At 200 metres above the Singapore skyline, standing on the 57th-floor Sky Park at Marina Bay Sands, the city stretches in every direction with an almost implausible density of green, glass, and water. Singapore rewards the traveller who arrives prepared, and for those who have never visited one of Southeast Asia’s most layered cities, the sheer volume of what is possible here can be genuinely overwhelming. Island Hopper TV, whose presenter has been returning to Singapore for over ten years, worked through the city’s top draws in a single comprehensive run, pulling together everything from cable cars and cloud forests to hawker stalls and heritage streets.
Start high, then head into the gardens
The Sky Park observation deck at Marina Bay Sands opens at 5:00 p.m. and the advice from Island Hopper TV is simple: arrive at sunset. Tickets run 35 to 39 Singapore dollars for adults and 31 to 35 for children and seniors. From up there, the infinity pool visible below is reserved for hotel guests, but the 360-degree views and the rooftop bar are open to anyone with a ticket.
Directly below, Gardens by the Bay is best visited before heading up to the observation deck, not after. The Super Tree Grove costs 14 Singapore dollars for adults and 10 for children, with the OCBC Skyway connecting the trees at height. A warning for those with vertigo: people were spotted gripping the railings rather firmly up there. The Cloud Forest biosphere, priced at 32 to 35 Singapore dollars for adults, runs a rotating themed exhibit inside its extraordinary air-conditioned interior. At night, walking the Super Tree Grove ground level costs nothing, and the illuminated canopy genuinely feels like a different place entirely.
Sentosa, the keys, and the streets worth knowing
The Mount Faber cable car, priced at 35 Singapore dollars for adults and 25 for children, runs from 8:45 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. with last boarding at 9:30 p.m. and takes about 15 minutes to reach Sentosa Island. Entry to the island itself is free. The Singapore Oceanarium, freshly renovated, charges 55 Singapore dollars for adults and 43 for children, and its shark tunnel drew a pointed observation: ‘I will say one thing about the sharks in here. There were some big ones.’ Universal Studios tickets range from 69 to 76 Singapore dollars per person, and a three-park bundle that includes Adventure Cove and the aquarium is the recommended way to save money. Afternoons on Sentosa’s beaches run brutally hot from noon to around 3 or 4 p.m., so water activities or shade are non-negotiable.
Back on the main island, Boat Quay and Clarke Quay along the Singapore River are best reached no earlier than 4:00 p.m. Clarke Quay has been more recently renovated and offers boat rides into Marina Bay. The Campong Glam district near Arab Street, with its colourful shophouses, Turkish and Lebanese food, and the striking mosque, gets crowded on weekends when the alleyways can feel genuinely tight. Chinatown is best in the evening from around 6 or 7 p.m., when the Temple Street area comes alive with Michelin-starred restaurants alongside hawker staples like Hainanese chicken and wonton noodle.
For budget eating, hawker centres such as the one at Maxwell average 5 to 10 Singapore dollars a meal. The recommended strategy: breakfast and lunch at hawkers, a proper restaurant for dinner.
The Mandai Animal Experience covers the Singapore Zoo (39 to 44 Singapore dollars for adults), River Wonders, which houses giant pandas and manatees, the night safari, and the bird park. The Singapore Flyer ferris wheel takes 30 minutes for a full rotation and costs 40 Singapore dollars for adults and 25 for children. The National Museum runs 20 Singapore dollars for adults. Capita Springs, a garden built into a CBD skyscraper with rooftop views, costs just 10 Singapore dollars. And for those who land at Changi Airport, the Jewel at Terminal One with its indoor waterfall is free to walk around and worth the stop on arrival or departure.
For getting around, the Hello Bike or Anywheel app puts rental bikes at MRT exits across the city, with most rides costing 2 to 3 Singapore dollars. The favourite route runs from East Coast Park toward Marina Bay, past the Marina Barrage where the sunset lands perfectly, and on to the National Stadium area, roughly 5 to 7 kilometres depending on the start point.
A quiet corner most visitors skip
The Mustafa Centre in Little India, a sprawling shopping complex stocked with teas, cacao, and Ayurvedic supplements, sits in an area the presenter returns to every trip, haircuts included.
Back at the southern tip of Sentosa, a drawbridge extends out to what is technically the southernmost point of continental Asia, a detail easy to walk past without registering. On a clear afternoon, with beach clubs behind and the open water ahead, it sits there without ceremony, doing nothing in particular except marking the edge of an entire continent.
