One Day in Singapore: Best Things to See, Do, and Eat

Singapore — Ultra clean. Hyper modern. A glittering metropolis buzzing with business and coursing with culture. Singapore is also a major international travel hub, and if you’re traveling through Southeast Asia you very well may find yourself there for just a brief moment in time.

For us, Singapore came as a crazy 24-hour stopping point between the extremely touristy Bali where we had just been and the more rugged experience of Myanmar where we were about to go.

Find yourself on a quick layover in Singapore? We did tons of research before landing to make sure we could pack everything into one day, and we’ve compiled all our favorite spots below so you can make the most of your quick visit.

Getting around

First things first. The Singapore tourist pass grants you unlimited rides on public transportation for 1, 3, or 6 days depending on which option you purchase. We bought the 1-day passes and got around using the super speedy and modern train system all day. The passes are super affordable, but you also pay an additional $10 deposit that’s refunded when you return the card. The passes can only be purchased and refunded at specific stations, so make sure you look up which ones these are, as well as their hours, before planning your day. We made the mistake of not being near a station where we could get our deposit back at the end of the night before they closed. Oh well, $20 down the drain, but still an expense we could have avoided with better planning. If you’re just in Singapore for one day, we’ve also heard great things about those double decker bus tours as a fun way to get around and see the city.

Where we stayed

JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach

30 Beach Rd, Singapore 189763 | Website

Full disclosure we were only able to stay in this super trendy, artsy, modern, extra-AF 5-star hotel because we had one night’s worth of Marriott points that we saved up specifically for this night of our entire 3.5-month trip. We marveled at the high-tech bathrooms with toilet lids that raised automatically when you entered the room, the mood lighting and waterfall sounds, and a customizable bidet which we were too intimidated to use. Ray made full use of the gym in the morning, and we even did an impromptu photoshoot at the rooftop infinity pool where we felt as if we had entered a different dimension of time and space. (And miiind…)

You can find a range of lodging options in Singapore, but since it’s a large metropolitan city prices tend towards the higher end. Definitely a great place to ball out and enjoy a little luxury if you’re so inclined.

What we ate

Tiong Bahru Bakery

56 Eng Hoon St, #01-70, Singapore 160056 | Website

Tiong Bahru is one of Singapore’s oldest neighborhoods, and has transformed into one of the trendiest spots to visit. The hood’s old-school charm lends way to some of the hippest dining and shopping options in the city — Tiong Bahru Bakery being a must. They claim they’re the “best french bakery in Singapore,” and based on our experience we certainly can’t deny that statement. We stopped in for breakfast coffee and pastries. First, we were amazed and slightly overwhelmed at the intricate menus detailing all the different combos of coffee, tea, and milk. We got the chocolate danish and the green tea almond croissant and even though we’re usually more of savory breakfast people, we were in absolute heaven! The green tea almond croissant was our favorite. Highly recommend!

Drooling so hard right now. We’re not even pastry lovers. But would eat these again in a minute.

Tiong Bahru Market

30 Seng Poh Rd, Singapore 168898 | Website

Our first experience with Singapore’s famed hawker markets...and we were in awe! So many people eating so many foods we had never heard of before, all available at tiny stalls equipped with fascinating photos of the menu items. Tiong Bahru Market is home to some of Singapore’s best local food, even including a Michelin Bib Gourmand chicken rice stall. We arrived immediately after eating at Tiong Bahru bakery so sadly we weren’t hungry at all. Instead of eating, we simply walked around, eyes wide, exploring all the different options. Don’t worry, we made it to another hawker market later in the day.

Lau Pa Sat / Telok Ayer Market

18 Raffles Quay, Singapore 048582 | Website

The Lau Pa Sat or Telok Ayer hawker center is located in a historic Victorian-style structure right in the heart of Singapore’s financial district. We arrived around lunchtime after walking around all day since breakfast, and were excited to join business people, locals, and tourists alike in sampling Singapore’s most famous delicacies. Depending on your style (and hunger level), you can look up the most recent map of Lau Pa Sat’s stalls before you pay it a visit and go in with a plan, or you can simply do a lap and choose what to try based on sight and smell. The classic recommendations include Hainanese chicken rice, Malaysian roti prata, chili crab, Laksa noodles, curry puffs, and kaya toast (if you’re there for breakfast). We love our noodle dishes so Ray got Hong Kong style duck noodles and Sam ended up getting spicy chili noodles.

The unique Victorian architecture of Lau Pa Sat.

Arab Street

If you make it to Arab Street, we’d definitely recommend a visit to the ornate Masjid Sultan, which was already closed for the evening by the time we arrived. Luckily, our real purpose for hitting this street was the food. Bathed in the glow of the majestic mosque, Arab street is lined with restaurants offering authentic Middle Easter and Mediterranean cuisine — from Turkish to Lebanese to Persian to Moroccan and more. We picked a random spot off the street, sat in an outdoor patio, and enjoyed a giant mezze platter of pita bread, several varieties of hummus, baba ganoush, kebabs, salad, and more.

What we saw

Chinatown

After Tiong Bahru, we got our Singapore tourist passes and made our way over to Chinatown, emerging from the train station directly into another busling and aromatic market. We explored both the food stalls inside the market, and the other stalls selling everything under the sun on the outer part.

Along with food and other wares, Singapore’s Chinatown is known for its encompassing overview of the city’s history — through cultural and religious sites as well as museums. One of the most fascinating things about Singapore is its unique mix of cultures. In Chinatown, you can see a Buddhist temple, a Hindu Temple, and a Mosque right next door to one another, each happening to be one of the most beautiful places of worship in the city.

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple: A stunning 4-story temple complex designed in the Tang Dynasty architectural style and built to house the Buddha tooth relic. We happened to walk in just as a chanting ceremony began, which was amazing to experience. The walls of the main temple hall are lined with hundreds of intricately-crafted tiny buddha statues, along with larger buddha statues that each have their own name and significant hand placement.

Sri Mariamman Temple: The oldest shrine in Singapore and the most prominent place of worship for Tamil Hindus. Built in the South Indian Dravidian style, the temple is embellished with six tiers of colorful sculptures of Hindu deities, giving it a visually striking rainbow effect.

This gold robe kind of completes my lewk, eh?

Jamae Mosque: Just down the street from the other two temples, and one of the oldest mosques in Singapore. Its towering minarets and bright green color are hard to miss.

Gardens by the Bay

If you’ve seen photos of Singapore, you’ve definitely seen two of its main attractions — Gardens by the Bay and The Marina Bay Sands hotel. Both are a must-visit during your stay. Gardens by the Bay is a sprawling waterfront park best known for its Supertree Grove and its nightly lights and music show. Beyond the supertrees, you could spend an entire day exploring the park’s various conservatories and gardens. We did a quick walk through the Bay South Garden during the day, then came back in the evening to watch the light show from one of the elevated walkways.

The Supertree Grove by day. These babies light up to tunes like the Jurassic Park and Harry Potter theme songs nightly. Catch the show if you can!

Little India

After lunch, we made our way over to Little India and did what we like to do best — just walked all over the place getting a feel for the neighborhood. The neighborhood is recognized for its bright, multicolored buildings, and there are definitely some super Instagrammable spots, but we didn’t look them up beforehand and simply enjoyed ourselves while wandering around.

Bugis Street

Bugis Street was once known for prostitution and nightly debauchery, but is now the biggest shopping district in Singapore. We simply passed through, but found ourselves lost in the huge covered market at one point — where it’s impossible to tell what time of day it is outside as you wander through stall after stall in a maze of every trinket one can imagine. If you are an avid shopper or bargain hunter, Bugis will definitely be your mecca!

Marina Bay Sands Hotel

The Marina Bay Sands has become one of the most iconic representations of Singapore in the past decade. Its three hotel towers rise prominently from the marina below, with its vast three-acre SkyPark bridging them together at the top, reminiscent of a giant cruise ship sailing through the night sky. To end our crazy jam-packed day of exploring, we decided to hit the SkyPark to experience the stunning 360-degree view of Singapore’s skyline by night. While the view was breathtaking, we weren’t feeling the crowds or the $20 beers, and spent just a few minutes up there looking around, happy to cap our day off with one of the last places on our Singapore bucket list.

While brief, our time in Singapore was filled with culture, history, natural beauty, modern luxury, and amazing food. There’s definitely tons more that we didn’t get to explore, but we hope that if you ever find yourself in Singapore, our experiences can serve as a starting point for getting to know the dazzling city.

Got Singapore recs of your own? Leave a comment below or on our latest IG post!

Happy travels!