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 Traveller's Tales: Getting around in Singapore
Know the most popular landmarks in Singapore. You may read about best transportation, recommended travel itinerary, suggested routes and directions. Also, you might want to read our
Singapore city guide.
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| M Vinson |
22 May 2004 |
Stayed at Raffles The Plaza - Singapore, Singapore.
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You can get whereever you what on the subways in Singapore, and the hotel is right above the City Hall station. Be sure to pick up am EZ Link card at the station to making your travel simple.
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| R Lecusay |
04 May 2004 |
Stayed at Keong Saik Hotel - Singapore, Singapore.
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We spent three days in Singapore, and though we didn’t get to see everything, we felt like it was enough time to see and do most of what we wanted to. We did the Night Safari, and opted to walk instead of taking the tram. Seeing the animals at night put a different spin on the usual zoo experience, making it both more intimate and intimidating, and a lot of the animals did seem more animated than they usually are during the daytime. We spent an afternoon walking around Arab Street and were lucky to be there on the birthday of Muhammad, so there were people selling food and clothes on the grounds of the Sultan Mosque on North Bridge Road and we got to hear a competition of schoolchildren singing the call to prayer.
One of the highlights of Chinatown was the Sri Mariamman Temple, a large complex with many beautiful, brightly painted statues. On the days we visited (Sunday and Monday) at about 6 pm, a few musicians were playing devotional music and pujaris were unveiling and honoring each of the temple’s deities.
For food, I’d recommend lunch at one of the many vegetarian restaurants along Serangoon Road. Cheap, delicious, and eaten off a banana leaf without utensils, the lunch we had was a pleasant change from Indian restaurants we’re accustomed to. Another good place for a cheap, quick bite and a view of Singaporean daily life is the covered food and clothes market near the Tiong Bahru station. We had dinner one evening at the Boat Quay along the Singapore River, and the night scene, with the boats coming and going and the city lights reflected on the water, was lovely, if a bit crowded and touristy for our taste.
An area with a bit more laid-back character and some very stylish bars and restaurants is around Club Street and Ann Siang Road in Chinatown. We had delicious lychee martinis at the very hip Union Bar and bruschetta, cheese and pate at an attractive wine bar around the corner. One spot that didn’t meet our expectations was the Long Bar at Raffles. The rest of the Raffles complex was pretty and impressive, but I found the bar cheesy and overpriced. Another slightly disappointing experience was our visit to Johor Bahru. We got a taxi at the Queen Street Bus Terminal near Ophir Road, and it was easy and cheap (sharing the cost among 4 people, it was 8 dollars each). But once we got to JB, the museum was closed (it was a national holiday) and we didn’t find much to do. We shopped for souvenirs at the Singapore Handicraft Center in Chinatown Point. It wasn’t especially cheap, but was convenient and had a good selection. We took the MRT most places and found it very easy to navigate.
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| P Nieminen |
19 April 2004 |
Stayed at Rendezvous Singapore, Hotel - Singapore, Singapore.
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Taxi in Singapore is the best way to move it is not expensive and very secure.
Movenpick restaurant and its new concept is very good in HMV building.
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| Y Eddie |
12 April 2004 |
Stayed at Swissotel Merchant Court - Singapore, Singapore.
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Fifth visit to singapore due to family. 2nd hotel stayed in. Next visit, will probably stay in nearby orchard road hotel closer to shopping, early morning food and aircon. MRT tickets cost a $1 more due to having to pay $1 deposit for rechargable card which somehow could not be recharged so had to spend time getting deposit back and then paying for new ticket. Not good if in hurry. Probably should have sourced an MRT tourist package. Heat is oppressive so need to make sure swimming pool is nearby.
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| T Tateno |
10 April 2004 |
Stayed at Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel - Singapore, Singapore.
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It is better to use taxi to get around famous places. But my recommendation is
to use bus. It's very cheap. You can get to central city just about S$1-2. There
are plenty of buses running. You don't need to wait 15 minutes to get the bus
you want to board.
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| C Ho |
05 April 2004 |
Stayed at Swissotel Merchant Court - Singapore, Singapore.
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The location next to the river is convenient as there are quite a lot of restaurants there. But don't go to the Indian restaurant near the river it's awful!
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| M Song |
02 April 2004 |
Stayed at Swissotel Merchant Court - Singapore, Singapore.
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Always carry an umbrella. Shopping on Scotts/Orchard Roads - do not be afraid to walk into shops in malls on for bargains, there are often last-season items on sale but sale notice is not visible from outside. Chijmes - try to avoid on Fri/Sat nights, it is very crowded and hard to find a table in courtyard.
Hawker centers - Lau Pa Sat and Newton are overpriced. Excellent quality and value are at Food Junction @Bugis, Maxwell and Fountain Terrace @Suntec City.
Iced Coffee is black coffee with ice. Sporting equipment - must check out "Why Pay More?" at Suntec City, found golfing/tennis equipment at ebay.com prices.
Supermarket - items are cheaper in Carrefour at Suntec City/Plaza Singapura then any Cold Storage.
Sentosa Island - don't worry about it unless you have not been to a decent beach for awhile or you have kids. Merlion is closed for repairs from Apr-2004 for 4 months. Science Center - don't worry about it unless you have not been to a decent Science Center for awhile or you have kids. Night Safari - Shuttle bus service to hotels in city have been terminated, taxi is the only option.
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| M Callaghan |
29 March 2004 |
Stayed at Oriental Singapore - Singapore, Singapore.
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Singapore is a great destination with so much to offer and caters for all tastes and appea rs to be very family friendly. Our fvourite places to visit are the colonial district, Little India and enjoying a stroll by the river. The best restaurant for Indian food is The Delhi in Little India for good value and service. However, some of the eateries in the mall by the new opera house are abysmal. For getting around taxis are very reasonable, perfectly safe and reliable. We also use the MTR which must be classed as a world's best.
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| J Cripps |
27 March 2004 |
Stayed at Carlton Hotel Singapore - Singapore, Singapore.
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I arrived with Tourist written on my forehead; my first encounter with a "Taxi" cost $45 for the trip from airport to hotel; it should have been $25 at the most. The second encounter was the offer to tour Singapore for $5 an hour, which doubled when my wife entered the taxi; the sites turned out to be a tailor, camera shop and jewellry outlet at which he was waiting for his commission. I never toured Singapore.
However, during my short stay I had the opportunity to visit Sentosa Island utilising the Cable car ride. I would like to have spent more than half a day, as it was not sufficient to see the things I wanted to see. THe ride on the cable car was worth the trip.
I also took a trip to the Zoo for the night safari. It was a most enjoyable outing and provided value for money.
The Mustafa Centre for those wanting to shop at a location offering competitive pricing, is worth a visit.
Raffles is a short walk and Orchard Road was within walking distance.
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| N Ramsay |
26 March 2004 |
Stayed at Orchard Hotel Singapore - Singapore, Singapore.
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I took the airport shuttle into town from changi airport. SG$7 is about half the price of a taxi. It's an airconditioned mini bus. And if you don't mind waiting around for up to 20 minutes as well as possibly getting a free orientation tour of singapore on the way to your hotel while dropping other clients at theirs, it's great value. If you don't have much luggage take the mrt from under changi to virtually anywhere in town. SG$2.60 including the SG$1 ticket deposit but lugging heavy bags any distance in that climate can be a daunting experience.
I used the mrt exclusively to get around. It's easy to use, has a frequent service, is wonderfully airconditioned and stops at most places of interest. I think I "did" all the major shopping malls from the top of orchard road to somerset.
Not a lot of bargains to be had in Singapore these days (I have been visiting for nearly 40 years and have seen the standard of living accelerate) but you certainly do get a huge selection of the latest electronics, photographics, clothing and designer articles. And you can still bargain which is always fun!!!
I ate mainly in the basements of the shopping malls. The one under paragon centre is certainly diverse and has menus for all budgets.
The best coffee in town is the double cappo at one of the coffee bean and tea leaf chain outlets. They are everywhere. Their apple and cinnamon muffins are great too. China town is a disappointment compared to the "old days". It has been sanitised almost to a disneyland standard. And Bugis street is virtually no more. can also recommend the botanical gardens for a quiet stroll. Is handy to the orchard hotel down tanglin road. Also be sure to take an umbrella. Those afternoon storms can really soak you. Be careful exchanging foreign currency. rates can vary considerably. I saw between SG$1.11 and SG$1.25 for an Aus$ I used in licensed money changers (be sure you count your money before you leave the counter!) as well as the travelex in the dfs store in scotts rd. Singapore is a clean and vibrant city with wonderful people. I always enjoy my visits there.
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