Backpacking Singapore: Our travel guide

If you like big Asian cities, Singapore is absolutely fascinating! We had a real crush on this very modern and at the same time very green city!

We met 4 Singaporean friends who made us discover their city for a few days. With them we were certainly able to explore the classics such as Marina Bay, the business district or Haji Lane, but they also took us to less touristic places and gave us a slightly different tour of Singapore....

Singapore Map: Places to visit

On this page we share with you all the practical information you need to visit Singapore and the information you need to get there. We have also added in this article our favorites in terms of activities, but if you want to visit Singapore and know what to do in details we recommend you to check out our 2 blog posts 100% about best places to visit and travel tips. You will find these 2 articles at the bottom of the page or otherwise on the map below:

Show the Map

Coming to Singapore: Visas and importation of goods

All French, Belgian, Swiss and Canadian nationals benefit from a visa waiver for all tourist stays of less than 90 days. If you come to Singapore for a few days you will therefore not need a visa. A 90-day stay authorization will be automatically issued on your passport upon arrival.

Important: You will receive a small form to be completed upon arrival. This paper must be kept until the end of the stay because it is required when you leave!

Customs duties in Singapore

Singapore is a very strict country when it comes to importing goods. Be careful what you have in your luggage and remember that some items (even crazy ones) may be prohibited.

Most important rules:

• Alcohol: Maximum 2 litres per person. You can arrive with 1 litre of strong alcohol and 1 litre of wine or beer or 2 litres of beer or wine. In short, a maximum of 1 litre of strong alcohol and a maximum of 2 litres in total
• Cigarettes: Importing cigarettes is taxed! We immediately forget the idea of arriving with a cartridge! In principle, customs officers are tolerant with one and only one opened pack. Any closed package will be automatically taxed (in absolute terms they have the right to tax open packages as well ... it's just that apparently they're ok for tourists up to 10-15 cigarettes). The tax amounts to about 10€ per pack.... so be really careful not to take too many cigarettes with you!Attention: electronic cigarettes and any other tobacco substitutes are strictly prohibited on the territory! (this also applies to patches, snuff, etc...)
• It is also forbidden to import... chewing gum! Of course all drugs should also be banned;) Narcotics laws are no joke in Singapore! (for drugs you can go straight to prison or even get death penalty)

Singapore: Weather, Currency, Language and useful information to visit the city

Singapore: Best time to visit

Singapore has a so-called tropical climate, which means that temperature variations are relatively small during the year.... Understand: it is hot all the time! :) (between 25°C and 33°C).

There is no monsoon as such, but there is a drier and wetter period. Overall, it is drier between May and September and more humid between October and April.

We often read that it is better to come to Singapore during the summer months because of this... But personally I am of the exact opposite opinion. It certainly rains more in winter, but it also means that the air is more breathable! When it doesn't rain for several days, the city quickly finds itself in a thick fog. In winter, the weather is generally clearer and the air quality better.

For the record: we came in December. And over 5 days we had 1 night of rain and a shower for one afternoon... the rest of the time it was fine. Of course, you may have less luck, but statistically it is unlikely that it will rain non-stop. ;)

The Singapore Currency and the Cost of Living

In Singapore the currency is called the Singaporean dollar. This is shortened to S$.

For your information: 1€ is equivalent to about 1.5S$.(See the current exchange rate).

In terms of the budget, Singapore is clearly not a cheap city, especially in terms of accomodation. For our part, we were staying with friends, but we spent a lot of money on outings and restaurants. For a trip to Singapore it is necessary to count between 45€ and 50€ per day and per person on average (without staying in luxury);)

Accommodation: On Booking rooms are available from 25€ per night. Beds in dormitories are available from 10€. In Singapore there are 2 rules that define the price of accommodation: the distance from the city centre... the closer you are the more expensive... and the size of the rooms! The m2 is expensive, so it will not be uncommon for a small budget to have a tiny space even without windows... In short, compare well!

For youth hostels you can also go and see on Hostelworld.

After personally if you are limited in terms of budget I advise you to rather take something that is a little further from the centre but close to a metro than something more central. Singapore's public transport system is great and ultra efficient and reliable!
To compare best all different kinds of accommodation you can take a look at the map below. Simply use the zoom as well as the filters to refine your search.

Official languages of Singapore

Singapore is a very small country, but they have 4 official languages:

• English
• mandarin
• tamil language
• Malay

English is taught from an early age and the vast majority of the population speaks English as a result. Officially the national anthem is in Malay. We found it very pleasant to travel to Singapore for that, because with English you really make yourself understood everywhere and by everyone.

Practical information for a trip to Singapore

Time Zone:Singapore is in the UTC + 8 zone, which means that there is a 7 hour gap with France. When it is noon in Paris, it is 7pm in Singapore.

Sockets: The sockets are of type G in Singapore (the same catches as in England). You will therefore need a universal adapter

Internet: Singaporeans are VERY connected! 4G is really everywhere and there are many wifis. We found excellent connections everywhere. For your information: we bought a SIM card directly at the airport in a kiosk. We had taken a package at SinTel, it came back to us at 15S$ (about 10€) for unlimited data and calls & SMS for a week (more infos). Note: it is not very useful to order it before... SIM cards are available everywhere at the airport at the same rate, especially in the 7eleven kiosks.

Visit Singapore: Best places to see

Singapore is definitely a city in which it would be difficult to get bored. For us, the inevitable ones in the city would be:

• Visit the Gardens by the Bay
• Take a walk in a mall in the business district
• Get on a Rooftop to see the skyline
• Follow the Ridge Walk
• Take a bike ride in the East Marina
• Haji Lane

You will find more details on these visits in our 2 blog posts about Singapore:

Visit Singapore: the must-see and top activities

The green side of Singapore: urban hikes

Useful resources for visiting Singapore

• Singapore Public Transport Map. Official website
• calculate rates for public transportation
• Singapore Guide: Singapore by Lonely Planet