I’ve got a long stopover in Singapore and am wondering what can I visit in just 24 hours?
Singapore, located just off southern Malaysia, is dinky enough to explore in a day. To give you some perspective, London is twice as big and Hong Kong almost a third bigger. So anyone with a longish stopover can enjoy the warm and often balmy weather and get around easily on their brilliant public transport.
The first thing to do before you leave the airport is to get hold of a one-day Singapore Tourist pass ($10 – around £6). It’s available at the TransitLink office in the airport. This card is a great investment as it gives you unlimited access to travel on busses and the subway and you won’t have to waste time buying tickets.
Singapore Tours and Activities
If you want to save time, you may want to prebook selected tours and activities before you get to Singapore. Here is a selection of a few bestsellers:
Free light show at Supertree Grove
If your flight arrives in the late afternoon (most do) then start at the Supertree Grove planted outside the Gardens by the Bay conservatories. You’ll be treated to a free light show which starts at 7:45.
Fort Canning Park
Spend the next morning strolling along the iconic hill-top 8km trail from Fort Canning Park at River Valley Rd. Enjoy its stunning and unusual trees while making your way to the former British military barracks and to the waterfront.
World’s cheapest Michelin-starred lunch
There are 29 Michellin starred restaurants in Singapore. However if you cross the Helix Bridget to Chinatown yo will find the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred lunch at Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle ($1.42, less than £2). This was the only place you could try Chan Hon Meng’s iconic S$2 ($1.42) chicken rice dish which is also Singapore’s signature dish. However he partnered with Hersing Culinary to open Liao Fan Hawker Chan, a casual dine-in offshoot located meters away from his Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre-based stall in Singapore.
Mariaman Temple
Located at 244 South Bridge Road in Chinatown is the Sri Mariaman Temple. It is the oldest and most important Hindu temple and national monument. It’s best known for its intricately sculptured and bight painted gopuram (entrance tower) of Hindu gods. It’s free to enter.
Chinatown Complex
Chinatown Complex built in the 1820s has a red-and-gold Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. that’s worth taking a look. But more well known for its wet market and delicious hawker food with plenty of individual stalls that still dish up food based on traditional recipes. The wet market is one of the rare few in Singapore where you can still marvel at barking stallholders selling live fish, frogs, terrapins and alligator meat alongside fresh meats, fruits and vegetables.
Singapore Sling
The famous Singapore Sling cocktail was invented here at the Long Bar of the famous Raffles Hotel back in 1915. Can you really miss the opportunity to try it?
