I had the chance to spend three and a half days in this gigantic tropical city close to the equator, called Singapore. How I entered without a visa, how much money I’ve spent, what I dislike about Singapore and what falsehoods I will uncover, you’ll find out now.
Entry to Singapore
As a German Citizen, there were zero visa requirements to enter Singapore. As long as you’re having a minimum of two vaccinations, you’ll have a so-called “Visa Free Transit Facility” which means that after arrival, you fill out a form which takes you 5 minutes and you enter the country.
The same applies to the following cities:
- Germany
- Australia
- Canada
- Japan
- New Zealand
- Switzerland
- UK
- US
After all, entry to Singapore is one of the things you should not worry about if you’re vaccinated and a citizen of the above countries.
The surprise about Singapore
What left me speechless after 3.5 days in Singapore was that the most amazing experiences were for free. Singapore’s value-for-time ratio is unbelievably high and gives you back the maximum value for the most valuable input you’re able to give: Your time.
Best Singapore experiences for free
Yeah, you’re reading it alright: You get the best experiences even at the best price: No price.
1. Ladies’ night
The ladies’ night in Singapore takes place every Wednesday and means:
- Free drinks
- Fancy environment
- International connections
- Free lift to the Hotel Marina Bay Sands (the elevator usually is 30 €)
- Stunning view of the whole Singapore skyline
Let’s start from scratch: The ladies’ night is not only for women, but for everyone. The only thing is, for women, there are advantages: Free drinks from 8 pm till 10 pm at the bar called “The Exchange”. The Exchange is located in the middle of the CBD in the award-winning Asia Square. Here you have a choice of various cocktails and wines, which allows great start to a cheap party night! You not only will become witness to what it is to be around only fancy people and live the high-end Singapore life, but you’ll also be able to make new friends from all around the world.
On top of that, the party continues from 10 pm at the Marina Bay Sands, which is the most recognisable building in Singapore. It has 55 storeys high and is famous for its vanishing edge infinity pool, which is known as the world’s longest elevated swimming pool at 146-metre long located 191 metres above the ground. An entry to only getting on top of that building costs 30€, whereas women get in for free (again) and get some sparkling wine for free.
What a thing, huh? Having had a stunning party night that day was optically but also physically my highlight of that trip!
2. Gardens By The Bay (+light show)
One of the top recommendations is to visit Gardens by the Bay. This is one of Asia’s foremost garden destinations by being a showpiece of horticulture and garden artistry that presents the plant kingdom in a stunning way.
Here, you can even spend various days to explore every single conservatory. What my personal recommendation is tho: Visit Gardens by the Bay at 7:45 PM and 8:45 PM to experience an avatar-equally environment! Before that, feel free to explore the gigantic flowers, get some souvenirs or just take some stunning pics!
3. Marina Bay (+light show)
Regardless of during daylight or the evening, strolling through the Marina Bay will keep you speechless & allows you many great views. From normal buildings, restaurants, up to unseen Louis Vuitton shops or Apple Stores, you’ll find basically everything.
4. CBD
CBD stands for the Central Business District in Singapore and is demonstrated by a bunch of big skyscrapers.
5. Food courts
Singapore simply is a food heaven. You’ll get at any food court from small to big good choices of comparatively cheap food. Honestly speaking, don’t expect freshly harvested vegetables or only pure ingredients, but it will pay off to enjoy this pretty different style of food at a very low price. Recommendable food spots, also known as Hawker Centres, are:
- Chinatown Center
- Prater
- Holland Village Market & Food Centre
- Old Airport Road Food Centre
- Maxwell Road Hawker Centre
6. Interesting people
As it is so often with any travels, you meet people who’re coming from the most different backgrounds, you meet people who cannot wait to explore the city & you for sure will make some good friends – Even if starting off the trip alone.
Costs of a trip to Singapore
Depending on your standards you can pay up to hundreds of euros per night at a hotel if not even a thousand. If you want to get the most out of every single euro (for which you’re working so hard to earn it!!!), I suggest you get a hostel. Same with food: You can get a meal for 100 SGD or a meal for 1 SGD. Up to you!
Without the flight, I was spending 217 Euro for 3.5 days including
- Accommodation (30%)
- Food (51%)
- Transport incl. Cab, Public Transport (15%)
- Fun (10%)
- Mobile Data (4%)
Mobile Data in Singapore
Pay 12 SGD which is 10 Euro and get 100 GB of internet, that’s a deal I’d say. It allows you full flexibility, orientation and value throughout your trip and doesn’t force you to go to random coffees or restaurants to only check your location or the next sightseeing spot.
Renting a bike in Singapore
Looking into it, it’s stunning how I could get so much fun out of such a low fun-invest! I must admit tho, that I spent I already 10 % on renting bikes to ride my bike and just enjoy the city at its fullest! I used the ride-hailing app Anywhere which allows you to pick up a bike wherever possible and give it back at any other location of your needs. Therefore, it’s a great sightseeing tool and brings great energy into your day as doing exercises at the same time!
Public transport in Singapore
The city is fairly well connected from every single point, and you can navigate yourself easily with your Google Maps. You can use your credit card for any bus or underground and they deduct between 1 and 3 SGD from your account (don’t worry, if you have a EUR account you’ll get an equal amount of EUR deducted). Please do not get a special travel card for Singapore, they sell it at any underground station. As it’s a disposable card, you must pay 5 SGD for it which you will not get back at the end of your trip. This is why I highly recommend you only use public transport with your credit card, that’s the easiest + simplest!
Interestingly, Singapore doesn’t allow you to drink or eat during the usage of public transport. This is why they request all people to turn each other in if someone is not behaving properly:
Accommodation in Singapore: An advantageous hostel at low costs
I stayed at the Spacepod and paid rarely 20 € per night. I shared a room with 8 people and would to it anytime again. It was just not worth it for me to pay 50 € per night to stay in a funky hotel room, so I saved that money for further travel! Advantages of the SpacePod:
- Makes you save money
- As clean as it gets
- Free coffee every day all-day
- Cool people from entrepreneurs to doctors & students
- Highest level of kindness and supportiveness by the staff
Downside of Singapore
What you need to understand is that we’re still talking about a tropical area. This means high humidity, high temperatures, strong sun AND heavy rainfalls, if it happens to rain. Overall the weather is unpredictable and you may not be able to forecast this piece of the cake as perfectly as the rest (food, expenses, trips). Also, please cover yourself with sunscreen every day since even when it’s cloudy you’ll have a high probability of sunburn!
Singapore, the Bottom Line
3.5 days in Singapore is not enough to do it all. Many people believe Singapore is only Marina Bay and Gardens by the Bay and therefore conclude that a 1- or 2-day trip is more than enough. To my mind, this is a falsehood. After having spent those days in Singapore, I haven’t experienced enough and would still love to see the Zoo, the Botanic Garden, China Town, Little India and do a Safari or take some days to go and do a trip to Malaysia – which is only a few hours away by bus.
Overall, I am convinced that choosing Singapore as a travel destination is a good idea. You will not only find amazing places, great adventures and comparatively low money invest but you will also be astounded by the kindness behind every single person you meet at this place, both local and internationals.
With love & only good intentions,
nicoleneumaier.com 
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