Areas to visit in Singapore

Chinatown

MRT is called Chinatown, shops, markets, restaurants, museum - Half day

There is a very good museaum called the Chinese Heritage Centre in Pagoda Street, come out of the MRT and walk along Pagoda Street it is half way down on the left hand side. It is on 3 floors, very compact and very interesting - About 1 - 2 hours max.

It would probably take about 1 hour to walk around china town, there are more market stalls and street venders in the evenings.

Right opposite the Museum on the corner of Pagoda Street and Tregganeu Street is a really great Chinese Restaurant (outside) red plastic chairs etc but excellent food and really cheap. We eat there lunch time and in the evening. If you walk to Smith Street in the evening there are outside hawker stalls, very cheap.

If you want to buy Jewellery ChinaTown seems to be the cheapest.

Little India

MRT is called Little India, markets, shops and restaurants and temple

It will take about 1 hour to walk around Little India. Lots of markets, shops etc selling antiques, jewellery, material, nik naks.

Very good Indian Restaurants and very cheap. We would recommend "The Banana Leaf" in Race Course Road.

Probably best to visit in the evening, too hot to wander in the day time. Do not visit on a Sunday, very busy with locals.

Kampong Glam

Arab and Malay area, Mosque, shops

MRT to Bugis Junction and walk to Arab Street.

Nice area with am outside Malay Museum

Only need about 1 hour but worth a visit

East Coast Park

Beach, very good seafood restaurants

Nice if you want a meal by the sea in the evening or we have hired bikes and ridden along the beach in the day time.

Sentosa Island - Whole day

Sentosa Island - Beach, restaurants, dolphins, cable car (if open now), lots of other attractions.

You get the MRT to Harbour Front, then as you come out of station it is directed to the coaches which drive you onto the island and then once you get there you can take buses around the island to all the different areas.

Boat Quay and Clarke Quay

Along the Singapore River. Lots of Restaurants. We prefer Boat Quay but would go for a drink or coffee in the day time and then a river trip along the river which takes about 1 hour. We have eaten there at night but it is far busier and very expensive in comparison to other parts of Singapore.

Clarke Quay has The Satay Club, outside satay stalls, very popular and a night market.

Orchard Road

MRT to either Orchard or Somerset.

Lots and Lots of Shops, more expensive than out of town shops, rather like Oxford Street. Shopping Malls with designer shops, M & S etc. Lucky Plaza is where you will buy any bargains. Alan gets his photo gear in this Shopping Mall.

Lots of restaurants and coffee outlets.

The best overall mall we found was Centrepoint opposite Somerset MRT. Along side is a covered area called Cuppage Plaza where we have eaten, very good Indian Restaurant called Majahara.

Other Attractions worth a visit

Jurong Bird Park - Lots of walking and pretty gardens etc as well as the birds and reptiles.

Night Safari - Fantastic trip around a zoo at night, you can travel around on a train
Well worth a visit.

Singapore Zoo - We have visited many times in the day but very hot and a lot of walking but apparently the best zoo in the world and we have to agree.
Alan has visited Kranji War Museum and Changi Prison which again were very interesting. Probably best to get a taxi there.

Raffles Hotel

MRT - City Hall and walk to hotel.

You must go there, very nice hotel with many restaurants, cafes, bars, shops.

You to go the Long Bar to have a Singapore Sling (very popular)

There is a good Indian Buffet in the Tiffin Room in the evening (not too expensive)

Or you can have afternoon tea in the Tiffin Room (very traditional and you will need to book)

Shopping

For clothes, bags, shoes - Orchard Road

Electronic - Sim Lim shopping Mall

Photography and Computer - The Funon Centre

Cheap Nik Naks - Either ChinaTown or Little India.

Bugis Junction - Has a good selection of shops and restaurants

Always try and knock them down in the markets, probably a bit more difficult in the shopping malls, departmental stores.

The only thing I found was cheaper than at home were shoes

Restaurants

If you want cheap local food, eat at any hawker centres (these are usually outdoors) or Food Courts (these are air conditioned and usually on the basement of any shopping mall). I would recommend La Piat Sat for cheap hawker food, it is indoor and outdoor and have satay stalls outside, easy to order food.

We have eaten in a few hotels, the best we would say is The Hyatt, Scotts Road (near Orchard MRT station). There are 2 restaurants Mezza 9, you can eat a variety of dishes here and you order of a menu, i.e Chinese, Japanese, Indian, French, Italian etc etc.

The other is called Straits Kitchen. We eat here lots, it is a buffet style of high quality local food, i.e Chinese, Indian, Indenisian, fruits, desserts etc. The chefs cook for you at each food station and you can eat as much as you like. This would be at the higher end of the market but still only about £15.00 per head. Gets really busy so best to book. A really nice restaurant too.

Wine is expensive in restaurants, beer is cheaper at hawker stalls and coffee shops.

We eat in Sushi Bars which again are cheap in comparison to in England.

Transport

We use the MRT most of the time, we bought a travel card for 10 dollars (about £3.50) and each trip is about 30p each way. Really easy to get about and quick.
Taxi's are very cheap but could take longer because of traffic. There are taxi ranks outside most shops, restaurants or you just stop them in the street.

Tipping

You don't have to tip, but we usually do in Restaurants and always give the taxi driver a bit more but they certainly do not expect it.

Changing Money

We usually go to a money changer who sits in a little booth the best rate was the one outside Centrepoint Shopping Centre in Orchard Road.