Once dismissed by an Indonesian President as a little “red dot”, Singapore is celebrating its diamond jubilee this year as an independent city-state, an economic powerhouse and one of the cleanest, safest places in the world. At less than 800sq km, Singapore, a former British colony, is a multicultural, multi-religious
36 Hours in Singapore
By Nicholas Yong
New York Times·
11 mins to read
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The Marina Bay Sands resort is the most recognisable landmark of the Singapore skyline. Photo / Chang W. Lee, New York Times
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You can almost smell it before you see it: spices, curries, incense and, if the season is right, mangoes and pomegranates. Vibrant and bustling, the centrally located Little India district is a wonderful mix of food, culture and tradition. Wander around and stumble upon street art, markets and delightful little shops selling jewellery and knickknacks. Check out the 19th century Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, the preserver of cosmic order, and the colourful former house of Chinese merchant Tan Teng Niah (built in 1900), the last surviving Chinese villa in Little India. Your final, essential stop: Mustafa Centre, where you will find bargains, snacks and souvenirs.
7pm | Eat the traditional way
The old joke among visitors to Singapore is that they wish they had two stomachs so they could eat more. There are endless varieties of biryani, a flavourful dish of rice, spices and meat or seafood, but Allauddin’s Biryani (from S$6) at Tekka Centre, in Little India, is one of the best known. Eat it the traditional way, with your hands. Great restaurants in the area include Khansama, which serves up delectable North Indian tandoori cuisine; be sure to try the butter chicken (S$19.50) and the Kashmiri naan (soft flatbread) laden with raisins and nuts (S$5). Komala Vilas is also an excellent vegetarian option (from S$13). (While there is no tipping culture in Singapore, restaurants and bars have a 10% service charge on top of a 9% goods and services tax.)
9pm | Visit a speakeasy
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Little India gets jam-packed on weekend evenings, so take a stroll to Mama Diam, a speakeasy restaurant and bar hidden behind the facade of a mama shop, a traditional provision shop usually run by an Indian mama (Tamil for uncle). It serves cocktails laden with local flavours such as the sweet and frothy Chai Tarik Brew (whiskey, chai tea, brown sugar and bitters), and the savoury and spicy Nasi Lemak (Junmai sake, coconut, pandan and more). If your dinner wasn’t enough, try the appetisers and small dishes like the roast duck tarts (S$14.90) and the crispy frog leg (S$16.90). Cocktails start from S$20.
Saturday
9.30am | Sample Chinatown
For breakfast, choose from the dizzying array of stalls at Chinatown Complex. Start with the ubiquitous breakfast of butter and kaya (coconut jam) toast with half-boiled eggs, washed down with kopi (local coffee made from robusta beans), available from stalls like Zhe Cheng Cafe Stall (from S$5). If you prefer something spicy, just a few stalls down is Bedok Chwee Kueh, serving steamed rice cakes topped with savoury preserved radish and chilli (from S$1.40). Nearby, Food Street Fried Kway Teow Mee sells rice noodles mixed with egg noodles and fried with bean sprouts, egg, fish cake and clams (from S$4). Be sure to take a walk around the outside of the complex when you’ve finished breakfast to view the colourful murals of historical figures such as the Samsui women, who were 20th-century Chinese immigrants who worked as manual labourers and wore trademark red headscarves.
11am | Don’t miss Hell’s Museum
In the 1930s, Aw Boon Haw, one of two Burmese Chinese brothers who founded the Tiger Balm medicated ointment empire, built an 8.5ha villa and park. There was an educational purpose, too: to teach people about traditional Chinese values. Over the course of several decades, Aw commissioned some 1000 statues and 150 giant dioramas in the park, eventually named Haw Par Villa. The 10 Courts of Hell depict gruesome scenes from the Chinese netherworld, where the wicked are punished for their sins. It is now part of Hell’s Museum, which showcases different beliefs about death from around the world. Entry to the park, which often hosts horror-themed and Halloween events, is free, but a ticket to the museum is S$20.
1.30pm | Taste Peranakan food
In general, the term Peranakan refers to a person of mixed Chinese and Malaysian Indonesian heritage. Many of Singapore’s Peranakans trace their ancestry to the Chinese traders who married local women in the 15th century, a history that has resulted in an amalgamation of cultures, traditions and, of course, food. The Blue Ginger, the recipient of a Michelin Bib Gourmand award, is a great place for communal dining. Standout dishes at the Tanjong Pagar branch include ngo hiang, or minced pork, prawns and chestnut encased in bean curd skin and deep fried (S$20), and ikan masak assam gulai, red snapper in tamarind gravy with lemongrass (S$33). Alternatively, check out the Boat Quay branch of Wild Coco, which serves a souped-up version of nasi lemak – a Malay dish of rice cooked in coconut milk, typically served with deep fried chicken, anchovies, cucumbers and a sweet chilli sauce. The chicken is slathered with spicy green chilli for a real kick. Starts from S$17.
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3pm | Check out a fortress
The Battlebox is an eerie, claustrophobic underground fortress network of bunkers and tunnels at Fort Canning Park, where British commanders surrendered Singapore to Japanese invaders on February 15, 1942. Filled with wax statues of British soldiers and their commanders, it is a detailed and well-curated recollection of the fall of Singapore, which led to a three-and-a-half-year occupation. Entry is free, but the enhanced experience, which includes an excellent audio guide and multimedia presentations, costs S$20 for adults and S$15 for children. Afterwards, take a stroll around Fort Canning Park, which has the remnants of the fortifications and armaments built by the British.
5.30pm | Learn at museums
The Peranakan Museum, housed in a former Chinese school in the Civic District, has three stories of exhibits that include a large collection of ornate ceramic ware, beautiful Catholic altars and a rare wooden baby carriage reminiscent of horse-drawn carriages, reflecting the strong European influence on Peranakan culture over several centuries. Entry costs S$18. Also in the Civic District is the National Gallery Singapore, which contains more than 8000 pieces by Southeast Asian artists that span the 19th century through to the modern day. Prominent names include Viet lacquer painter Nguyen Gia Tri and Singaporean painter Georgette Chen. Housed in the neoclassical, colonial-era former Supreme Court and City Hall, this stately, gorgeous venue is well worth exploring. Entry costs S$20.
7.30pm | Indulge your appetite
Maxwell Food Centre has been visited by the likes of Drew Barrymore and Dua Lipa, and the star attraction is the Michelin-rated Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice, which tends to draw long queues (from S$5). But there are plenty of other culinary delights, such as Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake (S$2.50), which serves a crispy, deep-fried kind of beignet with stuffing such as oysters and prawns. For some lighter fare, head to Fish Village, serving tender steamed and grilled fish and other seafood (from S$8). Then wander around the Tanjong Pagar neighbourhood to check out street art depicting scenes from Singapore’s past and restored shophouses. Explore Sri Mariamman, a historic Hindu temple, and take a few photos outside the gorgeous Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, housed in a 320kg gold stupa (a moundlike structure). If you haven’t had your fill, head over to Mellben Signature and try the signature clay-pot vermicelli and creamy butter crab (prices depend on the season; in March, a 1kg crab was S$115).
9.30pm | Relax in a bar
Several Singapore bars are frequently touted as among Asia’s best. The casual and intimate Jigger & Pony, with menus designed to look like magazines, ranked third on the list. One of the most impressive is Night Hawk, a speakeasy with a design inspired by the iconic Edward Hopper painting “Nighthawks”. Hidden behind a non-descript red door, it has a banging soundtrack, with an analog flipboard displaying the name of every song currently playing. Try the coconut gin-based Sleepy Saunter, a kind of elevated lychee martini, and the refreshing gin-based Gamma-ray Holiday with notes of melon, citrus and bitter gourd. The Cooling Tower, a rooftop bar on the 29th floor of Carlton City Hotel, has great views of the Singapore harbour coastline. And if you like live music, try Enclave Bar, a smaller and cosier venue that serves Thai-inspired cocktails. Cocktails at these bars start from about S$22.
Sunday
9am | Hike in a rainforest
Take a hike at Macritchie Reservoir Park, which has a 19km network of trails and boardwalks winding through about 2000ha of rainforest. The highlight is the TreeTop Walk, a 6.5km looping trail that takes you to a free-standing suspension bridge connecting the two highest points in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. Along the way, you may hear the call of cicadas and spot species like the clouded monitor lizard and the large flying fox. Beware the many long-tailed macaques, which are known to become aggressive at the sight of food; heed the many signs that warn against feeding the monkeys and making direct eye contact with them.
Noon | Make time for roti prata
Take a short bus ride down to the storied Roti Prata House for a brunch of roti prata: a crispy flatbread fried on a griddle and eaten with fish or mutton curry. There are endless varieties of prata, both sweet and savoury, cooked with everything from tomatoes to eggs to cheese to onions to Nutella. Try the classic egg (S$2), egg onion (S$2.80) or cheese prata (S$2.60). If you prefer the sweeter variety, try the banana chocolate (S$4.50) or the blueberry (S$4). Remember to wash it all down with some steaming teh tarik, or frothy milk tea (S$1.20).
1.30pm | Take in the scenic view
End your trip with a visit to a place featured in everything from Westworld to Crazy Rich Asians: Marina Bay Sands, the most recognisable landmark of the Singapore skyline. Take a stroll around the Instagram-worthy Marina Bay area and check out the ArtScience Museum; current exhibits include “Mirror Mirror: Journey Into the Mind” (S$27) and “Sen”, an immersive experience that brings a Japanese tea ceremony alive (S$16). Then ascend to the 56th floor of MBS for magnificent views from the SkyPark Observation Deck (entry costs S$35).
KEY STOPS
The Central Business District, which includes the historic Tanjong Pagar area, is filled with restaurants, museums and bars, as well as iconic landmarks such as Marina Bay Sands, an integrated resort with a hotel, casino, mall and entertainment venues.
Little India has amazing food and spectacular murals, as well as markets and temples.
Tekka Centre is a sprawling complex that includes a market and hawker centre.
Macritchie Reservoir Park is a popular hiking spot.
WHERE TO EAT
Maxwell Food Centre has more than 100 stalls.
Chinatown Complex is Singapore’s largest hawker centre, with more than 200 food stalls.
Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice has been Michelin-endorsed and approved by no less than Gordon Ramsay and Anthony Bourdain.
Khansama dishes out North Indian tandoori cuisine.
Komala Vilas is one of the best-known vegetarian restaurants in Little India.
The Blue Ginger serves up spicy Peranakan food.
Wild Coco serves some of the best nasi lemak in Singapore.
Mellben Signature is a well-known chilli crab joint.
Night Hawk is often ranked among the best bars in Asia.
Jigger & Pony, in the Amara Hotel, is the top-ranked bar in Singapore.
The Cooling Tower is a rooftop bar with a great view.
Mama Diam, a speakeasy restaurant and bar, has cocktails made with local flavours.
WHERE TO STAY
Raffles Hotel, an oasis of Old World charm in the city centre, is a stone’s throw away from the subway. Founded in 1887 by Armenian hoteliers, it includes Long Bar, where the Singapore Sling was invented. Its 115 suites include the Palm Court Suites, which have a living room and bedroom, and a common veranda. Depending on when you go, rooms can cost S$840 to S$1300.
The Scarlet Singapore, a boutique hotel in the Tanjong Pagar district with 80 rooms and suites, is one of the oldest buildings in Singapore. Depending on the date, rooms can cost S$160 to S$250.
If you are travelling solo or on a budget, try Galaxy Pods Capsule Hotel, with two branches in the centrally located Chinatown and Boat Quay areas near subway stations. The 96 self-contained single pods across both locations start around S$70.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Written by: Nicholas Yong
Photographs by: Chang W. Lee
©2025 THE NEW YORK TIMES
