Singapore Suggested Trips

If you only have one day to travel Singapore, you may consider doing the following "musts":

1.       (2 1/2 hours) start in the morning from the Esplanade to visit the new concert hall and theatre complex, as well as the open area on the ground level by the sea. Then walk around the Padang (which loosely means a green field).  This was the centre of the British administration; the way the area was built and the buildings that surround the Padang were typical of those built by the British in all major towns in Malaysia and Singapore during the colonial days, as the buildings would normally include a court house, government offices and a church.  On the Padang itself, crickets were and are played (by members of the Cricket Club nearby), and parades are sometimes held as in the old days.
 
Along the Singapore River nearby are the Empress Building (now used for exhibitions) and the Victoria Concert Hall, as well as the former Parliament Building.  Further north is the new Parliament Building which was completed only a few years ago.  Then double back towards the sea along the Singapore River, from where you can see the row of 100-year old houses on the other side of the river (called Singapore Boat Quay), which have mostly been turned into restaurants.  Cross the little bridge to the other side and take a look at the historic General Post Office now converted into the Fullerton Hotel Singapore.  Near the Hotel is Raffles Place, which is the centre of the business district.  Walk north on Raffles Place away from the sea to the United Overseas Bank Building (over 60 floors high), take the elevator to the Chinese restaurant on the top floor, from where you can have lunch and at the same time enjoy a bird's eye view of Singapore.  Or you can get off the elevator transfer deck (should be the 37th floor) to view the scenery.
 
2.       (2 hours) after lunch, if the heat does not bother you, you can walk from Raffles Place to China Town, about 10 minutes away around North Bridge Road and South Bridge Road area, to have a feel of the traditional Chinese side of Singapore.  You then return to your hotel to take a rest or a nap.
 
3.       (about 3 hours) from about 5:30 pm, you can take a taxi to the UDMC seafood complex along East Coast Road.  This complex has many Singapore seafood restaurants facing the sea; some restaurants have live fish, lobsters, prawns, etc kept in fish tanks for you to pick what you like and they will cook the food for you.  You can have your meal on the ground level of these restaurants, which is not air-conditioned, but will normally have the benefit of a pleasant sea breeze.  Or you can choose a seat on the second level which sometimes is air-conditioned. (The taxi ride one way from the Raffles Place area to UDMC seafood complex should be below S$15).
 
 
4.       After dinner, if you still feel energetic, you can take a taxi to go to Clark Quay which has a few bars and discos and have a feel of the Singapore nightlife by the river. This should be good enough for a fruitful day in Singapore.

With 3 days, you may consider the following:

 

Day 1:

1.  (2 1/2 hours) start in the morning from the Esplanade to visit the concert hall and theatre complex, as well as the open area on the ground level by the sea.  From there, you can enjoy a nice view of the sea-front and the city itself.

 

Then walk around the Padang (which loosely means a green field).  This was the centre of the British administration;  the way the area was built and the buildings that surround the Padang were typical of those built by the British in all major towns in Malaysia and Singapore during the colonial days, as the buildings would normally include a court house, government offices and a church.  On the Padang itself, crickets were and are played (by members of the Cricket Club nearby), and parades are sometimes held as in the old days.

 

Along the Singapore River nearby are the Empress Building (now used for exhibitions) and the Victoria Concert Hall, as well as the former Parliament Building.  If there is an exhibition within the Express Building which suits your interest, spend an hour or so inside.  Further north is the new Parliament Building which was completed only a few years ago.  Then double back towards the sea along the Singapore River, from where you can see the row of 100-year old houses on the other side of the river (called Boat Quay), someof which have been turned into restaurants.  Cross the little bridge to the other side and take a look at the historic General Post Office now converted into the luxurious Fullerton Hotel.  Near the hotel is Raffles Place, which is the centre of the business district.  Walk north on Raffles Place away from the sea to the United Overseas Bank Building (over 60 floors high), take the elevator to the transfer deck (should be the 37th floor) to view the scenery.

 

2.  (2 hours) walk along Boat Quay mentioned above by the river to take a closer look at the architecture of the shop houses which was common during the early days of Singapore.  You may have lunch there in a restaurant by the river.

 

3.  (2 hours) after lunch, take a 10-minute walk along South Bridge Road to China Town to have a feel of the traditional Chinese side of Singapore.  In there, you can find shops selling Chinese herbs, Chinese tea, foods of all kinds, Chinese clothing ware and ceramics.

 

4.  (4 hours) in the evening, go to Clark Quay which has many restaurants and bars by the Singapore River.  From there, you have a wide selection of cuisines such as Persian, Thai, Mexican, Spanish, Mediterrenean, Indian, and Chinese food of all varieties.  Afterwards, find your way into a bar or disco and have a feel of the night life in Singpapore by the river.

 

Day 2:

1.  (morning)  while the air is still cool and fresh, find your way to Sentosa, either by cable car on Mount Faber, or ferry from the HarbourFront complex off Keppel way.  If you use the cable car, once across, pay a visit to the War Museum next to the cable car station.  The Museum re-enacts the events during the invasion and occupation of Singapore by the Japanese army during WW II.  Then take the monorail which have several stops along the way; among them are the enclosed birds' aviaries (where there is a very big and enclosed aviary), Fort Silosi (which was built by the British and still have canons pointing out at sea), Underwaterworld, and the Sentosa Beach.  One can get off any time at any of these stops and get back onto the monorail without extra charge.

 

You can either have lunch on the island, or get back onto Singapore mainland first.

 

2.  (afternoon)  spend the afternoon along Orchard Road to have a feel of the shopping scene and perhap to get a few things.  It is worthwhile to go inside the modern Ngee Ann City shopping centre and spend an hour or so there.  And perhaps some time in Lucky Plaza, which is more local-like; but if you buy anything there, make sure to bargain as the prices tend to be inflated especially if they know you are a visitor.  Or visit the Paragon shopping mall.  From the Paragon, you can walk up the hill along Bideford Road to Cairnhill Road, where you can see many pre-war two to three story terrace houses along one side of the road.  Go down Cairnhill Road, and you will see Scotts Road.  From there, turn right and walk along Scotts Road for about 15 minutes until you see Goodwook Park Hotel on your left.  This building was built by the Dutch a long time ago, and during WW II was used by the Japanese as the army headquarters. 

 

If it is still early, spend an hour at the Singapore Botanic Gardens for a stroll along the many trails to see the wide variety of plants and huge trees there, which are all well-marked.  You can reach there easily by taking a bus at the intersection of Orchard Boulevard and Paterson Road.  The Gardens is only 5 stops away.  Visit Ginger Garden and Orchid Garden and enjoy the peace and quiet there in the midst of a very busy city.

 

For dinner, you can walk back to the Botanic Gardens' entrance on Cluny Road.  At the basement carpark level is a food court with about 10 stalls which serve Malay, Indian, and "Singaporean Chinese" (i.e. not necessarily Cantonese or Shanghaiese) food.  The place is air-conditioned, well-lit and clean.

 

Alternatively, to experience something with a more local flavour and for more food choices, take a bus at the bus stop in front of Gleneagles Hospital to go to the newly-refurbished Newton Hawker Centre at Newton Circus.  This Centre has over 50 stalls which serve a variety of foods such as laksa, BBQ seafood (sting-rays, lobsters, prawns), char kway teow (fried rice noodles), roast meat (duck or pork), hockian mee (southeastern chinese style fried noodles), otak, all kinds of local fruit drinks (including coconut drink served in a coconut shell) and all types of local desserts, such as cendol and red ruby (water chestnut bits in red spongy sago on a mountain of shaved ice doused with an unhealthy dose of coconut milk).

 

3.  (evening) go to the Night Safari at the north end of the Singapore island.  It is well worth it, because you can see many nocturnal animals at what appears to be very close range.  You wil do this on a monorail which will bring you to various exhibits, as it is probably not wise to walk on your own in the dark.  At the park entrance are some food outlets and the ambience is nice especially if the weather is cool.  Try them before you go into the park, which opens at around 8:00 pm.

 

Day 3

1.  (morning)  The Jurong Bird Park is a enjoyable place to visit.  It has a wide variety of birds on display, either walking freely among the visitors, such as pelicans, or in aviaries.  You can also see birds such as penguins diving into the water.  Pecans, toucans, hornbills, hawks, kites, eagles, snowy owls, parrots, and water fouls such as flamingoes are all there.  There are periodic birds of prey and other shows, which are very entertaining.  Go inside the waterfall aviary, which has the highest man-made waterfall in the world and has over 1000 free flying birds and spend some time walking up the hill to wander around the many aviaries and enjoy the environment.  The avaries are well marked with the species of the birds and their natural habitats.

 

2.  (afternoon and evening)  after having your lunch (which can be taken at the Bird Park), you can either take a rest first or go directly to the East Coast Park.  This Park is about 6 kilometers long, and is built along the eastern shores of Singapore.  It has a beach and walking and bicycle trails. 

 

For the most part, the park is quite narrow, as one can walk its width in less than 3 minutes.  You can rent a bicycle and ride along the bicycle trails, the eastern end of which can take you near Changi where the international airport is located.  You can enjoy both the scenery off the coast as well as the palm and other tress which grow alongside the trails.  Beware that if you ride from one end to the other, the total distance is at least 12 kilometers one way.

 

By the time you are done, return the bicycle and have a nice meal at the East Coast Seafood Centre, which is nearby.  The Centre has many (of course) seafood restaurants, where you can pick your choice of live fish, clams, prawns and the like and have the chef cook them to suit you taste.  You can either sit on the ground level and enjoy the sea breeze while you eat, or choose a table on the second level of the restaurants (some of which are air-conditioned).  Either way, you will have a good view of the sea and can watch the numerous ships sailing by, as Singapore is one of the world's busiest ports.

 

Both the East Coast Park and the Seafood Centre will give you a very different impression of Singapore, and allow you to see the local face of the country about how people live, how they enjoy life and how they eat.