Must know:
- it’s HUMID
- It’s pretty expensive
- No visa required for most transiting flights
- Very different to other asian countries – expect a clean, organised, modern space-age feel.
- I felt very safe here – I’d be comfortable to walk around as a solo female
The usual 32 hour journey from NZ to the UK is something I’d quite happily avoid – it’s the one time I accept i’m getting old when I refuse to do it. So this time around, we trialled having around a week in Bali, followed by a short 9 hour layover in Singapore. Long enough to get out of the airport and explore Singapore, without cutting into our journey time through to London.
Firstly, if you’re a UK citizen, with a transiting flight, you do not need a visa. You can literally walk out of the airport (which we were bewildered with and even triple checked with the staff to ensure we would be let back into the airport later).
You will likely be aware that Singapore Airport is huge. In fact, there’s even a whole subway station a few floors below the airport, so you can head straight into the city with ease.
Transport:
The best method to get around is via the Singapore Tourist Pass, in which you can have unlimited travel (bus & train) for 24 hours or more. Working in the same way as an oyster/bee card, it’s a tap on, tap off system, costing $22.44 NZD/9.80 GBP for 1 day. You can pick these up from booths at the subway station underneath the airport. Don’t forget to take one of the leaflets that has a map of the subway too – you will absolutely need this!
We found it pretty hard to decipher which train we needed to get on, but thankfully with the help of a local, we jumped on the TEL line & headed for the Gardens by the Bay station.
Supertree Grove – Gardens by the Bay – OCBC Skyway:
There’s no doubt about it, Singapore feels space age. The skyline is filled with futuristic buildings, towering high into the sky, but not overcrowding the city. A popular, but must see tourist attraction in Singapore is the OCBC Skyway. It costs $19 NZD/8 GBP to head up the lift, allowing you to walk along the sky walk, and experience spectacular panoramic views of the city, which features far more greenery than you would expect.
The only downside is the 40 minute queue, which can be testing in the humidity. It’s free to walk around the gardens from ground level, and there are plenty more attractions in the Gardens by the bay, but if you’re short for time I would recommend the OCBC Skyway out of all of them.
Food Markets:
We were very lucky to get talking to the local we met on the subway (an Australian who had been living in Singapore for a few years) who gave us some great advice on where to go, including the Lau Pa Sat food markets. We decided to walk from the Gardens of the Bay as opposed to jumping back on the subway but there are plenty of stations nearby. It was a mostly covered market filled with different types of food stalls, so we could wander around and try a few different dishes. All of the stalls accepted card payment with ease so currency wasn’t an issue. It was intriguing to go into some of the corner shops, seemingly filled with hundreds of drink options, as opposed to the usual basic options in NZ.
We noticed that between the hours of 9-5, the streets of Singapore were relatively empty – but as soon as 5 o’clock hit, the streets were filled with office workers, socialising over drinks or heading home for the day. It had a great buzz in the evening and I can imagine it being a really fun night out. We had a 9 hour layover in total, but after the 6th hour of exploring we were shattered & headed back to the airport. The airport is so big I recommend giving yourself enough time to find your gate, there is so much to do in the airport you can always fill any spare time.
Would I recommend Singapore?
Absolutely, it’s a must-see place, it’s not like any other asian city I’ve been to and it was great to break up the journey across to the UK. However, as I have now seen it I would consider other options for a layover due to its pricy nature.
Check out my reel below from our time in Singapore: