Singapore. One of the most incredible cities in the world, with so much to see, experience, do, eat, and explore all packed into a total area of 278 mi².

One of my favorite parts about the city is that it’s the cleanest in the world, with strict laws on chewing gum, smoking, and littering, keeping the streets practically spotless. After living in Bali, where the roadsides are covered trash, it was super refreshing.

One long weekend is just about the best amount of time for a trip to Singapore. You’ll be able to visit the traditional, cultural sides of it, as well as the modern, high tech parts. This blog post will give you my favorite places to eat, the coolest things to do and see, and how to map out your amazing weekend in Singapore.

A Long Weekend in Singapore

First thing’s first. Where to stay? In Singapore, everything is very close to each other, so you might as well stay anywhere. But, I’d easily recommend staying at the Marina Bay Sands, a modern, iconic hotel with a long infinity pool connecting the three buildings. It is one of the nicest, most innovative hotels in the country, it’s located in a great location… and also has a great view from the top!

Sights and Activities.

Marina Bay Sands

Even if you don’t end up staying at the Marina Bay Sands, it’s worth a visit to at least look out at the city from the top. I’d suggest going up to get drinks at sunset and watching the pretty bay light up as it gets dark. It’s a beautiful place to stop by one night – I’d really recommend it.

Gardens by the Bay

Located right next to the Marina Bay Sands, the Gardens by the Bay is an incredible place to visit while in Singapore. The gardens consists of many things to see, including the Supertree Grove, the Cloud Forest, and the Flower Dome, which are the most famous attractions. Out of all the gardens, we mainly explored the Supertree Grove. It is a spot with many man-made trees that stand up to 16 meters tall and light up at night. Our walk through the grove lasted about an hour, which ended up to be perfect timing. Luckily, we arrived in time to watch the light show that plays every day at 8:00 pm and 9:30 pm. I highly recommend lying on the ground and looking up at the show. After all, the ground in Singapore is spotless.

China Town

Out of all the China Towns in the world, Singapore’s probably wins. We walked through the chaotic, colorful streets, stopping by the amazing Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, and eventually eating at the Michelin Starred restaurant by the name of Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodles. Not only is what they serve incredible, but it is the cheapest Michelin Starred restaurant in the world at just 2 Singapore Dollars for a meal. I highly recommend this restaurant, as well as walking through China Town.

Sri Mariamman Temple

The Sri Mariamman Temple is a cool little Hindu temple located in downtown China Town. It is the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore and is certainly a nice place to stop by. Trust me, the easiest way to find it is to listen for a loud chanting noise from inside the temple; you can hear it from a mile away!

Merlion Park

Another one of the most famous sights in Singapore is the Merlion. The half lion half fish sits on the edge of the harbor across from the Marina Bay Sands, spraying water out of its mouth. A visit to the Merlion Park is pretty quick, but definitely worth it.

Singapore Botanic Gardens

Walking through the Singapore Botanic Gardens is a relaxing way to spend a hot morning in the city. The botanical gardens are quite large, which means there is a lot of space to explore. But, you know… as a kid, botanical gardens would never be my first choice to visit, especially when you’re in a city as cool as Singapore. But, my sister and I had fun running up and down the hills and the orchid gardens were beautiful.

The Luge

On the last morning of our trip, we decided to go to The Luge which is a place with a race track that you can ride these mini go-carts down. You take a small gondola all the way up a mountain and then ride your cart down. It was so fun that if I could, I would’ve spent the rest of the day there. I’d certainly recommend The Luge instead of Universal Studios; personally, I’ve been to Universal and it’s cool and all, but I don’t think the rides really live up to their reputation. The Luge is on Sentosa Island and there are a lot of attractions there like Universal Studios and an Aquarium, but we only had time for the Luge.

Restaurants.

Lau Pa Sat Foodcourt

Of the many modern food courts in Singapore, Lau Pa Sat is a traditional one with stalls offering everything from spicy, delicious dim sum to salty, tasty ramen. Our family shared a bowl of ramen as well as a plate of Indian food. The flavors of our food were incredible and the experience was awesome. Make sure to include this food court in your itinerary.

Food Village Takashimaya

The Food Village Takashimaya is a Japanese food court on Orchard Road underneath a big mall. It’s super fun to wander around because everywhere you look people are handing out samples such as chocolates, ice creams, and mochi. For our actual lunch, we went to a sushi place in a nearby mall called The Sushi Bar (Ngee Ann City). It was delicious as well.

Blacktap

To get our share of American food while in Singapore, we went to a burger place that we had seen, but never tried in New York called Blacktap. After waiting for about an hour, we were seated and all enjoyed delicious cheeseburgers and shared their famous “Crazy Shakes”. It was all so tasty, but made me really full!

Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle

Previously in this blog post, I talked a little bit about Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle and how delicious it was. To be more specific, it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had at a restaurant. We waited for about an hour in a boiling hot Chinese food court, waiting for our Michelin-Starred food. At the front of the stall, we ordered three bowls containing chicken with rice and chicken and noodles, along with whatever else they topped it with. It was such a simple yet delicious lunch. We followed it up with delicious, refreshing shaved ice treats from another stall nearby.

Coriander Leaf

On our last night in Singapore, we went to Coriander Leaf. We each chose our four courses filled with local flavors, ingredients, and sauces. It was a fantastic dinner, the restaurant was beautiful, and it was a great way to spend our last hours in Singapore. The restaurant is in a really neat building that is also great for a few memorable photos.