Singapore was always bucket-list place for me, I already can’t wait to go back and explore more! Out of the three days we were there, these are my favourite things that we did and I’ve included a few tips too about getting the most out of your trip.

Singapore was our second stop after leaving the UK. We stopped for three days on our travels between Hong Kong and Australia. It was such a beautiful city and I could have stayed for days more. I already know when we get back to being able to travel a visit to Singapore is at the top of our list. We crammed so much into our 3 days but there were just some things that were just so good & have to be included on every itinerary.  

Finding our way around the city

The city was actually surprisingly easy to find our way around. We used the metro a lot and bought top up cards in the airport station. It was really easy to get from the airport to the hostel and from the hostel around the city all by the metro. Super simple to navigate – so much clearer than the tube, and we used it for ease because everything is pretty spaced out. We did do a lot of walking, just used google maps if we needed, and walked between things in the centre but it was quicker to train if we needed to cover some distance or was going to/coming from the hostel.

Our hostel & where we stayed

We stayed in Kampong Glam which was fairly central but just slightly out so it was a little bit cheaper. We stayed in the ‘Beary Best’ Hostel which was really lovely. There is a sister hostel somewhere in city if you can’t get into this one. It was fairly cheap and so clean – probably the cleanest hostel I’ve ever stayed in. The hostels location is fab as Kampong Glam is where the famous Haji Lane is and the area is known as the Muslim quarter and so it is surrounded by loads of restaurants serving authentic food, amazing textile shops and the beautiful golden domed Sultan Mosque. 

The hostel was over a few different floors with a mixed dorm on each level. The bathrooms were also mixed and communal. Something I didn’t expect was that before you go past reception you have to remove your shoes which is actually really nice as it keeps it so much cleaner. The dorms had a lot of beds with storage lockers (big enough for my massive bag) at the bottom. They were totally enclosed bunk beds with black out curtains, power sockets, a clothes rail and a little net pocket. It was the cosiest and comfiest little dorm space. The only slightly annoying bit was the metal vertical ladder up to the upper level bunks, it was a little slippery and hard to lug stuff up but it was doable. 

How to cut costs

Singapore can seem quite pricey and I’ve been asked numerous times if we found it crazy expensive but actually, it’s not that bad. Our hostel was a little more than the “average” cost but it was such a lovely, clean hostel so it didn’t seem over-priced or expensive. We didn’t eat in fancy restaurants and we only had a couple of alcoholic drinks in the time were there. The food in Haji lane was pricier but what we had was so good and with the cheaper meals for breakfast and lunch it balanced out. Apart from the dinner on Haji Lane, we ate in the Tekka centres there rest of the time as they are so cheap (we had a curry dinner and fresh naan for less than $5) and everything was absolutely delicious. We also bought our breakfasts & lunches from 7/11s to help keep the costs down. 

My fave things we did in Singapore

Gardens by the Bay & Light Show

My number one, favourite thing that we did was absolutely the Gardens by the Bay. This was something at the top of our itinerary because you cannot go to Singapore and not visit the gardens. We opted for the ticket that included entry to the domes as the gardens themselves are free to wander around but we wanted to get the most out of our day there. We also additionally purchased OCBC Skyway later on for an extra $8, but overall the cost of the tickets was really reasonable. 

The Floral Fantasy attraction was my favourite, it was just so beautiful. Every part of it was just so pretty, there were flowers literally everywhere. Spheres of multi-coloured flowers hanging from the ceiling and bright coloured beauties surrounded the mini waterfalls, it was just vibrant everywhere you looked. We spent so long wandering around taking so many photos. It was lucky how quiet the domes were during our visit because I can’t imagine it being so relaxing if its super busy. 

The other domes were equally stunning. The Flower Dome is a cool-dry environment which mimics a Mediterranean climate and shows different groups of plants in separate gardens. The Cloud Forest was the most dramatic looking for sure. It’s a cool-moist conservatory with an indoor 30 metre waterfall. When you go to the Cloud Forest make sure you hang around for the mist timings which go off every couple of hours. You can climb up to the top of the ‘mountain’ and see all the different levels of the conservatory which is amazing, but don’t be on the top level if you’re staying for the mist spray as we were too high and had get to a lower level to be in the mist itself. Hans Hint: be careful with cameras and phones in the Cloud Forest as they can get damp. It’s a good excuse to put them away and just take it alllll in! 

The OCBC Skyway was a highlight too. It isn’t much to buy additionally, so I would recommend going for it and paying the extra $8 as you get the most amazing panoramic views across Singapore from the 22 metre Super Trees. You get only a short allotted time up on the walkway so get as many photos as you can & really make the most of views.

There is so much more to see in the Gardens by the Bay, more than just the domes & Super Trees. There are sculptures, lakes, the Bay East and Heritage Gardens, so definitely take a whole day out to explore them all and make sure you either stick around for the evening or take a detour back there to not miss the light shows. The Super Tree light and sound shows normally take place twice in the evening and last around 15 minutes. They are just beautiful and the best spot is to get underneath a tree and lay down on the bench seats that surround the base. At the moment for covid measures, the shows are slightly different with background music and soft lighting between 7-10pm. Hans Hint: This has since changed, as I visited in 2023 and the shows were back to pre-covid ways. Just check out the timings on the Gardens by the Bay website before you head over.

Tekka Centre in Little India 

I’ve already mentioned how people have asked about how expensive Singapore is but if you choose to eat where the locals eat then you’ll be surprised at how cheap it can be. The Tekka Centre in Little India is so worth a visit because the food is cooked fresh, and really popular with the locals. I had probably the best curry & naan of my life for less than £5. There are so many options for food in the Tekka centre, it’s not just meat curries – there are lots of veggie dishes too. 

We ended up going back to the Tekka centre because we liked it so much and I had the same curry from the same stall again. I’ve never seen naan bread being made either and it was so interesting to see how they are cooked. Also, if you go definitely source a mango lassi, is just about the dreamiest drink I’ve ever had. The system in the centre is super relaxed as it’s a market hall, you just choose your food or a table and then go and grab whatever you want. It’s pretty clean & well managed too, so it was a really nice place to chill out and eat! We felt perfectly comfortable as two females to sit and eat here, as well as in the other food centres too.

Hans Hint: If you stay in the Beary Best hostel in Kampong Glam, Little India is only about 10 mins walk so perfect for an easy dinner. 

Drinks at CÉ LA VI Sky Bar in Marina Bay Sands

The Marina Bay Sands are just so famous you have to go and have a wander through the hotel. It baffles me how people work there because it’s just so enormous! Anyway, you can walk through the hotel towers at ground level (access from outside or the adjacent shopping centre – deffo check this out too, there’s a canal in the middle of it!) but if you want to see up the towers & have a taste of how the non-backpackers are living there is a good way to do it. You can pay $20 to go up to the CÉ LA VI Restaurant & Sky Bar which is on the 57^th floor. The Sky Bar has just the most amazing views across the harbour and the whole of Singapore. From one side of the rooftop you can see the Gardens by the Bay Super Tree Light show and from the other you can see the harbour light show which also takes place daily. 

$20 may seem expensive to just access an outside bar, but once up there you can redeem your ticket against the price of a cocktail. It’s a little sneaky as the cocktails range from about $22/23 up so you have to put a little more towards it but it was worth it for us. It can be really busy up the Sky Bar and there can be long queues to get up there, but if you want to have a little bit of non-backpacker glam then you should definitely do this! 

I absolutely loved Singapore and if you’ve been, I’d love to know what you thought of it & what you got up to! If you’re thinking of going and have some questions feel free to leave me a comment below.

lots of love, 

Han x