Going to Singapore how much time? Things to do? (Small part of a larger trip)

[TheAnonOne]

Hello,

Next May we are doing "another" Asia trip. (last year we did just Tokyo for a week)

That being said we are going to...

Hong Kong for 5-6 days-
Singapore for 2.5 to 3 days-
Japan for 6-7 days (again! I know!, but we will be doing Nikko, Osaka, and Kyoto along with some other parts of Tokyo)


This trip is 2.5 weeks long, and I feel like the schedule is more or less set, but I am not entirely satisfied with my short period in Singapore. It's a give or take, more time in one area is simply less time in another, as I am not FIRE'ed (yet!).


What are the main highlights of Singapore? Can we see most of the major things in 3 days?

We have plenty of time yet, so I want to get a good "feel" for what the schedule will be like!
Thanks!

PS. This is done entirely on points, hotels and all!

[bognish]

I had a 48 hour layover in Singapore once and I headed back to the airport early. You might be able to tell I am not a city guy, but if you are going to Hong Kong & Tokyo on the same trip I would think Singapore would be a disappointment.

[lbmustache]

Singapore is tinnnnnyy. You can easily see most of it in 3 days, and 2 days would be more than enough to get in all the highlights.

[Blonde Lawyer]

I'm going in November and can give you ideas when I get back.  My husband went to high school there so this is my third trip.  Orchard Road is like 5th Avenue in NYC or Newbury Street in Boston.  It's fun to walk around and see all the fancy stores and malls but not totally up a mustachian's alley.  The best thing to do there is EAT.  Lots of awesome cheap food at hawker stalls. Boat Quay and Clark Quay were really pretty to see.  Little India was awesome too.  We did a day at the botanical gardens.  The zoo has a well regarded night safari that I hope to do this time around.  We only do a couple days there when we visit and we tag on a resort style trip to it on another island.  We did Phuket one year, Lang Kawi another and we are taking the ferry to Bin Tan this time.  If you are into the tourist trap type of stuff you could go to Raffles Hotel and get a Singapore Sling.  The marina bay sands is the new(ish) fancy casino and hotel.  You can get a drink at the rooftop bar.  There is a ferris wheel too that will give you nice views of the city.

[EscapeVelocity2020]

Just a heads up, Singapore in May is going to feel pretty warm and muggy.  I was there in March and had to space out my activities.  Botanical gardens are nice, but I wouldn't think that would take a full day.  I'd say 2 - 3 days is more than enough, there's not really a lot to do there (once you've seen one luxury mall, you've seen them all) and traffic is terrible on the surface streets.  There is a subway system that was impressive, but somewhat of a hassle - you might have better luck if you do a little research before using it (especially when stumbling back to the hotel after a few drinks and a bite of durian, ugh).  There was a pretty good jungle / treetop tour   I second the vote for hawker stalls - grab some cold Tiger beers and good food and do some quality people watching.  Also good dumpling restaurants and Peranakan, if you are up for new things, but restaurants can get pricey.

[Zikoris]

We particularly liked Gardens by the Bay, Fort Canning Park, and the Chinese and Japanese gardens. It was fun hanging out at Clark Quay in the evenings after it cooled down a bit as well. I think my favourite area to wander around was Little India, and the Asian Civilizations Museum was really cool (and had free wifi). That's definitely enough to fill up a couple of days, I think. Our preferences for travel activities definitely skew towards wandering, gardens, and museums, so there's some bias there for sure.

Our main goal when we were there was to stuff ourselves at all the fabulous vegan restaurants. I have many fond memories of that.

[lbmustache]

Just a heads up, Singapore in May is going to feel pretty warm and muggy.

Singapore more or less has the same weather year round, minus the rain ;)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore#Climate

[EscapeVelocity2020]

Just a heads up, Singapore in May is going to feel pretty warm and muggy.

Singapore more or less has the same weather year round, minus the rain ;)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore#Climate

Didn't mean to be misleading if I was, I was just surprised how unpleasant it was in March.  But yeah, it won't be much more unpleasant, just similarly unpleasant :)

[Bee21]

It is a cool place. 2 days should be enough. If you like animals, definitely check out the zoo, it is wonderful.

[mc6]

The botanic gardens are lovely in SIN!  Also delicious chow to be eaten!

[Blonde Lawyer]

I forgot to warn you about the climate.  It is very hot and humid year round with a short rain storm most evenings.  It's a city you will want to explore on foot so bring some good sweat wicking clothes.  It's not the time to be fashionable LOL.  This may be TMI but I pack lots of extra undergarments in my purse and change them throughout the day.  Yes, it is that sweaty.  Start walking a lot now since a mile in the oppressive heat feels a lot different than a mile in new england.  Make sure you stay hydrated.  My absolute favorite thing about Singapore is 100 Plus.  It is a lightly carbonated electrolyte beverage, maybe grapefruit flavored that is awesome.  Other thoughts, I'm not big into spicy food but my friends all live for the chili crab.  Make sure you check out a wet market where all the fresh seafood is displayed.  Shrimps the size of your hand!