24 hours in Singapore 🇸🇬

Reading time: 3min

Last visit: May 2016

In May 2016 I went to Singapore for the first time – I was on my way to Australia as a stop-over so I only had about 24 hours. JUST 24 hours and yet Singapore managed to make me want to return some day.

What did I do with my luggage?

As I was on my way to Australia for 6 months, I had heaps of luggage with me – actually I only had a bag with me, but it was a big and heavy bag. A type of bag that you wouldn’t like to carry around in Singapore for an entire day. So I parked my big bag in the airport (they have baggage storage in all three terminals. Find the prices here) to be able to move freely around and see as much of Singapore as I possibly could.

Where did I stay in Singapore?

I stayed at 5footway.inn, which is located in the area of Boat Quay. One night with breakfast cost me $22 (Singapore Dollars). The hostel was nice and centrally located, within walking distance to more or less everything. The staff were really friendly and I would recommend other travellers to stay overnight, if going to Singapore for a night or two. If you have big or heavy luggage with you, I would suggest to find another place to stay, as the place has heaps of staircases. Just to get to the reception, you need to climb up a fair bit of stairs. But except from that I had a really nice stay there 😊

What did I eat in Singapore?

I arrived in Singapore in the evening, so my first meal was dinner – and it was FREE 🤩 Yes, you read correctly FREE. One of the guys from the hostel told me about this place – BK Eating House – it is located right around the corner of the hostel and on that night, they were promoting street food, meaning that they were offering free food – and the food was amazing 😋

Since breakfast was included in my stay at the hostel, I had breakfast there and boy am I happy I did. I had myself a peanut butter with jam sandwich with a cup of tea – and the best part was that I had a view of the river and partial view of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. Great start to the day, I know 😁

For lunch I had a yummy banana pancake in Little India. I am not sure exactly where the place is, as this is one of those – “Uh that’s a colorful street, let’s jump off the bus here and see where it leads”-moments. The only thing I can say is that it was super yummy, the staff was very friendly and I hope to find the place again next time I’m in Singapore.

What did I see in Singapore?

Since I only had about 24 hours in Singapore and wanted to get the most out of it, I did what every traveller do; research. I googled, read blog posts from other travellers and asked everyone I knew, who had been to Singapore for recommendations. I didn’t plan everything, I just had some rough ideas about what I wanted to check out. As I only had about 24 hours in Singapore, I jumped on one of those hop on hop off red busses, as it is the easiest way to get around and a good way to get to all of the must-sees. So if you only have limited time in Singapore, I recommend you hop on one of those red busses 🚌 (and ofcourse the emoji is a YELLOW bus 🤦‍♀️)

Boat Quay

As I arrived in the evening, after dark, I took a walk around the Boat Quay area to have a look around. Boat Quay is basically a party area, where all the young people go out and have dinner, drinks, dance and sing karaoke. It was very colorful and the atmosphere was great.

Marina Bay Sands

After having walked around Boat Quay I walked towards the Marina Bay Sands. I walked all the way around the lake and enjoyed the view of everything – all the must sees but also the view of the skyscrapers. I must say that it is absolutely magnificent in the evening – so make sure that you stay long enough to see it both during the day and during the evening.

The next day I went back again, to see the whole thing during the day as well. It is beautiful during the day as well, but I do prefer it in the late afternoon, when the sun is setting and the darkness falls. Every evening from 20:00 there is a light and water show at the waterfront by the promenade plaza. It is a FREE event and it is very beautiful. Something I recommend to see.

Unfortunately I didn’t go up to the skypark – there is a dress code as well as an entrance fee to go up there, unless you are booked in at the hotel – but it’s on my list for next time I visit Singapore.

Gardens by the Bay

Gardens by the Bay is a a must to check out, if you go to Singapore. I went there both during day- and nighttime. When I was there, they had a tulip exhibition, which was absolutely stunning 🌷 So before you go, check out to see if they have something special going on. Also make sure to check the times for the mist in the Cloud Forest and make sure that you go there a bit earlier. When you get to the top, you almost feel like you are walking on clouds, as the mist will be below you ☁️

China town and Indian City

Both China town and Indian City were quiet interesting to visit. I did not spend a lot of time in either of the areas, but they both had their certain charm. I went to Indian City to have lunch, as a friend of mine recommended me to, as it would be good and cheap – and he was right 😀