Why Singapore?
If you are reading this page, you obviously have heard of Singapore and you are intrigued and is or would consider Singapore as a holiday destination, or as one point in your tour, and you want to know more.
So why should you make Singapore a destination or a stop?
I'll let Matt give you his 13 tips:
But this is MY blog, so here are my answer to "Why Singapore?"
1 Easy, Efficient Singapore.
If you can speak English, Singapore is easy. If you can read English, all the signs are in English. Singapore just works - easily, efficiently, and as expected.
Here's a quick check: When you arrive in Singapore (presumably at Changi Airport), did you have the most fuss-free clearance through our Immigration? (Assuming you have all your travel documentation, and - since 2023 - the electronic arrival card completed. And you are not a wanted criminal, or trafficking drugs or other contraband. Oh and, no. Gum is not contraband, in limited quantities reasonable for your own consumption.)
If you did, that's how things will go for the rest of your time here in Singapore!
If you think about exploring Asia, but worry about the languages you have to pick up - Thai, Vietnamese, Laotian, Bahasa, Burmese (or Myanmarese?) to navigate the foreign lands, in Singapore, you can get by with English!
Getting around in Singapore is easy. The whole island is well served by the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Trains (or "Tube", "Metro"). You can get a tourist pass for unlimited travel on our MRT trains and bus services for 1, 2 or 3 days. Or if you prefer, you can use your credit card (with contactless payment/"pay wave") for travel on buses and trains. I understand, there is an additional charge by the credit card company - 20 cents? 50 cents? Per ride. If you plan to have limited travels in public transit, you could use your credit card. Note that each person needs a separate credit card because of the way the system calculates fare. So you cannot use ONE credit card to tap in 2 or more passengers. Each passenger will need a separate Credit Card if that is the option you have chosen.
2 Culturally Diverse. Asia in One place.
Visitors have commented how they can be immersed in Little India, and yet 15 minutes away, they can be in Chinatown, and it is like being in a completely different city. And another 15 minutes away, they can be in the Muslim/Arab quarter with all their cultural richness and ambience.
And the food. In a hawker centre, you can have varieties of Chinese food, while the next stall could be offering Malay food, and a few stalls down, Indian food. Or it might be Italian food, or Mexican, or Turkish, or Mediterranean.
3 Food, Glorious Food!
Google "Singapore" and "Food", and you should find Hainanese Chicken Rice, Chilli Crab, Laksa, and Satay.
And also Kaya Toast, Sambal Stingray, Oyster Omelette, Hokkien Prawn Mee, Char Kway Teow, Mee Goreng, Roti Prata, Bak Kut Teh, Malay Food, Indian Food, and of course Chinese Food.
Here are some people (U.S. residents) trying Singapore street food for the first time:
And here are the recommendations by a local (expert?):
4 Instagrammable Sights.
Marina Bay Sands, a.k.a. "MBS", which could mean, the "Majestic Building with a Ship" on top of 3 towers.
Gardens by the Bay and the Supertrees and Cloud Forest Dome and the Flower Dome.
Jewel with the Rain Vortex (at Changi Airport).
The Merlion Park.
Historic Raffles Hotel with the Long Bar and the colonial-style ceiling fans, and the Singapore Sling. Where Somerset Maugham had his cocktails.
And unlike vast expansive locations, the Merlion is within view of Marina Bay Sands, and Gardens by the Bay is just behind MBS. If you flew into Singapore, Jewel is RIGHT THERE, at the Airport! How could it be any more convenient?
Getting around in Singapore is EASY! We put all the tourist attractions within easy access... also because we are just ONE SMALL ISLAND. Everything is at most just 30 minutes away. An hour if you go the wrong way.
And a great film location if you're looking for a futuristic scene or backdrop!
5 Clean, Safe Singapore
Singapore is Clean. Some say, "cleaned" (as in we have an unobtrusive army of cleaners who keep Singapore clean). This makes for a pleasant environment.
Singapore is safe. Tourists have said that they feel safe walking the streets at night. Even at or after midnight.
But why would you want to go out at night?
Because...
6 Singapore has 11 of Asia's 50 best bars. The most of any Asian city!
Check out Jigger and Pony, Or Nutmeg & Clove. Or if you are around Chinatown, check out Sago House (it's near the Buddha's Tooth Relic Temple).
Analogue Initiative is a bar at CHIJMES, Victoria Street.
If you are staying at the Ritz-Carlton (because, why not?), check out Republic for their interpretation of historical anecdotes from the 1960s in their food and drinks.
28 Hong Kong Street might be called a "speakeasy": "Hidden behind an unassuming 1960’s shophouse façade, 28 HKS is a word-of-mouth venue..." (Boat Quay. Nearest MRT Station: Clark Quay station.)
Atlas evokes a grand hotel with a Gatsby-esque feel. Spend an indulgent afternoon at Atlas on Sunday.
Employees Only SG is a branch of the original NYC bar.
Stay Gold Flamingo is a cafe and a bar: "...chilled neighbourhood coffee shop Flamingo at the front, serving coffee and lunch injected with a bit of disco-funk; and cocktail bar Stay Gold at the back."
Next, Native is a 3 storey establishment with a restaurant on the first floor, a bar on the second, and a fermentation lab on the third!
BUT... maybe you are on a budget.
So here are 10 Cheap Bars you can look for!
Video: Singapore - Country of the Future?
Take with a pinch of salt. I cringed at 13:08 "hard-fought independence of the nation". Singapore did not have to fight for independence. We had independence thrust unwanted upon us! :-)
But the video does cover a lot of what makes Singapore attractive as a tourist destination. So that's why it's here. As for whether Singapore is a City of the Future, I personally think so, but that's just the opinion of a citizen. That said, do you think YOUR city or country is the city/country of the future?
Video: Why you should Visit Singapore.
Video: Singapore - Why I fell in love.
Video: Singapore (by Ricky on the Road)
Singapore: A Simulation?
Video: An American shares her story
Seven things about Singapore that shocked (blew) me (away) - Wanderlust Wellman
The seven things:
1) The Heat and the Humidity
2) The Greenery
3) Public Transportation
4) Diversity/Neighbourhoods - Arab/Muslim Quarters, Chinatown, Little India
5) Food - diversity, and affordability (hawker centres)
6) Gardens by the Bay
7) Picking nose in public.
[Oh great! You know all those petty laws and penalties we have? Fines for not flushing the toilet. Fines for littering/spitting/not returning your tray after eating at hawker centres? If the authorities sees this video, there will be a law against picking noses in public!
Why? Because Singapore progressed from Third World to First in ONE generation! That means people who grew up with bucket toilets, spitting, littering, and picking their noses, found themselves in the first world with flushing toilets, clean streets, sanitary hawker centres, and tourists who notice them picking their noses in public!
And the SG Govt had to drag them kicking and screaming into modernity.
So, after this, we will crackdown on people sticking inhalers in their noses:
]
But... isn't Singapore the Most Expensive City in the world?
Don't you have to be a Crazy Rich Asian to live here?
Not exactly.
Yes, because Singapore is a small island, land is scarce. Homes built on that land is expensive. And so are hotel rooms. Singapore attracted over 19 million tourists in 2019, before the pandemic. In 2022, as we were coming out of the lockdown, we had over 6 million tourists.
And 70,000 hotel rooms.
If each of those 6 million tourists stayed for just 4 days, our hotels would be fully booked.
This is one reason why our hotel rates are rather high.
Then there are special occasions like the F1 Night Race in late (usually) Sept. Our National Day celebrations (9th August), and the preceding Saturdays with the rehearsals and fireworks, and other occasional festivals.
Even without special occasions, hotel rates would still not be as cheap as, say, Bali (6 million visitors in 2019, 46,000 hotel rooms) because Singapore has built-up infrastructures and attractions. Jewel costs $1.7 billion to build. Gardens by the Bay, $1 billion. Marina Bay Sands, $8 billion.
BUT... it's mostly free to visit these places! And there are nightly light shows at Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay Sands, and the Rain Vortex at Jewel! These are free!
Yes, there are also ticketed attractions like the Canopy Park at Jewel, Cloud Forest and Flower Domes at Gardens by the Bay, and the SkyPark at Marina Bay Sands, but those are at your discretion and your budget.
The other expensive thing in Singapore are, cars.
Some tourists having arrived in Singapore from Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Hanoi, Bangkok, Ho Chi Ming City commented that the roads in Singapore is very much less congested and so less noisy (not so much honking). But as a tourist, you're not here to buy cars (or homes). And our public transit is very affordable, convenient, and accessible.
Alcohol at posh bars and tourists spots are pricey. Cos of tax. But there are solutions. If you want a beer with your meal, eat at hawker centres and have a beer.
So once you have secure your accommodations (at the best price you can find) food is very affordable, unless you need to eat at proper posh restaurants with proper wait staff.
Attractions can be pricey, but these are usually optional. There are loads of free attractions like the Botanic Gardens, the Gardens by the Bay (except for the conservatories), Marina Barrage, Treetop Walk, Henderson Wave and the Southern Ridges walk, East Coast Beach, Theatres on the bay (Esplanade) - there are free shows at some of the open locations.
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