The remarkable city of Singapore is often left unseen beyond the walls of Changi Airport, one of the largest transport hubs in South-East Asia. While commonly travelled to primarily for business and investment, Singapore offers much more. It’s a perfect weekend stopover offering a platform of diverse culture, food, shopping and events. So when you’re travelling through next, why not take a few nights in? Earlier this year I stopped in for a long weekend and left wanting more. Here are some ideas of what to get up to when you’ve got a weekend in Singapore:
Shopping
One thing that surprised me about Singapore was the scale of their shopping centres and districts. From the famous Orchard Road to Bugis Street junction, the city covers all ranges of style and practicality. For a big day of shopping head to VivoCity, the largest shopping centre in Singapore. Located at the HarbourFront, just a short taxi ride from the city centre. It hosts over 300 shops with beautiful interior architecture.
If you want to break the norm and find some souvenirs or misfit items then head over to Chinatown. Next, to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, you will find a range of alleyways with local market style shops. Here I found some great local coffee and tea shops, souvenirs, technology accessories and a cheap Nike golf hat. If you’re looking for more of a hipster-heaven, then check out Haji lane with its cute boutique vintage stores. Not too far away you can also find Bugis Street, a popular laneway for fresh foods and unique clothing. If you’re looking for something in the central harbour area, walk over to the Marina Bay Sands shopping complex located on the ground floor.
Eating
Singapore is renowned for food and is one of Asia’s culinary capitals. Hit up one of the many street food districts and try mouth-watering local dishes like the popular Hainanese Chicken Rice or Katong Laksa. If you’re over by China Town district check out the Maxwell Food Centre. Here you can savour local dishes conveniently and affordable; it’s where all the locals love to fill up! For the best introduction to Singapore’s famous hawker food, I was recommended to visit Makansutra Gluttons Bay, a series of outdoor food stalls. It’s easy to find, along the Esplanade across from Marina Square centre. Makansutra gives you a range of local street food with stunning views of the Marina harbour.
Attractions
At the centre of the Marina Bay region is Marina Bay Sands complex, featuring a SkyPark, rooftop dining, an infinity pool and a 360-degree viewpoint of the city. Inside the Sands, you will find a range of shops, a casino and a beautiful riverfront walkway with plenty of eateries as you walk around the harbour. Just behind the Sands is the iconic Gardens By The Bay. This vast nature park features magnificent super super-tree structures, a cloud dome forest (with the world's largest indoor waterfall) and a flower dome with over 200 different types of plants. It’s a must-see for first-time visitors! Along the Marina Bay, you might spot a lotus flower shaped building which is the Singapore Art-Science Museum. Inside you can view many exhibitions such as “Journey Through Creativity”, a beautiful walk through of how art and science intersect throughout history. There’s plenty of options for the kids too, such as Universal Studios, or the Singapore Night Safari, open from 9.30pm-midnight.
Top Tips:
- If you’ve got some time up your sleeve, then check out the Singapore National Museum on Samford Road. It tells the intriguing backstory of how modern-day Singapore was discovered and formed, dating back to 1887.
- SkyPark at the enormous Marina Bay Sands complex is perfect to visit at sunset for sweeping views of the city before and after dark.
- Looking for some adventure at night? Check out the Singapore Night Safari! Open from 9:30 pm till midnight, this incredible safari will show you over 1000 animals from 50 exhibitions.
- Singapore is hot and humid year-round so ensure you drink plenty of water. The good news is there’s plenty of air conditioning and undercover walkways to utilise in the city.
Lachlan ‘Lachy’ Nicolson is a 23-year-old digital marketer, blogger and entrepreneur. You can follow his journey of life, love and travel through his Instagram @lachynicolson or at AusTraveller.com.au.
The views, opinions and positions expressed by the author and those providing comments are theirs alone, and are meant as travel inspiration only. They do not reflect the opinions of Cover-More Insurance. You should always read the PDS available from your travel insurance provider to understand the limits, exclusions and conditions of your policy and to ensure any activities you undertake are covered by your policy.