With ICLR 2025 coming up, many of my friends were asking about my travel recommendations for Singapore, so I’ve decided to publish it here.

This guide is not meant to be a comprehensive “best of” list – for that, there are travel sites like Conde Nast (which, in my opinion, has put together a great list!) or your friendly local language model. Instead, I’ve listed things that I personally like. Happy to answer questions!

Food

Singapore has a range of world-class restaurants (e.g., see the Michelin Stars in Singapore) and many international options (e.g., Japanese food is a popular option in Singapore), but I’ll focus here on uniquely local experiences.

Hawker Centres

Hawker centres are a Singaporean cultural institution that I can’t recommend more highly. Think a mall food court, but with ~50-100 options for inexpensive and actually tasty food. (Remember the satay scene from Crazy Rich Asians? That was shot at a hawker centre!).

NOTE: The most convenient way to pay at hawker centers in Singapore is still cash; see section on payments below.

  • You don’t have to go far from wherever you are to get good hawker food – I’d recommend picking somewhere nearby and searching “$HAWKER_centre_NAME best stalls” to see what locals like (e.g., see a list for Maxwell Food centre I found with that search).
  • If you must have a list:
    • Conde Nast identifies some well-known hawker centres with a high concentration of great options.
    • The Michelin Guide identifies specific stalls
    • Just remember that most stalls aren’t on any best-of list but are still great!
  • If you’re struggling to figure out what to eat: check out Leslie Tay’s Top Ten Hawker Dishes and Where to Eat Them.
  • Stay away from…: Newton Food Centre and Lau Pa Sat are two hawker centres that are far too touristy for my taste; Newton in particular is overrun with queues and touts.

NOTE: If you like the format of hawker centers but wish there was a version with air-conditioning and that accepts credit cards (… or that prints receipts for expensing), mall food courts are a fine alternative (and, if you’re American, likely more enjoyable than what you’ve experienced at home!). Many malls will have one and I typically just pop into one in the mall I happen to be in; if you’re looking for keywords to search with, common brand names include Food Republic (most upscale IMO, and includes hawkers with a long history), Kopitiam, Food Junction, and Kou Fu.

Other Options

Here are other options for local food that I’ve had or liked. This list is by no means comprehensive!

(⛓️ marks chains with multiple outlets islandwide.)

Sights

  • Singapore’s Botanic Gardens are a UNESCO World Heritage Site – think Central Park, but tropical. The National Orchid Garden contained within is worth a stop if you like flowers!
  • Chinatown, Little India and Kampong Glam are really fun cultural districts with cool architecture and nice shopping streets.
  • Pulau Ubin is one of the last rural areas to be found in Singapore. It’s popular with visitors from the mainland for recreational activities such as summer camps and outdoor activities.

Staying Active

Runs

  • If you’re around on Saturday and looking to be a bit competitive: Parkrun in Singapore boasts FOUR locations! (For the uninitiated: Parkrun is a fun and free 5k that’s held on Saturdays).
  • For a short run from the downtown core: running around Marina Bay and the Singapore River is a lovely way to see the city. Depending on where you’re staying, you can go up along the river and cross at one of the many bridges, or just do a loop around the bay.
  • If you’re looking to go further:
    • East Coast Park is a lovely linear park (that you can take all the way to the airport). Stop at a hawker centre along the way or at the end!

Hikes

Singapore’s doesn’t have the most stunning nature, but I find hiking through the city a fun way to see it. Some recommendations

  • The Southern Ridges is a set of parks with unique views of Singapore’s skyline.
  • The Rail Corridor brings you through many different parts of Singapore.
  • The TreeTop Walk gives a bird’s eye view of the forest, rising above the canopy of the tropical forest.
  • If that’s still not enough: see the “Park Connectors”, an island-wide route of trails and footpaths.

Logistics

Connectivity

I used to recommend a local SIM card but an eSIM (e.g., from MobiMatter) has worked great for me and is far more convenient if your phone supports it. Comparison shop at eSIMDB.

Payments

You’ll be able to pay with your card almost anywhere; and cash is now only really necessary at places like hawker centres (you could even try e-payments with a QR code at hawker centres if you’re able to set it up via an app like Grab …). If you happen to end up with Singapore dollars and know me personally I’m happy to exchange them for US dollars.

Getting Around

  • Public transit (including buses and the subway - a.k.a. “MRT”) takes contactless payments. Remember to tap out on the bus – otherwise it’ll assume that you rode the bus all the way to the end, and charge accordingly! (To be fair: even the maximum fare is relatively inexpensive by the standards of American public transit). You’ll see the bill for all your public transit use consolidated at the end of the day.
  • Cars:
    • There are a bunch of rideshare options. I’ve tried Gojek, Grab, TADA, and Zig; I comparison-shop but you’d probably be fine.
    • You can hail a taxi on the street, but I haven’t done that in ages because rideshare is just so convenient.