What to do in Singapore for 2 days ?
Singapore is one of the most modern, well-oiled city machines in the world and is home to some impressive feats of architecture, interesting historical sites and peaceful nature areas. If you’re short on time a great idea is to book a ticket on a hop on/hop off city bus tour. The open top “Hippo” bus (Singapore Duck Tours) is a great option, and at $33 won’t end up costing you too much more than getting the MRT/local buses around town (assuming you make a lot of stops). The double decker buses also give you a great view of the city and you’ll get some background information on the history of Singapore (the earphones they gave me stopped working after about 5 minutes though, make sure you bring your own!). Another great thing about the Hippo bus is that the ticket lasts for 24 hours – so if you bought your ticket at 1pm you can use it until 1pm the next day (the buses run from 9am-6.30pm).The buses stop at almost every tourist attraction in the inner city; here are some I’d recommend checking out (you might not have time to see the all).
DAY 1: THE TYPICAL TOURIST TRAIL
GARDENS BY THE BAY
This is one of my favourite places in Singapore and I’d highly recommend visiting if you have time. The supertrees are straight out of an alien world and the cloud forest dome has an awesome waterfall, the largest indoor one in the world apparently!
SINGAPORE FLYER
- Just like the London Eye but bigger, apparently the Singapore Flyer is the tallest observational wheel in the world and the views from the top are pretty amazing.
SINGAPORE BOTANIC GARDENS
- The gardens are huge and if you visit in the middle of the afternoon (like I did) it’ll be extremely hot, but it’s worth it. The orchid garden set me back $5 and I was beginning to feel ripped off, until I saw Kristen Stewart filming a science fiction movie there. It took her 2 takes to walk down a garden path, and even though I can’t stand Twilight it’s always cool to see famous people.
SENTOSA ISLAND
Sentosa Island is built for tourists and you could easily spend a couple of days there. Universal Studios is good (although quite small) and the beaches are pretty decent simulations of actual tropical paradises (they shipped their sand in from Indonesia apparently). This is also a good place to go at night as there are some really good beachside restaurants and bars. Read a full post on the beaches of Sentosa (and the rest of Singapore) here.
DAY 2: THE PATH LESS TRAVELLED
PULAU UBIN
It’s hard to believe Pulau Ubin is part of Singapore – if you go on a weekday you’ll have it almost all to yourself. Apparently it’s what all of Singapore would have looked like in the not too distant past and the scenery/peacefulness makes it my favourite part of the country. You can hire a bike and check out a wetland boardwalk, photograph the colourful quarry lakes and see wild pigs and monkeys. Read a full post on Pulau Ubin here.
EAST COAST PARK
If you’re after a suburban Singapore experience, head to East Coast Park. You’ll see local families riding bicycles, firing up their bbqs or maybe setting up their tents for a night of camping. The beach is pretty good and there are some nice bars and restaurants in the area.
GARDENS BY THE BAY AT NIGHT
For your last night in town head back to Gardens by the Bay to see the supertrees perform a psychedelic light show. It’s free and is one of the most unique experiences you’ll have in Singapore.
Singapore is one of the most modern, well-oiled city machines in the world and is home to some impressive feats of architecture, interesting historical sites and peaceful nature areas. If you’re short on time a great idea is to book a ticket on a hop on/hop off city bus tour. The open top “Hippo” bus (Singapore Duck Tours) is a great option, and at $33 won’t end up costing you too much more than getting the MRT/local buses around town (assuming you make a lot of stops). The double decker buses also give you a great view of the city and you’ll get some background information on the history of Singapore (the earphones they gave me stopped working after about 5 minutes though, make sure you bring your own!). Another great thing about the Hippo bus is that the ticket lasts for 24 hours – so if you bought your ticket at 1pm you can use it until 1pm the next day (the buses run from 9am-6.30pm).The buses stop at almost every tourist attraction in the inner city; here are some I’d recommend checking out (you might not have time to see the all).
DAY 1: THE TYPICAL TOURIST TRAIL
GARDENS BY THE BAY
This is one of my favourite places in Singapore and I’d highly recommend visiting if you have time. The supertrees are straight out of an alien world and the cloud forest dome has an awesome waterfall, the largest indoor one in the world apparently!
SINGAPORE FLYER
- Just like the London Eye but bigger, apparently the Singapore Flyer is the tallest observational wheel in the world and the views from the top are pretty amazing.
SINGAPORE BOTANIC GARDENS
- The gardens are huge and if you visit in the middle of the afternoon (like I did) it’ll be extremely hot, but it’s worth it. The orchid garden set me back $5 and I was beginning to feel ripped off, until I saw Kristen Stewart filming a science fiction movie there. It took her 2 takes to walk down a garden path, and even though I can’t stand Twilight it’s always cool to see famous people.
SENTOSA ISLAND
Sentosa Island is built for tourists and you could easily spend a couple of days there. Universal Studios is good (although quite small) and the beaches are pretty decent simulations of actual tropical paradises (they shipped their sand in from Indonesia apparently). This is also a good place to go at night as there are some really good beachside restaurants and bars. Read a full post on the beaches of Sentosa (and the rest of Singapore) here.
DAY 2: THE PATH LESS TRAVELLED
PULAU UBIN
It’s hard to believe Pulau Ubin is part of Singapore – if you go on a weekday you’ll have it almost all to yourself. Apparently it’s what all of Singapore would have looked like in the not too distant past and the scenery/peacefulness makes it my favourite part of the country. You can hire a bike and check out a wetland boardwalk, photograph the colourful quarry lakes and see wild pigs and monkeys. Read a full post on Pulau Ubin here.
EAST COAST PARK
If you’re after a suburban Singapore experience, head to East Coast Park. You’ll see local families riding bicycles, firing up their bbqs or maybe setting up their tents for a night of camping. The beach is pretty good and there are some nice bars and restaurants in the area.
GARDENS BY THE BAY AT NIGHT
For your last night in town head back to Gardens by the Bay to see the supertrees perform a psychedelic light show. It’s free and is one of the most unique experiences you’ll have in Singapore.
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