Singapore

Overview

Singapore is small, efficient, and surprisingly green. The food is the headline — hawker stalls with Michelin stars, dawn kaya toast, midnight chilli crab — but the city's bones, in shophouses and tropical gardens, are just as worth the trip.

Neighbourhoods

• Tiong Bahru
  Art deco walk-ups, indie bookshops, kopitiams.
• Kampong Glam
  Malay heritage quarter, Haji Lane, the sultan mosque.
• Little India
  Serangoon Road, banana leaf meals, flower garlands.
• Chinatown
  Hawker centres, tea houses, temples in a row.

Top Landmarks

• Gardens by the Bay
  Supertrees, conservatories, sunset light show.
• National Gallery
  Two colonial buildings linked into one major museum.
• Botanic Gardens
  UNESCO listing, orchids, morning walks.
• Marina Bay skyline
  Walk the loop after dark.

Food & Cafés

• Maxwell Food Centre
  Hainanese chicken rice at Tian Tian.
• Tiong Bahru Bakery
  Kouign-amann and a strong flat white.
• 328 Katong Laksa
  Coconut laksa, eaten with a spoon only.
• Burnt Ends
  Australian-Asian barbecue counter, book ahead.

Getting Around

The MRT is fast, clean, and reaches everywhere worth visiting. Taxis and Grab are reasonable. Walking is hot — duck into malls for air-conditioned shortcuts.

Sample Itinerary

1. Day 1
   Hawker breakfast, National Gallery, Marina Bay walk.
2. Day 2
   Botanic Gardens, Tiong Bahru lunch, Gardens by the Bay night show.

Local Notes

• Tipping isn't expected; service charge is added.
• Eating on the MRT is a S$500 fine — they enforce it.
• The rain is brief but heavy; carry an umbrella.
• Tap water is safe to drink.