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Marina Bay Sands Singapore skyline

Travel guide · The garden city: skyscrapers, hawkers and neighbourhoods

Travelling to Singapore

The Supertrees of Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay, Michelin-starred hawker centres and Chinese, Indian and Malay quarters in a city-island. We tell you when to go, what to see and what to eat.

Updated 18 October 2026 · How we make our guides

  • Best time: from March to October
  • Where to eat: a hawker centre
Photo: Basile Morin · CC BY-SA 4.0

Singapore in 30 seconds

  • The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Singapore are from March to October.
  • To eat like a local: a hawker centre. Don’t leave without trying: Hainanese chicken rice, Chilli crab, Laksa.

Singapore in November

You can go, with a few caveats: northeast monsoon. You can go all year round; bring an umbrella and indoor plans for the afternoons.

  • November

    Northeast monsoon

    From November to January it rains more, with heavy downpours almost every day.

    What to do: You can go all year round; bring an umbrella and indoor plans for the afternoons.

More destinations for November

When to travel to Singapore

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Singapore are from March to October.

  1. Jan with warnings
  2. Feb with warnings
  3. Mar no warnings
  4. Apr no warnings
  5. May no warnings
  6. Jun no warnings
  7. Jul no warnings
  8. Aug no warnings
  9. Sep no warnings
  10. Oct no warnings
  11. Nov with warnings
  12. Dec with warnings

More destinations for those dates: where to travel in March · where to travel in April · where to travel in May · where to travel in June

  • from November to January

    Northeast monsoon

    From November to January it rains more, with heavy downpours almost every day.

    What to do: You can go all year round; bring an umbrella and indoor plans for the afternoons.

  • February

    Lunar New Year (approximate dates)

    Millions of people travel at this time: trains and flights are full and expensive, and many shops and restaurants close for several days.

    What to do: Book transport weeks in advance and expect closures for the first three days.

What to see in Singapore

The cities and areas most worth your time, with their highlights. Open each one for all the places, where to stay and its day trips.

  • Marina Bay

    Marina Bay

    Postcard Singapore: Marina Bay Sands, the Merlion and the Supertrees of Gardens by the Bay.

    • Gardens by the Bay
    • Marina Bay Sands
    • Merlion
    • Light show
    Marina Bay guide
  • Sentosa

    Sentosa

    The leisure island: beaches, the aquarium and Universal Studios, a short cable-car ride away.

    • Beaches
    • Universal Studios
    • S.E.A. Aquarium
    • Cable car
    Sentosa guide
  • Chinatown

    Chinatown

    Colourful shophouses, temples and the city’s most famous hawker centre.

    • Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
    • Sri Mariamman Temple
    • Maxwell Food Centre
    • Chinatown Complex
    Chinatown guide
  • Little India

    Little India

    The most colourful neighbourhood, with temples, flower garlands and South Indian food.

    • Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple
    • Tekka Centre
    • House of Tan Teng Niah
    • Mustafa Centre
    Little India guide
  • Kampong Glam

    Kampong Glam

    The Malay and Arab quarter, with the Sultan Mosque and Haji Lane.

    • Sultan Mosque
    • Haji Lane
    • Arab Street
    • Malay Heritage Centre
    Kampong Glam guide

Day trips and activities

What’s most worth booking from each city. We take you straight to the best-rated tour on GetYourGuide, with its reviews and dates.

From Marina Bay

From Sentosa

From Chinatown

From Little India

From Kampong Glam

Some links are affiliate links: if you book through them, Bagintravel may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

What to eat in Singapore

To eat like a local: a hawker centre, and order Hainanese chicken rice or chilli crab. And don’t leave without trying:

  • Hainanese chicken rice

    Poached chicken with rice cooked in its broth.

  • Chilli crab

    Crab in a tomato and chilli sauce.

  • Laksa

    A noodle soup with coconut curry.

  • Kaya toast

    Toast with coconut jam and soft-boiled egg.

  • Satay

    At Lau Pa Sat in the evening.

  • Singapore Sling

    A cocktail created at the Raffles Hotel.

The typical dish of Singapore, at home

Hainanese chicken rice
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Terence assumed (based on copyright claims) · CC BY 2.5

Hainanese chicken rice

Singapore’s national dish: tender, juicy poached chicken with rice cooked in its broth with ginger and garlic, and three sauces: chilli, ginger and dark soy.

  • Serves 4
  • 1 h 30 min

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken (1.5 kg)
  • 1 large piece of ginger
  • 4 spring onions
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 400 g jasmine rice
  • 2 pandan leaves (optional)
  • Sesame oil and salt
  • Chilli sauce: 4 red chillies, 2 garlic cloves, lime and stock
  • Ginger sauce: grated ginger with hot oil
  • Sweet dark soy sauce and cucumber

How to make it at home

  1. Rub the chicken with salt, stuff it with ginger and spring onion and lower it into boiling water; turn the heat right down and poach for 40 minutes without boiling.
  2. Plunge it into iced water for 10 minutes so the skin firms up. Brush with sesame oil.
  3. Fry the chopped garlic and ginger in a little chicken fat, add the rinsed rice and cook it in the chicken stock with the pandan.
  4. Blend the chilli sauce ingredients and make the ginger sauce.
  5. Carve the chicken and serve with the rice, cucumber and the three sauces.

The trick: The ice bath is what keeps the skin taut and the meat juicy.

The typical food of each city, with a recipe

Curious facts about Singapore

What guidebooks don’t tell you and will help you understand the country better.

  • It’s a city, an island and a country all at once.
  • Some street food stalls have Michelin stars.
  • Chewing gum is banned (except the medicinal kind).
  • The Merlion, half lion and half fish, is the symbol of the city.
  • More than half the city is covered in greenery.
  • It has four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin Chinese and Tamil.

Traditions of Singapore

Customs and celebrations that will help you experience the country like a local.

  • January or February Chinese New Year

    Chinatown lit up.

  • October or November Deepavali

    Lights in Little India.

  • End of Ramadan Hari Raya

    A bazaar in Kampong Glam.

  • 9 August National Day

    A parade and fireworks over Marina Bay.

What not to do in Singapore

First-trip mistakes that are easy to avoid.

  • Don’t chew gum or bring it in large amounts.
  • Don’t drop litter or eat on the metro: the fines are steep.
  • Don’t cross the street outside pedestrian crossings.
  • Don’t bring e-cigarettes: they’re banned.
  • Don’t leave a tip: it isn’t customary (service is included).
  • Don’t underestimate the downpours: always carry an umbrella.

Before you go

Entry requirements depend on your passport and change: always check them with official sources before travelling.

Frequently asked questions about Singapore

What people search for most before travelling to Singapore.

What’s the best time to travel to Singapore?

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Singapore are from March to October.

What to see in Singapore in a week?

The essentials of Singapore: Marina Bay, Sentosa, Chinatown, Little India and Kampong Glam. How many places fit into your days, and in what order, depends on your dates and how you get around: the Bagintravel app plans your trip day by day in a minute.

What to eat in Singapore?

Hainanese chicken rice, Chilli crab, Laksa, Kaya toast, Satay, Singapore Sling. To eat like a local: a hawker centre.

What is the typical dish of Singapore?

Hainanese chicken rice. Singapore’s national dish: tender, juicy poached chicken with rice cooked in its broth with ginger and garlic, and three sauces: chilli, ginger and dark soy.

What should you not do in Singapore?

Don’t chew gum or bring it in large amounts. Don’t drop litter or eat on the metro: the fines are steep. Don’t cross the street outside pedestrian crossings.

Is it worth travelling to Singapore in November?

You can go, with a few caveats: northeast monsoon. You can go all year round; bring an umbrella and indoor plans for the afternoons.

Bagintravel · We travel together

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Guide reviewed 18 October 2026. Seasonal data, places and areas: the same ones the Bagintravel app uses. Sources and method.

Photos: cover, Basile Morin (CC BY-SA 4.0). Marina Bay, Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0). Sentosa, Bob Tan (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinatown, joiseyshowaa (CC BY-SA 2.0). Little India, KimonBerlin (CC BY-SA 2.0). Kampong Glam, Robert Sim (CC BY-SA 4.0).