Singapore

Singapore City skyline at night

Singapore is a popular tourist destination. This is an island city nestled at the southernmost edge of the Malaysian Peninsula in South East Asia. Some of the charming factors of this tourist destination are that it is not only one of the richest, efficiently organized countries in the world, it also has much to offer to the tourists. Singapore has 1,000 shopping malls to indulge in shopping spree. It is an island country with a panoramic skyline by the shore and where you would find great variation in lifestyle, culture, as well as religion.

What particularly impresses you about Singapore is its reputation as well maintained and trendy metropolis. Here you will find well landscaped parks, skyscrapers complemented with ethnic corners like Arab Street, Chinatown, Colonial District, Orchard road, and Little India. The picturesque islands south of Singapore and Sentosa island are two of the major highlights of the country.

Singapore with its perfect blend of old mystical charm and modernism beckons you to come and have exciting holidays here. Another fact which you must be aware about Singapore is that though here sale of chewing gum is prohibited, but is you can always bring chewing gum from outside and have it as well. Possession of drugs and narcotics is prohibited here and the punishment is death penalty if you have more than a Singapore fifty cent coin’s weight of narcotics.

Food lovers can try out Chinatown for Chinese delicacies, Little India for Indian cuisines, Kampong Glam (Arab St) for a Malay/Arab treat or the East Coast for delectable seafood. Historical monuments and museums that you must visit on your Singapre tour are:

Singapore Travel Map

Getting In
Singapore is accessible by air, water, train, bus, etc.

By Air

It is convenient to reach the country by air. There are many airlines, which operate flights to Singapore. The Singapore Changi Airport is a place where East meets west. It has two terminals. The third opened in 2006 hosting 60 airlines. These terminals are connected by Skytrain monorail. The major airlines are: Air France, Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, Bangkok Airways, British Airways, Cathy Pacific, China Airlines, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Quantas, SAS Airlines, Thai Airways, and United Airlines. The airports are well managed and are connected to the downtown by various means of communication.

By Bus

Bus services are available between Singapore – Malaysia and Singapore – Thailand. These stations are: Ban San Terminal at Arab and Queen Streets, Lanender Street Terminal off Kalang Bahru, and the Golden Mile Complex at Beach Road. Traveling by bus between these countries is rather cheap than any other conveyance. More than 25 routes are there for bus transportation. The major routes are: Singapore-Johar Express), Singapore-Malacca Express, and Singapore-Kuala Lumpur Express.

By Car

The Woodland causeway is spread across the Straits of Johor linking Singapore with Johor Bahru, Malaysia. This crossing is popularly known as Second Crossing. While Crossing this causeway tolls should be paid and Vehicle Entry Permit(VEP) and ERP card should be presented. Thus, the car is one of the most convenient means for getting to Singapore.

By Train

Malaysia Railways runs three intercity trains between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and an overnight train, Express Timuran, running between Singapore and Tumpat. The trains arrive and depart on Singapore Train Station. E and O Services operates Orient Express between Chiang Mai and Singapore via Bangkok. Therefore, trains in Singapore are very much helpful in getting to Singapore.

By Water

Cruise ships provide a better alternative to reach Singapore. The main passenger port in Singapore is Singapore Cruise Center. More than ten lines dock in Asia Pacific around the year. Apart from cruise ships, ferries are also chosen to reach Singapore. There are many ferries departing from the Cruise Center for ports in Kukup, Tionman, and Sebona, Malaysia. Ferries depart daily from the terminal at Tanah Merah to the Indonesian resort islands of Bintan and Batam in the Riau Archipelago. Thus, there are several means by which Singapore can be easily and smoothly entered. So get ready for a wonderful tour to Singapore with your nears and dears without much harassment to your pocket.

Transport

Singapore teaches the world the lesson of unity, harmony, and brotherhood. Singapore is visited by many people every year.

Singapore has a large network of road. Almost all parts in Singapore are accessible by road. Even such islands as Sentosa and Jurong can be easily reached by land . Various ways of getting around Singapore are rail, bus, ferry, cable car, flight, etc.

Rail

There are Mass Rapid Transit and Light Rapid Transit rail System in Singapore. Mass Rapid Transit is a standard gauze system. It has 67 stations on 109 km long rail network. The three important lines are North South Line, the East West Line (both operated by SMRT Corporation), and the North East Line (operated by SBS Transit). Light Rapid Transit system has 14 stations and was ushered in Bukit Panjang.

Cable Car

The Singapore Cable Car runs between Mount Faber and Sentosa – the resort island of Singapore. It is an alternative means of reaching the tourist destinations.

Flight

The aviation industry in Singapore is under Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore. There are 5 local scheduled service airlines. Singapore Airlines operates scheduled flights to 70 cities of 5 continents from Changi Airport. Silkair, the subsidiary of Singapore Airlines operates flights from Terminal 2 while new budget airlines like Jet star Asia,Tiger Airways, and Valuair operate from Terminal 1 of Changi Airport.

Bus

Public buses are a cheap and easily available means of transportation in Singapore. Before getting in to a bus, it is better to buy an ez-link card which can also be used on the Mass Rapid Transit. SBS bus 36 plies between Orchard Road and Singapore Changi Airport. There are public bus stations in Terminal 1 at Basement 2 and in Terminal 2 at Basement Level.

Taxi

Taxis offer a comfortable and hassle free travel at reasonable cost. More than 15,000 air conditioned cabs provide smooth transportation in Singapore. There are many private cars and SMRT shuttle services in Singapore.

Leisure

Singapore is known as a country of youthful vigor and charm. The land of Singapore is full of gaiety, merriment, and festivity. There are many places to enjoy during your Singapore tour such as, country clubs, bars, discos, cafe, and restaurants. Allof them are always ready to pamper you to the full.

There are many centers in Singapore which offer entertainment to people in Singaporean way. Big Splash is one and only sea water aquatic complex where you can have water slides, beach bars, restaurants and cafe, mini golf courses and beach valley ball courts, live sea food and diving courses. You can turn to Escape Theme Park that has bumper boats, choo choo trai, pirate ship, ferries, family coaster, water ride, and many more as its main attractions. This amusement park is quite near to Pasir Ris MRT station.

There is another option for entertainment in Singapore that is from the clubs which have facilities like bars/restaurants, library, play centers, etc. The renowned clubs of Singapore are NTUC Club, The British Club, The Tanglin Club, Aranda Country Club, Chinese Swimming Club, etc.

The entertainment centers in Singapore generally offer dining and shopping facilities, and venues for staging music, dance, theater, multi-arts, and visual arts festivals. Some of them have concert hall, recital studio, theater studio, and rehearsal rooms.

The night clubs promise full fun in Singapore. Zouk is the biggest night club in Singapore. It has three parts: Velvet Underground, Phuture, and Wine Bar. It plays music of all kinds like breaks, nu-jazz, hiphop, broken beats, drum and bass, down tempo etc; and has dance floors, DJs and Claire Brothers/JBL sound system.

You can also move to some theater of repute for a leisure time. There are Action Theater, Hi! Theater, Singapore Repertory Theater, etc. If you want to spend your time on some beach, Singapore offers you plenty of options. So, pack up to spend your holidays in Singapore and make the most of your life.