Singapore Travel Guide 2024

I’ve visited Singapore four times (so far) and it’s one of my favorite places to stop in for a few days. Though it’s a little pricier than most other Southeast Asia destinations, it’s worth exploring for a few days if you’re interested in food, architecture, nature and/or want to get some shopping done!

Here’s some of my recommendations for traveling around Singapore, on a solo backpacker’s budget of under $100 USD/day. I’ll go over important info like where to get a SIM card, which hostels to stay in, where to eat and what activities to do. All this is from my personal experience and/or recommendations from friends I made in hostels, so be assured that you’ll get only the best info! 😉

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Singapore Tourist Resources & General Travel Tips

Money, ATMs, Exchanges

Singapore uses the Singapore dollar for its currency.

ATMs are plentiful. That said, almost everywhere accepts credit card and even mobile pay like Apple Pay or Google wallet and you can get by without any cash at all if needed. The only time you’ll need some is if you want to go to hawker centres, or for the bus/metro if you don’t have a smart phone to use.

If you want to exchange money, there’s a really good one in Changi Airport called UOB Money Exchange. Otherwise you can find them all over the city and your hostel will know the closest/best one.

SIM Cards & Wifi

There’s Wifi all over the city so if you need to supplement the eSIM you can just connect to it at a Wireless@SGx hotspot location. Download the app to your phone and it’ll show you hotspot locations even if you’re not connected to wifi or cell data. Very handy!

Or, if you want a SIM card for your visit, but only play to stay a few days, get a regional eSIM from Airalo like Asialink, which’ll work in multiple countries in Asia. If you’re going to Malaysia or Thailand or Vietnam after Singapore, the regional one will work in all of them and you only have to buy that one SIM rather than four or more.

Safety

Singapore is very safe for tourists, beyond the typical pickpocketing on public transit or at the airport.

For night life: there’s generally lots of people wandering around at night. However, public transit shuts down fairly early (at midnight), and the streets outside of the immediate bar areas tend to get quiet around 10 or 11 pm.

Singapore has some strict laws about things that are commonplace elsewhere, so be sure to check that you’re not inadvertently breaking something. For instance, electronic cigarettes/vape pens are illegal. Australia has a good overview of that sort of thing here.

More Resources

Some places to find info not covered in this guide:

• WikiVoyage Singapore page – has good background info of the history of Singapore, plus tips on navigating through a visit. Be sure to check out the Three Days in Singapore travel itinerary for ideas on what to see in a short amount of time.
• Visit Singapore – official tourism website.
• Roots.gov.sg – National Heritage Board’s website with great info & walking tours

Singapore Guidebooks

They’re kinda old school, but a good guidebook can be a great way to get an overview of a particular country and its history. Lonely Planet and Fodor’s both recently updated their guidebooks, so they’re totally up-to-date as of 2024. You can also just download the ebook version and put it on your Kindle, which is what I do.

Singapore Public Transportation

Singapore has excellent public transit consisting of a metro, light rail and public bus system. You can also use ride-sharing apps like Grab (the Southeast Asia answer to Uber) for a decent price.

The easiest way to use the metro/bus is by Apple/Google/Samsung Pay. Just tap your phone at the gate and it’ll automatically charge the fare to your card. Use the same card on the metro/bus/etc. and it’ll automatically give you the transfer fare (if applicable), which is nice if you’re moving quickly between stations.

Most public transit stops running at midnight, so be sure to plan carefully. If you’re coming in late, pre-book a transfer from the airport to your hotel and you’ll save a few dollars compared to Grab.

Read more: How to get from Changi Airport to the city center.

Singapore Hostel Recommendations

If it’s your first time coming to Singapore, I recommend staying as close to the Riverside area as possible, especially if you’re only in town for a night or two. It’s centrally located and easy to walk around or take a metro directly to all the major tourists sights. However, it IS more expensive than staying somewhere slightly further out.

Here’s the two hostels I’ve personally stayed at and can recommend:

Bluewaters Pods 38 Hongkong St.

Bluewaters Pods 38 Hongkong St is located right off the Boat Quay/River Quay area (aka city center), within walking distance to Chinatown and two metro stations. The beds are “pod” style, with privacy curtains that unfortunately block out the air conditioning. The shared bathrooms are clean but absolutely roasting because there’s no air conditioning in them. No freebie breakfast but you can use the shared kitchen and lounge area to meet people. I stayed here for a few nights my first time in Singapore and it was pretty good.

Betel Box Backpacker Hostel

My favorite hostel, however, is Betel Box Backpacker Hostel. It’s slightly further out, located in Joo Chiat/Katong area about 20-ish minutes from Chinatown, but a much better price if you’re on a tight budget. They’re next to a major bus line so it’s easy to get around, or link up to a metro stop.

They provide free breakfast (toast and coffee/tea) plus discounted tours for hostel guests. I really like the shared lounge area (which always has air con) and the staff are very knowledgeable about local things to see. Read my complete review of Betel Box Backpacker Hostel here for more details.

Other Hostels

Some other top-rated hostels you might want to check out:

• The Bohemian – city center area, free breakfast, capsule beds OR regular bunk beds.
• Atelier Hostel – Chinatown, free breakfast, capsule beds.
• Dream Lodge @ Farrer Park – Central Business District, free breakfast, capsule beds (but more open than others I’ve seen).

👉I always check Hostelworld for finding budget accommodation wherever I go. If you book through them, you’ll also get access to a group chat for the city you’re staying in, which is a great way to meet other travelers!

Singapore Restaurants & Eateries

Singapore has a wonderful blend of food cultures which means LOTS of great meals to try!

Some of my favorites are: chili crab (expensive; my local friend recommends either JUMBO Seafood or Long Beach DEMPSEY), kaya toast, laksa (totally different from Malaysian laksa), satay, char kway teow, Hainanese chicken rice, popiah, chai tow kway (aka “carrot cake”), piseng goreng (fried bananas).

Read more: 11 Foods to Try in Singapore

👉Booking a food tour is great way to sample a lot of Singaporean food in a short amount of time, great for people who only have a day or two to explore the country!

Any food court in one of the many well-air conditioned malls will have a good selection of food to choose from, with good prices. If you’re overheating and need some place to chill, head to a mall and find the food court.

Hawker centres

Hawker centres are basically open air food courts where different vendors gather together to sell meals on the cheap. You will need CASH as most places only accept that or QR code payments (which most tourists won’t be able to use).

Learn more: Hawker Centers in Singapore: Budget Traveler’s Guide

It’s worth checking out as many as you can, but the ones I recommend are Maxwell Food Centre in Chinatown, Tiong Bahru Food Centre near the hospital, and Geylang Serai Market and Food Centre out near Betel Box Hostel (see above).

Maxwell Food Centre has a famous Hainanese chicken rice stand (Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice) which was recommended in the Michelin guide; there’s some debate about whether it’s actually the best or not, but either way it’s a good place to try it for the first time.

I also recommend grabbing a lime drink (with or without sugar cane).

NEW: The Singapore government has put together a crowd-sourced website where you can search for budget meals (S$3.50 and under) based on your location. I’m definitely planning on using this the next time I visit Singapore.

Singapore Sling

The Singapore Sling was invented at the Long Bar in Raffles Hotel as a way for ladies to sneak an alcoholic beverage in a time when public drinking was frowned upon. The price is crazy high at something like $40 USD– and you can get the same drink elsewhere in SEA for much less.

There’s a non-alcoholic version for only $18 USD (which is what I had), so if you want to sit a the Long Bar and soak up the atmosphere without breaking the bank, that’s certainly an option. The Long Bar doesn’t serve food, but you can snack on free peanuts while downing your drink.

Ya Kun Kaya Toast

Ya Kun Kaya Toast is a local franchise with great breakfast/sandwich options, plus excellent pulled tea (and coffee). It’s my favorite restaurant in Singapore and I highly recommend stopping by for a breakfast set at least once. My favorite is the Cheesy French Toast set.

To eat like a local, put soy sauce in the poached egg and dip the sandwich in before each bite. Yum yum yum!!

Singapore Attractions

Singapore has a Big Bus Hop On Hop Off Tour which could save you a lot of time/money getting around if you only have a few days to explore.

If you want to buy entrance tickets, check Klook first. Klook is a travel app headquartered in Singapore (though it’s good for all around east Asia/southeast Asia) and they have deals on activities and entrance tickets all the time.

You could also try getting this city pass (the Singapore Explorer Pass) which lets you pick entry tickets 2-7 attractions at a discounted rate. There’s a LOT available on that pass, so if you want to go to paid attractions it’s definitely worth checking out.

Free things to do in Singapore

During my visits to Singapore, I mostly stuck to free things– the admission fees for some of the tourist attractions are pretty high for a backpacker budget! Despite my small budget, I still saw a lot. I followed some of the itinerary from WikiVoyage’s Three Day itinerary (see Resources above) and that helped get me around Chinatown and Little India in particular.

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, Sri Mariamman Temple, Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple – three of the oldest and biggest temples in Singapore.

Fort Canning Park is a nice green area close to the business district, and has some interesting historical highlights to find, most of which are free.

Gardens By the Bay has a large free section and a light show at night. This is where those tall supertrees are located that everyone takes pictures of (including me).

Marina Bay Sands hotel has a paid observation deck (SkyPark Observation Deck for S$32) but if you go to Tower One and head to the 57th floor, you can get a decent view off the smoking area outside the restaurant for free. The hotel also does a water fountain show at night which you can view for free from near the Merlion statue at the Quay.

If you’d like less of a crowd, go up to the roof of the Esplanade Concert Hall and view the show from there instead.

The Peranakan Houses are a series of restored Chinese shophouses painted in bright colors, a la the painted ladies in San Francisco. If you’re staying in Betel Box, it’s just down the street about 10 minutes walking.

Singapore Botanic Gardens is Singapore’s only UNESCO Heritage Site and is well worth visiting. It has several trails, at least one pond, and lots of beautiful flowers to see. Highly recommend walking the rain forest trail which replicates what Singapore’s forest used to look like before agricultural development.

The National Orchid Garden is paid entrance, but if you want to see some free orchid propagation stuff, there’s a display near the bathrooms at the Tanglin entrance. And right outside the orchid garden entrance are some free orchids to look at!

Singapore City Gallery is a free museum focusing on city development. It’s got great air con (and bathrooms) which is nice if you’re overheating from wandering around Chinatown.

If you’re interested in street art, there’s some really nice murals in Joo Chiat/Katong, Kampong Gelam and Chinatown neighborhoods. Read more about Singaporean street art here!

And of course Changi Airport/Jewel has some nice free things to do, even if you’re not flying in/out.

Singapore is a beautiful country with lots to do, and I highly recommend staying at least two nights so you can see some of the highlights. Whether you’re interested in food, architecture, history or nature, you’ll find something fun in Singapore!

Where to Go Next

It’s super easy to get to Malaysia from Singapore! They’re neighbors, after all.

You can take a bus over the border to Malacca, or go on a train adventure up to Kuala Lumpur.

Or if you’re coming from Malaysia, Singapore is a great transit hub with flights all over the world and cheap flights to other nearby countries. You can easily get to Hanoi, Bangkok, or Bali from Singapore!

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Explore More

Singapore Guides

• How to Get from Changi Airport to Singapore City Center
• 11 Foods to Try in Singapore
• Hawker Centers in Singapore: Budget Traveler’s Guide
• Street Art Spotlight: Singapore
• Betel Box Backpackers, Singapore Hostel Review

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• Taking the Laos Slow Boat to Luang Prabang (2023)
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• Exploring Sukhothai’s Royal Ruins
• Three days at the Elephant Conservation Center in Sayaboury, Laos
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