For many, Singapore is only a stopover destination. However, if you have the time to spend a few more days, there is plenty to discover beyond the world famous Marina Bay Sands! In this post you’ll find a day by day itinerary on how to see everything with this 5 day Singapore itinerary.
Singapore Quick Facts
| Official language(s): English, Malay, Mandarin, Tamil Population: ca. 5.4 Mio Currency: Singapore dollar (SGD) |
Practical Tips
In this section you’ll find out in which areas of Singapore to stay and the best way to get around.
Where to stay
Between Clarke Quay and Boat Quay
Location wise, this area is very central and walkable. There are different accommodation types for all types of budgets, ranging from hostels to 4 and 5 star hotels. Personally, we stayed at the Hotel Nuve Elements. While the rooms are extremely small, the overall vibe and cleanliness is great. So if you’re not looking to spend a lot of time in your room anyway I would definitely recommend it.
Chinatown
This is a very lively area to stay in with lots of bars and restaurants for going out, which might be appealing to younger travellers. We spent one night here at the Galaxy Pods Hostel for the experience. The vibe is very funky, but if you’re on a budget then this is definitely a unique, budget friendly and still very central location to stay at!
The Marina
If you have the budget for it then the area around the Marina is definitely worthwhile. There are many many beautiful hotels, like the world famous Marina Bay Sands or the historic Fullerton Hotel.
How to get around
MRT
While public transportation can be a bit intimidating at first in a foreign city, I did not have this feeling in Singapore. The metro network (called MRT) is very extensive and the stations are marked very well all across town.
There are several ways how you can pay for the transportation. One way, which in my opinion is the most convenient, is to simply tap your credit card before and after each ride. The respective amount, based on the travelled distance, will then be deducted directly from your credit card. Otherwise, there are also several different tourist passes depending on your need, which allow you to travel an unlimited amount of times for the chosen days. Find out more about the passes here.
Grab
While there is no Uber in Singapore, they have something called Grab that is essentially the same thing. The service is available all around the main tourist attractions and will also pick you up and bring you to the airport. Keep in mind that Singapore traffic does get quite busy and that going by car is not always the fastest way.
5 Day Itinerary
Day 1
9:00 am – Breakfast
If you decide to stay at Nuve Elements, start your first full day in Singapore with a hearty breakfast at Fangko near Clarke Quay, or at any other of the many restaurants or take aways in the area.
11:00 am – Singapore Botanic Gardens
Once you are fit to start exploring, take the Metro to Redhill. After a short 15 minute walk you will reach the entrance of the Singapore Botanical Gardens. Take your time to walk through this peaceful park, where you suddenly feel far away from all the hustle and bustle from downtown. A nice side note: The park is free to enter 🙂 There are plenty of lakes, flowers and some waterfalls to explore. A special mention and must see is the Orchard Garden within the Botanical Garden, where you can enjoy the beauty of over 1000 species of orchids. The entry fee is 15 SGD.
1:30 pm – Lunch
All the walking around must have made you hungry, next stop: PF Café at Harding. This aesthetic café can be reached by foot from the garden and offers a wide range of savoury and sweet dishes. We tried the profiteroles and the Bannoffee Cake – I would recommend both!
3:00 pm – Chinatown
With a fully tummy you’ll now make your way back to the center, where you can spend the rest of the afternoon exploring Chinatown. Some of the main sights here include: Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, Thian Hock Keng Temple and Sri Mariamman Temple.
6:30 pm – Dinner
If you like and feel like having Chinese for dinner, there are plenty of restaurants all around Chinatown to choose from.
Otherwise, to get a first (and very unique) glimpse of the Marina Bay Sands, you can make your way to LeVeL33 for dinner. This restaurant is actually the world’s highest urban microbrewery, located at the 33rd floor of a building in the CBD. The vibe is quite fancy and people are dressed accordingly. I can recommend the Scallops and the Truffle fries – so delicious! Extra tip: Make sure to get there before dark to see the sunset!
8:00 pm – Walk around the Marina Bay
If you still have some energy left in you, conclude your evening with a nightly stroll along the Marina and marvel at the lights of all the high-rise buildings from the CBD.
Step count: 34’800 steps
Day 2
9:00 am – Breakfast
Start Day #2 with a healthy (or not so healthy) breakfast at Wanna Cuppa. This is convenient, as the Metro to Somerset is right across the street, which will take you to your first stop: Orchard Road!
11:00 am – Shopping on Orchard Road & Emerald Hill
At Orchard Road you can spend a couple of hours browsing the shops. You’ll find anything from regular stores to ultra-high end luxury brands. Make sure to also stop at Emerald Hill to see the colourful houses. There are also plenty of small cafés to have a short rest.
3:00 pm – High Tea
The afternoon activity today is: High Tea! Since colonial times, there is a tradition in Singapore of having High Tea in the afternoon. There are many different offers, ranging from classical afternoon teas to more traditional afternoon teas that incorporate some of the local delicacies into the menu. We decided to have a high tea experience at the Shangri-La, which is very close to Orchard Road. See for yourself, what delicious treats we got!
7:00 pm – Clarke Quay
If you’re not in a food coma after the High Tea, you can head over to Clarke Quay for some great nightlife, including Karaoke, Clubs or a variety of bars!
Step count: 22’500
Day 3
09:00 am – Breakfast
Today to switch things up, you could take your breakfast on the go. Stop at Bread Talk and have some of their freshly baked goods from their wide selection, and either directly get going or have it picnic style in Hong Lim Park.
10:00 am – East of Singapore River Tour
You can then start walking eastwards towards some landmark buildings such as the Old Hill Street Police Station, Treasury, Supreme Court, the National Gallery of Singapore and the National Museum of Singapore. On your way you’ll also pass the pretty campus of the Singapore Management University. If you don’t feel like going into the museums, you can still go inside and look at the gift shop to get a feeling for the buildings. After all this walking and exploring it’s time for a rest: at the Raffles Hotel for a classic Singapore Sling, finally!
1:30 pm – Arab & Indian Quarters
Next, head on over to the Arab quarter, where you will be transported into a whole different atmosphere along Haji Lane and Arab Street. There are plenty of cute little shops to get some souvenirs or restaurants to have lunch.
After that, you can continue to “Little India”, which (you guessed it) is the India inspired quarter. You’ll find many spices and garments along the street, but personally we did not spend too much time there and I’d say you don’t miss much if you skip this part.
3:30 pm – Lunch at Lau Pa Sat
Now it’s time to head back towards Boat Quay (this time by metro, shocking!). If you haven’t eaten yet have a late lunch at Lau Pa Sat in the city centre, where you can find an abundance of different food stalls from different cuisines. The food is very tasty, large portions, and super cheap! You can of course also just grab some snack or try some of the fresh beverages.
7:00 pm – Dinner along Singapore River
In the evening we decided to see where walking along the Singapore river will take us. If you keep your eyes out, you might see some cute little otters swimming around in the water! We eventually stopped for Japanese Okonomiyaki in a restaurant called Nanjya Monjya along the river.
Step count: 24’000
Day 4
10:00 am – Breakfast at Mount Faber
Rise and shine – today is going to be another active day! If it’s a Saturday you can start your day with breakfast at the Arbora Hilltop Garden Bistro with a view over the city and the ocean. You can reach the café on Mount Faber either by a brief ascent by foot (ca. 15 min) or taking the cable car.
11:00 am – Southern Ridges Walk
You can then start the walk along the Southern Ridges and keep going as much as you want. The whole hike is ca. 10 km and takes 3-5h (one way), but you can descend or turn back at any time that you like. I’d recommend to at least reach the iconic Henderson Waves bridge!
1:00 pm – Sentosa Island
From Mount Faber you can either take the cable car down or descend by foot and take the Sentosa Express to reach Sentosa island. There are plenty of things to do here: water sports, amusement parks, shopping, and so much more! Also make sure to stop by the “Southernmost point of continental Asia”, because it sounds pretty cool to say you’ve been there hihi. There are also a variety of different restaurants right at the beach to enjoy a nice lunch.
4:00 pm – Gardens By The Bay
While it’s still light outside slowly make your way to the Gardens By The Bay. As they are one of the landmark attractions I personally think it’s worth it to see them both by day and by night. The entry to the park itself is free, which is awesome if you’re on a budget! Besides just strolling around there are several activities that you can do here: Cloud forest, Flower dome, OCBC Skywalk, etc…
6:00 pm – Dinner at The Shoppes
Once your done exploring the Gardens by day you can head over to the Marina Bay Sands. Take your time to explore this architectural masterpiece. The hotel is also connected to the Shoppes, a modern mall right by the Marina. You’ll find plenty of dinner options in this area.
8:45 pm – Lightshow
Stay in the Marina area until it gets dark to see the light show at the Gardens By The Bay at 7:45pm or 8:45pm. In my opinion the Gardens are almost more magical when they are lit up at night 🙂
Step count: 26’600
Day 5
09:00 am – Breakfast
Today’s breakfast spot is Punch a very hip and aesthetic brunch place! Highly recommend, both for the food and the vibe.
10:00 am – Tree Top Walk
Then it’s time for another active day, yay! Take the metro to Upper Thomson which is close to one of the entrances (“Windsor Nature Park”) to the MacRitchie Reservoir. Here you’ll start a 7-10 km circular hike/walk in this rainforest style green lung in the middle of the city. Keep an eye out for all the different wildlife, you can even see some monkeys! One of the highlights is the Tree Top Walk, where you can walk across a hanging bridge among the canopy. The whole walk will roughly take you around 3-5 hours.
4:00 pm – Lunch
After the long walk you will be starving! Therefore, have some lunch right outside the park. We chose the Thomson Mall and had Sushi at Sushi Tei. This location is also conveniently located very close to the metro stop to take you back to the center.
7:00 pm – Boat Quay and final look at Marina Bay
End your day with a quick stop by the “Merlion” where you will take the iconic open mouthed touristy pic. If you don’t know what I’m talking about see the picture below! 😀 Spend your last dinner (that sounds so dramatic) at Boat Quay in one of the many many many restaurants or bars. We had Indian and Seafood here and both were great.
Step count: 31’100
That’s a wrap on your 5 days in Singapore! If you follow this itinerary you’ll have seen more than most people who visit the city. This itinerary is very walking heavy, but if you don’t feel like walking so much you can of course always modify the itinerary by taking the bus, MRT or grab more frequently to get from one destination to the next.
Total 5 day step count: 139’000
Please let me know your thoughts and experiences in the comments below, I’d love to chat <3