Three days in Singapore

When we heard some of our UK friends were travelling around South East Asia, we just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to fly out and meet them in Singapore. We only had three days in the city but that was plenty to have us wanting to come back again soon. Here’s our three-day itinerary for what we got up to in Singapore.

Day 1

Check in + pool

We spent our first morning enjoying our hotel’s outdoor pool – a much-needed refresh after our red-eye flight. Park Hotel Alexandra very generously sponsored our accommodation and we couldn’t have asked for a better place to stay. The hotel is situated amongst the lush greenery of The Southern Ridges and is located a short distance away from Downtown Core and Sentosa Island – both places we went on to visit (more on this later).

Park Hotel Alexandra also provides each room with a smartphone loaded with calls, texts and data during your stay. This meant we saved money and the hassle of buying a local SIM upon arrival.

Old Hill Street Police Station

After grabbing some breakfast at Park Alexandra Hotel, our first stop was to see the Old Hill Street Police Station. This building was once home to Singapore’s first police station and jail – hard to imagine with its new colourful lick of paint. The building was renamed MICA Building in 2000 and is currently being used as an atrium for art activities.

We didn’t quite have time to explore inside but were able to take a few shots of the colourful exterior (tip: stand on the opposite side of the road for a better view of the building).

MICA Building/Old Hill Police Station

ArtScience Museum

This museum combines technology and art to create visual marvels. Anyone who uses Instagram will likely have seen the museum’s LED light installation, Crystal Universe. Although beautiful, it surprised us how small the light installation actually was, luckily we visited on a fairly quiet day and didn’t have to jostle with many others.

The light installation can be found at the end of the museum but visitors can enjoy many of the interactive games along the way, although most are suited more towards children.

For up to date prices and to book tickets, visit Marina Bay Sands.

Crystal Universe light installation

Gardens By The Bay

We spent the remainder of our first day at the Gardens By The Bay. This was our most anticipated part of the trip, we spent a good few hours exploring the Supertree Grove, Cloud Forest, Flower Dome and many of the other attractions (full attraction list). As nature and outdoor lovers, it was interesting to see the potential for nature and urban to intertwine. We highly recommend staying for the light show in the evening (check times here). Travel tip: If you’re thinking of going up to the Skyway, do it just before the light show starts for the best views in the park.

On our way back to catch a taxi to our hotel, we also managed to catch the Marina Bay Sands light show from the Helix Bridge but we would recommend you make your way over to the Merlion Park if you want the best view of the show. Note, to watch the fountain water show you will need to head to the Event Plaza at Marina Bay Sands.

Day 2

Palawan Beach

We spent the entire second day on Sentosa, a resort island off Singapore’s southern coast. Fun fact: Sentosa is a man-made island for the sole purpose of letting visitors have fun.

Sentosa offers a number activities for visitors to choose from, we ended up deciding to spend our morning relaxing down by Palawan Beach. The beach itself is clean and well maintained with perfect water temperatures all year round. The beach also connects to the smaller Palawan island via a long suspension bridge. The relaxed tropical vibes at Palawan Beach was a lovely contrast to the bustling activity going on in the city centre.

Universal Studios

This theme park needs no introduction. You can expect great fun for all ages with roller coasters and rides to shows and parades. Singapore’s Universal is the smallest in the world but this is actually a good thing as it means you’ll be able to cover everything in just one day. Book your tickets in advance to save queuing up.

Day 3

Masjid Sultan

We started our final day with a visit to Masjid Sultan, Singapore’s most famous mosque. Ever since our visit to Malaysia, we’ve loved visiting and photographing mosques as each one tends to have its own unique and beautiful design – Masjid Sultan was no different, it looks like something straight out of Aladin. Arriving first thing in the morning meant there were very few people around which was great for photos, but note that the mosque itself doesn’t open until 10am.

Before entering the mosque, remember there is a dress code to abide. Males should wear long trousers and a top which covers the shoulders. Females will need to cover legs, arms and their hair. Robes are provided on location if clothing is deemed unsuitable.

Just round the corner from Masjid Sultan is Singapore Zam Zam, a great little Indian restaurant where we had a delicious yet economical breakfast – a must-try is their selection of roti.

Masjid Sultan

Masjid Abdul Gaffoor

With our tummies full, we walked toMasjid Abdul Gaffoor, our second mosque of the day. Both mosques are beautiful and definitely worth visiting. Robes available on location.

Masjid Abdul Gaffoor

Katong

We managed to squeeze this last activity on our way towards the airport. Katong is residential neighbourhood filled with colourful shophouses. This was one of the prettiest streets we’ve ever seen and well worth the slightly awkward trip out.

Katong shophouses

Back to Changi (Singapore) airport

And just like that our three day trip in Singapore came to an end. We hope you found this post useful in your own planning and if you have any questions just comment below or email us and we’ll be more than happy to answer. Happy travels!