Singapore is Asia's great crossroads city — a compact, immaculately run island nation where Chinese, Malay, Indian, and colonial British influences layer into one of the world's most rewarding food and culture destinations. Skyscrapers rise beside restored shophouses, rainforest reserves sit minutes from the financial district, and a superb public realm makes it one of the easiest cities in Asia to explore on foot.
For over a century Singapore has also been the storied southern terminus of the Malay Peninsula's rail line, and today it is the departure and arrival point for the Eastern & Oriental Express, the legendary luxury train that threads through Malaysia's rainforests, rubber plantations, and hill towns between Singapore and Bangkok. Stepping off — or boarding — this train in Singapore bookends the journey with a city that rewards a few extra days of exploring before or after you travel.
Whether you arrive by rail or extend a Southeast Asia itinerary around your journey on the Eastern & Oriental Express, Singapore offers an easy, English-speaking introduction to the region, with world-class museums, tropical gardens, and some of the finest street food anywhere in Asia.
- ✦Gardens by the Bay and the Supertree Grove
- ✦Michelin-starred hawker food, from chicken rice to chilli crab
- ✦Colonial heritage at Raffles Hotel
- ✦Chinatown, Little India, and Kampong Glam
- ✦Marina Bay Sands SkyPark views
- ✦Southern terminus of the Eastern & Oriental Express
- ✦Singapore Botanic Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Places to See in Singapore
Gardens by the Bay
Singapore's futuristic waterfront park is home to the towering, illuminated Supertree Grove and two vast climate-controlled conservatories — the Flower Dome and the misty, waterfall-fed Cloud Forest — showcasing plant life from Mediterranean and montane cloud-forest climates.
Marina Bay Sands SkyPark
The three-tower hotel's rooftop observation deck delivers a sweeping panorama over the Marina Bay skyline, the Singapore Strait, and Gardens by the Bay below.
Raffles Hotel
This gleaming white colonial-era institution, restored to its 1887 grandeur, is where the Singapore Sling cocktail was invented in the Long Bar — still open for a drink amid potted palms and ceiling fans.
Chinatown & Sri Mariamman Temple
Singapore's oldest Hindu temple, with its riotously colourful gopuram tower, anchors a historic district of shophouses, incense-filled Buddhist temples, and traditional medicine shops.
Kampong Glam & the Sultan Mosque
The golden-domed Masjid Sultan presides over this Malay-Muslim quarter, where Arab Street's textile and perfume shops sit alongside contemporary cafés and street art.
Little India
A riot of colour, jasmine garlands, and spice shops centred on the ornate Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, best experienced around Tekka Market and Serangoon Road.
Singapore Botanic Gardens
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world's great tropical gardens, with a National Orchid Garden holding thousands of orchid species and hybrids.
National Gallery Singapore
Housed in the former Supreme Court and City Hall buildings, this museum holds the world's largest public collection of Singaporean and Southeast Asian modern art.
Sentosa Island
A resort island reached by cable car or monorail, with sandy beaches, Universal Studios Singapore, and the S.E.A. Aquarium.
Food & Gastronomy
Singapore is a hawker-food capital, and its centres — communal open-air food courts — are where the city's culinary soul lives. Several, including Maxwell Food Centre and Hawker Chan's stall (a Michelin-starred soy sauce chicken rice institution), draw both locals and travellers for dishes that cost only a few dollars yet rival fine dining in flavour.
- Hainanese chicken rice — poached chicken and fragrant rice cooked in chicken stock, considered Singapore's unofficial national dish.
- Chilli crab — whole mud crab in a sweet, tangy, egg-thickened chilli-tomato sauce, eaten with fried mantou buns for dipping.
- Laksa — rice noodles in a rich, spiced coconut curry broth, especially the version from Katong.
- Char kway teow — flat rice noodles wok-fried with dark soy sauce, prawns, Chinese sausage, egg, and bean sprouts.
- Satay — grilled skewered meats served with peanut sauce, classically found at Lau Pa Sat's evening satay street.
- Roti prata — a flaky, griddle-fried flatbread of Indian origin, served with curry for dipping.
- Kaya toast — toasted bread with coconut-pandan jam and butter, traditionally eaten with soft-boiled eggs and kopi (local coffee) at old-school kopitiam cafés.
- Bak kut teh — a peppery pork rib soup, slow-simmered with garlic and herbs.
Beyond the hawker centres, Singapore is also Asia's fine-dining capital, with numerous Michelin-starred restaurants; a Singapore Sling at Raffles Hotel's Long Bar remains an essential ritual for visitors.
