Slingin' Around in Singapore

ACCOMODATION: HAPPY SNAIL HOSTEL

TIME SPENT: 5 DAYS, 6 NIGHTS

Singapore is definitely one of the places that is way ahead of other cities. It's up there as one of the safest places to explore as a solo traveller and has so much to offer. Although it's pricey for a backpacker, a lot of travellers find themselves there to basque in it's weird and wonderful glory.


Gardens By The Bay in the day

The gardens are a colourful and mystical experience. When you walk through, you feel like you could be on a set of a fairytale or Avatar. There's a lot of activities you can pay to do whilst you are there such as the cloud forest, skywalk bridge and flower dome. However, getting into the gardens is free and easily accessible by the MRT (if you get an EZ card, you get cheaper travel too).


Eat at Arab Street, Little India or Chinatown

Arab Street

You can spend the day exploring the different atmospheres of  these places whilst enjoying the food. Singapore has Hawkers - places with lots of food stalls and a communal seating area. It's great when you're in a group and want to all try different things or you can all share and try a bit of everything. The beer may be expensive in Singapore but the food was really good and really cheap in the hawkers. Each meal averaged at around £2 for me. You can also find markets for all of your souvenir shopping in these areas.


Marina Bay Sands

Exploring this amazing hotel is a must whilst you're here. There's a skybar with a dress code but offers the most amazing views. But not only that, just walking around the hotel and through the hotel makes you appreciate how architecturally stunning it is. If you're backpacking, you may not be staying here but nothing is stopping you from walking through for a taste of the experience of one day staying somewhere as fancy as this.

See the Gardens and Fountain Light Show

Gardens by the Bay 

Every evening, there's a light show in Supertree Grove of the Gardens by the Bay where hundreds of people lay down looking up at the magical trees. This is then followed by a rush of people trying to make it to the river side of Marina Bay Sands to enjoy a fountain light show. The fountain show has lasers projecting images into the spray of the water. They are both completely over the top and have magical music which is what you want from a light show.


Sentosa Island fun

Palawan Beach on Sentosa Island

Sentosa Island is completely man made but here is where you can find three man made beaches for your sunbathing and swimming needs. You may even get to see a water monitor lizard whilst you're there. They have events on whilst and it's worth checking out what they have on. Whilst I was there, they had Marvel sand sculptures on one of the beaches and Movies on The Beach where they were playing various Marvel films. There's also a Universal Studios on the island and a lot of food options for everyone.


Walk through the tree tops of Macritchie Park

Tree top walk

If you want to explore a bit of nature, you can go to Macritchie Park and walk one of the many trails on the map. It's easy to get a Grab taxi out of the city to here or take the bus. The many trails also include a Tree Top Hike and you can walk through a bridge through the trees and try to spot some monkeys! There are also warning signs for snakes on the trails but luckily, I didn't encounter any.


Walk around the Botanical Gardens

Another option for the travellers who love nature would be to go to the Botanic Gardens. You can see lilly pads, a range of amazing flowers and even feed some turtles! It's a stunning place to walk around and the walk isn't too strenuous.

Singapore is a majestic city but whilst you're here, you could also try a Singapore Sling cocktail in the Raffles Hotel, take a ride on the Singapore Flyer or spend the night with animals on a night safari!