This is a blog version of my video guide on YouTube:

Hello adventurer,

Welcome to Singapore: a FINE city, with a WEALTH of things to do!

Today, I’ll take you to see the TOP 15 places in this country I’ve called home for the past 15 years. My friends always love this itinerary when I bring them out on their FIRST visit.

We’re gonna see the ICONIC city skyline, impressive modern gardens, exotic cultural spots, and fill ourselves with DELICIOUS LOCAL Foods.

Let’s begin!

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P.S: ALL location & URL references are in the bottom of the post.

Legendary Toasts

To start the day: Breakfast at the LEGENDARY Yakun Toast

I have to confess… I eat this almost every other week because I like it alot.

But i’m not the only one, because you see the queue is this long EVERY morning. Its especially LONGER if you come on the weekend. There are many chains all across the island, so you can just visit any. You have to try the Kaya toast with butter set.

What makes these toasts so special is the perfect ratio of crispy bread,
sweet-savory kaya, and cold butter in the center. To taste all the combination in each bite is HEAVEN.

To enjoy the soft boiled eggs, usually i’ll add a little bit of dark soy sauce, generously sprinkle white pepper, and slurp away.

I do have to warn you that you MUST eat the toasts on site because they get soggy real quick if you pack them.

Kampong Glam

Next, we are visiting one of the most vibrant culture area in Singapore: Kampong Glam

The easiest way to get here is to start at Bugis MRT, exit via Exit B, and walk along the Victoria Street.

Sultan Mosque

When you see Arab Street, turn right! You can just look out for these golden minarets. That is the Sultan Mosque, a magnificent landmark that has stood for almost 100 years.

If you plan to visit the interior of the Mosque, find the GUEST entrance at gate 5. There is also a modest dress code but you can borrow these coverings for free.

I did not know videos are not allowed, but I took some photos:

Visitors enter from Gate 5

Free coverings

It’s definitely an impressive building that’s worth a visit.

Muscat Street

I really like the muscat street for the historical street art.

They gave me a glimpse to what Singapore might look like in the past. I definitely enjoy these more than museums.

Haji Lane

Another gem nearby is an adjacent street called HAJI lane. It’s full of cute shops; I don’t even know what they sell. Which is the fun part because every shop becomes an adventure.

Intrusive thought: This is street art… but why when I do it it’s called vandalism?

By the way I’ve designed this list in a sequence such that you can visit all in 1 full day trip. So if you’re following through, you can just take the same bus and train as me!

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Chinatown

Next, we’ll dive into the rich CHINESE heritage in Chinatown

Hop onto bus 145 from behind the mosque.

Magnificent Temple

In just a few stops you’ll arrive at the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. The temple building itself is actually pretty new, but it’s quite monumental and full of character.

You can also visit the interior, similarly you need to follow their dress code or borrow one of these shawls.

SG Hawker

It’s lunch time: Can i tell you a secret? You can actually eat very affordable food in Singapore! Everyone thinks that everything in Singapore is EXPENSIVE, but they probably didn’t know about the hawker centers!

Just across the road from the temple, is one of Singapore’s top hawker center: Maxwell Food Center.

In Singapore, hawker centers are the best place to get AFFORDABLE and TASTY food.

Check out these prices… you can easily settle lunch within $5:

My other secret is to bring a water bottle so i don’t need to spend money on drinks.

I actually dont know what I should eat today, but the best part is: there are always so many options to choose from. So usually I just walk around until I see something I want to eat or spy on which shop has SOME queue. A lot of time if the store has a line of queue, it’s likely that it’s popular… or maybe they serve food very slowly.

You can sit anywhere in the hawker center, but you might notice that some tables have things on them. Those tables are reserved, also known locally as “choped”. Basically that’s how we BOOK a seat in hawker centers. People would find a seat, chope it, then buy their food.

Feel free to chope your own tables, but don’t use overly valuable items! I’ve seen people using their mobile phones to chope. Although singapore is safe, it’s better not to tempt the devil. People usually use tissue packets, umbrellas, water bottles, those lower value items.

Someone choped with a phone

If you cant find an empty table, just find just look for empty chairs and ask if it’s occupied. Most of the time people don’t mind sharing.

My favorite arrangement when eating at a hawker center with my friends is for each person to buy 1 portion of different food then we eat all of the food together. This way we get to try many things without buying too much food!

Now it’s also required by law to put your empty plates, bowls, cups, and trays to the return area after you’re done!

Singapore Story

Do you want to hear something that’s going to blow your mind? About 200 years ago, Singapore was just a small village. Let’s visit the Singapore City Gallery to find out about the Singapore Story!

Just cross the street from Maxwell Food Centre.

The afternoon is PERFECT for indoor explorations because the temperature is the HOTTEST right now. This gallery is thankfully air conditioned.

It’s really a miracle to witness what Singapore has become today!

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Garden City

Next, I’ll take you to witness why Singapore is often called a GARDEN CITY. We are going to the Gardens by the Bay.

To get there, we’ll need to find Maxwell train station, and take the brown line to Gardens by the Bay station. Exit the station via Exit #1.

Honestly when I first heard about Gardens By the Bay, I thought it was LAME because how good can a man-made garden be??

Follow the path with the water body on your right. You’ll start seeing Skyscrapers unravelling in the distance but right now your view will still be blocked by the trees. Don’t worry I PROMISE that you’ll get to see a full view VERY soon.

These glass buildings on our left are the cloud forest and the Flower dome, which are both marvellous gardens that made me go WOW.

Flower Dome

Let’s go into flower dome first:

The Flower Dome recreates the gardens you might find all around the world.
Where else can you find so many varieties of cacti, succulents, baobabs, and flowers in one place??

Cloud Forest

If you liked the flower dome, but this next one will also be jawdropping

The CLOUD FOREST:

The Cloud forest recreates a highland tropical forest, which is why it’s called CLOUD forest.

My favorite part here is enjoying the scenery along the boardwalks.

Break Time

Now I recommend taking a short break here. Get some food because we’re gonna be here for a while more.

I’m just getting ShakeShack burger for the convenience.

If I had brought more friends, I would eat at a more local eatery nearby called the Satay by The Bay.

Floral Fantasy

Nearer to the Bayfront area, there’s also the Floral Fantasy:

Overall it’s a nice place, but I feel that it’s so small for this price point.

Price Comparison

The Flower Dome, Cloud Forest, and Floral Fantasy all requires additional ticket purchase. Here are the comparisons:

Get 5% off by using my promo code DASHINGHEIGHTSKLOOK when booking via KLOOK! I will get a commission which supports me in making more guides like this 🙂

If you plan to visit more than 1 locations it’s cheaper to book as a combo.

It’s still very pricey to go to ALL of them, so if you have to choose, I’d say DON’T MISS the Flower Dome.

Surrounding Gardens

If you’re on a budget, the surrounding areas are FULL of fantastic gardens that are FREE to explore.

Including these upside down cones

Supertree Grove

These upside down cones are the SUPER TREES and this area is called the Supertree Grove.
These super trees look nice, but the real magic actually comes alive at NIGHT when they GLOW.

In this area, there are 2 places you can go up to, which also requires additional tickets:

OCBC Skyway: the bridge looking thing above
Supertree Observatory: the BIGGEST tree in the center

The Observatory is HIGHER altitude than the Skyway, so let’s go up and see what it’s like:

Supertree Observatory

You can see the MBS, Singapore Flyer, CloudForest & FlowerDome, the Ocean, and a bit of Tanjong Pagar terminal. I feel that it’s quite nice.

If we go back down the stairs, we can also walk around the lower deck,
and chill at the cafe.

They say you can only stay 30 mins in the observatory, but I don’t think they will actually kick you out.

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Garden Rhapsody

The biggest draw to the Supertree Grove is the amazing Musical Light show that you can watch for FREE called the Garden Rhapsody.

I’ve asked the staff if it’s nicer to watch from above the observatory or from the ground they all said to watch from below.

So for today we’re gonna go down to catch the light show at 7.45 pm. Look at the people waiting for the show… Where is the best spot to sit??

The Garden Rhapsody was fantastic. It’s like stepping into a magical world where these gigantic Supertrees light up in the most vibrant colors, perfectly synchronized to beautiful music. It felt like a fairytale come true. You have to check out my video to get a sense of what it’s like.

About the BEST spot to watch, it should be HERE. Center your view to the SUPERTREE Observatory. The OCBC Skyway and the MBS building should be in the background. Though… if you want to secure this view you might need to be here very early.

the crowd was insane

Enjoying the Ride?

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Epic Shopping Mall

Now, we’re going to a WORLD class shopping mall. I don’t usually bring people to shopping malls, but this mall is so remarkable I have to take you to see it.

To get there from the supertree grove, just follow the signboards that say “Marina Bay Sands” or just walk in the direction of the ship-looking-building. You’ll end up crossing this bridge, that goes up this escalator, and another bridge that brings you across the road.

Dont forget to look back, because the bridge is also a splendid lookout point to have a last look at the Supertrees.

The Shoppes

Theres a whole RIVER running through the middle of the mall and a BOAT service you can actually get on.

If you’re into shopping big brands you might find what you want here.

What sold me is how POLISHED the whole mall is. Check out how these lights are reflecting off the floor tiles… The words are still intact like as if the floor is a perfectly flat plane. Amazing.

BUT I havent brought you to the bestest part of the mall….

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Spectra Light Show

We’re here not just for the mall. Theres another million dollar light show that’s also FREE to watch. It starts at 9pm so you have a bit of time to rest in the mall before it starts.

The light show runs daily at 8PM & 9PM, with additional run at 10PM on Fri and Sat. Sometimes they will change the timing so check their timing here before you go.

To get to the show area, head to level 1, and find the exit that opens to a water body (Marina Bay).

The show features a dazzling combination of water jets, lasers, and colorful lights, all choreographed to a dynamic soundtrack. The water sprays and fountains create a 12-meter-high screen where vibrant images are projected, making it a surreal and magical experience. Plus, the reflections on the water add an extra layer of beauty. I still cannot believe that this is FREE.

Iconic Singapore Skyline

In the distance, you can already see so many lights and how awesome the skyscrapers are, BUT this isnt the BEST view just yet. Now we are going to my favorite spot to watch the Singapore Skyline.

From the Mall exit facing the light show, turn right and walk with the bay on your left. Cross the Helix Bridge, past the Esplanade, and cross the Jubilee Bridge.