Notwithstanding its tiny size, Singapore has so many tourist attractions that it is practically impossible to squeeze all of them into a few days' stay. Most of them however are more or less 'thematic' (for example Night Safari, Jurong Bird Park, Orchid Garden, Science Centre, etc.), so you might want to pick only those that really suit your personal interests.
Nevertheless, even if you skip the trivial sights all together, you will not be bored in Singapore. The multicultural city itself offers so many sights and sounds to stimulate your senses, that you can easily spend days simply meandering its ethnic quarters, parks, shopping areas and night spots, wondering what kind of gem is waiting to be discovered around the next corner.
Little India is one of the most colourful ethnic quarters in Singapore, Orchard Road is best for shopping, Colonial District is dotted with historical buildings, including the famous Raffles Hotel. Favourite Singaporean pastimes are probably not hard to guess: shopping and eating!
Chinatown
Singapore's Chinatown comes in a neat, very Singaporean package. There is no trace of chaos and noise, which is so typical for Chinatowns of other South-East Asian cities like Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh City. Singapore's Chinatown is clean, well maintained and perfectly in order - if feels like somebody just took it out of the box. The atmosphere is slightly too touristy now (except in the temples), but it is still well worth a visit for the sake of enjoying the architecture.
If you happen to be in Singapore during one of the Chinese festivals (like Mid-Autumn Festival), make sure you wander around richly decorated Chinatown and with a little bit of luck, you might even stumble upon dragon dance or other street festivities.
There are several good hotels near Singapore's Chinatown, including the boutique four-star Berjaya Hotel.
Little India
Little India is one of the most vibrant ethnic quarters in Singapore. A stroll down Serangoon Road, its main artery lined with a pleiad of Indian shops and restaurants, is something that shouldn't be missed. It feels like entering a completely new world. Smells of strong Indian spices and loud music fill the air, the streets are crowded with Indian ladies wearing colorful sarees. A stroll around Little India on any weekday is an unforgettable experience, but if you happen to be in Singapore on a weekend, especially Saturday, take your time and go to Little India again, just to feel the real buzz. Don't expect to be able to shop easily on a weekend though, because the crowds are implausible.
Little India in Singapore is the right place to buy aromatic Indian spices, colourful sarees, Indian gold and silver jewellery, Indian music CDs or tailor made dresses and suits. Barganing skills come handy in Singapore's Little India.
Wet markets
Wet markets such as the Tekka Centre in Little India (there is another one right besides Admiralty MRT station, which we are pointing out due to easy access) can be very interesting if you would like to check out local vegetables and ingredients such as tofu, fresh Chinese pastas, lotus root and yam.
Wet markets are good places to look for tropical fruits, such as jackfruit (nangka), chempedak, durian, rambutan, mango, custard apple (nonang), longan, duku, mangosteen, papaya (betik), pineapple (nanas). You may have tried some of these fruits back home, but they taste much better at the source since they do not need to travel, hence they are picked only when they are completely ripe. Most of the tropical fruits sold in Singapore are imported from the neighbouring countries, but they are still harvested at a much later stage than the fruits which are shipped to Europe.
Other sights
The sights below are more or less thematic, so you will choose which of them to visit depending on your personal interests.
Flora and fauna
- National Parks Board - Believe it or not, Singapore is not only about concrete jungle. You can actually find some pretty well preserved nature there as well.
- The Singapore Zoological Gardens - We normally avoid zoological gardens for ethical reasons, but we have been told that zoos can't get better than the one in Singapore.
- Night Safari - Nestled in 40 hectares of lush secondary forest, Night Safari is the world's first wildlife park build for visits at night, in which you can view over 1000 nocturnal animals belonging to 100 species.
- Jurong Bird Park - It houses 8000 birds from 600 species. It boasts world's largest collection of South-East Asian birds, parrot paradise, world's tallest man-made waterfall, world-class bird shows and more.
- Underwater World - Underwater World Singapore is one of Asia's most popular oceanariums. It has more than 2500 marine animals from 250 species.
- Sentosa Island is worth a visit if you have not been to any tropical island or not planning to go to any yet. It feels like a kind of a tropical island theme park, with a number of man-made attractions.
Museums
- National Heritage Board - Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore History Museum, National Archives of Singapore, Heritage Conservation Centre and National Museum Shop.
Science
- Singapore Discovery Centre - One of the highlights of Singapore Discovery Centre is iWERKS: a state-of-the art, 350-seater giant screen theatre with five storey high screen and world-class audio and projection system, capable of screening both 2D and 3D movies.
- Singapore Science Centre - The Singapore Science Centre is a non-formal educational institution for the promotion of science and technology among students and members of the public. It has the country's largest collection of educational and exhibit materials devoted to science and has been acclaimed as one of the top ten science centres in the world. More than a million visitors come to the Singapore Science Centre every year.