Singapore has a hawker stall with a Michelin star, Peranakan shops in Joo Chiat and tasting menus in Tanjong Pagar shophouses. Save the addresses you want, eat before the lunch queues and walk before the afternoon heat.

Singapore at a glance

Time zone
Singapore Time: UTC+8 all year, with no daylight saving
Currency
Singapore dollar (S$). Cards and phones are taken almost everywhere, but many hawker stalls take only cash or local QR codes: carry small notes
Language
English is the language of business, signs and menus; Mandarin, Malay and Tamil are also official
Airports
Changi (SIN): the MRT from Changi Airport station, changing at Tanah Merah to the East-West Line for City Hall and Raffles Place, about 50 minutes to Marina Bay; a taxi takes about 30 minutes
Best months
February is the driest month; November to January bring the monsoon rains
Power
Type G plugs (three square pins, as in the UK), 220–240 V
Tipping
Tipping isn’t customary. Prices marked “++” add a service charge, usually 10%, and 9% GST

Know who’s in Singapore when you are

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Where to spend your time

  • Tanjong Pagar Lunch with the office crowd at Amoy Street Food Centre, walk the shophouse rows of Amoy Street and Duxton Hill, and come back for cocktails at night.
  • Keong Saik and Chinatown Queue for chicken rice at Maxwell Food Centre, then walk the curve of Keong Saik Road as its restaurants open for dinner.
  • Tiong Bahru Croissants on Eng Hoon Street, fried prawn noodles upstairs at the market, then a walk through the estate’s pre-war Art Deco flats.
  • Joo Chiat and Katong Kaya toast on East Coast Road, Nyonya dumplings on Joo Chiat Place, and the painted terrace houses of Koon Seng Road.
  • Dempsey and Tanglin Walk the Botanic Gardens early, before the heat, then eat in Dempsey’s old army barracks, now restaurants on a green hill.
  • Kampong Glam See the Sultan Mosque from Bussorah Street, browse the bookshops around it, and book nasi lemak on Beach Road.
  • Civic District and Marina Bay See the National Gallery in the old Supreme Court and City Hall, then walk the bay to the Supertrees for the free light show at 7:45 or 8:45 PM.

Where we’d send a friend

  • Common Man Coffee Roasters Robertson Quay. The roaster’s first café, open since 2013 near the river: coffee and all-day breakfast. 22 Martin Rd, #01-00. Order: The ox cheek eggs Benedict. Open daily, 7:30 AM to 6 PM. No reservations; walk-ins only. Website
  • Chin Mee Chin Confectionery Katong. A Katong coffee shop and bakery, now over 100 years old: kaya toast, soft-boiled eggs and kopi at marble tables. 204 East Coast Rd. Order: The kaya toast set, with a cream horn. Open daily, 8 AM to 4 PM; last orders at 3:30 PM. Website
  • Tiong Bahru Bakery Tiong Bahru. A French-style bakery in the Tiong Bahru estate: croissants, kouign amann and coffee. 56 Eng Hoon St, #01-70. Order: A kouign amann or a croissant. Open daily: 7:30 AM to 8 PM on weekdays, from 8 AM at weekends. Website
  • Nylon Coffee Roasters Everton Park. A small roaster and coffee bar on the ground floor of a public housing block in Everton Park. 4 Everton Park, #01-40. Closed Tuesdays. Open 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM on weekdays, from 9 AM at weekends. Website
  • Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice Chinatown. A chicken rice stall at Maxwell Food Centre, the hawker centre on the edge of Chinatown, with a Michelin Bib Gourmand. Maxwell Food Centre, #01-10/11, 1 Kadayanallur St. Order: Poached chicken with chicken rice. Closed Mondays. Open 10 AM to 8 PM; last dine-in orders at 7:30 PM. Expect a queue. Website
  • A Noodle Story Tanjong Pagar. Singapore-style ramen with pork belly and wontons, at Amoy Street Food Centre; a Michelin Bib Gourmand. Amoy Street Food Centre, #01-39, 7 Maxwell Rd. Order: The Singapore-style ramen. Closed Saturdays and Sundays. Open 10 AM to 8 PM on weekdays. Website
  • Hong Heng Fried Sotong Prawn Mee Tiong Bahru. Noodles fried to order with prawn, squid and fish, upstairs at Tiong Bahru Market’s hawker centre; a Michelin Bib Gourmand. Tiong Bahru Market, #02-01, 30 Seng Poh Rd. Order: Fried sotong prawn mee, with the house chilli. Closed Sundays and Mondays. Open 10:30 AM to 2:30 PM. Website
  • Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle Lavender. Bak chor mee, minced pork noodles cooked to order, from a hawker stall with a Michelin star. Blk 466 Crawford Lane, #01-12. Order: Bak chor mee. Open 9 AM to 8:30 PM; shut on the first and third Monday of each month. Expect a queue. Website
  • Tekka Centre Little India. Little India’s market hall: a wet market and about 120 hawker stalls on the ground floor, with saris and tailors upstairs. 665 Buffalo Rd. Order: Biryani, then teh tarik. Each stall keeps its own hours and day off; most serve from breakfast into the evening. The centre shuts for two days each quarter for cleaning: check NEA’s list before you go. Carry cash. Website
  • Lau Pa Sat Raffles Place. A Victorian cast-iron market hall among the office towers; at night, satay grills fill Boon Tat Street beside it. 18 Raffles Quay. Order: Satay from a Boon Tat Street grill. Satay Street opens at 7 PM on weekdays and 3 PM at weekends, until 3 AM. Website
  • Cloudstreet Tanjong Pagar. Rishi Naleendra’s restaurant in an Amoy Street shophouse, with two Michelin stars; tasting menu only. 84 Amoy St. Order: The tasting menu. Closed Sundays and Mondays. Dinner Tuesday to Saturday from 6:30 PM; lunch on Fridays and Saturdays. Allow about 3 hours. Website
  • Burnt Ends Dempsey. Wood-fired barbecue, with counter seats facing the kitchen and a Michelin star. 7 Dempsey Rd, #01-02. Closed Sundays and Mondays. Dinner Tuesday to Saturday from 6 PM; lunch Thursday to Saturday. Book through its own site. Website
  • Candlenut Dempsey. A Peranakan restaurant at COMO Dempsey, with a Michelin star: à la carte, or the “Ah-Ma-Kase” menu. 17A Dempsey Rd. Order: Chef’s Mum’s Chicken Curry, or the babi buah keluak. Open daily for lunch (noon to 3 PM) and dinner (6 to 10 PM). Book on SevenRooms. Website
  • Labyrinth Marina Bay. LG Han’s restaurant in the Esplanade: Singapore dishes, mostly seafood, reworked as a tasting menu; one Michelin star. Esplanade Mall, #02-23, 8 Raffles Ave. Order: The tasting menu. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Dinner Wednesday to Sunday, last seating 7:30 PM; lunch Friday to Sunday, last orders 1 PM. Tasting menus only, about S$208++ at lunch and S$298++ at dinner; allow about 3 hours for dinner. Book on Chope. Website
  • Odette Civic District. Julien Royer’s French restaurant in the National Gallery’s Supreme Court wing, with three Michelin stars. 1 St Andrew’s Rd, #01-04. Closed Sundays. Dinner Monday to Saturday, last seating 8:15 PM; lunch Tuesday to Saturday, last seating 1 PM. Enter the Gallery from Coleman Street. Website
  • The Coconut Club Kampong Glam. Nasi lemak in a restored Beach Road shophouse, with a Michelin Bib Gourmand. 269 Beach Rd. Order: The ayam goreng berempah nasi lemak. Lunch and dinner daily, all day at weekends; shut on the first Monday of each month. Minimum spend S$30++ a head at lunch, S$40++ at dinner. Website
  • Jigger & Pony Tanjong Pagar. A cocktail bar in the Amara hotel, on The World’s 50 Best Bars 2026 list. Amara Singapore, 165 Tanjong Pagar Rd. Order: A Negroni, or a cocktail from the current menu. Open daily from 6 PM: until midnight Sunday to Tuesday and 2 AM Wednesday to Saturday; happy hour 6 to 7:30 PM. Over 18s only. Website
  • Atlas Bugis. A gin bar in the Art Deco lobby of Parkview Square, with more than 1,300 gins. Parkview Square, 600 North Bridge Rd. Order: The Atlas Negroni. Closed Sundays. Some tables are kept for walk-ins; afternoon tea by reservation only. Smart casual from 5 PM: long trousers and covered shoes for men. Website
  • Kafe Utu Keong Saik. An African café and cocktail lounge over three floors of a shophouse on Jiak Chuan Road, off Keong Saik Road. 12 Jiak Chuan Rd. Closed Mondays. Brunch from 10 AM, dinner from 6 PM; last orders 9:30 PM. Cashless: cards and PayNow. Website
  • Kim Choo Kueh Chang Joo Chiat. A Peranakan family business since 1945: Nyonya rice dumplings and kueh, with workshops on Peranakan culture. 60 Joo Chiat Pl. Order: A Nyonya chang, the pork rice dumpling. Its site gives no opening hours; call +65 6741 2125 before a special trip. Website
  • Wardah Books Kampong Glam. An independent bookshop on Bussorah Street for Islamic thought, Malay and Southeast Asian history, and Singapore writing. 58 Bussorah St. Open daily from 10 AM (9 AM at weekends) until 9 or 10 PM; it pauses for Friday prayers, 12:45 to 2 PM. Website
  • National Gallery Singapore Civic District. Singapore and Southeast Asian art in the old Supreme Court and City Hall, joined under one roof. 1 St Andrew’s Rd. Open daily, 10 AM to 7 PM; last admission 6:30 PM. Visitors’ tickets S$20, online or at the kiosks. The UOB Southeast Asia Gallery reopens in late 2027. Website
  • Singapore Botanic Gardens Tanglin. A UNESCO World Heritage garden with rainforest, lakes and the National Orchid Garden; free to enter. 1 Cluny Rd. Open daily, 5 AM to midnight, free. The National Orchid Garden is open 8:30 AM to 7 PM (last entry 6 PM); visitors’ tickets S$15. Website
  • Gardens by the Bay Marina Bay. Waterfront gardens with the Supertree Grove, free, and two glass conservatories, the Cloud Forest and the Flower Dome. 18 Marina Gardens Dr. The outdoor gardens open 5 AM to 2 AM, free; light show at 7:45 and 8:45 PM. The conservatories open 9 AM to 9 PM; each closes one day a month, so check before you go. Website
  • Masjid Sultan Kampong Glam. A 1920s mosque with a golden dome at the end of Bussorah Street; visitors are welcome at set hours. 3 Muscat St. Closed to visitors on Fridays. Walk-in visits 10 AM to noon and 2 to 4 PM; free. Cover arms and legs (robes are lent at the counter) and take off your shoes. Website

A first week in Singapore

  1. Day 1: Land and walk the bay. Take the MRT in, drop your bags and walk Marina Bay at dusk. Watch the Supertree light show at 7:45 or 8:45 PM, then eat satay on Boon Tat Street.
  2. Day 2: Tanjong Pagar and Chinatown. Lunch at Amoy Street Food Centre, or join the Tian Tian queue at Maxwell (closed Mondays). Walk Keong Saik Road in the afternoon; dinner at Cloudstreet, booked ahead.
  3. Day 3: Tiong Bahru. Croissants at Tiong Bahru Bakery, fried prawn noodles at Hong Heng before 2:30 PM, then a walk through the estate and coffee at Nylon (closed Tuesdays).
  4. Day 4: Dempsey and the Botanic Gardens. Walk the Botanic Gardens and the orchid garden in the morning, then lunch at Candlenut. Dinner at Burnt Ends, booked ahead (closed Sundays and Mondays).
  5. Day 5: Kampong Glam. Visit the Sultan Mosque between 10 AM and noon (not on Fridays), browse Wardah Books, have lunch at The Coconut Club, and end the day at Atlas.
  6. Day 6: Joo Chiat and Katong. Kaya toast at Chin Mee Chin before 3:30 PM, Nyonya dumplings at Kim Choo, and the painted houses on Koon Seng Road.
  7. Day 7: Out of town. Choose one: a bumboat to Pulau Ubin to cycle, or the Sentosa Express to the beach. Back in town, a last drink at Jigger & Pony.

Where people meet

  • FinTech week The Singapore FinTech Festival runs Nov 18–20, 2026 at Singapore EXPO, with talks and side events across the city. Book hotels early.
  • Art week Art SG and Singapore Art Week fill galleries with openings in late January; Art SG runs Jan 22–24, 2027 at Marina Bay Sands.
  • Free concerts A few times a year, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra plays free evening concerts on the lakeside stage in the Botanic Gardens. Bring a mat.
  • Grand Prix The Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix races at night around Marina Bay, Oct 8–10, 2027; hotels and tables near the bay book out.

Eating in Singapore

  • Hawker centres Many famous stalls open for lunch and close when they sell out; queues peak at noon. Go before 11:30 AM or after 1:30 PM, and carry cash.
  • Reserving a seat A packet of tissues on a table means someone has reserved it (“chope”). Take a free seat, and clear your tray when you’re done.
  • Book the hard tables Odette, Cloudstreet, Burnt Ends and Candlenut take bookings online; book as soon as your dates are set. Prices marked “++” add service charge and GST.
  • Kaya toast and kopi A kopitiam breakfast is toast with kaya (coconut jam) and butter, soft-boiled eggs and kopi. “Kopi O” is black with sugar; “kopi C” comes with evaporated milk.

Getting around

  • The MRT Tap a contactless bank card or phone at the gates: no ticket needed. Foreign cards pay a S$0.60 fee per day of travel. Last trains leave around midnight; check the SMRT or SBS Transit journey planner.
  • Grab and taxis Grab is the usual ride-hailing app; Gojek and the Zig taxi app work too. Taxi fares add 25% at peak hours and 50% from midnight to 6 AM, and Grab prices rise in rush hour and rain.
  • Rain and heat Walk in the morning or after dark. Carry an umbrella: afternoon thunderstorms are common from late March to May and from October, and the covered walkways along shopfronts keep you dry.

Good to know

  • No food on the MRT Eating or drinking is banned on trains and in stations, and on buses, with fines of up to S$500.
  • Vapes are illegal Buying, having or using an e-cigarette is an offence, fined even for a first offence. Visitors caught with etomidate “K-pods” can be deported and banned from returning.
  • Return your tray At hawker centres, food courts and coffee shops, take your tray and plates to the return point. Leaving them on the table is an offence.
  • Drugs, gum and smoking Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty. Chewing gum can’t be brought in. Smoke only in marked smoking areas; littering costs S$300.

When to go

Singapore is hot and humid all year, about 31–32°C by day. The northeast monsoon brings the heaviest rain from November to January, and February is the driest month. From late March to May and in October and November, afternoon thunderstorms are common; April to June are the hottest months. In some years, smoke haze from regional fires drifts in between June and October.

December and January
The northeast monsoon’s wettest weeks, with long spells of heavy rain. Keep plans indoors-ready.
Chinese New Year
Feb 6–7, 2027, with Mon, Feb 8 a public holiday in lieu. Chinatown is lit for weeks before; many small shops and stalls close for a few days.
February to March
The driest stretch, windy and sunny; afternoons get hot from March.
Ramadan
Hari Raya Puasa falls on Mar 10, 2027. In the weeks before, evening food bazaars set up around Kampong Glam and Geylang Serai.
April to June
The hottest months, about 32°C by day, with afternoon thunderstorms until May.
June to September
Drier, with short storms. In some years, haze from regional fires drifts in: check haze.gov.sg.
October and November
Afternoon thunderstorms return. Little India lights up for Deepavali (Oct 28, 2027).

Day trips and next stops

  • Pulau Ubin Take a bumboat from Changi Point Ferry Terminal (S$4 each way; boats leave when 12 people are aboard), then hire a bike in the village and cycle the island’s tracks. About 10 min.
  • Sentosa Take the Sentosa Express from VivoCity, above HarbourFront MRT (S$4, 7 AM to midnight), for the beaches at Siloso and Palawan. About 30 min.
  • Bintan Bintan Resort Ferries sail from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal to the Bintan Resorts. Bring a passport valid for six months, check Indonesia’s visa rules, and set your watch an hour back. About 1 h 10 m.
  • Johor Bahru The KTM Shuttle Tebrau crosses from Woodlands to JB Sentral; buy tickets ahead in the KTMB app, and your passport is your boarding pass. The new RTS Link isn’t open yet. About 5 min.

Questions people ask

Do I need a visa?

Most visitors don’t, including US, UK and EU passport holders; the officer sets your length of stay on arrival. Everyone must file the free SG Arrival Card in the three days before arriving, on ICA’s website or the MyICA app.

How do I get in from Changi?

Take the MRT from Changi Airport station (Terminals 2 and 3), change at Tanah Merah to the East-West Line, and allow about 50 minutes to Marina Bay. A taxi takes about 30 minutes and costs about S$25–45.

Where should I stay?

Tanjong Pagar and Chinatown put you near the bars and hawker centres; Marina Bay and the Civic District near the museums and the bay. Robertson Quay is by the river, and Dempsey and Tanglin are among the trees.

How strict are the rules?

Strict, and enforced for visitors too: no eating or drinking on the MRT, no vapes, no chewing gum brought in, trays returned at hawker centres, and severe penalties for drugs. Carry a doctor’s letter for prescription medicines.

Is Singapore a good city for meeting people?

Try a bar counter in Tanjong Pagar, a free concert in the Botanic Gardens or the side events of the FinTech Festival. If you’re an O member, you can also see people who choose to share overlapping travel dates.