faber Park to Telok Blangah Hill Park. Standing 36 meters above Henderson Road, it is the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore. It is frequently visited for its artistic, distinctive wave-like structure consisting of undulating curved 'ribs.'

Best of all, at the end of this section, you can take a look at The Interlace! I think this is one of the most architecturally interesting buildings I have ever seen. Unfortunately, the adjacent photo does not express the scale or magnitude of this structure. It is phenomenal.

3. Morning in Chinatown

If you are up for people-watching, souvenir shopping, snacking on street food, and visiting an impressive Temple, a trip to Chinatown is a great way to spend the morning. You can wander for hours through this mecca of tourism. First, however, there are a few must-see locations. Top on the list is the The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, is on thewhere yes, they have one of Buddha's teeth! The trick to visiting this temple is to take the elevator to the upper levels. Here you will wander through a great museum, and see the buddha tooth alter and a rooftop garden with a prayer wheel.

4. Evening on Arab Street

Just like it sounds Arab Street or the Arab section of town is where you will find everything "Arab". When the British came to Singapore and establish it as a trading center they did not try to integrate the population but set ethnic "towns" within the city. The remnants of this ideology remain. As such, in Arab town, you find a lot of Indian influence including Mosques, textile shops, spice shops, and my husband's Favorite Restaurants! We love the atmosphere along Arab Street in the evenings. There are numerous musicians, wonderful street murals, and fantastic food. My husband is a bit of a lamb connoisseur and he loves the food at Alaturka Mediterrananea. I also love this place as they have fantastic outdoor dining!!

5. Night Zoo

Do It!! I know you are thinking "it's just another Zoo" but seriously visiting a Zoo at night adds such a great dimension. Also when you are in a climate where the average daytime temperature is 90+ degrees Fahrenheit, the only time to see the active animals is after sunset. There are a few tips for visiting:

Book your ticket online in advance, the zoo uses time entry.
When you enter do the walking trail first and take the safari drive after. Everyone rushes into the lines for the drive, if you go later you can usually jump right on with little wait time.
Go to the show! They do an awesome one and it's FUN!
Just Uber to and from- arriving by public transpiration is doable but it's just too time-consuming.

6. Tree Top Walk at McRitchy Park

Wild Monkeys and a Suspension Bridge - you can't pass this up! MacRitchy Park is a beautiful park that has a treetop walk with a super fun suspension bridge. There are trails throughout the park and a reservoir that you can hike around. There are also WILD MONKEYS in the park that you are almost certain to encounter on your hike. There are several paths you can take to reach the bridge, we prefer to start at reservoir park and take the yellow trail around through the park with a quick detour to the suspension bridge. The yellow trail loop is 11 km with another 2 or 3 km for the treetop walk (suspension bridge). Go in the morning when it's cooler and plan to finish by lunchtime (3-4 hours).

7. Botanical Gardens

The Singapore Botanical Gardens are another lovely space to take a walk. I am actually adding this location because my husband loves them and visits them so often on business trips. As I mentioned he was visiting Singapore 3+ times a year (pre-covid times) and I don't recall a trip where he didn't take a walk through the gardens. For a business traveler sometimes you just want to get away from the crowds and get some fresh air and greenery. The gardens are great for this. If you staying downtown or in the Ion shopping area (as my husband does) the gardens are only a few bus stops or a short uber/grab ride away. The orchid garden is also lovely but they do charge to enter this area.

8. Eat at a Hawkers Center

My favorite Hawkers Center is Lau Pa Sat in the downtown area. Here they also offer numerous outdoor satay plates!

Eat like a local - eat at a Hawkers Center! I can not express enough how much I love Hawkers Centers. They are equivalent to the American food court but instead of consisting of a multitude of chain restaurants (chipotle, Sbarro pizza, etc) these stalls are independently owned and have often been in families for generations. My daughter thinks of them as permanent food truck conventions. They are also really inexpensive! A couple of tips for Hawkers centers:

They all post health department ratings A, B, C, etc. Don't eat at anything below a B your just asking for trouble.
Everyone has pictures posted outside their stalls. Singapore is such an international city with many languages spoken - pointing and a smile is acceptable.
Drinks are sold in separate stalls from food.
If you don't know what to order look for a line of locals and order what they are getting.

9. The Battle Box

The Battle Box was the secret British World War II secret command center built nine meters underground in the late 1930s. The rooms are very similar to the Churchhill wars rooms in London and are great for a WWII history buff to tour. I actually did not know about the rooms until maybe my third visit to Singapore. I was looking for something new to do and my husband (the WWII buff) suggested this. I don't understand why no one else recommends this museum - it is super interesting and makes for a fun tour. Make sure you book your time in advance online as they have limited viewing due to the underground space.

Blogger tip - when there is no photography allowed I always visit the gift shop to pick up a postcard or two. Snap a couple of photos of the card and you have what you need for posting on social media or Facebook. Just make sure you own up to it like I am. Photograph by Battle Box.

10. Enjoy High Tea

Pamper yourself and go for TEA. It's nice to mix it up; hike one day, museum tour on another, and maybe shopping and pampering the next. For relaxation, I recommend going to a High Tea. There are so many choices throughout Singapore. You just need to pick what's important to you. You can visit a high rise in the Ion Tower, get glitzy down by the bay, or maybe something more eclectic in Holland Center. I would love to send you my favorites but upon review, several of them have closed.

Dissappointments

With all vacations, you come across a few sites and excursions that just don't live up to the hype. Below is my list of less than stellar locations and a few words as to why I felt that way. Just my opinion here so read several blogs and make your own decisions.

Hop-on Hop-off bus - worst bus tour I have taken in any city, long delays with spare commentary.

Little Indian - other than one nice temple there is very little to see and it felt somewhat seedy.

Top of Marina Bay Sands - Nice view but very $ and you are limited to the bow of the ship.

Kusu and St. John Islands - Great for the city dweller to picnic, not much excitement for a tourist.

Hello!

My name is Tricia and I

have been fortunate to travel to amazing destinations with my husband Jamie. If you are enjoying our travel content and would like to send us a thank you (and perhaps buy us a coffee or glass of wine on our next trip) I invite you to join our Patreon. Happy Exploring!!

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