I call this photo “Kevin Learns to Teleport in Singapore”
Time for a Singapore Wrap-Up! I already wrote about my love of Little India, about all the great things we ate in Singapore, and about what you can do there for free. Here’s a quick wrap-up of our thoughts on Singapore based on our 1-week trip there!
Is Singapore worth the trip?
If you’re already in Southeast Asia, we think Singapore is definitely worth the trip. However, it’s such an expensive place to visit that we’re not sure we’d make the trip across the ocean from the USA without having a few other Southeast Asia destinations lined up. We REALLY think it’s worth the trip if you’re being sent to Singapore for work. I would love to come back when a company is paying for my hotel – it would’ve been fun to avoid the cheap Airbnb room we booked with the prison eclectic decor… We made the trip to Singapore for the Red Dot Ruby Conference:
How long should you stay in Singapore?
We were in Singapore for 7 nights. Two full days were dedicated to the conference, so we had four and a half days to explore the city. We thought that was too much! If you’re not going to go to Sentosa Island to visit Universal Studios, three full days of exploring is plenty! If you plan to hit Universal Studios (which we skipped because of the high price tag and because it’s so similar to what we have in the States), add an extra day.
How much walking did we do in Singapore?
Wear comfy shoes and get ready for lots of walking!
I get a kick out of tracking my daily steps and mileage with my Fitbit. Over the course of 7 days in Singapore, we racked up some fun statistics:
- In total, we walked 154,577 steps, or 67 miles.
- On average, we walked 22,082 steps, or 9.5 miles, per day.
- On our biggest walking day, we walked 32,797 steps, or 14.1 miles, which is over a half marathon!
Bring comfy shoes, and come ready to walk! It’s the best way to see this city.
Things we loved about Singapore:
- Sure, it’s the world’s most expensive city, but there are a LOT of things you can do for free. (See my previous post on freebies in Singapore.)
- There is always toilet paper, and you can flush it. WIN WIN.
- Singapore is SO walkable, with its huge, wide sidewalks, gorgeous river promenades, and awesome pedestrian bridges.
- Singapore has the best public transit I’ve experienced in my life. It is spotless and DOES NOT SMELL. Far cry from some of the public transit systems we have in the States.
- Green spaces are everywhere! Singaporeans are very proud of the green spaces all over the city – it definitely helps dull the feeling that you’re in a concrete jungle, and makes walking around much more pleasant!
- Singapore is almost spotless – there was no dog poop to be had on any of the sidewalks.
- Tap water is drinkable in Singapore! You’ll be hard pressed to find water fountains here (we only spotted 2 during our entire week here) but it’s perfectly fine to just fill your water bottle up in a bathroom faucet. We did this all week and we’re not dead.
- Air conditioning is king in Singapore! Sure, it’s nearly on the equator and feels like an inferno outside much of the time, but that’s not a problem when the malls and shops are all cooled to arctic extremes!
Things we didn’t love about Singapore:
- The prices of coffee and booze. Way to spoil our fun, sin taxes! We saw beers that cost as much as S$20! Starbucks’ menu was unreal – to name a few prices, Hot Chocolate starts at S$6.50, Tea Lattes at S$6, Drip Coffee at S$4, and Mochas at S$6.80!
- The internet at cafes and the library was actually SLOWER than what we’ve run into in Chiang Mai! Not what we expected from such a modern city.
- Gum is illegal.
- We obviously don’t travel with drugs on us, but that is especially important in Singapore. If you’re caught smuggling drugs into the country, you will be “hung by the neck until dead” on the next Friday. Fun times.
How much does a week in Singapore cost?
| Cost (Singapore Dollars) | Cost (USD) | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbnb Room | S$559 | $449 | 7 nights in the cheapest place we could find |
| Flights | S$461 | $370 | Round Trip for 2 People with stopover in Bangkok DMK |
| Food | S$209 | $168 | Groceries + 11 restaurant or hawker centre meals (Chilli crab was almost half of this!) |
| Transportation | S$40 | $32 | Taxis and Subway rides |
| Miscellaneous | S$8 | $6.40 | Bought earplugs for our airbnb and did a little gambling at the casino |
| Coffees | S$29 | $23 | |
| Booze | S$17 | $13 | The cost of just 2 beers in Singapore, during low hours when one beer is on discount! |
| Red Dot Ruby Conference Tickets | S$550 | $360 | Tickets for 2 people – note: conferences in the US can cost thousands of dollars. This was a bargain as far as conferences go! |
| Grand Total | S$1,873 | $1,421 | For a 7-day trip to Singapore for 2 people |
We want to hear from you!
Where’s the most expensive place you’ve ever traveled?
Safe travels, friends!
What about birth control? Does the pill count as a “drug”?? :S
Haha you know, I was actually a little worried about bringing my birth control pills into Singapore, because my pill pack itself didn’t have the prescription sticker on it. Turns out no one ever scrutinizes that stuff very closely, thank goodness. I didn’t try to bring in Ambien, not sure what the Singapore position is on that. I know in Thailand you have to jump through a couple hoops to get a hold of that. It’s definitely kind of scary trying to navigate the medical system in a foreign country!
chanced upon your blog while googling for naans in little india. am glad to hear that u enjoyed Singapore overall. look forward to your next visit here. be sure to check out places like botanic gardens, mount faber and the national stadium too. let me know if you need a local guide
Thanks, Andy! We’ll keep that in mind!
would definitely recommend a visit to singapore’s southern islands for something away from the crowds, especially on weekdays. otherwise, it was fun reading a tourist’s view of this fiery island