I visited Singapore in December 2007 for the first time, and oh boy it was definitely love at first sight! Coming back to this beauty in 2015, it felt like a fresh trip, with so many changes this city had undergone.
I had already covered: Sentosa, Singapore Zoo, Jurong Bird Park and a few other conventional sight seeing places in my previous trip. These attractions are a must see; however I highly recommend visiting the zoo in the day time. The night safari was not very worth the time and money.
Also- Jurong has the birds of paradise from Tahiti; so if you are a bird lover, DO visit this place and you won’t be disappointed.
Singapore is a very charming place even now, with so much to see, experience, eat and shop!
We stayed stones throw away from Orchard road, which is Singapore’s shopping district. It is always abuzz with beautiful people at any given time! In this trip, we decided to explore the city at our own pace.
We started off with some dinner and drinks at Orchard road and strolled around the place till midnight. We took a bus to Clarke Quay, enjoyed a couple of drinks while watching the spectacular laser show at Marina Bay in front of us, the beautiful array of lights at Esplanade and the magnificent Merlion on all sides surrounding us.
The views, were indeed breathtaking, and we couldn’t have asked for a better evening.
We bought a 2 day city pass the next day, to explore the following:
- Singapore Flyer
- Clarke Quay
- Boat Quay
- Esplanade
- Gardens by the Bay – Marina Bay
- China Town
- Little India
If you want to let your hair down and have a good time in the evening with some good music, fun activities and surrounded by people with high energies- explore Clarke Quay and Boat Quay. Some of the best bars and restaurants are situated here; and there is no dearth of talent when it comes to listening to bands performing live music.
Singapore Flyer is an engineering marvel. We got into a ‘capsule’ and were also lucky since there was no rush that day; and hence had the whole capsule to ourselves 🙂 . One can see Indonesian islands, Johor and Malaysia from here on a clear day. Apart from the iconic views of Singapore such as Marina Bay, Esplanade, the Singapore Night Race Track and Empress Palace to name a few. Do not miss this!
Right below the Singapore Flyer is the F1 race track. If you are an avid F1 follower, do take a stroll on this one to experience a small fraction of percentage of what it feels like to be cruising at 200mph!
Gardens by the bay – Such a spectacular attraction with beautiful colorful lighting all over – this place is like a ‘rainforest’ ! The cloud forest is a must see!
Take some cash handy for shopping at Funan – for electronics and Chinatown. Most of the shops here accept cash only, and make sure you bargain well! The local Chinese food is also quite mind blowing- and I state this as a vegetarian. The food is yummy; and the best part is that the chefs will customize your needs to make it memorable for you!
Little India is pretty much like India, lots of gold souks and authentic Indian food served. You can avoid this if you are an Indian, unless you crave for a scrumptious meal 🙂
I have purposely not mentioned Universal Studios – as I have experienced this in LA, and it is absolutely splendid! If you haven’t been to it before, this one is a MUST-GO too. The rides, 4d, 7d experiences are amazing here.
Make sure that you are sufficiently hydrated and carry a bottle of water, as the weather is quite humid throughout the year. Most of the time sunny, with an exception of haze for a few months.
Singapore is my favourite city after Berlin, and it is one of the safest, cleanest and best cities to work in. As a tourist IMO, it is better to experience local attractions, food and sightseeing rather than sticking to a conventional plan such as: Madame Tussaud’s museum or Mall shopping.
Tales of a wanderlust junkie 