The must-do highlights of Singapore in three days

Singapore packs a lot into a small space. It is a foodie destination despite having virtually no local agriculture, holds huge events like the only original nighttime Formula 1 Grand Prix and has incredible natural beauty hidden among glass and steel towers that cover most of the island. We have an equally packed three-day itinerary that will cover the best of the Lion City.

DAY ONE

Morning

The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.Credit: iStock

Singapore rose to prominence after British statesman Stamford Raffles negotiated a treaty with Johor to establish what would become a thriving free port on the island. The natural sheltered harbour was part of the trading post’s success, so we are starting our three-day itinerary bayside at Marina Bay Sands. Start with the Singapore breakfast of champions at Toast Box: kaya toast, crisp toast soldiers with sweet kaya jam, dipped into barely boiled eggs topped with soy sauce and white pepper with a sock-strained coffee. Hit The Shoppes, a collection of luxury retailers that rivals the famous Orchard Road for high-end variety (but Orchard wins on sheer retail volume). The ArtScience Museum offers immersive exhibitions using cutting-edge technology and has an amazing spot right on the bay.

Afternoon

Walk off lunch at Singapore’s spectacular Gardens by the Bay.Credit: iStock

It’s hawker time for lunch, and across the bay is Lau Pa Sat (Hokkien for old market) that has been a wet market since Stamford Raffles’ time. This market has a more international selection with Korean and Japanese stalls, but it is local faves like thunder tea rice and chicken rice that still have the longest lines. Walk off lunch in Gardens by the Bay, Singapore’s highly produced green playground with the air-conditioned Cloud Forest conservatory for beating the heat, the always-colourful Flower Dome and the giant Supertrees observatory and skywalk, as well as the new and unique in-garden accommodation, Garden Pod. If you need a snack, there is Satay by the Bay, a sizzling collection of things on sticks that runs most of the day. You can also take in the fab retro robots, dolls and collectables at the MINT toy museum.

Evening

Back across the bay to Marina Bay Sands hotel for a cocktail with the best view in Singapore at CE LA VI Sky Bar & Club Lounge. The rooftop bar overlooks an incredible cityscape across the island from the 57th floor and is next to the selfie-famous hotel infinity pool. For dinner, skip the fine dining and take a harbourside stroll to Makansutra Gluttons Bay. This is a hawker market curated by Singapore street food expert KF Seetoh with a best-of selection of chilli crab, mee goreng and skate wing in sambal, as well as the Gluttons Bar.

DAY TWO

Morning

For another iconic Singaporean breakfast, head to Singapore Zoo for the Breakfast in the Wild where you can start your day by eating alongside the zoo’s family of orangutans. Dine at the Ah Meng terrace restaurant and have a photo with your primate relatives before heading off for a wander around one of the best zoos in the world. One highlight is the Fragile Forest, a walk-through enclosure that mimics a tropical rainforest and has free-ranging sloths. Come late morning, you can drop into the nearby Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery, a sprawling Buddhist temple that is particularly busy during Hungry Ghost Festival, when you can smell the bonfires of paper money from blocks away.

Afternoon

The Ion Orchard mall on Orchard Road.Credit: iStock

Head off for an afternoon of retail therapy at Orchard Road, the famous retail strip where several gigantic shopping centres are linked by a series of underground walkways that crisscross the main road and keep you cool on a sultry afternoon. Ion Orchard is a high-end paradise that also contains a Violet Oon restaurant. Oon is the grand dame of Peranakan cooking and it’s a great spot for a late lunch – have the chicken curry. Don’t miss Design Orchard, a retail space dedicated to emerging local designers where you can buy some truly Singaporean souvenirs. You will also see the ice cream uncles selling ice cream sandwiches – for a history of the cool treat, go to the Ice Cream Museum nearby.

Evening

Drop in for an early cocktail at No.5 Emerald Hill, a pioneering bar that has been mixing it up since 1991 in a Peranakan shophouse just off the busy retail strip. Get some greenery in with a walk around Fort Canning Park, the hilltop colonial fort that hosts festivals, ballet under the stars and Shakespeare’s plays, as well as morning tai chi sessions. Take a cheap and easy Singapore taxi to Atlas Bar – one of the best bars in the world, where its Art Deco brilliance resembles a super-villain’s lair. Then wander through the Arab Quarter and Haji Lane, home to the Sultan Mosque and traditional restaurants like HJH Maimunah, and on to Kampong Glam for a night out.

DAY THREE

Morning

Serangoon Road, Little India.Credit: iStock

Serangoon Road, the historic heart of Little India, has always been industrious, first producing rattan and then housing pineapple factories. Do breakfast here right at the Tekka Centre with a roti prata dipped into a rich, spicy curry sauce, washed down with a teh tarik (milky tea). Stroll the colourful streets and check out the tech on sale at Mustafa Centre, the 24-hour, claustrophobically packed shopping centre. Visit the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, one of the oldest temples in Singapore, dedicated to the scary god Kali. Soak in the colour on the streets, the fabric stores and flower shops. If you are lingering long enough for lunch, you have to have the fish head curry at either Muthu’s Curry (dishing the good stuff since 1969) or Banana Leaf Apolo (around since the ’70s).

Afternoon

Singapore’s vibrant Chinatown.Credit: Shutterstock

Spend the afternoon in the hustle and bustle of Chinatown. You could spend weeks working your way through the stalls at the Chinatown Complex Food Centre, but this is a great place to try the Singapore national dish of chicken rice at Tian Yuan Hainanese Chicken Rice hawker stall, or the Michelin-starred Hawker Chan right across the road. Chinatown is a brilliant clash of old and new, so visit the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum which proudly displays one of the great man’s molars and has a quaint rooftop garden with a gong you can ring. Walk along the colourful shopfronts in Sago Street, which have a dark past as “death houses” where many funerals were held, then get a famous egg tart at Tong Heng.

Evening

It is just a short walk to Singapore’s traditional party strip, Club Street, where the shophouses have tables that spill out into a street that is closed to traffic at weekends. Have an early beer here, then move the short distance to its bustling riverside neighbour, Clarke Quay, where huge umbrellas protect revellers from spontaneous monsoonal downpours. Brewerkz is a local craft brewery whose bestseller is the Golden Ale. Get on board the urban farming trend at the sumptuous fine diner Jaan By Kirk Westaway in the Swisshotel that uses the hotel’s urban farm produce on the plate.

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