Singapore’s infamous Merlion (Conor Salcetti)
Singapore is known for many positive things: a well educated English-speaking population, Germanic efficiency, zero crime, ethnic harmony, spotless city streets, delicious food and great overall infrastructure.
What it is also quite well renowned for is its ability to blow a crater-sized hole in your traveling budget. Well, that and a liberal willingness to execute any foreigner caught with illicit contraband.
If you’re looking to make a break for the Lion City, be forewarned: When you factor a night or two of heavy boozing and/or a fancy sit down dinner into the mix, you’ll quickly find yourself running up a bill that has no precedent anywhere else in Southeast Asia.
Fortunately, there are ways to get around many of the oppressive charges (for one, don’t get fined for littering, smoking, or drinking in the wrong place) that accompany any trip to one of the world’s priciest metropoles. Here is a quick run-down of things to do in the Little Red Dot if you find yourself financially strained.
Get There:
Two words: Tiger Airways. Low budget Singaporean airline offering numerous direct flights from SIN to BKK and vice versa on a daily basis. Best option out there, bar none.
Check out this place:
If the lovely bureaucrats in the Singapore city government felt it necessary to charge USD20 for entry to the city’s Botanical Gardens, it would be money well spent. Fortunately for us, the omnipotent mandarins running the Lion City allow any and all visitors to enter the gardens free of charge. Whether you’re looking to enjoy some perfectly manicured green space, take in a jog or a relaxing stroll with a loved one along the well-maintained footpaths, or simply sip on some overpriced Heineken, this place is well equipped to meet your needs.
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Botanical Gardens
Get There: MRT Botanic Gardens on the Circle Line
Make friends with the Merlion:
The Merlion is not one of the creatures you’re likely to remember from childhood field trips to the local zoo. While the exact details as to what the Merlion is and why it has chosen to reside in Singapore remain something of a mystery, this fantastical beast is the symbol of the city and makes a great starting point for any walking excursion. Fortunately, Singapore is a very pedestrian friendly city and it’s relatively easy to walk around the compact downtown area.
Be sure to take in sweeping views of the impressive Marina Bay before popping over to the famed Raffles Place, which is, if nothing else, a towering tribute to Singapore’s economic dominance. Nearby are the famed Boat and Clarke Quays, which offer a generous helping of bar and dining options complete with riverside views of the city center.
Also close at hand is the well-regarded (and free) Asian Civilizations Museum, which offers ancient artwork and artifacts from all across the region. Of additional note, the museum often features exhibitions focusing heavily on Thai Buddhism and culture. At the moment the museum is playing host to “Exploring the Cosmos: the Stupa as a Buddhist symbol” through August.
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The Asian Civilizations Museum
Located just northward of the nearby City Hall MRT station is the Singapore National Museum (also free). Situated on the periphery of the beautiful Fort Canning Park, the museum tells the riveting story of Singaporean history via numerous mediums, including pictures, paintings and old film. Highly recommend taking a look.
Get There: MRT Raffles Place (head down to the harbor area and start walking around)
Cheap Eats:
If Bangkok is known for its plethora of unregulated food vendors chaotically clogging up the sidewalk, then the distinctly Singaporean alternatives are the wonderfully organized and civil Hawker Centers. In effect, the city government has consolidated all street vending activity into a few clean, orderly, and well run market areas, each overflowing with charming hawker stalls.
Not only do these Hawker Centers offer up a cheap and diverse array of ethnic cuisines from all over the region, but the fare on offer tends to range from good to mind-blowingly excellent. Whether you want to get your grubby paws on some Hong Kong noodles, Thai fried rice, Indian curry, dumplings or anything Malay, the Hawker Centers stand ready to serve you at prices that are only moderately more expensive than their BKK counterparts.
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Glutton’s Bay
If you’re looking to get pissed for the night, these places also make an excellent starting point, as large bottles of Tiger beer can be obtained for relatively cheap (about THB150).
Two particular Hawkers of note are the Maxwell Hawker Center (located on Maxwell Road near the Tanjong Pagar MRT stop) and the infamous Makansutra Gluttons Bay which is to be found near the Esplanade MRT stop (also on the Circle Line).
Chinatown and Little India also make for interesting adventures, replete with delicious ethnic food at bargain prices. If it is cheap shopping you’re after, head for Bugis. As the traditional hub of ethnic Malays living in the Lion City, the area is famed for its weekend marketplace.
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A Hindu Temple…..in Chinatown (Conor Salcetti)
Drink Smart:
Boozing in Singapore can quickly escalate into a serious fiscal burden if one is not careful. However, if you put in a minimal amount of effort, it is possible to locate some cost effective ways to swill a pint or three out in public.
For one thing, Singapore takes itself quite seriously. As a result, there is not much in the way of a weekend day-drinking culture. This can however redound to the benefit of the party hardy tourist looking to throw back along Clarke Quay, the central booze artery of the city.
After 3pm, keep your eyes peeled for happy hour drink deals on either Clark of Boat Quay, where you can load up on jugs of brew for a fraction of the nighttime price. Discounts can go up to 30% off normal prices and some bars offer epic “buy 1, get 1 free” deals. There are worse ways to spend the late hours of a Saturday or Sunday afternoon than taking in a sunset along the river walk, drinks in hand.
If you want to get a later start on your evening, you can always fall back on drinking at one of the omnipresent Hawker Centers. Late night can be a trickier proposition but as a rule of thumb, the farther away you are from downtown tourist traps, the less you’re likely to pay.
