Singapore or the place where boats fly and trees sing. The green space is cleaned by robots and the fines start from 1000 dollars for any small illegality. I went to Asia for 3 weeks and the first landing was in Singapore. I felt like I was on the other side of the world and I couldn’t wait to visit it. I leave below, what you need to know before arriving here.
itinerary
details pre-trip:
Tickets:
- Bucharest – Doha – Singapore
- Manilla – Doha – Bucharest
Visa:
Good news ahead! No visa is required to enter Singapore. Just filled out a fairly simple form 24 hours before.
https://www.ica.gov.sg/enter-transit-depart/entering-singapore/visa_requirements
Useful Apps:
Valid in all countries in near Asia, you must download Grab (local Uber) & Klook (tickets / experiences)
Trip and Costs:
Hotel: Ibis Budget Singapore Emerald (350 euro / 2 nights)
Day 1 – Changi Airport Jewel, Chinatown, Marina Bay by night, Gardens & Specta lights show
Apparently everything has to be with a story :))! We landed at 10 o’clock and found that our friend’s luggage was broken. She went to an information desk and after 1 form, she received 70 SGD on the spot, for damages. The joke of the day was: We didn’t even arrive well and they give us money :))
Changi Airport (Jewel)– this place is unreal. It looks 1000 times better than in pictures and you can visit most of the airport for free (HSBC RAIN VORTEX, FOREST VALLEY, CANOPY PARK). Jewel is very close to Terminal 1. Check here for other details.
Other useful info:
- Grab from airport to hotel – 21 SGD/4 pers.
- M1 SIM card with 100GB, from 7/11 store – 14SGD.
After check-in, we took a bus to ChinaTown. Btw, the cost of transportation in Singapore depends on the number of stations. You only need to validate the card (credit/debit) when getting on the bus and each time when leaving.
ChinaTown is certainly more beautiful to visit in the evening, the whole city is perhaps more spectacular in the evening. But time is limited.
What did we visit here? Well:
- Sri Mariamman Temple
- Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
- Canal Street (main one)
- Street Market
Marina Bay by night
Singapore is a city of lights. What did I know when I was little about this city? The first TV news during New Year’s Eve was from Marina Bay. With a ton of fireworks, being one of the first cities to enter the new year. That’s why it stuck in my head, that Singapore is at the other end of the world..uhh.
Light & Water shows schedule:
- Gardens – 07:45PM, 08:45PM
- Spectra – 08:00PM, 09:00PM (10:00PM only in weekends)
From Chinatown, we started our walk towards the Merlion, crossed the Jubilee Bridge, passed by the Esplanade on the Bay, then the Helix Bridge, so that at 07:45 PM we arrived at the OCBC Skyway.
The show lasts around 15 minutes and is wonderful. It seems unreal. In the back is a flying boat and next to you are the super-trees 50 meters high, full of lights and sounds. From another planet.
Then we slowly left, towards SPECTRA. Another show, this time on the water. It was exactly the one I saw on TV during New Year’s Eve.
We spent the end of the evening in Lau Pa Sat, where we ate at BEST SATAY 7-8. A kind of typical and super good skewer. Anyway, there are a lot of places to eat dinner there. Save this place for later!
Day 2 – Marina Bay by day (Cloud Forest, Flower Dome, OCBC Skyway), Clarke Quay, Little India
Gardens by the bay can be visited free of charge. The only entrances are at:
1. Cloud Forest and Flower Dome – 39$ (price Klook, but at the entrance it costs 53$)
2. OCBC Skyway – 12$
From my point of view, I don’t recommend going on the bridge in the evening during the light show, because the whole show is much better seen from below.
Tip of the day: The Klook application is very useful and must be installed every time you go to Asia. You will always find cheaper entrance tickets / experiences here.
We then walked around the Clarke Quay area, and in the evening we caught up with Little India. We wanted to experience a crazier dinner, in a local market, but we changed our minds when we got there. This neighborhood is from another movie in Singapore. I won’t go into details, but our conclusion is that they are not ready to visit India, at all.
Day 3 – Peranakan Houses, Sentosa Island (Palawan Beach)
I saw these colorful houses in Singapore on Pinterest and I said, oh yes, I have to see them. The neighborhood is called Katong and it is a very chic one. After the walk from Peranakan Houses, we took bus 30 and it dropped us right in front of a VivoCity mall.
There are several options to get to Sentosa Island:
- Sentosa Boardwalk, walking (our option)
- Bus / Metro and all the other transportation options
- Sentosa Express – monorail with 4 stations, free (we used it on the way back)
Our walk here looked something like this: we passed by Universal Studios to Palawan Beach. We crossed The Big Bridge and arrived at the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia.
Restaurants & Brief Info
- Lau Pa Sat (Best Satay 7-8)
- Chinatown Food Street
- Newton Food Street
- Little India (Kolkata Beckons)
Breakfast: Penny University and Nimbus
- Gardens: 07:45, 08:45
- Spectra: 08:00 09:00 + 10:00 Weekends
- Airport: 08:00, 09:00
- SIM Card: We bought M1 and had a very good signal, $14 from a 7/11.
- Public Transport: Both, on the subway and on the bus, I used only the credit card, which I validated when getting on and off.
- Markets: The sale of alcohol is no longer possible after 7 o’clock during the week or at all on weekends. And at restaurants you are only allowed to drink inside the restaurant, not on the terrace (with few exceptions)
- The fines are quite high, so be careful where you cross the street or the already famous story with the forbidden chewing gum.
- Apps: The most useful apps in SG were Grab (taxi from the airport) and Klook (for tickets)
Terima kasih, Cristiana ✈️🇸🇬
