11 Things to do in Singapore for first timers

Singapore
Written By Away Again

We’ve been to Singapore 3 times and love it so much! The food is so delicious and there’s lots of fun things to see and do - from exploring the iconic Gardens by the Bay to the bustling streets of Chinatown.

This guide is for first timers and we’d recommend spending at least 3 days to see the main attractions. Below, we’ve listed 11 of our favourite things to do to help you plan your trip.

1. Cloud Forest - Gardens by the Bay

Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay is our favourite attraction in Singapore! 🌿

It’s a stunning greenhouse in a futuristic dome, with one of the world’s tallest indoor waterfalls (35m high), a huge range of plants from around the world, and a cool, misty environment - making it the perfect escape from Singapore’s heat.

There are many different areas to explore within Cloud Forest, including aerial walkways that offer panoramic views of the lush greenery. However, this specific part might be slightly scary for those who are afraid of heights, so you can just explore the other areas instead.

Also, the plants at Cloud Forest get watered through a ‘mist’ so if you’re keen to see this cool effect plus feel it, make sure to visit during the misting hours (below).

  • ⏰ Opening Hours: 9.00am – 9.00pm (Last Admission: 8.30pm)

  • 🎟️ Tickets: Get up to 10% off tickets via Klook.com with code FEASTONITKLOOK. You can also bundle your tickets together with the other Gardens by the Bay attractions.

  • 💧 Misting hours: 10.00am, 12.00pm, 2.00pm, 4.00pm, 6.00pm, 8.00pm daily

  • ✍️ Tips: Visit when it first opens (9am) or early in the morning to avoid huge crowds

Buy tickets here with discount code FEASTONITKLOOK

2. Flower Dome - Gardens by the Bay

Perfect for flower lovers, the Flower Dome is another huge greenhouse right next to the Cloud Forest.

It’s even bigger than Cloud Forest and home to many different species of flowers and trees from around the world (e.g. South African, Mediterranean and Australian gardens). It’s truly so beautiful and colourful!

There’s also different themes every so often, like Tulipmania, Sakura (Cherry Blossom Festival) and Christmas displays.

  • ⏰ Opening Hours: 9:00am – 9:00pm (Last Admission: 8:00pm)

  • 🎟️ Tickets: Get up to 10% off tickets via Klook.com with code FEASTONITKLOOK. You can also bundle your tickets together with the other Gardens by the Bay attractions.

  • ✍️ Tip: Visit early in the morning to avoid huge crowds. It’s right next to Cloud Forest, so you can do these together after one another.

3. Floral Fantasy - Gardens by the Bay

Compared to the Flower Dome, Floral Fantasy is much smaller (1500 square metres) with different flower-related exhibits.

We personally preferred the Flower Dome since it was larger with a lot more to see, but the Floral Fantasy has previously had some fun exhibits like the Disney-themed one in 2025! So it may depend on what’s on during the time you go and whether you’d be interested in it.

  • ⏰ Opening Hours: 10:00am – 9:00pm (Last admission at 8:30pm)

  • 🎟️ Tickets: Get up to 10% off tickets via Klook.com with code FEASTONITKLOOK. You can also bundle your tickets together with the other Gardens by the Bay attractions.

4. Supertree Grove - Gardens by the Bay

Also part of Gardens by the Bay is the famous Supertree Grove. These man-made trees rise up to 50 metres above the ground and are extremely impressive.

It’s FREE to walk around at the bottom, or you can buy tickets to go up to the Supertree Observatory for incredible views or walk the OCBC Skyway - a 128m-long aerial walkway suspended between two Supertrees.

  • 🎟️ Tickets: Get up to 10% off tickets via Klook.com with code FEASTONITKLOOK. You can also bundle your tickets together with the other Gardens by the Bay attractions.

5. Free Garden Rhapsody Light Show (Supertree Grove)

This is a must-do! It’s a huge highlight every time we go back to Singapore.

Every night at 7:45pm and 8:45pm, there’s a free Garden Rhapsody light show at the Supertree Grove - featuring different themes each month. There’s lots of different flashing lights, which “dance” along to the music and it’s so cool!

  • ⏰ Show Times: Every night at 7:45pm and 8:45pm, but make sure to double check the times on their main website before you go in case there are any unexpected cancellations or changes.

  • 🎟️ Admission: FREE

  • ✍️ Tip: Arrive at least 15 minutes before the show starts to get a good spot!

6. Free Light and Water Show (Marina Bay Sands)

Another free show is ‘Spectra - A light and water show’ at Marina Bay Sands.

You’ll see water jets, fountains, lasers and light projections set to music. It’s located ~10 minutes walk from the Supertree Grove, so we’d recommend watching the Garden Rhapsody Light Show first, then walking over to see this one next! However, if you can only choose one, we’d pick the Garden Rhapsody Light Show.

  • ⏰ Show Times: Every night (Sunday to Thursday - 8pm and 9pm, and Friday and Saturday - 8pm, 9pm and 10pm). The show is ~15 minutes.

  • 🎟️ Admission: FREE

  • ✍️ Tip: Arrive at least 15 minutes before the show starts to get a good spot!

7. Explore Chinatown

We LOVE exploring Chinatown - it’s one of our favourite places to explore in Singapore!

There’s incredible street art, hawker centres, markets, shops and temples - so there’s heaps to do and eat. We’d also recommend staying in Chinatown, since it’s convenient and close to all of the main attractions.

Things to do in Chinatown:

First, we highly recommend checking out all of the incredible street art / murals in Chinatown. It’s extremely impressive and the artists are so talented!

Below are the murals we saw (with Google Maps links):

Other things to do:

Places to eat in Chinatown:

  • Maxwell Food Centre (Hawker Centre): Try Roasted Pork and Char Sew Rice Dish (Stall #93), Hainanese Chicken Rice at ‘Tian Tian’ or ‘Ah Tai’, and Fishball Soup and Noodles from the ‘Teo Chew Fishball Noodle’ Stall.

  • Satay Street (La Pau Sat): Go to Stall No. 7 & 8 for delicious Chicken, Mutton/Beef and Prawn Skewers.

  • Ya Kun Kaya Toast: Try the famous Kaya Toast for breakfast.

  • Other Hawker Centres: Hong Lim Food Centre and Chinatown Complex

8. ArtScience Museum (Marina Bay Sands)

At the ArtScience Museum, you'll find a permanent and popular exhibition called ‘Future World: Where Art Meets Science’ which features a variety of digital and interactive installations.

Some of our favourite installations include a slide with a projected interactive artwork (so fun!), a creative space where you can colour in a picture and see it come to life on a giant screen, and an aerial climbing experience on horizontal bars. However, the standout moment is at the end, where you walk through a mesmerizing display of lights (which you can also control from your phone). If you’ve visited TeamLabs in Japan, then all of these experiences are quite similar, but just on a smaller scale.

There are also other non-permanent exhibitions at the ArtScience Museum, which change every few months. Previously, these exhibitions included Sneakertopia, Frida Kahlo, and The World of Studio Ghibli.

  • ⏰ Opening Hours: Sunday – Thursday: 10:00am – 7:00pm (Last entry at 6:00pm), Friday – Saturday: 10:00am – 9:00pm (Last entry at 8:15pm)

  • 🎟️ Tickets: Get up to 10% off tickets via Klook.com with code FEASTONITKLOOK

  • ✍️ Tip: Visit early in the morning to avoid huge crowds

Buy tickets here with discount code FEASTONITKLOOK

9. Explore Kampong Glam, Haji Lane & Little India

Kampong Glam is known for its rich history, vibrant street art, and the majestic Sultan Mosque, with its large golden dome and impressive architecture.

A must-visit is Haji Lane, which is very popular for its colourful and vibrant street murals so you’ll see a lot of people taking photos here. We personally preferred the more intricate and detailed street art in Chinatown, but both are still incredible to see if you have time. Haji Lane also has a cool and trendy feel to it, with many different shops and cafes. Also, make sure to check out the surrounding streets like Arab Street and Muscat Street.

You can also visit Little India, which has other shops and street markets to check out as well!

10. Sentosa Island

If you have time, visit Sentosa Island - an island resort off Singapore’s southern coast. There’s lots of different activities and attractions, such as the Skyline Luge, Cable Car, Universal Studios, and 3 main artificial beaches (Siloso, Palawan and Tanjong).

11. EAT all of the good food!

We saved the best for last! One of our favourite things about Singapore is the food, and there are many hawker centres where the food is cheap AND delicious.

Some of our favourites food spots include:

Maxwell Food Centre (Hawker Centre) - 10/10 ❤️

If you go to Singapore, you definitely need to check out a hawker centre and our favourite is Maxwell Food Centre. The food is delicious AND cheap. Our recommendations are:

  • Stall #93 - For their delicious roasted pork and char sew rice dish

  • ‘Tian Tian’ or ‘Ah Tai’ for Hainanese Chicken Rice

  • ‘Teo Chew Fishball Noodle’ Stall for Fishball Soup and Noodles

  • Get Barley Water from the juice store - it’s the perfect drink in the heat!

📝 Note: There’s no air con (only fans), so it can get really hot inside

✍️ Tip: Bring your own tissues

Satay Street (at La Pau Sat) - 9/10 🍢

This street is lined with satay stalls, where they grill them fresh to order. It’s very popular and the skewers are delicious! However, it’s not as cheap as eating at other hawker centres.

  • ❤️ Recommendation: We always go to Stall No. 7 & 8 for delicious Chicken, Mutton/Beef and Prawn Skewers

  • ✍️ Tip: Bring cash for the skewers and your own tissues

Ya Kun Kaya Toast - 10/10 ❤️

‘Kaya toast’ is a popular breakfast dish from Singapore. The toast has a thick slab of butter and spread of kaya (a sweet and creamy coconut jam), and it’s typically dipped in a half-boiled egg with soy sauce and white pepper.

At Ya Kun Kaya Toast, there are different sets with different variations of Kaya Toast (e.g. Steamed Kaya Bread), so you can pick which type you’d prefer!

JUMBO Seafood - 7/10 🦀

At JUMBO Seafood, you can try the famous chilli crab and pair it together with mantou (hot fried bread). They gave us bibs for the crab, since it can get a bit messy!

Where to stay?

We highly recommend staying in Chinatown for its convenient location. You can easily walk to popular Hawker Centres like Maxwell Food Centre, Lau Pa Sat, and Satay Street, while also exploring Chinatown’s vibrant street art and markets. Plus, Gardens by the Bay is just a short train ride away (~18 minutes) or a quick 7-minute drive via Grab. It’s the perfect base for experiencing the best of Singapore.

Below are 2 luxury hotels in Chinatown, which we’ve stayed in before and really liked. They’re more expensive than other hotels, so it depends on your budget!

  • 🏨 Park Royal Pickering, Chinatown (5-star Hotel)

    This hotel has such a unique design! It’s very difficult not to notice it whilst walking along the streets of Chinatown, since the exteriors have lush greenery and gardens surrounding it. The design of this building is absolutely stunning and makes you feel like you’re in a tropical rainforest at times. They also have an incredible infinity pool overlooking the city, with huge booths, lounge chairs and a small garden walk. We stayed in the Urban Deluxe King room and it was very spacious and modern. The bed was so comfortable and we also had an amazing view from the room.

  • 🏨 The Clan, Chinatown (5-star Hotel)

    This 5-star hotel offers a blend of historic charm and modern luxury. The lobby is very stylish and every guest gets a complimentary welcome tea ceremony upon arrival (involves receiving a cold towel, ritual tea and some treats). We loved the modern hotel room and LOVED how there was a filtered water tap in the room to re-fill your own bottle (so sustainable!). There’s also a rooftop pool with amazing panoramic views of the city. Also, it’s in a really convenient spot - with the train line being right opposite the hotel and Lau Pa Sat / Satay Street a 5-minute walk away.

Singapore Discount Code:

Get up to 10% off Singapore activities and hotels on Klook.com with our code: FEASTONITKLOOK

Book here with discount code FEASTONITKLOOK
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