If you’re considering exploring this expensive island state for a few days en route to destinations including Australia and New Zealand, but don’t want to break the bank, there are ways of visiting with a budget in mind.
When to travel for the best deals
There isn’t really a low season in Singapore, given that the climate – hot and humid – doesn’t change much throughout the year. But for a better deal, avoid school holidays (and that includes Asian school holidays), as well as events like the Formula 1 Grand Prix in September, when hotel prices tend to be higher.
Where to stay
Keenly priced options include Yotel, the brainchild of former Dragons Den star and Yo! Founder Simon Woodroffe, who brought us Yo! Sushi.
The rooms are compact and contemporary, just enough room for a comfortable double bed and a good shower, but they’ve managed to squeeze in a safe, a little hanging space, a salon-style hairdryer, iron and ironing board, while resident robots Yoshi and Yolanda provide room service of fresh towels and bottles of water.
Getting around without spending a fortune
Grab – Singapore’s equivalent of Uber – is your best bet if you want to travel by taxi.
But for the budget-conscious, the best mode is the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) Singapore’s underground train system which is fast, clean, air-conditioned, efficient and easy to navigate.
Or you can brave the heat and humidity and walk – many of the tourist areas are pedestrianised and you can take in the views along Marina Bay with the best view of the eponymous hotel, admire the architecture along the waterfront and join the tourists taking pictures of Merlion, Singapore’s national icon – half fish, half lion – as it spurts out a torrent of water into the bay at Merlion Park.
Dining out on a shoestring
Fine dining is no stranger to Singapore, with 55 Michelin-starred restaurants. But there are also 53 value-for-money hawker centre stalls which are Michelin-rated in the city, while Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle hawker stall has one coveted star.
Hawker centres used to be largely unauthorised outdoor street stalls until the government moved them all undercover into municipal buildings where stallholders have created a melting pot of south-east Asian fast food.
Pick up a meal of traditional favourites, from chicken and rice to nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice), braised pork belly, wanton noodles, signature chilli crab (priced by weight), salted egg dishes and ipoh hor fun (shredded chicken rice noodles cooked in a broth).
What to see that’s free…
1. Singapore Botanic Gardens
The island’s first World Heritage Unesco site provides a peaceful green oasis in the heart of the city. Wander around the 82 hectares (202 acres) of tropical flora and fauna at your leisure – and you’re allowed to take in a picnic.
2. Garden Rhapsody: Gardens By The Bay light shows
You’ll no doubt capture a glimpse of the Supertrees if you head for the gardens by day (by MRT), as they rise up to 50m above ground, but at night (7.45-8.45pm) Supertree Grove comes into its own as the tree-like edifices are lit up in an array of colours accompanied by dramatic opera music.
During the day, it’s worth paying to see the nearby huge air-conditioned glass domes, Flower Dome and Cloud Forest, which house not only a wealth of flora and fauna but also one of the world’s tallest indoor waterfalls. A joint ticket to both costs 32SGD/£19 on the official site, but shop around and you may get it cheaper. Visit gardensbythebay.com.sg.
And what’s worth paying for…
1. Historical Singapore Bike Tour
Biking through the city is not as hot as walking it, but do this guided tour on the first day, because it will help you get your bearings.
Our guide took us to the Muslim quarter of Kampong Gelam, home of the golden dome of Sultan Mosque, through its narrow streets of hipster bars, restaurants and colourful walls of art, along the Singapore River, to Speaker’s Corner, and along Marina Bay, as well as the famous F1 track. You’ll only have to cross the roads on your bikes, not go on them, but don’t be afraid of using your bell so pedestrians give you plenty of passing room. Let’s Go Tours, 80SD.
2. ArtScience Museum
Fringing Marina Bay, this family-friendly museum shaped like a lotus flower features state-of-the-art interactive art installations with a picture wall of moving waterfalls you can touch to change the flow, animatic sea life where your own fishy drawing will appear via a sketch aquarium scanner and a corridor of changing shimmering lights, among other mesmerising sights. Entrance 30SD, visit marinabaysands.com/museum.html.
3. National Museum of Singapore
You can easily spend a morning exploring Singapore’s past, with its melting pot of cultures, from its beginnings as a thriving port where Chinese porcelain and stoneware were traded, to the arrival of Sir Stanford Raffles, ‘founder’ of modern Singapore, in 1819 and colonial history, to its independence in 1965 and the global business interests it attracts today. Entrance 15SGD, visit nhb.gov.sg/nationalmuseum.
