Things to do in Singapore

In a country where a common greeting is “have you eaten?” in place of “how are you?” you know you are not going to go hungry! The melting pot of cultures in Singapore means that there is an incredible variety of food on offer – whether you opt for a cheap and cheerful road-side zi char joint or a fine-dining celebrity chef-owned establishment. The majority of locals eat in the hawker centres – the city’s version of street food, where you can pick up a plate of local cuisine for as little as $3 or $4.

Apart from eating, the other national pastime in Singapore is shopping - you just need to visit a shopping mall at the weekend to prove the theory. Orchard Road is the main shopping thoroughfare and boasts the highest concentration of shopping malls in the world. It’s all about brands here, and the bigger and flashier the mall the better. In fact Singaporeans are so obsessed with shopping that they dedicate an entire two months a year to celebrating consumerism, with the Great Singapore Sale running annually from May to July, with many shops slashing prices by up to 70%.

Singapore is not called the Garden City for nothing, boasting a huge number of national parks and reserves – quite amazing...  

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In a country where a common greeting is “have you eaten?” in place of “how are you?” you know you are not going to go hungry! The melting pot of cultures in Singapore means that there is an incredible variety of food on offer – whether you opt for a cheap and cheerful road-side zi char joint or a fine-dining celebrity chef-owned establishment. The majority of locals eat in the hawker centres – the city’s version of street food, where you can pick up a plate of local cuisine for as little as $3 or $4.

Apart from eating, the other national pastime in Singapore is shopping - you just need to visit a shopping mall at the weekend to prove the theory. Orchard Road is the main shopping thoroughfare and boasts the highest concentration of shopping malls in the world. It’s all about brands here, and the bigger and flashier the mall the better. In fact Singaporeans are so obsessed with shopping that they dedicate an entire two months a year to celebrating consumerism, with the Great Singapore Sale running annually from May to July, with many shops slashing prices by up to 70%.

Singapore is not called the Garden City for nothing, boasting a huge number of national parks and reserves – quite amazing when you consider that this small island of just 41.8km by 22.5km is home to approximately five million people. The Botanic Gardens make an impressive in-city getaway, and the new gardens being built in the Marina Bay area promise to be equally so. Particularly unique, however, are the areas of preserved rainforest, reservoirs and wetlands within the concrete metropolis, their signposted walking trails and visitor facilities making them popular weekend escapes with the locals.

In a country that has four official languages and four official religions, there is always going to be some sort of cultural festival taking place. The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival lanterns make way for Deepavali lights, which in turn make way for the Christmas decorations… and as the Christmas lights come down, the Chinese New Year lanterns go up. The best places to experience these cultural celebrations are the ethnic enclaves – Little India, Chinatown and the Arab Quarter, although the whole city usually joins in.

Yes it’s hot in Singapore – and extremely humid. Singapore’s weather is also notoriously fickle, so prepare for all eventualities - don’t head out without sunglasses, suncream and an umbrella. What starts as a glorious sunny day can quickly descend into a full-blown thunderstorm in a matter of hours. The good news is it doesn’t usually last long, and the sun will come back out again soon (or at least tomorrow). Singapore also has a very high lightning strike – so if there’s a thunder storm, take shelter!

Singapore's fairly recent development began in the early 1800's when Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles decided it would make an ideal port for the British East Indies Company. Under British colonial rule, the city-state grew by leaps and bounds all through the 1800's, becoming in just a few years one of the busiest ports in the world. World War II wreaked havoc on Singapore: bombings reduced much of the architecture to rubble, and when the British ceded control to the Japanese in 1942, many of its citizens were shipped off to other countries as slave labor, many were executed, and still others were confined to prisoner-of-war camps. During the post-war period, Singapore became a self-governing state, gaining full independence in 1965. Today's Singapore is a true melting pot, home to people of Chinese, Malay and Indian descent, with a significant population of non-citizen residents (temporary workers and ex-pats) from countries as diverse as Korea, Japan, the UK, the US, the Philippines, Bangladesh and Indonesia. There's a vibrant conglomeration of cultures here, with colorful ethnic pockets (remnants of Raffles' segregated urban plan) such as Chinatown, Little India and Arab Street. Singaporeans enjoy a high standard of...  Read more »

Singapore's fairly recent development began in the early 1800's when Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles decided it would make an ideal port for the British East Indies Company. Under British colonial rule, the city-state grew by leaps and bounds all through the 1800's, becoming in just a few years one of the busiest ports in the world. World War II wreaked havoc on Singapore: bombings reduced much of the architecture to rubble, and when the British ceded control to the Japanese in 1942, many of its citizens were shipped off to other countries as slave labor, many were executed, and still others were confined to prisoner-of-war camps. During the post-war period, Singapore became a self-governing state, gaining full independence in 1965. Today's Singapore is a true melting pot, home to people of Chinese, Malay and Indian descent, with a significant population of non-citizen residents (temporary workers and ex-pats) from countries as diverse as Korea, Japan, the UK, the US, the Philippines, Bangladesh and Indonesia. There's a vibrant conglomeration of cultures here, with colorful ethnic pockets (remnants of Raffles' segregated urban plan) such as Chinatown, Little India and Arab Street. Singaporeans enjoy a high standard of living, with a plethora of cultural and social advantages. The country is known for the quality, diversity and abundance of its dining options — indeed, Singaporeans embrace the offerings of street vendors' traditional Asian fare as well as upscale restaurants serving refined European cuisine. Nightlife is rapidly becoming world-class, with numerous establishments grouped along the river at Boat Quay and Clarke Quay. And for its size, Singapore has an amazing number of attractions, including a wide variety of museums, zoos, the world's largest ferris wheel and even an indoor ski resort. It's one of Asia's leading financial capitals, but it's also becoming an exciting tourist destination which offers one of the world's only two Grand Prix night races and two Integrated Resorts opening in 2010.