One Day In Singapore: What Can You Do?

What I love most about Singapore are the sharp and constant contrasts: smoky temples in the shadow of skyscrapers, luxe condos backing onto jungle, old-school shophouses housing secret cocktail dens.

-Cristian Bonetto

With a city so diverse, what could you (or what should you) do with one day in Singapore? Here’s a list that captures the city as a whole, from its modern day splendor to its ancient ambiance…

Lounge at the Marina Bay Pool

If you only have one day in Singapore, I would highly recommend splurging and booking a room at the Marina Bay, to have a chance to swim in the highest rooftop pool in the world. However, if you aren’t a guest at the Marina Bay, you can still get a tour of the rooftop, or visit Ce La Vi, their rooftop bar. Either way, a visit to Marina Bay is definitely in order, as it offers one of the best views in all of Singapore.

Stroll Through The Gardens by the Bay

Behind the Marina Bay, you can find 18 colorful solar powered trees that act as vertical gardens. Also in this area is the Cloud Forest, which hosts the world’s tallest indoor waterfall. The Cloud Forest is only open until 9PM, so start there and then walk by the trees at night (open until 2am) to see them light up in the dark.

Eat at a Hawker Food Market

Singapore is known to have some of the best food in the world. From Chinese and Indian to Malay and Korean BBQ, a Hawker Food Market has anything your stomach desires. Expect a great meal for under 3 dollars.

Click here to decide which Hawker Market is right for you.

Nobody in Singapore drinks Singapore Slings. It’s one of the first things you find out there. What you do in Singapore is eat. It’s a really food-crazy culture, where all of this great food is available in a kind of hawker-stand environment.

-Anthony Bourdain

Be Inspired by Little India

For a colorful mix of spices, flowers and Indian food, visit the loud and fragrant streets of Little India. Here, you can experience Mustafa market, a bargain hunters paradise. Mustafa is open 24 hours and you can find everything (literally EVERYTHING) from perfume to peranakan trinkets. It gets pretty crowded so find your zen before entering.

Wander Around Chinatown

Chinatown is famous for it’s strange little shops selling everything from plastic Buddhas to Chinese herbs. It is also home to multiple different temples, such as the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, the Sri Mariamman Temple and the Thian Hock Keng Temple. Grab a cheap dinner at Smith Street or Maxwell Centre.

Loosen up in Clark Quay

As it is the number one destination for party goers, you can expect to be roaming Clark Quay until sunrise. If you’re a heavy drinker, make sure to buy a bottle at Duty Free in the airport before heading out (you won’t believe how much a drink costs at one of Singapore’s bars).