How to spend 36 hours in Singapore
For many visitors, Singapore is a stopover destination. There are direct flights from around the world, making it a gateway to Asia and a resting point on the way to Australia, New Zealand, and beyond. While I’ve been countless times, on a recent trip, I had a first-time visitor with me and only 36 hours to give him a taste of this city-state. There are countless other ways we could have spent the time as there’s so much to do and see in Singapore but here’s one way to spend 36 hours in Singapore.
Chinatown
Walk through the side streets and alleys, looking up and along the lanes and take it all in. This is one of the oldest districts of Singapore and many of the community’s traditional practices are passed down through generations. Calligraphy, acupuncture, the traditions of tea houses and medicine shops are all on display if you keep your eyes open and know where to look.
The oldest Hindu temple in the country, the Sir Mariamman Temple, is found here and with its bright colours, it’s tough to miss. Not too far away you’ll find the Buddha Tooth Relic and Thian Hock Keng Temples, both worth a peek. Be sure to dress appropriately or be prepared to hire sarongs and coverings from the temples for a small fee.
Maxwell Food Centre and the Chinatown Complex both offer an array of quick, tasty hawker fare. If time is tight and this is a first visit, Maxwell is the better choice as it’s easier to navigate than Chinatown Complex. If hawker centres seem daunting, there are countless restaurants and cafés in Chinatown and if you’re exploring late in the day, you’ll find an entire street filled with tables for al fresco dining.
After a few hours of wandering and eating, hop on the MRT and head for a very different part of town.
Fort Canning
With its hilltop setting, Fort Canning park was once the home of army barracks and, as the name implies, a fort. A few remains and memorial signs can be spotted and the small Battlebox museum can be visited again after some major improvements. Meandering trails up and along the hill pass through nine heritage gardens with a lush array of tropical plants including a variety of spices. As Singapore is known as a city in a garden, this is an easy-to-access, free opportunity to see how seriously the nation takes their gardening.
How much time to spend is up to you – bring water and possibly an umbrella for keeping the sun off as Singapore’s heat is no joke and the only way to explore Fort Canning is on foot. From here, you can walk downhill to Clarke Quay and prepare to see the sights from the water.
River Cruise
Singapore’s history began along the water and at one time, bumboats could be seen taking residents and visitors across and along the river throughout the day. Today, buses and trains have eclipsed the need for water passage so if you want to see the city from the water, joining a river cruise is your only option. Board the boat in Clark Quay and enjoy the journey to Marina Bay, passing countless landmarks as you go.
Descriptions and information are provided in English and you typically don’t need to buy tickets in advance, just head for the Quay and buy tickets on the next available cruise. While you wait, it can be tough to find open places for a cold drink during the day but there is a local eatery on the far side of the buildings opposite the ticket kiosk where you can sit in the shade and quench your thirst. You might need to ask around a bit but it’s there! In the late afternoons and well into the night, you’ll be spoilt for choice on where to eat or drink as this area comes alive as the day comes to a close.
Colonial District, Merlion, and Marina Bay Sands
From the river, you’ll get a glimpse of these areas and it’s worth seeing them on land, as well. From Clarke Quay, you can take a bus to the Merlion although with only 36 hours in Singapore, I suggest walking. This way your route can take you to the National Gallery (ok, it’s a slight detour but only just!), the statue of Sir Stamford Raffles, Victoria Concert Hall, and other buildings that give rise to the name “Colonial District.”
Continue the walk to Merlion Park near the Fullerton Hotel with its views across to the surfboard-topped Marina Bay Sands. If you’ve timed this for sunset and the sky is clear, the photographers in your party will love the way light reflects off the water and buildings. If you want to go up the towers to see the famous infinity pool filled with people taking photos of each other, I suggest combining this with Gardens by the Bay. We skipped this, choosing instead to return briefly to our hotel before a drink at Long Bar at Raffles. Eating peanuts and drinking cocktails in a gorgeous bar is more my speed than the selfie-taking scene on the rooftop!
Gardens by the Bay
If you ask me, no visit to Singapore is complete without seeing the futuristic supertrees. If you don’t have time for a full visit to the Gardens during the day, go in the evening for one of the free light shows. Every night at 7:45 and 8:45, these short sound and light shows are free and you’ll find plenty of Singaporeans stretching out on benches and the ground so they can look up and listen. The music and accompanying lights change roughly once a month with special shows for Chinese New Year and Christmas.
If you have time during the day and you only have a short stopover in Singapore, be sure to check in advance for closures. Each of the areas (Cloud Forest, Flower Dome, Skyway, etc) close once a month for maintenance and the schedule varies every month. This website is the best place to check for your dates. If there’s a closure on one of your days, plan accordingly. Of course, you can skip all the paid elements and take a walk past Kingfisher and Dragonfly Lakes, through the Supertree Grove, around the Serene Garden, and more. It’s your holiday so it’s your choice!
In our case, we caught a light show at night and did a quick walk the following morning to see the highlights.
Kampong Glam
You can spend twenty minutes or countless hours in this small district, once home to Sultan Hussein Mohamed Shah and 600 of his family members. From street art to Sultan Mosque to the Malay heritage centre, it’s easy to simply walk around and soak it up, perhaps reading some of the historical markers as you go. There are also countless shops and restaurants both posh and simple with a variety of cuisines. There are even a few cafés these days.
You’ll see this area on maps and signs labeled as Kampong Glam and Kampong Gelam. Both are correct. The Malay word “gelam” refers to a type of tree, the cajeput. Early dwellers in this area used all parts of this tree: the timber for boats and firewood, bark for awnings and sails, the fruit was ground and used as a peppery spice, and the leaves boiled and used as part of a medical treatment. Kampong means village. The area was gazetted as Kampong Glam and it seems to be a question of pronunciation and accents whether the word ought to be “glam” or “gelam.” Unless you speak Malay, feel free to call it Kampong Glam!
Eating and Drinking
Singapore is known for its food and where to eat and drink is beyond the scope of this post. I will, however, share a few thoughts.
Hawker centres are where the locals eat and you should, too. At least once. Unlike in other parts of Southeast Asia, there’s no reason to worry about hygiene. Standards are high. If someone cuts corners, there’s a good chance they’ll be out of business before you know it. As there are some amazing hawker stalls in Singapore – including winners of Michelin stars – it’s worth doing a food tour. If you have dietary restrictions in your group, consider a guided half-day non-food tour that includes a visit to a hawker centre so your guide can help you understand how it all works and recommend where to go. In addition to the well-known Lau Pa Sat and Maxwell centres, I like the Old Airport Road centre which is completely off the beaten path and filled with locals. If you see other foreigners, there’s a good chance they live in Singapore. This is closed June-September, 2024 for renovation and updating.
If you’ve booked your Singapore stopover with Fleewinter and opted to not include any guided time, be sure to check your Vamoos map for a few suggestions of restaurants, bars, and other eateries. As delicious as hawker fare can be, there are world-class restaurants and everything in between so whatever food you fancy and whatever your budget, you can’t go hungry in Singapore.
Jewel at Changi
Yes, part of the airport makes my cut for where to spend some of your 36 hours in Singapore. With the world’s highest indoor waterfall (switches on between 10 and 11am) and an indoor forest that cascades along the walls, it’s worth seeing if you can spare an hour. Ideally, your flight departs late in the day or at night and your airline allows for check-in at Jewel. If it doesn’t, you can often still check your luggage at the normal counters and then walk to Jewel for a quick explore before your flight. Just be sure to allow enough time for this as you’ll still need to clear immigration (a quick all-digital event) and get to your gate for security.
In addition to the Shiseido Forest and the waterfall, there are countless shops and restaurants as this is, after all, a shopping mall. You can pay for certain activities and access such as the tram or you can simply head to the top floor, look at the waterfall, and then meander your way down through the Shiseido Forest. There are often additional displays or other happenings and if you’re lucky, you could catch a light show at night.
On the next visit…
36 hours is a tight time in which to see Singapore so it’s impossible to pack everything in. With a bit more time – or a second stopover – at least a few of the following are worth fitting into the schedule.
Little India: the name says it all.
Singapore Botanical Gardens with its National Orchid Garden. It’s the only tropical botanic garden on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Admission is free and it’s open 5am until midnight so you have plenty of hours in which to stop by.
Pinnacles @ Duxton: this residential complex has a rooftop garden with spectacular views. The entry fee is nominal making it a far more affordable and family-friendly place for skyline views than one of the rooftop bars.
Sentosa Cable Car: go in the late afternoon for a birds-eye view of the city, have a drink or a bite to eat while watching the sunset atop Mount Faber, then take the cable car back when the city is all lit up.
There’s far more to do in Singapore than what’s listed here and the nation is always reinventing itself with more to see and explore. As a result, you may find yourself following in my footsteps and adding a stopover every time you can.
Where to stay
There are more hotels in Singapore than I can count and many of them seem to change ownership over night. There are a few long-standing classics and reliable options that I love for their location, their character, their room size, or a combination thereof. My personal favourite is The Warehouse with its quirky yet elegant charm, great service, and delightful Riverview Loft rooms. For a bit of history with a lush helping of luxury, then The Raffles can’t be beat.
You can find some of our suggested Singapore hotels on our website here.
Why it’s worth booking your stopover with a tour operator
While the above itinerary worked for us, we were already adjusted to the time zone and tropical heat. For us, this was a stopover between destinations in Asia. This meant we got off the plane in the morning, dropped our bags at the hotel, and hit the ground running. Aside from a few hours sleep, we didn’t stop until we boarded a plane the following afternoon. I’m familiar with the public transport system and layout of the country, knew where to get tickets for the river cruise, how to navigate hawker centres, and have banked wisdom from guides and residents on past trips. We didn’t waste a moment figuring things out.
If you don’t have someone like that and you only have a short stopover in Singapore, do you want to spend it sorting out all the logistics? Do you want to spend hours in advance reading reviews of hotels trying to pick the one that’s the best combination of location, character, amenities, value, and that certain je n’ai sais quoi? Or would you rather leave that to someone who’s seen and stayed at the hotels, returns often to see what’s changed, knows the guides, and can make your stopover seamless? That’s what a tour operator like Fleewinter does and it’s what I can do for you.
I can organize your time so you have a balance of busy and relaxed and book you into a hotel that I know and trust. A driver will meet you at the airport, take you to your hotel, and when the time comes, a local guide will meet you. You won’t need to worry about what order to visit where, which places have timed entries, or knowing what time the sun sets for that perfect photo. Working with my local partners, I’ll take care of that for you. So that you can enjoy your 36 hours in Singapore without worry. You’ll leave with a good sense of why Singapore is so beloved and know that you got a true taste of it.
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If you’d like me to arrange your Singapore stopover, please get in touch. I’d love to help you experience this great little country.
Give me a ring on 020 7112 0019 or drop me an email.
Written by Marbree Sullivan
Top Travel Tip
“At least once in every journey, travel by local transport. Some of the most memorable conversations I’ve had have occurred in the back of jeepneys, trucks, and in the passenger seats of tricycles and tuk-tuks. You’ll gain insight into daily life and see your destination the way locals do.” Marbree – Philippines, Borneo, Malaysia, Laos, Singapore, and Cayman Islands Specialist
