What to do in Singapore in five days: 10 ways to explore the Lion City

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This was published 8 years ago

What to do in Singapore in five days: 10 ways to explore the Lion City

By Paul Chai
Updated
MacRitichie Reservior, Singapore, is a popular nature retreat for Singaporeans.

MacRitichie Reservior, Singapore, is a popular nature retreat for Singaporeans.

Travellers tend to give Singapore the fast and furious treatment. A stopover, or a shopover? Sure, but can you really fill more than a night or two in the Lion City?

With three rich cultures – Malay, Tamil and Chinese – all combined on one compact island, Singapore represents one of the easiest and most accessible cities in Asia. It has sparkling modernity, age-old tradition and surprising pockets of lush greenery sprouting out from the concrete and glass.

And, with more than one low-cost carrier servicing this city-state, it can be a cheap getaway, too. This year is the perfect time to visit as Singapore is celebrating its 50th anniversary in August with a year-long party itinerary planned, so pack your bags and follow our five-day guide:

The Masjid Sultan, or Sultan Mosque, is at the heart of Kampong Glam.

The Masjid Sultan, or Sultan Mosque, is at the heart of Kampong Glam.

DAY ONE The Malay way

Kampong Glam may sound like a Singaporean drag queen but this is the Malay quarter with the Sultan Mosque at its heart. Start with brunch at Artistry that has Liberty Coffee and a Western brunch menu. Sit inside at the communal table and check out the up-and-coming artists or sit outside to watch Kampong Glam wake up.

As many of the shops don't open until after midday, spend the morning at the Malay Heritage Centre. It's an oasis of green among the shophouses and bustling streets with a wealth of information about Kampong Glam's rich history.

Be prepared to defend your food from the over-friendly macaques that will steal it off your table.

Join the queue of cupcake lovers at Fluff Bakery on Jalan Pisang. They have six flavours daily such as kaya pandan cheese. Then cross the road to have lunch at the venerable Malay eatery, Hajah Maimunah restaurant. You'll be joining another queue but at least it gives you time to decide what to choose. All the Malay dishes are on display, just point for the staff who are happy to pile your plate high with Padang beef rendang, chicken curries or a tower of Tahu Telor Jakarta (tofu omelette). Wear off the food stupor by exploring the Masjid Sultan (Sultan Mosque) then continue down Bussorah Street, a remarkably pretty street despite its shops that are designed to grab the tourist dollar. A stand-out is fragrant oil shop Jamal Kazura Aromatics that has been trading for 80 years. Have dinner at Blu Jaz that also has live music most nights.

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DAY TWO Get it India

Today's breakfast is from AR-Rahman Royal Prata on the ground floor of Tekka Centre. Prata (Indian flatbread) is made theatrically to order and comes with a spicy side of fish curry to dip the flaky bread in. Follow this with a wander through the densely packed sari stalls on the first floor.

Chinatown, Singapore,  during Chinese New Year.

Chinatown, Singapore, during Chinese New Year.

Walk the streets and check the shops laden with Indian spices, music and movies, then visit the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple on Serangoon Road. This ornate Hindu temple, completed in the 1880s, is dedicated to the goddess Kali. Anyone familiar with the Indiana Jones movies will remember that Kali can be pretty fearsome and at the rear of the temple is a gory depiction of her wreaking some old-school vengeance.

Lunch is at the Banana Leaf Apolo, a great place to try fish head curry (which was invented in Little India as a mash-up of Chinese and Indian cuisine). There are no plates here, all food is served on foliage.

Mustafa Centre, the 24-hour shopping centre on Serangoon Road is consumer chaos. Sprawling across 37,000 square metres and six storeys, there are more than 300,000 items on display. You can buy anything here, if you can find it.

The Empress Place building, Asian Civilisation Museum, Civic District, Singapore.

The Empress Place building, Asian Civilisation Museum, Civic District, Singapore.

Dinner is at The French Stall, an open-air, expat-heavy French diner in an old shophouse; get the profiteroles and eat them quickly to avoid them melting.

DAY THREE Chinese whispers

Start on the Chinatown borders at Ya Kun Kaya Toast in Far East Plaza. Order a kaya toast set (pandan jam toast, two soft-boiled eggs and coffee), mix soy sauce and white pepper into your eggs, dip your toast. Repeat. The best Singaporean breakfast there is. Walk down to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, four floors of glitz, glamour and gold surrounding the Buddhist leader's molar. Don't miss the secret garden on the top floor with a giant prayer wheel to turn.

Colourful shopfronts in the vibrant Little India neighbourhood of Singapore.

Colourful shopfronts in the vibrant Little India neighbourhood of Singapore.

Lunch is at Maxwell Road Hawker Centre where you can choose from stalls selling char kway teow (popular fried noodles), omelette with oysters or popiah, plump Peranakan rolls filled with cooked cabbage, chilli and shrimp paste.

In the afternoon, walk up and down Ann Siang Hill for a great view over the roofs of the shophouses and across to the skyscrapers of Raffles Place – the old and new views of Singapore.

In the evening, make your way to Hong Kong Street and look for number 28, there is no sign on the door just a single light. Inside is one of the original Singapore speakeasies, where you can have a classic cocktail and nibbles. Then there is always Maxwell Food Centre again if you get peckish after a drink.

DAY FOUR Shop till you drop

There is a fourth Singaporean culture, worshipping at the God of Consumerism. His temple is Orchard Road, and, while this mega mall can seem daunting, it's full of interesting spots.

Start at the southern end of the strip at Killiney Road Kopitiam for breakfast/brunch. This is another famous kaya toast chain (this outlet is the original), but it also does a mean mee siam (spicy noodles) to start the day. Walk down to Orchard Road and turn left, and start at 313 Somerset, try the giant H&M store on the corner of Cairnhill Road and head up as far as Ngee Ann City. When you are shopped out, take a break for a coffee at PS Cafe in Paragon, the key lime pie is a winner with kids while adults can take on the mountain-sized truffle fries. Further up Orchard you come to Lucky Plaza. This simple mall is full of fab Philippine and Indonesian food and is a big hit with domestic workers who flock here on Sundays. The place for lunch is Ayam Penyet Ria (Smashed Fried Chicken) a spicy Indonesian antidote to KFC that sees its crisp chicken served with a fiery sambal.

For a late afternoon drink, retrace your steps to have a drink in the converted shophouse bar at No 5 Emerald Hill, stroll the well-kept shophouses here and pick any of the nearby restaurants for dinner.

DAY FIVE Green and bold

Start the morning with a wander around MacRitchie Reservoir, a lush rainforest in the middle of the island. Lined with rubber trees, the reservoir has am overwater boardwalk trail that is a favourite of weekend runners. If you have the energy go as far as the TreeTop Walk – a suspension bridge 250 metres up in the trees. Back at the entrance, drop into the Mushroom Cafe for a nasi lemak (Indonesian chicken and rice) breakfast but be prepared to defend your food from the over-friendly macaques that will steal it off your table.

Catch a cab to the Asian Civilisations Museum on the river opposite Boat Quay. Check out Singapore's place in the pan-Asian region and visit the fascinating story of the Singapore River, a mix of artefacts, stories and dioramas on this important artery. From here you can walk to the Merlion statue (it has to be done) and see the view across the Marina Bay Sands. For a late lunch go to Makansutra Gluttons Bay, a hand-picked collection of hawker stalls offering a tasting plate of Singaporean classics. After lunch walk around to The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, a mall full of high-end retail and celebrity-chef restaurants. Come evening it's back around the bay for a secret tipple at Prelude rooftop bar in the Boathouse linked to the Fullerton Hotel. It's usually quiet with a great view of the bay at sunset.

FIVE MORE THINGS TO DO IN SINGAPORE

BREAKFAST WITH ORANG-UTANS

Start the day at one of the world's best free-range zoos, and see some of our closest relatives at close range as they come down from the trees to feed near you. zoo.com.sg

TAKE A RIVER CRUISE

Get a view of the city from a wooden bumboat. rivercruise.com.sg

VISIT THE 10

See the out-there sculptures at Haw Par Villa, a theme park with scenes of torture, 262 Pasir Panjang Road, Singapore.

TAKE THE KIDS TO UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

This young person's heaven is compact and easy to navigate, and the Transformers ride will blow your mind, kid or not, rwsentosa.com

GET LOST IN GARDENS BY THE BAY

Stroll the gardens, climb the Cloud Forest then grab a jug of Tiger beer and a meal at Satay by the Bay, gardensbythebay.com.sg

TRIP NOTES

MORE INFORMATION

yoursingapore.com

GETTING THERE

Major airlines Singapore Airlines (singaporeair.com), Qantas (qantas.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and British Airways (britishairways.com) all fly to Singapore from Melbourne and Sydney. For low-cost carriers, Scoot (flyscoot.com) flies from Sydney to Singapore and Jetstar (jetstar.com) flies from Melbourne to Singapore.

STAYING THERE

Hotel Clover

Doubles from S$280 with breakfast at this good mid-range option in the Arab Quarter with a foyer referencing its former life as a textile house.

769 North Bridge Road; hotelclover.com.sg

The Pod

Avoid pricey accommodation at this "pod hotel", basically a post hostel where you sleep in your own pod in a dorm room. Prices start at S$80 and the hotel has a concierge to help you with arrangements.

289 Beach Road, thepod.com.sg

DINING THERE

Artistry, art gallery and cafe space, 17 Jalan Pinang, artistryspace.com. Fluff Bakery opens at midday and closes when sold out, 12 Jalan Pisang, fluffbakery.sg. Blu Jaz has live music and cheap eats, 11 Bali Lane, blujazcafe.net. AR-Rahman Royal Prata, #01-248, Tekka Centre, 665 Race Course Road; no website. Banana Leaf Apolo, 54 Race Course Road, no website. The French Stall, 544 Serangoon Road, no website. Ya Kun Kaya Toast, 18 China Street, #01-01, Far East Plaza, yakun.com. Maxwell Road Hawker Centre, 1 Kadayanallur St; no website. 28 Hong Kong Street, 28 Hong Kong Street, 28hks.com. Killiney Kopitiam, 67 Killiney Road, killiney-kopitiam.com. PS Café, Paragon S.C, 290 Orchard Road, Level 3, pscafe.com. Ayam Penret Ria, #01-45, Lucky Plaza, Orchard Road; ayampenyetria.com. No.5 Emerald Hill, 5 Emerald Hill, emerald-hill.com. Makansutra Gluttons Bay, makansutra.com. Prelude rooftop bar, 3 Fullerton Rd #04-01
The Waterboat House, boathouse.com.sg.

SEE + DO

Malay Heritage Centre. Catch a guided tour at 11am. Closed Mondays. 85 Sultan Gate, Singapore, malayheritage.org.sg. Sultan Mosque, 3 Muscat Street, sultanmosque.sg. Get some healing oils at Jamal Kazura, 21 Bussorah Street, jamalkazura.com. Mustafa Centre, Serangoon Road, mustafa.com.sg. MacRitchie Reservoir, nparks.gov.sg. Asian Civilisations Museum, 1 Empress Place; acm.org.sg. The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, Art Science Museum, marinabaysands.com.

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