Singapore · AsiaSingapore
The future city: gardens in skyscrapers, hawker stalls, and zero compromise
from $80/day Extremely safefoodculture
Quick Facts
City-state
One of only 3 city-states in the world
Population
5.9 million
Best airport
Changi (SIN) - world's best airport 12 years running
Size
733 km² (smaller than London)
Avg temp
30°C / 86°F year-round
Safety
Extremely safe
Vibes
foodculturetechluxuryunique
Best Time to Visit
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Best months This month
Daily Budget
Backpacker
$80
per day
Mid-range
$200
per day
Luxury
$600
per day
Top Experiences
🌿$10 (dome entry)
Gardens by the Bay Night Show
18 Supertrees glow in a spectacular light and music show above the Marina waterfront
🍜$3–8 per dish
Hawker Centre Crawl
Maxwell, Lau Pa Sat, and Newton Circus - eat your way through Singapore's UNESCO hawker culture
🏊$600/night stay
Marina Bay Sands Infinity Pool
The world's most iconic hotel pool - 57 floors up, views across the entire skyline (guests only)
Must-Try Food
Chilli Crab
Singapore's most famous dish - mud crab in rich, sweet-spicy tomato sauce with mantou buns
Hainanese Chicken Rice
Poached chicken with fragrant rice cooked in chicken stock and ginger - Singapore's national dish
Char Kway Teow
Smoky flat rice noodles with shrimp, egg, and cockles - Singapore's version has cockles
Getting Around
🚇
MRT$1–2.50
Singapore's metro is world-class - air-conditioned, on-time, covers everything
🚗
Grab$8–20
Uber equivalent - safe and reliable in a country where taxis are regulated and expensive
🚌
Bus$0.80–2
Complements the MRT perfectly - use Google Maps for real-time arrivals
🚡
Cable Car (Sentosa)$20
Scenic cable car from Mount Faber to Sentosa Island
Cultural Tips
Singapore has strict laws - fines for littering ($1,000), chewing gum is banned for sale
Queuing is a national sport - never cut in front of anyone, anywhere
The hawker culture is sacred - respect the elderly hawker stall holders who have cooked the same dish for 40 years
Singlish (Singaporean English) uses 'lah', 'leh', 'lor' as sentence enders - try using them
Singapore is 4 cultures (Chinese, Malay, Indian, Western) in one city - all are respected equally
Tipping is not expected and sometimes refused at hawker stalls
Hidden Gems
Pulau Ubin - tiny island off northeast Singapore with kampung (village) life frozen in the 1970s, accessible by bumboat for $3
Tiong Bahru - Singapore's coolest neighbourhood: 1930s Art Deco housing blocks, independent cafes, and weekend markets
Labrador Nature Reserve - coastal fort ruins and mangrove trails almost entirely missed by tourists
Going beyond the trip?
Explore the Singapore country profile
Cost of living, visas, healthcare, taxes, expat life and everything you'd need to actually move and stay long-term.