Singapore 3-Day Itinerary

Going to Singapore soon and trying to find out what can you do in this small city-state? There are plenty to do but if you only have three days to spare, then you can take this guide as a reference to enjoy this lovely country with lots of sunshine and trees. Yes, Singapore is famous of having lots of greenery here with clean streets and cheap delicious food. This is a 3-day itinerary for you to discover the beauty of Singapore.

Day One

Raffles Hotel

Pay a visit to one of Singapore most iconic architecture, Raffles Hotel. Built in 1887, this is one of few remaining 19th centuries hotels around the world. Here you can admire the architecture beauty of the building where famous people such as author Rudyard Kipling, Charlie Chaplin and Queen Elizabeth II stayed before. If you wish, you can try the famous Singapore Sling which is believed to be created in this hotel bar in 1915. Let me warn you, the cocktail drink is kind of pricey so be prepared to part your money if you would like to try.

National Gallery Singapore

Previously the City Hall and Supreme Court buildings, now it holds beautifully painted local and Southeast Asian paintings. Here you can enjoy visual arts, in an air-conditioning environment, while touring the City Hall and Supreme Court, completed with jail cells that used to hold the prisoners awaiting for their fates.

Merlion Park

The Merlion is an icon symbolises Singapore. This mystical creature is made of a lion head with a fish body. If you step into any souvenir shops in Singapore, you will definitely find souvenirs depict the Merlion in every possible ways. So why not taking a selfie with the huge Merlion statue in the Merlion Park? This can be a real conversation opener if you talk about visiting Singapore.

Esplanade – Theatre On The Bay

You can see this spiky architecture building from the Merlion Park and it is called the Esplanade. The locals called it the “Durian” as the roof top looks very similar to the locals’ favourite fruit, durian. Like the name suggested, Esplanade holds local and international music concerts, mostly the classical music. It also has a public library that contains hundreds of books relating to music. Some weekends, it has mini outdoor music concerts at the Esplanade Park where everyone can enjoy music while strolling down the bay or sipping cocktails at the nearby restaurants.

Helix Bridge

A striking pedestrian bridge that links the Marina Bay area with Marina Bay Sands. The design of the bridge is inspired by the curved DNA structure and it has won a few local and international awards because of its unique design. From here, you get a good view of the Float@Marina Bay, the Esplanade, the Merlion and the Marina Bay area.

Marina Bay Sands

Internationally known hotel brand for its luxurious hotel suite, big convention centers and one of the two casinos in Singapore, this is easily one of the top visited places in Singapore. It has Michelin-star restaurants, luxury retail shops, largest infinity pool (on the 57th floor), modern ArtScience Museum and the best view of the Marina Bay area. Only hotel guests are allowed to go to the infinity pool. However, you can always get tickets to the observation deck to see the panoramic view of Marina Bay area. Another place worth instagrammable is the teamLab’s Space exhibition inside the ArtScience Museum. It is made out of 170,000 LED lights which illuminate like the stars in the sky.

Gardens By The Bay

This 101 hectares of nature park is filled with climate-controlled domes, plenty of variety of flower species, modern sculptures, giant Supertrees and outdoor gardens. Day time, you can take a stroll on the 22 metres high skyway to enjoy panoramic view of the Marina Bay area. Or you can walk inside the Flower Dome or Cloud Forest to get away from the heat outdoor. If you are hungry, there are plenty of cafes and restaurants in the park to fill your hungry stomachs. It even has a Children’s Garden that is filled with trampolines, balancing beams, hanging bridges, water play and treehouses to burn off their everlasting energy. When it comes to nightfall, you can enjoy the free lights shows at the Supertrees Grove where the trees come to live with music and lights.

Day Two

Chinatown

Start you day at Chinatown with dim sum at one of the restaurants or local breakfast of toast with kaya butter and soft-boiled eggs. And then, you can take a stroll down Chinatown streets where lots of shops selling souvenirs. You may want to try to visit the Sri Mariamman Hindu Temple along the Chinatown streets, Chinatown Heritage Centre and Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum.

If you still around Chinatown during lunch time, then I would recommend you to try the One Michelin-star hawker food, Hawker Chan’s Hong Kong Soya Chicken Rice & Noodles inside Chinatown Food Complex which only costs S$2 per plate of chicken rice. However, the queue can be quite long and it is also very crowded in the hawker center during lunch hour. Another option is to try the same chicken rice but in a restaurant setting just next to Chinatown Food Complex. It is an air-conditioned shops but more pricey (around S$4 per plate).

Tiong Bahru

If you are not going to have lunch in Chinatown, consider going to Tiong Bahru area for lunch. This is like a hipsters’ place where is full of delicious food such as Tiong Bahru Bakery with variety of baker’s goods, numerous cafes such as Forty Hands and Flock Cafes for your all day breakfast and coffee fix. And then there is also a huge hawker center where you get cheap and yummy food.

Singapore Botanic Gardens

This is the only UNESCO World Heritage site in Singapore (for the time being). It is the first and only tropical garden in the UNESCO World Heritage list. What you can find here are more than 1000 species of orchid flowers (the national flower of Singapore), hundred species of tropical plants that are used by indigenous communities in this region, Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden that is dedicated to children for exploration, adventure and game, and lastly the rainforest right in the middle of this city. In addition, there is also a swan lake in the middle of this huge garden where symphony orchestras are held at the stage here for the delights of classical fans during weekends. Entrance is free except for the National Orchid Garden which charges S$5 for adults and S$1 for students and seniors.

Orchard Road

This is Singapore equivalent of Champ Élysées of Paris, Fifth Avenues of New York or Ginza of Tokyo, where you can enjoy world-class shopping and dining experience. Here you can find luxury and international brands, value-for-money retail shops, Michelin-stars restaurants, cheap eats, hip cafes, bars, supermarkets, hotels, a modern public library, indoor rock climbing, indoor trampoline and many more.

Day Three

Sentosa

Get a full breakfast today because you will need to get yourself going till late night! Brace yourself for fun-filled thrilling activities mix with beach and seaside view. Sentosa is an island south of Singapore that is connected with a bridge. You can literary walk from Singapore downtown to Sentosa. The Sentosa Boardway, that links Singapore largest shopping mall, Vivocity, with Sentosa Island, provides stunning view of the harbour. What you can find in Sentosa Island are:-

• Universal Studios
• Adventure Cove Waterpark
• Casino
• Trick Eye Museum
• Madame Tussauds Singapore
• Mega Adventure Park (outdoor)
• S.E.A Aquarium
• Cable car
• Skyline Luge
• KidZania Singapore
• and many more…

These are just some highlights of the island. There are many more outdoor or indoor activities you can choose, from thrill-seeking adventure activities to nature and wildlife or easy relaxing near the beach. This is where the actions are so you should just spend the whole day here. At night, there are light shows such as the Crane Dance and Lake of Dreams too.

Jewel Changi

This should be your last place to visit before boarding the plane. Try to plan a few hours earlier to reach Changi airport. Then you can walk to Jewel Changi for a quick shopping and dining before leaving Singapore.

Jewel Changi is the latest hype in Singapore where you get to experience dining scenes which are not usually seen in Singapore such as Shake Shack, A&W, Boston based ice cream parlour chain Emack & Bolio’s, London’s casual eatery Burger and Lobster. Other than shopping and dining, Jewel Changi has some attractions that are out of this world. For example the HSBC Rain Vortex, which is the world’s largest and tallest indoor waterfall, standing at 40 metres (130 ft) high. Another one is the Shiseido Forest Valley which is one of Asia’s largest indoor gardens, spanning five stories and approximately 22,000 square meters. There is also a Canopy Park that includes a suspension bridge, 23 metres above ground and it offers panoramic view of the Rain Vortex.

These are my recommended 3 days itinerary in Singapore. If you have any recommendations, please leave your feedback in the comment section.

If you are interested in reading more about Singapore, please click the links below:-

• Singapore Botanic Gardens
• Singapore Science Center
• Walking in Singapore

Some itineraries from other bloggers:

• Singapore Itinerary from Detourista.com
• 5 Must See in Singapore from A Mindful Traveler

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