You’re visiting Singapore for the first time, how exciting! Different countries have different rules, characteristics and other things that make them unique. Keep on reading to find out about the 13 things I wish I knew before my first time in Singapore!
1. It raints a lot and unexpectedly
You’ll be confronted with this fact rather sooner than later! Singapore is located in the tropics, which means that rain showers very frequently. Officially there are two monsoon seasons throughout the year. If you can avoid visiting during December-March and June-September, great! But even during “inter-monsoon” season don’t be surprised if the weather app doesn’t correctly predict all rainy episodes. Luckily though, the rain is pretty warm and it comes in short, strong bursts. As a tourist, therefore, I do NOT recommend that you therefore plan your day around any potential rain showers, as nobody can predict those with certainty. Instead, do everything you plan to do anyway and just wait the showers out wherever you are if and when they occur 🙂 Oh, but definitely always carry an umbrella with you!!!
2. Wear waterproof shoes
My second point directly links to my first point. As I said, you shouldn’t plan your days AROUND the rain. The rain is very unpredictable and will come and go very quickly. Therefore, you’ll likely get caught up in rain no matter what, which is why I hiiiiiighlyyyy advise you to have appropriate footwear with you.
Personally I wore hiking sandals for sightseeing. They are both comfortable and water resistent. This worked really well for me (you can see my sandals in the picture above). My friend was first wearing sneakers which was a big mistake, as they got soaking wet real quick and only dried very slowly. She the switched to flip flops for the rest of the days, which worked much better for her. While both options may not be the most fashionable choice, I personally think practicality in this case makes sense haha 🙂
3. Plan your itinerary in advance
If you’re from anywhere in Europe, you’re probably used to very walkable city centres that you can just wander about for several hours. This is not the case in Singapore. While the city is generally very walkable, if you’re visiting Singapore for the first time I recommend to have a clear plan of where you want to go and what you want to see.
What I mean with this specifically is, that you can reach most attractions by foot, but there are not really “pedestrian areas” where most of the sights are located. The interesting sights are spread all around the city, but I doubt you’ll come across them if you just start walking aimlessly. So if you can, make a clear plan in advance of which points you want to hit, and check google maps for the best way to get there. If you’re looking for a sample itinerary, check out my blog post here!
4. Use public transport
If walking is not really your thing or you want to visit sights outside of downtown, I highly recommend to use the public transportation instead of taxis/ride share apps. Singapore is a big city, which means that traffic can get quite bad, especially during peak times. Fortunately, Singapore has a great public transportation system.
Specifically, I’m talking about the MRT. MRT stands for Mass Rapid Transportation, which already hints at why this means of transportation is awesome – it’s rapid! The MRT is the Singapore metro, which means you’ll be avoiding all traffic on the streets. The metro is super clean, very punctual and overall reliable and easy to use, even if you are visiting Singapore for the first time! It connects all major attractions and even goes to the airport. You can pay by ride using your credit card, or you can get a tourist pass that offers unlimited rides for a certain number of days. Check out this site to find out more.
5. restaurants close early
When I was visiting Singapore for the first time I was very surprised to find out that many restaurants in the city centre, even those located close to some of the most well-known attractions, close their kitchen before 10pm. And even more surprising, this is true even on weekends! I also need to add, that you cannot rely on the opening times on Google Maps. Many restuarants will let you sit and order drinks until the official closing time, but the kitchen often closes 1-2 hours before this stated time. So just beware that whatever you’re doing, don’t go to dinner too late otherwise you’ll end up eating cup noodles from 7-Eleven like us haha 🙂
6. it gets dark early
As all countries located close to the equator, typically day and night are equally as long, which means that roughly the sun rises around 6am and sets around 6pm all year round. It’s also really fascinating to see how the time from “sunset” to pitch dark is a lot shorter than what I’m used from Switzerland. How does that impact you? Well, some attractions are more interesting by day, and some might be more interesting at night. Just keep in mind the sunrise and sunset times, and plan your activities accordingly 🙂 The good thing is, with Singapore’s tropical climate the nights are still warm. In fact, the temperature is almost more pleasurable at night in my opinion.
7. singapore is a safe city
I am originally from Switzerland, which many consider one of the safest countries in the world. At home I can always freely move around at night by myself without feeling uncomfortable. I can confidently say that I had the same feeling walking around in Singapore as I had at home. The streets are all very well-lit and are never freakishly empty. During our time there we did not come across any sketchy streets or people.
8. you don’t need cash
Singapore is one of the biggest financial hubs in the Asia Pacific region, with many big corporations having their regional HQ’s in the city. Naturally, regarding all things Finance Singapore is up to speed with all the newest developments. Everything we did, we were able to pay by card. I’m talking restaurants, public transport, attractions, hotels, etc… So unless you personally feel more comfortable carrying some cash, you won’t really NEED it.
9. singapore is very humid
I’ve already mentioned the weather a couple of times, but I just HAVE to mention another aspect of it. When I was visiting Singapore for the first time I was not expecting it to be THIS HUMID. Don’t get me wrong, I can handle heat. I have no issue exploring new places at 35 degrees Celsius, but the humidity in Singapore just killed me. You should especially keep this in mind if you want to do some hiking or plan on walking around a lot. Make sure to always have water with you, and to wear super light-weight (and sweatproof) clothing. Trust me, the humidity is unreal.
10. monkeys are not your friend
This one’s very specific and applies to all the green areas of the city! If you plan to do the Southern Ridges or the Tree Top Walk (check out more details in this blog post) chances are high that you will come across some monkeys. They look very adorable and they are highly fascinating to watch. You’ll inevitably want to stop and stare at them and enjoy this rare sight. But, BUT, there are a few rules here do remember. NEVER make direct eye contact with them. I’m not sure why exactly, but they say they might attack you if you do.
Additionally, please never ever feed them. Monkeys are wild animals, and if humans start feeding them they slowly start to lose their natural hunting instinct. Linked to that, you should avoid carrying any plastic bags or bottles with you to the parks. Unfortunately monkey have learned to associate these objects with food, which is why they will likely come and steal anything plastic related from you. This is bad for both the monkeys health and the environment, as they will either eat the plastic or drop it off somewhere on the way when they lose interest.
11. singapore has some strange laws
You might have already heard that Singapore has some very, let’s say, unique laws. Some that have come to my attention that I’d like to share with you are:
- Singing (loudly) in public areas is punishable by law
- Chewing gum in public areas is punishable by law
- Homosexuality is punishable by law in Singapore
From what I could tell, anything that is not inherently considered “normal” could potentially be illegal in Singapore. So while you’re there, just try to blend in as much as possible… Whether you agree with the laws or not, you likely don’t want your holiday to be ruined by a mishap of this kind.
12. singapore is very multicultural
The modern Singapore as we know it today is very multicultural. There are Chinese communities, Arab communities, Indians and a large Western expat community. All of these people have created new homes for themselves in Singapore, which are also reflected in the architecture and customs of the respective neighbourhoods in the city. With that being said, depending on the area that you plan on visiting, you should dress appropriately. If you’re visiting a mosque in the Arab Quarter, for example, you might want to wear appropriate clothing that covers your shoulders and legs. This of course highly depends on what you want to see and experience, but it’s good to keep the cultural diversity and their implications at the back of your mind while sightseeing in Singapore!
13. city comes to life on weekends
This might be a random one, but I personally really felt the change from weekday to weekend. During the week, at least downtown, you see all the finance bros and sisters in their fancy suits rushing through their day. The public transport is also either quite empty or full with people commuting to and from work. But then, on the weekends, you the vibe completely changes. Everyone is dressed more casually and people are generally laughing and talking a lot more. The parks are full of locals that want to be out in nature. I guess as a tourist it doesn’t really affect your time there, but it’s still interesting to know that the vibe you’re getting from the city might totally depend on the weekday that you are visiting!
So there you go, that were my 13 things I wish I knew before visiting Singapore for the first time. Let me know in the comments if you have some more tips that I have missed! Is there anything else you’d like to know before going?