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Our one day in Singapore on our way to Indonesia might not have been planned, but it became one of my favorite memories from our entire trip. While we had initially planned to spend two days in Yogyakarta, our second flight got rescheduled leaving us with ample time to explore the city-state.
Below you will find my curated guide to spending one day in Singapore, filled with the best (gluten free) restaurants to visit, the sights you should not miss and other tips. However, if you do have the luxury of time, you should spend more time in the city. We did not stray far from the Central Area and although Singapore is small, it has so much more to discover. But, if you’re just passing through, here is what you absolutely cannot miss to do.
Getting There
How you get to Singapore completely depends on where you come from. Although, after a quick search I found this couple who are overlanding from the Netherlands to Singapore at the moment, which is just incredible. Go check them out! But, if you need to get to Singapore quickly, there are some other options.
As you are reading this article, you are probably planning on flying to Singapore. We flew from Amsterdam with Singapore Airlines and were blown away by their service on board and their gluten free options. It might have been plane food, but it sure was not plain! We found the cheapest tickets through Skyscanner, which never fails!
Besides by plane and car, did you know you can take the train from Malaysia to Singapore? Multiple trains leave each day from Johor Bahru Sentral to Woodlands, Singapore and tickets are around five dollars. The best part? The train only takes five minutes! If you are coming from Indonesia and do not want to fly, there are also multiple ferry routes you can take from the Riau Islands. You can check out departure times and tickets on Omio.
How to Get Around
Once you are in Singapore it is very easy to get around. There are various subway lines that can take you almost anywhere. What is even better: you don’t need to buy tickets, but just need to tap your credit card against the scanner on the gate to check-in. If you are traveling without a credit card and only brought your debit card, you will have to buy a ticket. A pickpocket stole my wallet a couple of days before our trip, which made getting around the city tough.
Besides the subway, Singapore has a great bus system too. If you need to go somewhere only a cab will take you, you should download the Grab app, which is similar to Uber and is also widely used in Singapore and Indonesia. We used it nearly everyday on our trip and loved it!
Where to Stay
Singapore is full of amazing hotels, although most of them are quite pricey. Overall, the city is not cheap, so saving on accommodation is a good idea! Luckily, there is a generous amount of hostels to choose from. Like the adorable Atelier Hostel with its ornate furniture and baroque decorations, or the modern Code Hostel.
We chose a hotel for the one night, mainly because we knew we would be too exhausted to worry about our stuff in a shared room. The Mercure ICON Hotel was great: they had funky art in the lobby and the room was extremely comfortable. If you are feeling fancy, you could stay at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel (more on that later), but if you are more in our price range the Cube Social Boutique Capsule Hotel or the minimalist Kinn Studios are both great options.
Itinerary for One Day in Singapore
Morning
Singapore is all about food, so let us start your one day in Singapore with breakfast! Even though we had breakfast on the plane, I had to visit the gluten free bakery in the city: The Whole Kitchen. Located near Chinatown it is easy to find. However, they offer their products at multiple supermarkets and stores across the city as well, so you will always be able to find some of their gluten free goodness. I chose a pain au chocolate, lemon cake and a cup of coffee, but there was so much to try! From salads to sandwiches and so many snacks and pastries, I could eat here every day. This should be your first stop of the day, even if your hotel includes breakfast.
With your belly full it is time to explore the most colorful area of the country: Kampong Glam. This area can be reached by subway and is the furthest you will go on your one day in Singapore. Also known as the Malaysian-Muslim neighborhood, the streets are lined with colorful homes that sport brightly painted shutters and palm trees as their front yards. All these streets lead up to the centerpiece of the neighborhood: the white and golden Sultan Mosque. Kampong Glam transported us back to pre-skyscraper Singapore and is thus worth taking the time to wander around.
Afternoon
After exploring Kampong Glam it will probably be around lunchtime. So, take the subway back to the city center and visit one of Singapore’s many hawker’s centers. These are street food markets that serve various dishes from the many cultures that inhabit the city. If you just have one day in Singapore but still want to experience the city’s diversity, what better way than through food?
We had snacks and lunch at two hawker’s markets, the first one being Lau Pa Sat. Originally a Victorian fish market, the building now has over eighty food stalls, both in- and outdoors. Just looking at this market is a feast for your eyes, the contrast of its century old façade with the tall modern buildings behind it. Wessel had some bao buns here which were great for a snack, but there was so much more to choose from! Indian food, Mongolian cuisine and China’s dim sum: there is something here for everyone.
The Maxwell Food Center is another great option and apparently has one of the best chicken and rice dishes, also known as Hainanese chicken, in Singapore. There were so many stands offering the same dish, we were not sure which one was the one. We also got a chicken potato curry which was absolutely delicious and, in my opinion, trumped the chicken and rice. The latter was a lot simpler, but still very cozy. Great for when you are bedridden with the flu!
Both hawker’s centers are close to or in Chinatown, so while you are eating, make sure to wander around and a get a fresh juice at the stand on the picture below. Buddhism is the biggest religion in Singapore, thus you can find the loveliest temples around the area, like the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum. Multiple ornate Hindu temples are scattered around the city as well, so make sure to check these out too on your one day in Singapore.
Once you have tasted and seen all that Chinatown has to offer, it is time to either walk like we did or take the subway to your final stop for the day: the Gardens by the Bay. Its Supertrees form the marketing picture of the city. You can climb up and between the trees over the Skyway, but make sure to wander around the rest of the gardens as well. We found the park itself as, and perhaps even more, impressive than the Supertree Grove. With amazing sculptures like my favorite chrome lily pond and so many plants and flowers we had never seen before, the Gardens by the Bay were a feast to our eyes. So, take your time to wander around before checking the Supertrees of your list.
Finally, on the edge of the water you can find the two indoor gardens the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest. If you have some time left it is worth checking them out, but we found Singapore itself to be green enough for us. Every skyscraper was covered in vertical gardens and you could not go anywhere without spotting a tree or two. Plus, if you are here on a lay-over, chances are you will be visiting the Jewel next to the airport soon enough where you will see the biggest indoor waterfall surrounded by lush forest.
Still, the ingenuity that Singapore as a country exhibits can be found in the landscaping and architecture of the two indoor gardens, and we will be back here someday. If you are planning to see it all and buy your tickets here, you also get access to the Marina Bay Sands Skypark Observation Deck, where you get the best view of Singapore and the Gardens. Tickets to the Skyway – the bridge between the Supertrees – can only be bought at the ticket counters in the park, however.
Evening
With this itinerary you will end your one day in Singapore atop the Marina Bay Sands, the city’s iconic hotel consisting of three pillars connected at the top with what looks like a boat. While the hotel itself will cost you about €800 a night, having a drink at one of its rooftop restaurants is a much cheaper way to experience the glitz, the glam and the view. We chose Spago Bar & Lounge, the Californian style restaurant overlooking the infinity pool. But you can also go to their other Asian-style restaurant Cé La Vi.
The minimum-spend here is thirty Singapore dollars per person, and cocktails are twenty-nine dollars (yes, really). But we did not mind as we ordered one scrumptious sushi roll with it. If the sushi is that great, the rest of the food must be too, so if you want to spend the money, I would suggest having dinner here. Plus, you can watch the sunset over the city while you are having a romantic dinner in Singapore’s fanciest hotel.
Another option is to just get some drinks and go on a food tour for dinner, like this Local Hawker Food Tour. The city is a foodie Walhalla, and your one day in Singapore is not complete without trying as much as you can. Our schedule looked a little different because we took a huge nap in the afternoon, but a guided food tour is on our list for next time.
After dinner, make your way to the observation point in front of the Marina Bay Sands (just follow the signs downstairs), or to the Skyway if you have tickets. Every night, the Supertrees give a magical light show, which will be the cherry on top of your one day in Singapore. For us, it was extra magical, as the sky decided to put on a light show of its own as well!
Back at the airport
Once you have had a good night’s sleep, or need to get back to the airport at any part of the day, carve out some extra time to visit the Jewel. Drop off your bags and take the Skytrain there. Here you will find an indoor garden called the Shiseido Forest Valley, multiple food courts, and of course the famous waterfall, the Jewel Rain Vortex. All the way at the top you can also visit multiple attractions like a bouncing and walking net, discovery slides and the Mastercard Canopy Bridge. Get your tickets here.
On our second lay-over in Singapore we had eight hours to kill, so we decided to have our dinner at the Jewel. While the restaurants at the top of the mall looked lovely, we sat down at a small sushi restaurant called Sushi Tei. The rolls, which we could order through an iPad, were freshly made before our eyes by two chefs and were to die for. I could not recommend sitting down at Sushi Tei enough. Even if you just have two hours, leaving and reentering the airport is super easy, so there is no excuse to miss this place.
Final thoughts
Our lay-over in Singapore could not have been better. Despite our jetlag and sleep deprivation the city kept us on our toes. We could not stop exploring, except for the much-needed nap in the afternoon. Because the country is so small, seeing a lot in one day is doable, but we will be back one day to spend more time here. But before we do, we have three weeks in Indonesia to cover, so if you want to stay up to date with the latest blogs, make sure to follow me on Instagram or sign up to my newsletter. See you next week!
