Singapore is an often overlooked country when travelling around Asia - its neighbour Malaysia is a lot cheaper to fly to and stay in accommodation-wise.
However, the country has a lot to offer to tourists who are vacationing for a couple of weeks in the continent or stopping over in Singapore for only a few days. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, we spent almost three weeks in Singapore. However, due to their self-isolation policies, we only spent around four days out and about in the city before we had to get an emergency flight back to the UK. It's not an ideal way to see the country, but you can cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time, especially if you're determined to check another place off your bucket list. Here are my top things to see in Singapore, whether you're in a rush, or ready to explore!
Singapore Zoo
Singapore zoo is one of the best conservation centres I have ever been to! Social distancing was in place, but that just meant you had little boxes to stand in to see the animals.
The animals were all well looked after and I didn't see a single one pacing in their abode. Free-roaming monkeys were jumping around everywhere you looked and there were large lizards lying around enjoying the sun. You had an incredible view of the river and even the toilets were beautiful too - see below!
We saw so many animals - white tigers, giraffes, zebras - just to name a few! It was such a picturesque place and even had its own plant-growing patch! The exhibits had air-conditioning, which will be a huge blessing once you start walking around in the thirty degree heat.
River and Night Safari
Amazingly, you can buy a Park Hopper Ticket, which means you can visit the zoo, the two safaris and the Jurong Bird Park! It's surprisingly really cheap too.
The river and night safari are right next to the zoo, so you can easily cover all three in one day. The river safari was like an outside aquarium - featuring some of the oldest fish in the world! You can also take a boat underwater too, but unfortunately it was closed due to COVID. On it, you could have seen otters and jaguars, so it's definitely worth the visit! There are also pandas to see, but they were shut away due to their mating season.
On the other hand, the night safari was up and running (with slightly less seats for social distancing purposes). You show your ticket and board an animal-print train with jazzy Jumanji-esque music and a voice-over guide. You had to get there at dusk (so around 7:15pm) and it's so much better to ride when it's dark! You see lions and free-roaming deer, rhinos and nocturnal animals that would usually be sleeping at a usual zoo. It's the only night safari in the world, so make sure you find the time to ride the train!
Sri Mariamman Temple
We had some time to spare while waiting between safaris, so we got a 'Grab' cab into the city centre to see the Sri Mariamman Temple. Grab is an extremely useful app for your time in Singapore - you can order taxis and food - what more could you want?! I promise I'm not a promotor for it - it was just so useful for us! The temple is located in the Chinatown area of Singapore. It's intricate and beautiful from the outside, contrasting with the high-rise buildings and grocery shops that surround it. I'm actually unsure whether you can go in it or not, but it was shut off to the public because of coronavirus.
Merlion Park
The Merlion is an important motif in Singapore and you can find a few towering statues of it around the country. We visited the one right by Marina Bay and it's huge! Its drop back is the incredible Marina Bay Sands Hotel and it is a must-see in the area! However, we did get some strange looks trying to get this image below.
Haji Lane
Haji lane took a while to get to - it's about a half an hour walk from Marina Bay - but is well worth it. Perhaps my favourite place in Singapore, Haji Lane is covered in art and graffiti. Giant dreamcatchers and jangly, glittery decorations hang down the streets and the buildings are painted bright to match the atmosphere of the street. A huge portrait of Amy Winehouse is painted on one of the walls, so keep an eye out for that!
There are bars, shops and tattoo bars at every turn; it's probably the closest thing to a Magaluf strip you'll see in Singapore. It's very hipster and ideal for tourists who want to grab a coffee, a mojito or a cool woven bag. As we weren't going to make it to Thailand, I bought two pairs of elephant shorts in a shop down there for a fiver! We headed down there in the evening too for a cheeky Singapore Sling! I imagine when there isn't a pandemic, the street will be far more bustling!
The Botanical Gardens
We visited the botanical gardens at night, meaning we didn't get to see the real beauty of the place. However, there are late-night bars and restaurants at your disposal, making it a good day and night-time hangout spot. It's a vast area with all different sights to see, so ensure you're going there early in the day or with a lot of energy!
Jurong Bird Park
The fourth part of the Park Hopper Ticket, Jurong Bird Park is a journey away from the zoo and safaris, so best to do on a separate day if you really want to make the most of it. The bird park was like a rainforest - the exhibits looked incredible and the park itself was filled with tall trees and beautiful plants. We also experienced a tropical downpour there too - beware there is no shelter! However, because of the high humidity, we dried off pretty quickly.
We saw so many different and exotic birds! There's an entire exhibit dedicated to parrots, a cove of pelicans and an aviary with free-roaming birds and a huge waterfall. If you ever want to feel like you're in Jurassic Park, then the Jurong Bird Park is for you!
The ArtScience Museum
Located at Marina Bay, the ArtScience Museum was easily one of the best things we did in Singapore and I got student discount as a bonus. At school, I adored both art and science, so there wasn't a better place to check out! There were two exhibitions going on when we visited: one was set in the future - 2219: Futures Imagined, and the other was an interactive installation called Future World: Where Art Meets Science.
I preferred the latter as you got to draw fishes and see them swim in an ocean, stand in a virtual waterfall, create your own digital hopscotch that you could play on, participate in games with your drawings, and enter the 'centre of the universe' (as pictured above). However, the 2219 exhibition was more of a walk-through and felt much more like a museum experience, featuring homes stuck somewhere between the past and future, bookshelves of donated books and videos of the world ending. Nevertheless, there was a cool audio experience at the end featuring jellyfish though (spoiler: jellyfish are a bad sign for the planet).
Gardens by the Bay
Perhaps one of the most recognisable spots in Singapore, Gardens by the Bay lives up to its hype! Outside are huge, towering 'electric' trees, which are impressive during the day, but even more jaw-dropping at night. There are a few in the silver garden, but by the observatory there are the main pink ones that light up (they're the ones in everyone's Instagram photos!)
You can explore the gardens for free or pay to go into the conservatories, which I highly recommend. There were two - The Cloud Forest and the Flower Dome, each with its own beauties. The Flower Dome featured typical kinds of gardens from different parts of the world, including Japan and Australia. There were palm trees, Torii gates and floral arches - it felt like being back in Tokyo again!
On the other hand, the Cloud Forest had a huge waterfall as its centrepiece with a lift taking you to different levels of the conservatory. One had a VR game where you became a tree, another had crystals and at the top there was a creepy lost forest with a giant tarantula statue (not cool to an unsuspecting arachnophobic). Make sure you check out the Secret Garden too - it's right on the bottom level!
Sentosa Island
Sentosa is just a Grab ride away from central Singapore, but it feels like a completely different place! It's a beach resort with a Universal Studios, a cable car, extreme sport opportunities like bungee jumping and a waterpark! We didn't get to go to any of these because of coronavirus, but we did try our luck at the Skyline Luge! You ride up on a skyline cart, then drive down in these little sledge-carts! It's hilarious and well worth the money.
There are three incredible beaches on Sentosa Island too, each offering its own vibe.
Palawan has a lovely restaurant (with its own private pool), a water assault course and boasts the most Southern Part of Continental Asia. You have to walk across a tightrope-esque bridge to get to it!
Tanjong beach is more quiet and serene area with an Ibiza-style beach bar and volleyball courts. It's a place to strut your stuff, sunbathe and drink a few cocktails!
On the other hand, Siloso beach is more hectic and that's where you'll find more restaurants, extreme sports and endless beach bars! The frozen daiquiris (pictured below) were to die for! There is a free shuttle bus that'll take you all around the island and cycle lanes if you choose to rent a bicycle. However, we decided to walk and it wasn't too bad or tiring!
You'd be surprised what you can do in four days with a lot of coffee and a lack of decent sleep! Honestly though, Singapore was such a beautiful city and such a contrast to Japan. It was worth every extra penny we spent getting there, even if we did have to stay in a pod hotel for two weeks before we could venture out.