Singapore Travel Guide
Singapore for First-Timers
The practical primer for a first trip: entry and arrival, getting around on the MRT, money and tipping, the heat and the rain, the rules that matter, and which of the headline sights to book ahead.
Singapore is the easiest big city in Asia to visit for the first time. English is the working language, the trains are fast and spotless, tap water is safe, and almost everything a first-timer wants to see sits within a few MRT stops of Marina Bay. What catches people out is not difficulty but detail: the heat, the afternoon storms, the closing days and timed tickets, and a few local rules that are taken seriously. This guide covers the things worth knowing before you land.
Arriving. Most visitors fly into Changi Airport, regularly voted one of the best in the world. Complete the SG Arrival Card online in the days before you travel; immigration is mostly automated and fast. Before you leave the airport, walk across to Jewel, the glass dome beside Terminal 1, to see the forty-meter Rain Vortex waterfall; it is free and the best possible introduction to the city's style. The MRT runs from the airport into town in under an hour with one change, and taxis and ride-hailing cars are plentiful and reasonably priced for the journey downtown.
Getting around. The MRT is the backbone: clean, air-conditioned and frequent, with six main lines that reach almost every sight in this guide. You can tap in and out with a contactless bank card or phone, so there is no need to buy a travel card. Buses use the same payment. Eating and drinking are not allowed on trains, and durians are famously banned. Taxis and ride-hailing apps are good value for short trips at night or in the rain. Walking is pleasant in the early morning and evening, and the city has many covered walkways, but in the middle of the day you will want to hop between air-conditioned spaces.
Money and tipping. Singapore is not cheap: hotels, alcohol and restaurant meals cost as much as in major Western cities. Food at hawker centres, by contrast, costs a few dollars a plate, and it is some of the best eating in the city. Restaurant bills usually carry a service charge plus goods and services tax (the menu prices are written with "++" to show this), and tipping is not expected beyond that. Cards and mobile payments are accepted almost everywhere, but carry some small cash for hawker stalls. Visitors can claim back GST on larger purchases through the tourist refund scheme at the airport.
Heat, rain and what to wear. It is hot and humid all year, rarely far from the low thirties Celsius by day. Showers and thunderstorms are common, often in the afternoon or evening, and usually pass within an hour; carry a small umbrella and plan indoor attractions (the Oceanarium, the National Gallery, the Gardens by the Bay domes) for the wettest part of the day. Light, breathable clothes are best, but bring a layer: air-conditioning indoors is strong. Temples and mosques require covered shoulders and knees, and you remove your shoes in Hindu temples and mosques.
The rules that matter. Singapore's reputation for strict laws is partly a joke and partly real. Littering, jaywalking and smoking outside designated areas can be fined; chewing gum is not sold; and drug offences carry severe penalties. In practice, behave as you would in any well-run city and you will have no trouble. It is one of the safest cities in the world, day and night.
What to book ahead. Most attractions sell timed or dated tickets, and booking online is cheaper and avoids queues. Book the Night Safari first, since its early-evening slots sell out; then the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark for a sunset slot; then Gardens by the Bay's Flower Dome and Cloud Forest, checking that your date is not one of the monthly maintenance days. Universal Studios and the Singapore Oceanarium are dated tickets; buy an Express Pass for Universal on weekends and holidays. Free sights need no booking: the Supertree light show, the Botanic Gardens, Chinatown, Little India, Kampong Gelam and Sentosa's beaches.
The essential list. If you see nothing else, see these: Gardens by the Bay at dusk, with the domes in the afternoon and the free light show at 7:45pm or 8:45pm; the view from the SkyPark or from the waterfront promenade at night; a hawker centre meal in Chinatown, ideally at Maxwell or Chinatown Complex; Little India and Kampong Gelam on foot, for the city's living heritage; the Night Safari, which exists nowhere else; and the Botanic Gardens early in the morning. Families should add Singapore Zoo and a Sentosa day; culture lovers, the National Gallery.
How long to stay. Three full days covers the highlights comfortably; four or five lets you add Sentosa, the Zoo and a slower pace. Singapore also works well as a stopover, and even a single day, with the Botanic Gardens in the morning, Chinatown for lunch, and Marina Bay and the Supertrees in the evening, gives you the essence of the city. Whatever the length, build each day around the heat: outdoor sights early and late, air-conditioned museums and malls in the middle, and the evenings, when the city is at its most beautiful, for the waterfront and the hawker centres.
A few small things that help. Power sockets are the three-pin British type. Mobile data is cheap and fast, and an eSIM bought before you fly saves queueing at the airport. Most locals switch easily between English and Singlish, the local creole, and the friendly bluntness is part of the charm. Queue patiently, give up seats on the MRT to older passengers, and do not take food or drink onto trains. Public toilets are clean and plentiful in malls and stations. Finally, slow down: the city's best moments, a kopi at a neighbourhood coffee shop, a breeze on the waterfront at dusk, a shared table at a hawker centre, come when you stop rushing between sights.