By Finder blogger: Lucy Waring, founder of www.lulabellelifestyle.com
Being an expat and a blogger in the Lion City that is Singapore, I’m always asked for my top recommendations for where to go and what to see. As an eager traveler, I’m forever finding new ways to explore every inch of this island, and the best bit is when I get to share this with my visiting family and friends.
Most people tend to visit Singapore as a stopover before flying onto somewhere else, so they’re mostly only here for a few days at a time – which is where knowing the top sights is not only efficient, it’s downright necessary, people!
More on The Finder:
5 Best Staycation Ideas So Good, You’ll Forget You’re Still In Singapore
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1. Take a stroll in the Botanic Gardens
If you fancy a peaceful stroll through the gardens and immersing yourself in its lush greenery, then this is the place for you. There are free walking tours of the gardens too – enquire at the visitor centre for details.
1 Cluny Rd, Singapore 259569
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NEXT: Visit the Supertrees at Gardens By The Bay →
2. Visit the Supertrees at Gardens By The Bay
This is one to do at night after the scorching sun has set. Walk through Marina Bay Sands hotel to reach the walk over to the gardens, which provides incredible views of the Supertrees lit up at night. It is definitely a sight to behold.
18 Marina Gardens Dr, Singapore 018953
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NEXT: Get your cultural fix of Peranakan history at Baba House →
3. Get your cultural fix of Peranakan history at Baba House
This old home situated in Chinatown has now been restored and free hour-long tours are offered (by appointment only) to show what life was like for a wealthy Chinese family in the 1920s.
157 Neil Rd, Singapore 088883
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NEXT: Experience a local market →
4. Experience a local market
5. Enjoy the park life
Head to Fort Canning Park, in the heart of the shopping district, to receive a little respite from the crowds on Orchard Road.
River Valley Rd, Singapore 179037
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NEXT: Sunbathe in Sentosa →
6. Sunbathe in Sentosa
Sentosa should be high on your list of things to see and do in Singapore, and if the sun is shining, you can take your towel and sunbathe on the beaches there before heading for some dinner over at Sentosa Cove.
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NEXT: Discover the temples of Chinatown →
7. Discover the temples of Chinatown
Walk the streets of Chinatown, where you can peruse the stalls here and admire the architecture before entering the peace and tranquility of its temples. Your to-see list should include the Sri Mariamman Temple, the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore, and Thian Hock Keng temple, the oldest Chinese temple in Singapore.
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NEXT: Admire Singapore’s most iconic structure along the Singapore River →
8. Admire Singapore's most iconic structure along the Singapore River
9. Fancy a hike?
Then the Macritchie Reservoir Treetop Walk is for you. This trail takes you up onto a 250m suspension bridge, giving you a bird’s eye view of the treetops and rainforest canopy below.
10. Visit the largest mosque in Singapore
11. Walk the Green Corridor
Starting at the Tanjong Pagar Old Railway Station and ending at the Old Bukit Timah Railway Station, this 10km trail will take you from the south to the north of the island.
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NEXT: Experience kampong life →
12. Experience kampong life
“Kampong” means “compound” in Malay – a small, tight-knitted village.
If you fancy leaving the shores of Singapore for an afternoon or the day, grab a 10-minute bumboat over to Pulau Ubin. Here, you can bike around the island, where you can experience some of Singapore’s last kampongs and be transported back to 1960s Singapore.
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NEXT: Eat like a local →
14. Sip on cocktails under the stars
Get glammed up and head for a sundowner at any of the numerous stylish rooftop bars that adorn the CBD and Marina Bay in particular.
Marina Bay by night takes on a beautiful, futuristic quality that is not to be missed. To experience this, you can head to Lantern Bar on top of the Fullerton Bay Hotel, although my preferences are Level 33 in the Marina Bay Financial Centre (Tower 1), or Smoke and Mirrors on top of the newly renovated Singapore National Gallery.
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NEXT: Take a stroll in the Botanic Gardens →