48 hours in Singapore

When we decided to go to South East Asia, we had the idea to stop over in Singapore or Malaysia. Our Maldives trip with a Doha stopover was so epic that it encouraged us to do more stop overs. So after much research, we thought 48 hours in Singapore made sense on this trip. We picked Singapore over Malaysia since its smaller; I knew we could cover as much as possible in 48 hours.

How to get to Singapore

We flew Singapore Airlines from London Heathrow to Changi Airport in Singapore. The flight was about 13 hours but was very smooth. Mr E and I have now decided that Singapore airlines is definitely our favourite airline so far. We flew economy and the experience was wonderful. The part that got us even more wowed was when the crew would refer to Mr E by his name. I’m not sure if he knew the name of every passenger; or if he just stumbled upon ours and decided to give us a personalised free service. All I can say is that it felt very special.

Singapore is visa free for UK citizens; however you have to complete an immigration form. It is a SG Arrival card (SGAC) with health declaration.

Getting around Singapore

We used taxis and the metro which we found very easy. From the airport, we took a metered taxi to the hotel which cost around £15 for a 25 mins ride. By the next day, we figured out the metro and just tapped our cards on every trip.

You can also get a tourist pass that allows you on the bus and metro for 1/2/3 days. However, we just stuck to tapping our bank cards and did not bother with a tourist pass. I’m sure it is cheaper to get the tourist pass but since we were not doing a lot of wandering, we did not mind much.

For 48 hours in Singapore, you’ll need to decide what your trip will look like. It might be cheaper to just tap your bank card in and out as you navigate the metro.

Where to stay in Singapore

Since our stay in Mondrian Doha, I have now fallen in love with Mondrian properties. Since we were only spending 48 hours in Singapore, we wanted a central hotel that offered as much luxury as our budget could stretch. This hotel booking was quite last minute and I was glad to see that there was a newly opened Mondrian in Singapore. It was opened in June 2023 so it’s still relatively fresh. It is located in Chinatown; however, it is away from the busy streets. Tucked away in Duxton Hill, Mondrian Singapore is one of the best places to stay in Singapore. We stayed in the Double King room with city view and the room was so beautiful. The hotel had its own rooftop infinity pool and beach club style setting.

For a summary of our lovely stay, see my review on Mondrian Singapore Duxton.

48 hours in Singapore: Free Things to do in Singapore

The great thing about Singapore is that as much as it is an expensive country, you can explore a lot for free. In our 48 hours in Singapore, all the activities we did and everywhere we visited was free. From the light shows to instagram perfect properties, we enjoyed the sights and sounds of Singapore.

Jewel at Changi Airport

Singapore is the first country where the airport is its own destination. I remember when I was researching what to do in Singapore, and the airport kept popping up. My curiosity led me to dig into why this airport is a must visit when in Singapore.

Changi Airport is beautiful. It resembles a tropical rainforest within a shopping mall that has restaurants dotted around. It is the perfect place to spend the day with your family. One cannot talk about Changi airport without mentioning the vortex right in the middle that offers incredible colourful displays.

Gardens by the Bay

This was actually my no 1 place to visit in Singapore. I think that the photos of the Supertrees were imprinted in my mind so it was top of my list. The wonderful thing about Gardens by the Bay is that it is free.

However, there are some attractions where you need to pay for admission like Flower Dome and Cloud Forest. For a more epic view of the trees, the OCBC skywalk is great but comes with a charge. However, the Supertree Grove is totally free day and night. There are lots of lovely places to hang out in the garden and there is a Children’s garden too.

Explore Chinatown

I may have some bias since we stayed around Chinatown but I loved it so much. It is such a vibey part of Singapore and I found it so friendly. We spent most of our time exploring and eating in Chinatown. I found the 2D restaurant in Chinatown, markets selling (the forbidden) Durian and so much of Singapore’s history is found there.

The Sri Mariamman Temple which was built in 1827 is located in Chinatown and draws tourists. One cannot mention Chinatown without pointing out the fact that it is possibly the food capital of Singapore. Food stalls and restaurants line the streets of Chinatown and it is a must visit in Singapore.

Explore Joo Chiat and Katong

Joo Chiat is named after Mr Chew Boo Chiat who was a wealthy Chinese landowner in the 20th century. It is one of the historic areas you have to visit in Singapore and used to be a coconut plantation.

Since the 20th century, it has now become a residential area with street art adorning the walls, giving it so much character. You will find the gorgeous Peranakan houses that are colourfully laid out – this was what we went for.

Joo Chiat is still quite a unique place to walk around. The architecture is still in its colonial style; featuring bungalows and 2 story shop houses. The windows remind me of the American colonial houses and I thought it was an interesting place to visit.

“Peranakan” loosely means someone who is Singapore-born but has heritage elsewhere. It refers to communities with mixed heritage. Peranakan houses are located in Joo Chiat and there is a lot to learn from the history of these colourful houses. The architecture features wooden swing doors and colourful tiled façades. This style can be traced as far back as the 1840s. Head to Koon Send road to find these shophouses in abundance.

Merlion Park

The Merlion is the official mascot of Singapore. It is basically the head of a lion and the body of a fish. The fish body symbolises Singapore’s fishing history and the lion head represents its original name “Singapura” aka Lion city in Sanskrit. Merlion Park is free to visit and you get the pleasure of trolling along the Singapore river.

48 hours in Singapore: Free Light shows in Singapore

Have I mentioned how much I love that everything is free in Singapore? Ok, not everything but I love that you can enjoy most things in Singapore without having to pay. Singapore is known for its light shows which draw thousands of tourists daily. We made sure to visit the 3 that were on my list and I can assure you that you will be blown away too.

Light & Water Show at Marina Bay Sands

Since we did not stay at this world famous hotel, we thought to visit its light show and were so mesmerised by it. We took the metro to Marina Bay Sands and it led us to the shopping plaza “Shoppe”.

Once we were able to find the upper deck, we could already see where the show would take place. This one takes place on water which is right in front of the hotel. We got there for the 9pm show, about 15 mins ahead of time, found a spot and squeezed our way through for a better view.

The show takes place daily at 8pm and 9pm. There is no restriction on who is allowed or not; all ages are welcome.

Gardens by the Bay - Light & Sound show

This colourful light and music show is really beautiful and worth the trip to Gardens by the Bay. The super trees do all the work and it looks like they are in a trance, dancing music as they seem to sway. It is a very impressive show and I think it might have been our best of the 3. For an extra special experience, you can pay to climb the Observatory; however, the view from ground was spectacular too.

The timings are 7.45pm and 8.45pm daily for about 15 minutes each time.

Jewel Changi Rain Vortex: Light & Sound Show

Changi airport is the gift that keeps on giving. This was one that we did not even plan. We had gone to Changi to check it out as a must do thing in Singapore and noticed everyone gathering just before 8pm. Then the light show started and it was so beautiful. The vortex is a fountain in the middle of the airport and the way it changes colours to the music during the show is very captivating. Be sure to time yourself especially if you have a flight to catch. I can assure you that you will be fully immersed and miss that flight.

The show is daily; on weekdays at 8pm & 9pm; weekends at 8pm, 9pm & 10pm.

To Note: Although babies are welcome to all the light shows in Singapore, I’m not sure how they will feel with the photo sensitivity. The lights are very bright, it is multi-sensory and there are a lot of flashes; so this is something to keep in mind if attending with smaller children.

48 hours in Singapore: Where to eat in Singapore

It has to be Chinatown and the Hawker Centres. There are lots of fancy places in Singapore but that is not why you are there. Singapore is a food lover’s heaven and it is easy to see why. Every corner of the city, there are restaurants, food halls, cafés and food markets. In fact, you feel spoilt for choice and occasionally, overwhelmed. We did not have a list of must visit spots so we just went into restaurants that looked busy.

The 3 we ate at were:

Hao Lai Wu. We had Singapore Fried Rice, pork ribs and some spicy chicken. I was not too blown away by the food tbh but it was open quite late.
Li Ji Chun Chuan. It is opposite the Sri Mariamman Temple. I had the Mala Lobster Tail noodle; very spicy but 10/10.
Teh Tarik. Indian & Tandoori food. I also had a cold milo drink which reminded me so much of my childhood. Milo was what we drank every day before bed and it tasted as yummy as I remembered.

Special shout to Café Monochrome. As Singapore’s first 2D café, it is a must visit when in Singapore. This one is perfect for the pretty instagram photos and pretty lattes. They taste good as well so I’d say a win win.

However, the restaurants mentioned are just a few of the hundreds available and are by no means the best. I’ll totally recommend following your gut once you get to Chinatown. There are too many places to choose from. On my list, my favourite spot was Li Ji Chuan Chuan and would go back if I was ever in Singapore again.

48 hours in Singapore: FAQs

Is Singapore expensive?

Yes it is. I found it on par with London for example. However, most things to do and see are free which makes it a lovely city trip. The metro is also really well connected and easy to use so that’s where you can save some money. I found Chinatown restaurants cheaper than the big names so this is one to keep in mind.

Is Singapore family friendly?

This is one place I regret not bringing our toddler to. Mr E and I have decided that on our next trip to Asia, we will go through Singapore so she can see it as well. It is incredibly child friendly. I will go as far as saying it is one of the most child friendly places we have ever travelled to.

Singapore is designed with kids in mind especially with all the green spaces you find throughout the city. Gardens by the Bay, for example, has a full garden dedicated to kids. We had a peep and it is beautiful.

Changi airport is another place that everything looked like it had been done for kids in mind, with lots of play grounds. I could go on and on but the summary is that Singapore is one of the best places for a family friendly trip.

What we loved about Singapore

It felt very safe

Obviously, we all know that Singapore is one of the safest countries in the world. This is one of those statements that I usually feel like the measurements are quite surface. However, in Singapore, you actually feel safe no matter what time you are walking the streets. We stayed out late in Chinatown one night and Gardens by the Bay the next night; not one time did we feel uncomfortable. I genuinely don’t know how they do it considering how busy the city is but they just get it right.

Singapore is multi-cultural

As a Black woman travelling, there is the usual stare you sort of get accustomed to. Personally, I’ve not experienced anything extremely negative while travelling but the stares follow us from time to time. Singapore was the first place that I totally felt like I blended in which is very funny considering my skin colour. I loved it so much and it reminded me of travelling in Black majority countries where we don’t stand out. Again, I am not sure what they are doing differently but they should keep going. I’m sure it is different if you live there versus holidaying for a short period. But we felt really good.

Kind strangers

The kindness of people never goes unnoticed by me. It is actually very easy to be kind but somehow, people constantly fail the test. One day, it was pouring down with rain and this lovely lady saw us waiting in the shade for the rain to stop. Guess what she did? She gave us her umbrella because she had two. It was the most wonderful interaction that lasted less than 1 minute and I will never forget her kindness. The kindness of that stranger is why Chinatown will remain my favourite part of Singapore.

The food choices

Singapore is one of those places where you wish you were a foodie. There is so much to try and so much more to learn about. I stuck to the familiar foods like rice, seafood, noodles and chicken but had a look at menus and imagined ordering something different.

For anyone who wants a taste of Singapore, 48 hours is enough to see a lot of it. The maximum time I’d recommend is 72 hours; this is of course, unless you are there for business. We really enjoyed Singapore and as Mr E is one who has a preference for city escapes, this was an exciting trip to him. Singapore Airlines offers a stop over programme where you can stopover for a few hours for free. This is another option if you don’t want to spend a night there. You get to tour the city with an expert, visit all the must see sights and come back to Changi just in time or your flight. However, just for the sake of the light shows, I recommend at least one night in Singapore.

Bisous, Bugo x