Thanks to its convenient location, Singapore is a popular layover hub for travellers heading to and from Australia, Thailand and Malaysia. Moving around this vibrant city is simple so whether you have 12 hours, 2 days or 1 week we can guarantee you will be able to experience incredible culinary delights, world-class accommodation, futuristic gardens and exciting nightlife.
The main attractions in Singapore – our top picks!
1. Spend a whole day exploring Gardens by the Bay
This is an obvious place to start as Gardens by the Bay was one of the attractions that brought us to Singapore in the first place. Spread across 101 hectares, it’s easy to spend a whole day exploring the Supertree Grove, Cloud Forest and Flower Dome.
For the perfect day out, we would suggest starting with a walk around Supertree Grove which consists of 18 impressive vertical gardens. While recognising how incredible they really are, they all play an important role. Some of the trees have solar receptors while others are connected to the 2 conservatories and act as exhausts to keep the air cool.
Afterwards, wander through the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome. The Cloud Forest features an incredible 30-metre waterfall at the entrance! As you walk around you will spot orchids, ferns and pitcher plants. If you love the smell of flowers then don’t miss the Flower Dome with an impressive succulent garden as well as the South African, Australian and Californian gardens.
Your day doesn’t end there…
At the end of the day return to Supertree Grove for the light and sound show which takes place at 7:45 p.m and 8:45 p.m every evening. If you want to watch the show from a birdseye perspective then purchase a ticket to the OCBC Skyway which is located between 2 of the tallest trees. From there you have epic views of Marina Bay Sands as well!
Entry to Gardens by the Bay is free, however, you will need to pay a fee to enter some of the attractions. An adult ticket to the Flower Dome + Cloud Forest is SGD 28 (AUD $29) while a ticket to the OCBC Skyway is only SGD 10 (AUD $10.40).
Hot tip – bring a light jacket as it tends to be a bit chilly inside the conservatories.
2. Get lost in the Future World exhibition at The Art Science Museum
Closely located to Gardens by the Bay is the Art Science Museum. Located right on the water in a white Lotus-inspired infrastructure, the building itself will have you in awe.
Look we’ll be honest. We have visited Singapore twice and have returned to the same exhibition both times. Future World at the Art Science Museum has something for everyone. It’s engaging, interactive and quite frankly it’s brilliant.
What’s it like inside? The exhibition begins with an enchanting walk through a dark room filled with flowers, butterflies, and an interactive waterfall adorning the walls. The sound of nature is a calming paradise to bustling city life. And that’s just the beginning.
From there, there are two interactive exhibitions perfect for children or big adults (like us!). The Museum provides colouring in pencils so your imagination can run wild as you draw cars, buildings and spaceships at ‘Sketch Town’. The same concept exists at ‘Sketch Aquarium’ with fish and sea creatures. The coolest part? You can upload your creations using a digital scanner. They will then become animated and appear on the large projector screen.
There are many other parts of the exhibition to explore, but don’t miss the Space exhibition which is located towards the end. You will need to queue to get inside this Crystal Universe that provides the illusion of stars moving in space. It’s seriously epic!
3. The Ice-Cream Museum where you actually get to eat ice-cream
The Ice-Cream Museum? Yes, you heard us correctly. With its recent opening in 2021, this new attraction is one for all ages. The best part? You can eat as much ice cream as you like!
There are 14 multi-sensory installations to explore, all with a different theme. After checking in you will be given a rundown of the museum before choosing your ice cream name. Get creative with it.
Inside the Museum you will find a pink Californian beach-themed space serving up two flavours of Haagen-Dazs in cups. There is also a diner-themed room where you can choose from two different soft serve flavours in a cone. These were our favourites! Don’t fill up on too much ice cream as there is a jumping castle and a sprinkles pool further along.
By the end of your experience, you will have the opportunity to try 5 different types of ice-creams, all served differently. Whether it is in a cone, cup, ice cream sandwich or stick. They were all delicious and we loved the creativity with some of the flavours.
It’s open from Thursday to Sunday and costs 36 – 56 SGD (AUD 37 – 58) for one person depending on the day and time.
4. Eat your way around Singapore at the Hawker Centres
We are commonly asked whether Singapore is an affordable place to travel to. This is a difficult question to answer as accommodation is in general quite expensive. There are fine dining restaurants that will set you back a bit, however, you can instead opt to eat at Hawker Centres. Which personally are our favourite. Despite the cheap prices, the quality of the food is amazing!
The toughest part is choosing which Hawker Centre to eat at as they all offer something different.
Lau Pa Sat is conveniently located just around the corner from the bay front in the heart of the Central Business District. It’s a perfect stopover after a busy day of sightseeing. You’ll notice the soaring arches, fretted eaves and slender Victorian columns which make the design of this Hawker Centre unique. Be sure to try the Hainanese chicken and rice, served by Whampoa Nanxiang as well as the Malaysian roti, carrot cake, chilli crab, Prata, and Laska at Mohamed Restaurant.
Another Hawker Centre to add to your Singapore itinerary is the Maxwell Road Hawker Centre. Situated within walking distance from Chinatown, it is frequented by tourists and locals. There are over 100 stalls to choose from with seating in the middle. Must try’s include the well-known Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice stall as well as the rice noodle rolls at Chee Cheong Fun Club. For something a little different get the oyster cake at Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake.
Where to Stay in Singapore
There are some fantastic hotels to choose from in Singapore. The first question to ask is where do you want to base yourself? Is it the lively and colourful Little India, the posh Marina Bay or Clarke Quay where you will find vibrant nightlife? For shopping lovers out there, Orchard Rd is home to the biggest shopping centres in Singapore.
1. The Clan
This 5-star hotel caught our interest due to the write-ups it has received since opening in March 2021. Nestled in the heart of Telok Ayer near the Central Business District, the hotel draws inspiration from the Chinese immigrants who settled in Singapore during the 19th century.
Even before our arrival, we were sent an email about our in-room refreshments. These included French Caramel Sweets, Truffle Corn and the famous Orient Brew. We knew we were in for a wonderful stay.
The entrance to the hotel looks like an exclusive club or a secret society. On our arrival, the porter took our bags and opened a gigantic private black door. The lobby itself was filled with beautiful decor from origami to a tea station. During the check-in process, we enjoyed a tea ceremony with Tau Sar Piah (a sweet local traditional pastry).
We stayed in one of their beautifully designed Grand Premier Rooms under the Masters Series Collection. Measuring 36 square metres, the room offers incredible panoramic views over Singapore. Little features such as automatically controlled curtains, a bathtub with views, a UV sterilisation box and three-day beds all add to the luxurious feel of the space.
Rooms under the Master Services include extra services such as:
- Customised in-room refreshments – with a choice of up to 5 items
- Handmade soap selection
- Complimentary express apparel pressing
- Shoe spa and shine services
- Curated precinct heritage tour
What’s the highlight of the hotel?
While the tasteful interiors of the rooms certainly impressed us, the rooftop pool was a highlight for us during our stay. Located on level 30, the views over the city are incredible. There are pool loungers located in the water making it the perfect place for a dip. There is also a warm outdoor jacuzzi for those who like to unwind at the end of the day.
The Clan has strategically located their gym facilities on level 30. We don’t normally work out when we travel, however, this gym was too hard to skip. Not only are the facilities excellent, but once again the views over Singapore are insane.
2. PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering
We don’t like making presumptions but we wouldn’t be surprised if you have seen this incredible hotel on social media. It’s how we stumbled across it a number of years ago.
This hotel-in-a-garden offers 367 rooms across different categories. What drew us to the property initially was the 15,000 square metres of lush gardens, waterfalls and planter walls as well as the energy-saving features. Whether you are looking outside of your room, from the lobby or pool you will be surrounded by greenery. It’s truly a lush paradise!
There are over 50 plant varieties for air purification – how incredible is that!
What are the rooms like?
We stayed in one of their Collection Club Lifestyle Rooms which gave us access to the hotel’s top-level floor where we could enjoy complimentary breakfast with sparkling wine, afternoon tea and evening cocktails and canapés. If you are wondering whether you should upgrade to the Collection package then it’s a big YES from us. The evening cocktails and canapés were epic – one night we didn’t even go to dinner because we were so full afterwards.
The room itself had lots of natural light with an open-plan bedroom and bathroom. There is a sliding door between the two spaces which helps to maximise the sense of space. One of the coolest features was the floor-to-ceiling windows which had two types of automatic blinds – one for during the day and one for the evening. We were pleasantly surprised by how much work we got done from the desk inside the room. We believe the green leafy outlook had something to do with it!
It was epic to see that the hotel has incorporated a filtered water system in all of the guestrooms helping to eliminate single-use plastic bottles.
Level 5 of the hotel is dedicated to the wellness floor. There is a 300m garden walk featuring a secret waterfall (can confirm we found it!) as well as an infinity pool that flows along the edge of the hotel. There are daybeds and cabanas to chill in which are inspired by Chinese songbird cages.
Getting to Singapore
With direct connections from most major cities including Sydney, Bangkok, New York, London and Istanbul, Singapore Airlines is your premium choice for reaching this city. Recently, we flew onboard their Airbus A350-900 from Bangkok to Singapore which is a short 2-hour 20-minute flight.
Our experience on board the Singapore Airlines A350-900
You would presume there would only be Economy seats on board a flight of this length. However, think again! On this medium-haul A350, there are 40 Business Class seats and 263 Economy seats. There are even flay lay beds in Business Class.
Economy Seats are designed in a 3-3-3 layout while Business Seats are a 1-2-1 layout. We were fortunate to be seated in Business Class and seeing it was a daytime flight opted for window seats to take in the views.
How do we rate the cabin?
The Business Class cabin is visually very appealing. With alternating beige and brown leather seats measuring 71cm, they are some of the widest in the industry. The window and middle seats are slightly staggered allowing for more privacy.
As well, each seat has multiple stowage compartments, a footrest and an HD personal touchscreen showcasing endless entertainment options. Of course, you can’t forget about the recline chairs which allow you to relax in comfort throughout the duration of the flight.
The food offerings
After taking off from Singapore to Bangkok, we were offered a selection of beverages including champagne, juices and the famous Singapore Sling cocktail. It was an afternoon flight so there was no hesitation ordering a glass of Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve.
Given that it was only a 2-hour 20-minute flight we were served a light lunch onboard. When I say a light lunch, it still consists of an appetizer, main course and dessert. We enjoyed a delicious chicken salad, to begin with, followed by roast chicken with rice and vegetables (plus some kick from a chilli sauce). There is always room for dessert which was a berry cheesecake – one of my favourites!
Thanks to a new meal concept featuring leak-proof boxes and cutlery packs made of bamboo with a paper wrap, Economy guests do not miss out! Meals vary from flight to flight however you will be sure to enjoy local Singaporean and international favourites such as laksa and mee-siam.
Why chose Singapore Airlines?
You may be able to tell by now that we are huge fans of Singapore Airlines. There are a few reasons for this:
- The Cabin Crew are exemplary. We have nothing to fault them on!
- Throughout the flights, the cabins are always cleaned, in particular the bathroom. No one wants to go into a dirty bathroom!
- Their food offerings are excellent, including the renowned ‘Book the Cook’ which allows guests in First, Business or Premium Economy to select from a wide variety of options 24 hours before flying (available for flights above 1.5 hours).
- The entertainment options are excellent including in-flight connectivity and over 1,000 movies, television programmes, music and games to choose from.
Recently, we visited the Singapore Airlines Training Centre where we learnt about the training programmes cabin crew undertake. It’s safe to say it isn’t a walk in the park. There is a lot of work that goes into working for one of the most renowned airlines in the world.
Do you have a layover in Singapore Changi Airport?
Singapore Changi Airport is an attraction of its own. There are so many things to do there, that even staying a night or two at the airport or close to it is well worth your time!
The starring feature of Changi Airport (in our opinion), is the Jewel which opened in 2019. The area features the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, treetop walking trails, more than 280 retail shops, food and beverage and the Crowne Plaza Changi Hotel. The entire space is an architectural masterpiece!
If you have a layover in the evening, don’t miss the night shows at The Jewel which take place daily at 7.30 pm, 8.30 pm, 9.30 pm, 10.30 pm and 11.30 pm.
Besides The Jewel, don’t forget to get a massage at the Airport. There are some massage chairs which are free to use in Terminal 3. Or in Terminal 2 you can sit back and relax while watching a movie on the big screen. The best part? They are open 24 hours.
Let us know how you would spend your time at Changi Airport 🙂
X KO Travellers
