Usually, we like to travel slow and take our time when visiting a new place. Cruising around the city, feeling the vibe and having lots of free time for spontaneous detours. Singapore however, we did in a record-breaking rush of we only have two days and this is way out of budget. We still feel that we saw and did everything, we wanted to. So here is how we spent our 32hrs in Singapore:
Day 1
6:55am: We entered Singapore from Johor Bahru via bus and had to go through border control halfway through the ride. It is surprisingly easy to catch a bus, as there are tons of people commuting every day and the infrastructure is amazing. You get the first view of Singapore from the bus while driving over one of the bridges. Our bus took us to Queenstreet in the city center, so that is where our day truly started.
8:00am: From Queenstreet bus terminal we strolled down the street to see the Sultan Mosque. Due to the early hour it was still closed to visitors, but we enjoyed seeing it from the outside nonetheless. Afterwards we went in the other direction into the Indian quarters to grab breakfast at our first Hawker Center of the day – Tekka Centre. These Hawker Centers are all over the inner city and offer delicious foods for prices similar to the rest of Southeastern Asia or in other words – they are cheap.
10am: Refreshed and full of energy we walked to the famous Orchard Road and explored it thoroughly. This luxury shopping street offers lots of interesting buildings and shop windows even a broke backpacker can enjoy – without buying anything of course. We had a great time strolling up and down the street and my immature self still finds a certain sign we found on a construction site absolutely ridiculous.
12pm: Have I mentioned yet, how green the city is? No? Well, there is lots of beautiful greenery found in Singapore, one of the hotspots is Fort Canning Park. As the name suggests this used to be a military base and there is an excavation site there, allowing the visitors to explore Singapores history. While walking there we even saw a paradise tree snake grabbing some lunch in the middle of the walkway and even Singapore is not safe from the ever-present Asians chicken running wild.
2pm: Inspired by the snake we decided to head towards our next food stop: Maxwell Food Center. This led us by the gorgeous riverside of Clarke Quay and down into the Chinese Quarters of the city. After visiting the Buddha Tooth Relic temple, we finally checked into our hostel and took a short break from walking.
5:30pm: After grabbing a quick bite at a small Indian restaurant, we made our way to Merlion Bay and the last rays of daylight there. Then we took the metro and went to the Singapore Zoo for the Night Safari. For using public transport in Singapore you need to have an ez-link card, which can be bought at any 7-eleven. If you want to check fares prior to make sure you have enough money on it, you can use this website.
08:30pm: The night safari was a blast. Even though the tickets were way out of our budget, we were amazed by what was included in the price. While you also get your usual zoo-experience with lots of nocturnal animals, there is also an educational live show and a trainride through the enclosures included in the normal ticket. Time flew and even though we were incredibly tired, we stayed there until the very last minute, catching the last bus from the zoo back to the metro station – only to find out there that no more trains are going.
Day 2
00:30am: So, we took a taxi instead. We asked to be dropped off at Merlion Bay and enjoyed the view and empty walkways on our way up to Clark Quay, where we fell into bed exhausted.
10:00am: Which famous stop is still missing from our little Singapore tour? Yes, the Gardens by the Bay. We had the opportunity to walk down to Marina Bay once more, this time in the morning, and move on to the Gardens. While there are some attractions there with entry fees, you can walk around under the gigantic metal trees and explore the very real plants all around you for free.
01:30pm: We grabbed our last meal in Singapore in the Amoy Street Food Centre, along with what felt like all of Singapores workers on lunch break. The food was delicious and cheap nonetheless. Afterwards we made our way back to Queenstreet, where we caught a bus back to Johor Bahru around 3pm.
Having heard our busy travel itinerary, would you like to visit Singapore yourself? Would you rather spend more time or do you think, you can do it even faster than us? Let us know in the comments below!
xxx
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