An island city-state where everyone speaks English, the transport is immaculate, the tap water is drinkable and you can eat Michelin-starred food for four pounds. The gentlest possible introduction to Asia.
Three or four nights is right. A fortnight is a lot of Singapore.
Singapore is small — you can cross the island in under an hour — and it's expensive by regional standards. Its real value is as the first leg of a longer trip: Bali, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia are all short hops away, and Singapore is where you recover from the thirteen-hour flight before doing anything demanding. It's also where nervous first-time Asia travellers find their feet, because nothing about it is difficult.
One great garden, one great food culture, and a lot of very good air conditioning.
The Supertree light show at 7.45 and 8.45pm, free. The Cloud Forest dome with its indoor waterfall is worth the ticket.
Maxwell, Lau Pa Sat, Old Airport Road. Some stalls hold Michelin stars and charge under five pounds. This is the reason to come.
The SkyPark observation deck, or the infinity pool if you're staying. The view back over the bay at dusk is the picture.
Shophouses, the Sultan Mosque, sari shops and the best-value food in the city. The half most visitors skip.
UNESCO-listed, free, and the orchid garden is the finest anywhere. Go early before the heat builds.
Sentosa for beaches and Universal Studios; Pulau Ubin for a bicycle and a glimpse of Singapore before the towers.
Small island, excellent metro. Anywhere near an MRT station works.
Marina Bay Sands and the Gardens on your doorstep. Spectacular and the priciest.
Shophouses, hawker centres and temples. Central, characterful and much better value.
The Arab Quarter. Independent shops, good bars, and the most atmospheric streets in the city.
Malls and family hotels, well connected but with less character.
It's two degrees off the equator, so it's 27–32°C and humid every single day of the year.
February to April is marginally drier and the most comfortable. November to January is the north-east monsoon with heavier rain, though it still comes in bursts rather than all day. Nothing closes for weather. The bigger seasonal factors are Chinese New Year, when much of Chinatown shuts and prices rise, and the Formula One weekend in September, which fills every hotel.
13 hours direct to Changi (SIN), repeatedly voted the world's best airport.
MRT to the centre in about 45 minutes, or a taxi in 20. Both straightforward.
Singapore dollar. Cards accepted everywhere; hawker stalls increasingly take contactless.
The MRT is fast, cheap and air-conditioned. Tap in with a contactless bank card — no need for a local card.
We'll come back with hotels near the right MRT stop, and price a second destination alongside if you want one.
For three or four nights, yes. Most people pair it with Bali, Malaysia, Thailand or Australia — it's the natural first leg.
Hotels and alcohol, yes. Food and transport are remarkably cheap if you eat where locals eat.
Very. Universal Studios, the zoo's night safari, Gardens by the Bay, and everything is safe, clean and air-conditioned.
Changi is a destination in itself — a rooftop pool, gardens and a waterfall. Anything over five hours is worth leaving the airport for.
Flights, a central hotel and transfers as one package. We book the museum and gallery slots that sell out, and tell you which ones to book yourself.
Guide prices, per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, central accommodation and airport transfers. They indicate what a break of this type has typically cost and are not an offer or a quotation. Your price depends on dates, party, departure airport and availability, and is confirmed in writing before any payment is taken.
Ready-built itineraries with flights, transfers and internal hops booked as one package, ATOL protected. Every one can be reshaped around your dates.
12 nights · Apr–Oct · from £1,749pp
13 nights · Nov–Mar · from £1,649pp
13 nights · Nov–Mar · from £2,099pp
13 nights · Dec–Mar · from £1,599pp
14 nights · Apr–Oct · from £1,849pp
15 nights · Apr–Oct · from £2,199pp
14 nights · Mar–Apr, Oct–Nov · from £2,999pp
12 nights · Nov–Mar · from £1,849pp
