A GUIDE T0 Singapore Contents
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A GUIDE T0 Singapore Contents Introducing Singapore 4 Interesting facts 5 A taste of Singapore 6 Must-dos in Singapore 8 Try something different 9 Spending money 12 Five of the best views of the city 14 Our recommendations 16 Hotels 18 2 3 Introducing Singapore A gateway to Asia and beyond, Singapore is a vibrant nation full of vigour and a cosmopolitan city brimming with possibilities. It’s home to a bustling Central Business District, a famous shopping street, a thriving arts and entertainment scene, lively dining and drinking spots, and many must-see attractions. With a rich culture and heritage, Singapore is a place where passion lines every avenue. Singapore offers many places and spaces Singapore Statistics for travellers to create their own adventure. History enthusiasts will delight in visiting Population 5.6 million museums and revel in the architectural styles of old buildings in Singapore, while Currency Singapore Dollar (S$) nature lovers can check into the wonderful green spaces that provide respite from Official language Malay, though English the hustle and bustle of the city. Explorers is the most commonly looking for more unique activities may check spoken language out Singapore’s many enticing attractions Time zone GMT +7 including National Gallery Singapore, where Southeast Asia’s largest collection of Flight time: 10 hours 25 mins modern art resides, and Thian Hock Keng, from Johannesburg Singapore’s oldest Buddhist temple, built to honour the goddess of the sea. AVERAGE HIGH MONTHLY TEMPERATURES IN SINGAPORE °C JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC 26 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 26 26 4 Interesting facts • Singapore holds a national tree planting day every year. On 7th November, everyone from the Prime Minister and foreign diplomats to ordinary citizens plant trees to preserve a green Singapore. • The five stars in Singapore’s national flag represent the ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality. The colour red signifies brotherhood while white represents purity. Botanical Gardens • Singapore’s inaugural Formula One motor race in 2008 was the first and only F1 race to be held at night, and the first F1 street race in Asia. • The only tropical garden with a UNESCO World Heritage Site tag is the 156-year-old Singapore Botanical Garden, home to 4.5 million annual visitors and a National Orchid Garden. • Singapore is actually a city of not just one island, but 63. Singapore’s land area includes as many as 62 offshore islands that surround the main island. These include Sentosa (the largest of the 62 offshore islands), Pulau Ubin, St John’s Island Singapore Flyer and Sisters’ Islands. 5 A Taste of Singapore ingapore is a melting pot of cuisines, incorporating a rich heritage of dishes consisting of Chinese, Indian, SMalaysian and Indonesian influences. Here are some local delicacies we think you should try out: Hainanese chicken rice Chilli crab Steamed chicken served with rice cooked in Hard-shell crabs cooked in semi-thick gravy chicken stock. This all-time favourite dish makes with a tomato chilli base. The steamed crabs for a quick, fulfilling lunch. The quality of chicken are partially cracked, then lightly stir-fried in a stock is crucial to this dish, and you can tell by the paste comprising chilli sauce, ketchup and eggs. steamed rice oozing with flavour and a fragrant Despite its name, chilli crab is not all that spicy. aroma. Pour some dipping sauce over the chicken Bread is normally ordered to soak up the gravy, so and give it a go. dig in with both hands! Hainanese chicken rice Chilli Crab 6 Laksa Char kway teow Rice noodles in spicy coconut curry soup with Broad white noodles fried with black Soya sauce, shrimp, fish cakes, egg and chicken meat – a bean sprouts, fish cake, clams and Chinese cross between Chinese and Malay cuisine. Laksa sausage. You will find this dish in hawker centres also has many variants, but the one in Singapore and restaurants. Skilled chefs will add a smoky is katong laksa, with cut-up noodles. Cockles and taste to the dish by cooking the noodles at a high tofu puffs are sometimes added. temperature. Laksa Char kway teow 7 Must-dos in Singapore Singapore Zoo here is so much to see and do in Singapore Tthat you might not know where to start! Here Chinatown are just a few of our favourites: Jewel Changi Airport Cultural neighbourhoods Jewel Changi Airport transforms Singapore’s A walk down Chinatown’s narrow streets with world-class aviation hub into a truly inspiring their picturesque shophouses reveals Singapore’s lifestyle destination. rich Chinese heritage. Visitors to Chinatown can experience the interesting and harmonious mix Experience wonderment when you discover the of cultures, where the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple world’s largest indoor waterfall, 2,000 trees and and Museum is just a two-minute walk from the a spectacular, 14,000-square-metre rooftop park Sri Mariamman Temple. The precinct is also that’s home to gardens, walking trails and play home to some of the best food on the island, from attractions, as well as dining establishments and hipster cafés to established hawker stalls and top-notch retail. Michelin-starred restaurants. There’s also Little India, one of the most vibrant and charismatic Gardens by the Bay ethnic districts in Singapore. Here, with the air In the heart of a bustling Garden City, Gardens by smelling of spices, incense and jasmine, loud the Bay’s conservatories are a tranquil oasis. The Indian pop music blares from shops. Gaily painted Flower Dome contains a diverse range of plants shophouses along Serangoon Road and side from the Mediterranean, whilst The Cloud Forest streets add to the district’s charm. conservatory boasts a cascading 35-metre-tall Bukit Timah Nature Reserve indoor waterfall (one of the world’s largest). To see a different side to Singapore, head to Sentosa Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. While centrally On Sentosa Island, visitors will find plenty located on the Island, the reserve feels a million of attractions to arouse their senses and miles from the modern cityscape with its thick imagination: peaceful white sand beaches, tropical vegetation, hiking trails and mountain marinas and trails, the championship-ready biking route. courses of Sentosa Golf Club, theme and water parks and countless dining options. 8 Try something different o beyond the everyday attractions and The eight-course Discovery Menu Experience Greally get to grips with everything Singapore is designed for those who prefer to leave the has to offer. decision on what to eat to the chef. The Intan Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Visitors can experience the rich culture and Singapore’s first ASEAN Heritage Park, Sungei heritage of the Peranakans (Straitsborn Buloh is home to rich biodiversity. There are people of Chinese and Malay/ Indonesian numerous walking trails and wheelchair- heritage) at The Intan. Enjoy an authentic accessible paths throughout the 202-hectare Peranakan experience on The Intan Tea Tour nature reserve, and visitors can discover its (by appointment only), then view the carefully native inhabitants such as otters, crabs, water curated antique Peranakan house and marvel snakes and monitor lizards. Bird-watchers can at the multitude of vibrant relics like shoes, tiles take the Migratory Bird Trail that goes around and ceramics. the Buloh Tidal Ponds and admire resident birds like herons, kingfishers and sunbirds. Children Coney Island will enjoy the Junior Adventure Trail where Formerly known as Serangoon Island, Coney they can mirror the movements of a crab or Island was owned by the Haw Par brothers—the mudskipper among the mangroves. duo behind the famed Tiger Balm brand—back in the early 1900s. Today the island has retained its rustic charm and is a sanctuary for a diverse range of plant and animal species. Explore the coastal forests, mangroves and various plants and flowers, some of which are critically endangered. Corner House At Corner House, chef Jason Tan’s culinary philosophy takes vegetables to a whole new The Intan level. The one-Michelin-starred restaurant’s speciality is French cuisine with elements of ‘Gastro-Botanica’—a term to demonstrate Tan’s Corner House use of vegetables as more than just garnishes. 9 Don’t just sightsee - venture to unfamiliar places Meet Tim Slessor, 87, an original member of the 1955 Oxford and Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition from London to Singapore, who is embarking on The Last Overland expedition from Singapore to London in 2019. If you’re an explorer, discover your passion at VisitSingapore.com 10 Cloud forest at Gardens by the Bay Featuring orchids, pitcher plants & ferns from the tropical highlands 11 12 Spending money Wondering how many Singapore Dollars you’ll need for your adventure? Here’s a little look at some of the things you might buy whilst you’re there. R13,17 - $1 Singapore Dollar as of May 2020 Michelin-starred restaurant for two $400 One-way ticket on Meal from local transport $1.70 a hawker centre $3 1 beer in a Two tickets neighbourhood pub $11 to the movies $26 13 Five of the best views of the city ant to see Singapore’s world-famous skyline from a different perspective? WHere are just some of the best places to take in breath-taking views: Merlion Park Singapore Flyer This iconic 8.6-meter-tall statue takes you back Towering at 165 meters high, Singapore Flyer to Singapore’s humble beginnings as a fishing offers a bird’s eye view of Marina Bay and its village with a stark visual contrast to the city’s architectural landmarks, as well as panoramic growth into a vibrant metropolis.