First Int’l trip for parents. Gotta be a lovely place. Different from India still easily adaptable. A short flight journey could be better. Which one is the best? It popped up in my mind almost immediately and I am happy I made that decision. It’s the country where ‘East meets West’, thus having the best resources everywhere. Top hotels, best food, incredible museums, the most advanced airport to man-made trees, its the city where #PassionMadePossible. You guessed it right! It’s a beautiful and impressive city/state – Singapore. Check out these places to visit Singapore that made our trip unforgettable.

Little India

Colorful walls in Little India, Singapore
Its just colorful everywhere in Little India

As soon as we checked into the hotel, this has to be the first place to stroll. We started with an Indian breakfast, exchanged our money at Mustafa center (recommended by most and is the best), and wandered the streets of Little India. It has colorful buildings like the House of Tan Teng Niah, famous temples like Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple and is definitely a paradise for shopping with huge collections of almost everything at Mustafa center or Little India Arcade.

Pick any restaurant in Little India with crowds and reasonable prices; there is little chance to go wrong. Every restaurant has its own style.

  • Worth                     :  ♥♥♥♥
  • Time spent            :  3 hours
  • Best time to visit:  Day (Didn’t like the crowd at night)

Singapore Flyer and Helix Bridge

Singapore flyer is must visit if heights and views are your things. This Ferris wheel offers spectacular panoramic views of Singapore and neighboring islands. One can easily obtain tickets on-site if needed. The wait isn’t too long but it takes 30 min to complete rotation. When done, take a walk along the waters to Helix Bridge and it is a great spot for perfect photographs of Singapore downtown along with the views of Merlion (Singapore’s unofficial mascot) statue and Marina Bay Sands (A gorgeous structure for a luxurious hotel with infinity pool). Helix bridge and Flyer are dazzling at night.

  • Worth                     : ♥♥♥♥
  • Time spent            : 3 hours
  • Best time to visit : Night

Carry an umbrella at all times protecting from sun or rain, two extremes in Singapore.

Night Safari

It’s an unique experience and one will love it if haven’t visited too many popular zoos already. We could see a good amount of animals and it was fun. Prepare for large crowds and severe heat. Always get in line first for the beloved ‘Creatures of Night Show‘ as there will be huge lines later in the night and the entry is not guaranteed. Once done, other activities can be leisurely covered. It might be still over-crowded for Tram rides but there are several of them. Also, it might be just the right time for feeding the Big Cats. ( 8, 8:30, 9, 9:30 PM on Friday, Saturday). There are walking trails to explore, Leopard trail being the famous one. Be sure to check out the fire show at the entrance (6:45 PM or 10:00 PM) which completes the experience of Night Safari.

  • Worth                     : ♥♥♥
  • Time spent            : 3 hours (7:00 PM to 10:00 PM)
  • Best time to visit : Night, Duh! ?

We covered these on Day 1, yes with Flyer and Helix bridge in the afternoon, though we wished to see at night. 


City Tour

China Town in Singapore
China Town

A city tour is always a good option to cover places where otherwise one wouldn’t stop. Our tour passed thru Little India and Civic District offering a quick peek at Parliament House, the Cricket Club, Raffles Hotel, Fountain of Wealth, National Library, National Museum, Supreme Court & City Hall. We made our first photo stop at Merlion statue (God, it’s so crowded atop extreme heat) looking over Marina Bay Sands and Fullerton Hotel. Our final stop is at China Town’s oldest temple, Thian Hock Keng which is definitely worth stopping for.

  • Worth                      : ♥♥♥
  • Time spent             : 2 hours
  • Best time to visit  : Day

It is advisable to book all the sightseeing tickets together to save. Hotels provide tours/tickets and may have discounted prices. Otherwise, there are hundreds of tourist agencies in Singapore. We booked our tour with Vuelo Travels which included the hotel, complete transportation, and all the tickets which saved time and money.

Sentosa

Merlion in Sentosa
Merlion in Sentosa

Sentosa is the most famous tourist attraction in Singapore and it could take days to complete. It is an island resort with several beaches, hotels, golf courses, and theme parks. It has its own transportation which includes trains, shuttles, and cable cars. We arrived from Mount Faber Line with Singapore Cable Car Sky Pass. It is one of the prettiest ways to reach with great views of resorts down below. Once inside Sentosa, we used the Sentosa Express train. Imbiah station for Madame Tussauds, Waterfront station for SEA Aquarium, Universal Studios, and Beach Station for Wings of Time.

Cable Car to Sentosa
Gorgeous views from Cable Car to Sentosa
The cable car dropped us at Imbiah station which is about 5 min walk to Madame Tussauds.

There are other attractions here like Sky Tower and Adventure Land. We spent about a couple of hours inside Madame Tussauds which is filled with popular wax statues of David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sachin Tendulkar, Narendra Modi, Taylor Swift, Mahatma Gandhi, Jackie Chan, Leonardo DiCaprio, Bollywood IIFA experience with Shah Rukh, Amitabh, Aishwarya Rai, and several others. Make sure the entrance ticket includes Marvel 4D experience and thrill to the next level. There are fast food and multi-cuisine restaurants down the hill and transit is on 4 long escalators. Food is about average. So plan accordingly.

Madame Tussauds Sculptures
Madame Tussauds : Can this be real??
Later we took Sentosa express to Waterfront Station to enjoy the SEA aquarium.

We spent about a couple of hours and is sure a paradise for ocean lovers. Be sure to check the feeding times. Adventure Cove Water Park and Dolphin Island are the other attractions around here. Then we headed to Beach station for the ‘Wings of Time‘ show. It is the perfect way to end the day at Sentosa. An outdoor night show with laser, water, fire, and music effects taking us back in time. It’s a unique and wonderful experience.

SEA Aquarium - Singapore
Believe  everything you see at SEA Aquarium

Sentosa is just another example to show that Singapore love tourists.

  • Worth                     : ♥♥♥♥♥
  • Time spent            : 10 hours
  • Best time to visit : Check out special attractions timings in the brochure.
    • SEA Aquarium – Afternoon with best shows starting from 2 PM, Open Ocean at 4 PM (Tue-Sun) is the main feature.
    • Wings of Time – Daily 7.40 and 8.40 PM  

Our empty and tired stomachs are craving for real food and there is nothing better than a hawker center in Singapore. Most centers are available all night and probably many of them are the best. Our personal favorite is Tekka Center in Little India.

Its a wrap for Day 2. This is a long day with a lot of walking in Sentosa and is definitely worth it. 


Universal Studios 

Universal Studios
Spot this at Universal Studios Singapore

Universal Studios Singapore can be skipped if visited in other cities. There were not really any different rides and moreover Jurassic Park kinda disappointed after visiting in LA. My parents loved it though as they were experiencing for the first time. We loved the Transformers and Cylon roller coaster ride. Mummy ride is about average. Look out for show timings in the brochure, Donkey Live was funny. There are restaurants in each zone and food is average. Waterworld is among the best shows and is sure to check out. Even without an express pass, we managed to complete most of the rides.

  • Worth                     : ♥♥♥
  • Time spent            : 8 hours
  • Best time to visit : Check out various show timings.
    • Donkey Live at Far Far Away  – 3:45 PM
    • Waterworld in The Lost Zone – 4:30 PM

Gardens by the Bay

There isn’t a better way to end a day than to cool off in this huge nature park. This is one thing I wish every major city has. Spanning about 250 acres, it has more than 1,000,000 trees. Its a vast, colorful and futuristic botanical garden. The major attractions here are Cloud Forest, Flower Dome, and Supertree Grove.

Cloud Forest – Yes we are still in Singapore and not Costa Rica. This artificially created world with mountains, rare plants, and beautiful flowers is a visual feast. The whole world stands still at that moment when the largest indoor waterfall welcomed us inside with the pleasant mist. Then we took about 2 hours leisurely to absorb this conservatory. It is one of the insane creations and must-visit places in Singapore. Later we proceeded to Flower Dome and spent about 30 minutes here. It is a heavenly kingdom for those who admire flowers. There are flowers from various countries marked in zones. Cherry Blossoms were highlight when we visited.

Cloud Forest - Singapore
Cloud Forest : One of the ‘coolest’ spots in Singapore, literally

Above all, there is Supertree Grove.

These tall tree-like structures exhibit almost everything that trees normally do except these are man-made. Singapore technically created almost everything that is otherwise not found here naturally so they can be a complete country. This is truly advanced stuff. We gave a pass on the OCBC Skyway which is a walkway between Supertrees providing a different view of gardens and decided to enjoy the magnificent Sound and Light Show here at Grove. It is themed and features Jurassic Park, Pirates of Caribbean music. Totally worth it.

Super Tree Grove - Singapore
Super Tree Grove is an out-of-world experience

Cloud Forest and Flower Dome tickets are usually sold together. OCBC Skyway has a separate entrance ticket, however, entrance to Supertree Grove is totally free and so as the Light Show. Be sure to arrive early to secure a good spot (right in front of Marina Bay Sands)

  • Worth                     : ♥♥♥♥♥ 
  • Time spent            : 3 hours
  • Best time to visit : Evenings. Light show at 7:45 PM

 

Overall, its a wonderful Day 3. Gardens by the Bay surprised us and its a whole new experience. We skipped Marina Bay Sands. The observation deck and Spectra (9 PM daily), another free sound and light show are popular attractions here. The infinity pool is reserved for hotel guests.


Jurong Bird Park

Macaws in Jurong Bird Park
Macaws and Flamingos

It’s hard to miss the world’s largest bird park spreading over 50 acres with 5000 birds when in Singapore. Who doesn’t love birds right? After all, they are the ones who taught us to fly? From Flamingos, Penguins, Owls, Macaws, name it and Jurong Bird Park got it. Do not miss the bird shows and it is the best way to cover several species in style. It also hosts one of the world’s tallest man-made (Duh! Its Singapore) waterfalls. One can easily spend a day here but we decided to spend half a day. Tram ride helps to get around easily in the park.

  • Worth                     : ♥♥♥♥♥
  • Time spent            : 4 hours
  • Best time to visit : Various show timings
    • Kings of the Skies – 10:00 AM
    • High Flyers            – 11:00 AM

Jurong Bird Park is about 30KM from the city. It’s easy and surprisingly affordable to GRAB( rideshare) a cab but it can add up quickly. Mass Rapid Transport is the best way to get around in Singapore.

Man made waterfalls in the park
Jurong Falls

Changi Airport

Changi Airport
Changi Airport T4 Boarding Area

Above all, Singapore Changi Airport has to be one of the prime reasons to visit Singapore. With the world’s best airlines and technologically advanced features, it makes the boarding process a breeze. Moreover, it makes the airport stay wonderful with two-level butterfly habitat, 24-hour movie theaters, spas, theme parks, and food courts. All we can do is to wish to check-in early or a comfortable layover in this World’s best airport, 7 times in a row.

Check here if your airline allows you to check-in early. Or take some time to explore at least boarding areas, restrooms, and duty-free shops, just enough to cheer.

  • Worth                     : ♥♥♥♥♥ 
  • Time spent            : 4 hours
  • Best time to visit : All Day and Night. 

End of Day 4 and time to bid good bye to Singapore.


Let’s make it easier, shall we? Here are all the worth saving places. Click the link below and add places to your google maps. Download an offline map and roam around Singapore like a local. Feel free to check my reviews of food spots and decide. How about that?  ?

Places we visited in Singapore

How did we do it? Comment your thoughts and share this with the travel buddies.

Looking to complete the trip with Kuala Lumpur. Check out our trip to the city in a day.

Cheers!!!

About Author

“Be a Roman when in Rome” is the first travel quote I heard. Soon I realize every place is unique. Wondering how it is? Well that's why the stories here are for. Enjoy reading them!

With so many lovely places on this earth, different cultures and variety of food, exploring one at a time while leading a crazy IT professional life. In short, call me Explorer, be it places, food or IT. See you around!

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