One of the trips that I have made is Singapore, visited in November 2014, so I have decided to share with you the tips and tricks that can be useful for every traveler.
In China town I found out about the legend of this place: The Merlion of Singapore.
Singapore, in ancient times, was known as Temasek or Sea Town. It was then, as it is today, a busy trading center.
Destroyed at the end of the 4th century AD, the island was rediscovered again in the 11th century AD by Prince Sang Nita Utama of the Sri Vuaya Empire. Upon his landing, he saw a strange beast which he later learned was a lion. He immediately named the island Singapura, a Sanskrit word for Lion City.
The Merlion symbolises in its fish body the ancient city of Temasek, and its lion head, the legend of its discovery.
So further on I hope I give you useful informations and also what I found out exploring Singapore.
Getting there might require a visa, depending of the country you are from.
So first of all you will need to check out about the visa requirements. You can use this site: http://www.ica.gov.sg or Immigration & Checkpoints Authority
Airport: Changi Airport is the main airport in Singapore.
In the Exit Hall you can find a shuttle service where you can buy and book/get details about the returning way to the airport. You can book one day advance the pick up asking the reception or concierge to call the number provided at airport. The main advantage is the shuttle drops you off at the hotel and definetelly more affordable than taxi regarding the price.
Changi Shuttle costs 9SGD/person and booking a maxi-taxi (maximum 7 people) is about 60 SGD.
When arriving at Changi Airport you have to fill in your immigration card ( provided in the plane or in the airport) and depending of the terminal you arrive, a train will take you to Terminal T3.
As a leading homeport in the heart of Asia, Singapore is one of the world’s busiest cruise centres. A host of cruise operators, covering luxury, premium, and contemporary offerings, is ready to whisk you from around the region to one of the city’s terminals. The newest Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore – http://mbccs.com.sg -can accommodate the largest cruise liners around today. You might be also interested in http://www.singaporecruise.com.sg
Driving into Singapore might be done through the two land checkpoints, at Tuas in the west and Woodlands in the north, that operate 24 hours a day.
Currency: SGD- the Singapore dollar that notes come in denominations of S$2, S$5, S$10, S$50, S$100, S$500 and S$1,000. Coins come in 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents and S$1.
The best place to exchange money is at Changi airport, where you can find good rates and this is my recommendation to get rid of any worries while exploring Singapore.
You can exchange money at good rates, also, at some currency exchange places, which you can find depending of your luck. At the hotels the most of them have this service at the receptions, some of them exchange only for the customers accommodated there, but the rates are higher than normal currency exchange.
For instance 1 EUR=1.58 SGD at Changi airport exchange and the hotel rate was 1EUR=1.45 SGD November 2014.
Language: most of Singaporeans speaks fluent English, Mandarin Chinese, Malay or Tamil.
Weather: hot and humid almost all year long. I strongly recommend outfit for rains and umbrella always in your bag.
Electricity and Voltage: The standard electrical current used in Singapore is 220-240 volts AC (50 cycles) and you can use power plugs with three square prongs.
You can buys from stores, but most of the hotels can help you with a converter, if you ask for at reception.
Tipping: when you experience good services tips are encouraged, but most of the restaurants adds a 10% to the bill.
A restaurant bill will have applied a 10% service charge, then the 7% GST.
Drinking water: tap water is safe to drink, bottle water easy to buy, affordable prices from market. For instance a bottle of water will start from 1 SGD, depends on the place you buy. 7 eleven stores are placed quite frequently.
Usefull numbers:
Police 999 Ambulance 995 Fire Brigade 995 Flight Information 1800 542 4422
Smoking public places rules: You are not allowed to smoke in all air-conditioned places, such as malls and eateries. There are designated smoking areas in some entertainment outlets and open-air eateries.
Particularities:
- No chewing-gum allowed
- eating durian fruit in public is forbidden
Transportation:
You can choose to explore the city by step, or use the public transportation. What you have to take care is orientation-the best provided by a map ( ask for at the concierge of your hotel or reception), because Singaporeans are quite bad at giving you directions ( most of them use the public transport).
Singapore’s MRT ( train) is the fastest way to reach different points of interest of the city. You can buy tickets for single trips, but if you intend to use the MRT and basic bus services frequently during your visit, you can buy a Singapore Tourist Pass, a special EZ-Link stored-value card which will allow you unlimited travel for one day (10 SGD), two days (16 SGD) or three days (20SGD). The cards can be bought at the TransitLink Ticket Office at the following MRT stations: Changi Airport, Orchard, Chinatown, City Hall, Raffles Place, Ang Mo Kio, HarbourFront, Bugis, Lavender and Bayfront.
The tickets can be bought from the machines in every station, price is calculated when you select the route. For instance China Town to Sentosa broadwalk is 1.80 SGD ( a single MRT ticket will start from about 1.50 SGD).
Taxi fees are quite accessible. Booking a taxi might be a challenge so a better way is just to take one free that you see. Calling a taxi implies a booking fee og 3 SGD or 10 SGD for a bigger taxi. For instance from Marina bay to Gallery hotel is around 20 SGD.
Taxis are comfortable and especially handy if you want to go to places not accessible by the bus or MRT. Cabs are metered, but there may be surcharges depending on when, where and which company’s taxi you board. To get a rough idea of the final fare, check with the driver on the surcharges and ask for a receipt at the end of the trip. You can hail a taxi by the roadside at most places, or by queuing for one at taxi stands found at most shopping malls, hotels and tourist attractions. If you wish to book a cab, you can call a common taxi booking number, 6-DIAL CAB (6342-5222), and your call will be routed to an available taxi company’s call centre.
By bus you can pay your bus fare using an EZ-Link stored-value card or the Singapore Tourist Pass, which you tap on the card reader located next to the driver as you board. Do remember to tap your card again, on the reader located at the rear exit, when you get off the bus. You can also pay in cash but you need to have exact change.
Places to visit/highlights:
Singapore Botanic Gardens– free entry, you might need an entire day if you want to explore most of it. You find there a tropical forest, the National Orchid Garden, themed gardens. You have a couple of restaurants where you can eat or some little markets from where you can buy water, icecream or sandwiches.
National Orchid Garden opened between 8.30 am-7 pm, last ticket sales at 6 pm. Adults: 5 SGD fee, senior citizens (60 years old and above) and students -1 SGD fee and free for children 12 years old and below. Here you can find over 1000 species and 2000 hybrids, the Garden offers a permanent showcase and largest display of orchids in the world.
Themed Gardens: Ginger garden, healing garden, Fragrant Garden, Foliage garden and evolution garden.
Halia Botanic Garden restaurant is a place that I tried. Average/good food, average service, but customer care is at a high level ( interested to find out the reasons for an average level of customer satisfaction). No wi-fi.
For more information: www.sbg.org.sg and facebook.com/singaporebotanicgardens
Gardens by the bay is a must visit destination, a place where you find exotic plant life from around the world displayed in its spectacular Cooled Conservatories. Journey through the Flower Dome featuring 9 different gardens from 5 continents- Australia, America, Africa, Asia and Europe. Here also you find the world’s tallest indoor waterfall in the Cloud Forest.
These will cost you 28 SGD.
Super trees also gives you an amazing perspective what a tree is used for. Every night a fantastic lights show will enjoy your eyes. You can walk on the path from a supertree to another- acces fee is 5 SGD.
Marina Bay worth to be visited daylight and also in the evening. A lot of interesting shaped buildings (durian, flower or ship) will make you spend some time taking pictures there. You will find here: Marina Bay Sands, Esplanade, The Flyer, Art and Science Museum, Merlion.
Marina Bay Sands– a 5 stars hotel with more than 2500 rooms, the biggest casino hall, a ship shaped restaurant on the top, Infinity pool- 200 m above sea level, Shoppes Mall, many restaurants all there since 2010.
Only the guest of the hotel are allowed on the pool roof, but the acces is allowed on Skypark –Observation Deck- a 360 panorama of Singapore. (there is a fee around 22SGD). More informations,prices and places to buy them you find here: Marina Bay Sands website
Esplanade – a durian shaped building- theatres on the bay inaugurated in 2002. You can find restaurants, coffee shops and also souvenir shops.
More informations about events http://www.esplanade.com/index.jsp
The Flyer – it is said that is bigger than the London Eye, the tallest in the world actually, it will give you an aerial view of the entire city. The fee is 33 SGD and the ride is about 30 minutes.
The Merlion is the symbol of the city- the statue looking to the harbor.
China Town – a charming blend of the old and new.
Little India– gaily painted shophouses, Bollywood music, shops and Mustafa Centre, the only 24 hour shopping centre in Singapore.
Wildlife Experience: Singapore Zoo, River safari, Night safari, Jurong bird park.
Temples that will give you unique experience, try to visit a Buddhist and also Indian Temple: Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, Sri Mariamman Temple.
Sentosa Island an island 500 m away from the Singapore, on the south coast with a surface of 5 km.
You have 3 ways to reach the island:
Sentosa Boardwalk– acces free, only a tax of visiting of 1 SGD will be applied. Is the way that I recommend. You can enjoy the scenary.
Cable Car– 12 minutes ride and about 29 SGD, ticket that has included the Sentosa visiting tax.
Sentosa Express– 3 minutes ride and around 3 SGD, also Sentosa visiting tax is included- 4 stations, the last one Beach Station from where you can explore the entire island.
On the island you have a lot of attractions which have different fees. For some savings take one day pass so you can visit different number of attractions depending of what you choose.
For instance: the 39 SGD pass with 3 attractions included, I took the 59 SGD pass and I had 5 attractions included or another option is the 79 SGD pass. It was quite a saving cause I decided to see: The Aquarium (standard ticket 38 SGD), 4D adventure land (38.90 SGD), Butterfly and Park insect Kingdom, Tiger Sky Tower and the Wings of time show ( standard ticket 23 SGD).
But you can choose also: different 4d adventures, Bi- pedal Bicycle 1 hour tour, Fort Siloso Combat Skirmish: Indoor Combat, Madame Tussauds Singapore, MegaBounce, SeaBreeze Watersports, Segway funride, Sentosa Merlion, Skyline Luge Sentosa, Trick Eye Museum Singapore, The Flying Trapese and so on.
On Sentosa you will find the iFly Singapore- more informations on www.iflysingapore.com
Clarke and Boat Quay Down by the riverside of the Colonial District is where much of Singapore have their fun, with a number of the most popular bars, pubs and nightclubs perched on the edge of the river along Clarke and Boat Quay.
Fish pedicure Let the fish take care of your feet. A shoal of industrious little Turkish fish wait in a pool to nibble away dead skin and leave your toes fresh and exfoliated. Best avoided by those with ticklish feet! Fish reflexology is about 35SGD for 20 minutes in the pool and 20 minutes foot reflexology at Kenko Reflexology and Fish Spa.
Museums:
Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research
Children Little Museum
Singapore Chinese Opera Museum
Art Retreat
Fuk Tak Chi Museum
The Cathay Gallery
The Live Turtle & Tortoise Museum
Singapore Coins and Notes Museum
The Private Museum
More info http://www.timeout.com/singapore/things-to-do/best-museums-in-Singapore
Visitors Centers
Drop by one of these centres in downtown Singapore to get more information about Singapore, purchase tickets to attractions and tours or pick up a souvenir.
Orchard
- Address Junction of Cairnhill Road and Orchard Road
- Nearest MRT Station Somerset (NS23)
- Operating Hours Daily 9.30am – 10.30pm
ION Orchard
- Address ION Orchard Level 1 Concierge
- Nearest MRT Station Orchard (NS24)
- Operating Hours Daily, 10am – 10pm
Chinatown Visitor Centre @ Kreta Ayer Square
- Address 2 Banda Street (Behind Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum)
- Nearest MRT Station Chinatown (NE4/DT19)
- Services & Facilities Available
- Operating Hours Monday to Friday, 9am – 9pm Weekends and Public Holidays, 9am – 10pm
Shopping:
Orchard Road – a place populated with big brand names at every twist and turn. Huge malls like Ion Orchard (8 levels) and Orchard Central. It is avery shopaholic’s dream come true!
Mall Shoppes inside Marina Bay complex.
Of course, you can find different smallers malls in districts like China Town or Little India.
Tax Refund: as a tourist, for purchases of more than 100 SGD in a participating shops you can claim a refunf of 7% GST ( Goods and Services Tax). The participating stores have a logo with “tax free” displayed. Also you can ask the retailers if they are eligible for GST refund.
At Changi Airport before Departure Immigration in Departure Check in Hall very easily you can access eTRS kiosks (only if you have a credit or debit card). For questions you will find all the necessary help provided by the employees there.
Usefull links:
http://www.singaporecruise.com.sg
http://www.esplanade.com/index.jsp
http://www.timeout.com/singapore/things-to-do/best-museums-in-singapore
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