Photo: Joshua Ang / Unsplash
About Singapore
Singapore defies easy categorisation — a city-state the size of a small island that has somehow built one of the world's great food cultures from the convergence of Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Peranakan traditions. The hawker centres are a national obsession: Maxwell Food Centre, Tiong Bahru, Old Airport Road. Hawker culture is UNESCO-listed. Gardens by the Bay's Supertrees are legitimately spectacular at night. The colonial CBD, Arab Street's Kampong Glam, and Little India each feel like different cities.
Highlights
Maxwell Food Centre — Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice, the hawker centre benchmark Gardens by the Bay — Supertree light show at 7:45pm and 8:45pm nightly, free Tiong Bahru neighbourhood — Singapore's first public housing estate turned food hub Night Safari — the world's first nocturnal wildlife park Kampong Glam — Arab Street's textiles, perfumeries, and murtabak Little India on a Sunday — Tekka Market fresh produce and banana leaf curry
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Practical Info
Entry rules depend on your nationality. Check before you travel: Immigration & Checkpoints Authority
Singapore Dollar (SGD). Cards are widely accepted, but carry cash for small vendors and hawker centres.
Tipping is not expected; restaurant bills often include a service charge.
Singapore is very safe with low crime rates; be cautious of strict laws (e.g., chewing gum import bans, littering fines).
Local SIMs from Singtel, StarHub or M1 are sold at the airport and in convenience stores.
Official languages are English, Mandarin, Malay, and Tamil; English is widely spoken and used in business and daily life.
Useful phrases Mandarin12
Singapore uses Simplified Chinese officially, but Traditional is widely understood. Both are shown here.
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