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🇸🇬Things to Do in Singapore
From Gardens by the Bay's Supertrees to Sentosa's beaches - the essential sights, and how to keep your own record of them.
Travel guide - last updated September 2026
Singapore is small enough to see thoroughly in a few days and clean, safe and easy enough that it doubles as a stress-free stopover on a longer Southeast Asia trip. Its main draw is density - futuristic gardens, colonial architecture, hawker food and an island resort all sit within a short train ride of each other. Here are 8 places worth building a trip around.
Top attractions
The sights most first-time visitors build an itinerary around.
Gardens by the Bay
A futuristic park built around the Supertree Grove and two climate-controlled domes (Cloud Forest and Flower Dome). The Supertrees light up in a free evening show most nights.
📍 Marina Bay
🚉 Nearest station: Bayfront on the Circle and Downtown lines, exit B, which leads through an underpass straight to the Supertree Grove.
Marina Bay Sands
The iconic three-tower hotel with a rooftop infinity pool (guests only) and a public observation deck open to everyone for a view over the whole bay and skyline.
📍 Marina Bay
🚉 Nearest station: Bayfront on the Circle and Downtown lines - the station sits underneath the hotel and shopping mall, so you arrive without stepping outside.
Sentosa Island
A resort island connected by cable car, monorail or a walkable boardwalk, home to Universal Studios Singapore, S.E.A. Aquarium, and several beaches.
📍 Sentosa
🚉 Take the MRT to HarbourFront on the North East and Circle lines, then the Sentosa Express monorail from VivoCity level 3, the cable car, or simply walk across the boardwalk.
Hawker Centres
Open-air food courts serving Singapore's multicultural cuisine at low prices - Maxwell Food Centre and Lau Pa Sat are two of the best-known, and several hawker stalls hold Michelin recognition.
📍 Chinatown & the CBD
🚉 The famous ones are all next to stations: Maxwell at Chinatown on the North East line, Lau Pa Sat at Telok Ayer, Old Airport Road at Dakota, and Tiong Bahru at the station of the same name.
Chinatown, Little India & Kampong Glam
Three historic ethnic districts within walking distance of the city centre, each with its own temples, street food and architecture - easily combined into a single day of walking.
📍 Chinatown, Little India & Kampong Glam
🚉 Each has its own MRT stop - Chinatown on the North East and Downtown lines, Little India on the same two, and Bugis for Kampong Glam and the Sultan Mosque.
Merlion Park
Home to Singapore's half-lion, half-fish national symbol, with the Marina Bay Sands skyline as a backdrop - a quick stop rather than a destination in itself.
📍 Marina Bay
🚉 Nearest station: Raffles Place on the North South and East West lines, exit H, then a five-minute walk across the Cavenagh or Anderson bridge to the waterfront promenade.
Singapore Botanic Gardens
A UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the few gardens in the world with that designation, including the National Orchid Garden - free to enter except for the orchid section.
📍 Tanglin
🚉 Nearest station: Botanic Gardens on the Circle and Downtown lines, at the Bukit Timah gate; Napier station on the Thomson-East Coast line serves the Tanglin end and the orchid garden.
Singapore Zoo & Night Safari
An open-concept zoo without traditional cages, paired with the world's first nocturnal wildlife park (the Night Safari) for a completely different visit after dark.
📍 Mandai
🚉 There is no MRT to the zoo: take the North South line to Khatib and the free Mandai Khatib Shuttle, or the Springleaf station shuttle on the Thomson-East Coast line.
Mark Singapore, get the stamp
In MyPassportStory, every country you mark - visited, lived in, or still on the list - becomes a stamp like these in your own travel passport. Add the cities you stopped in, draw the route between them, and turn the whole trip into a shareable passport-style image.
Open MyPassportStoryPlanning questions
How many days do you need in Singapore?
3-4 days covers the main sights thoroughly, including a half-day on Sentosa Island. It's compact enough that even a 1-2 day stopover between flights is worthwhile.
What's the best time to visit Singapore?
Singapore is warm and humid year-round, close to the equator, so there's no strong seasonal difference - it's really about avoiding the heaviest rain, which is more common November-January.
Is Singapore good for a first-time visit?
Yes - it's one of the easiest countries in Asia for a first-time independent visit, with English as an official language, an efficient MRT train system, and very low crime.
Do I need a visa to visit Singapore?
Many nationalities, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and most of the EU, can visit visa-free for short tourist stays (typically 30-90 days depending on passport); other nationalities need a visa arranged in advance. Check the official visa information for your nationality: ica.gov.sg.
What are some things to do in Singapore on a tight budget?
Hawker centre meals cost a fraction of restaurant prices for equally good food, Gardens by the Bay's outdoor gardens and the Supertree light show are free, and the Botanic Gardens (outside the orchid section) cost nothing to enter.
Can I rent a car in Singapore, and what licence do I need?
You can, but almost nobody should: Singapore has one of the world's best metro systems, and owning or hiring a car here is deliberately expensive - Electronic Road Pricing gantries charge by the road and the hour, and city parking is costly. If you do rent, a foreign licence is accepted for up to 12 months when carried with an International Driving Permit or an official English translation. Minimum age is generally 23 with two years of driving experience, and traffic drives on the left. A hire car makes most sense if you are crossing the Causeway into Malaysia - check the rental company allows it first. Official rules are published by the Land Transport Authority at lta.gov.sg and the Traffic Police at police.gov.sg; cars come from Hertz and Avis.