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Why you should visit Singapore
Singapore is Southeast Asia made simple. English is an official language. Visitors can swipe their debit card to access one of the world’s most efficient subway systems, which connects every major attraction. Art, shopping and motorsports events are held monthly. Interactions in Chinese temples, Malay tailors and South Asian street markets occur daily.
Singapore is a similar size to Anglesey or Ibiza. Yet the city-state raises experiences to world-beating levels. For things to do, consider visiting Singapore Zoo, where animals roam freely in their naturalist habitats and are best seen on the world’s first night safari. Singapore Botanic Gardens is a green oasis that’s home to the world’s largest orchid collection. Marina Bay hosts the world’s first Formula One night race around its esplanade and gardens.
A case in point: in Singapore, even the street hawkers can hold Michelin stars. It’s time to take a bite.
When is the best time of year to visit Singapore?
The best time for great weather
Singapore is less than 100 miles from the equator. It’s always warm. Average daily temperatures rise from 30C in January to 33C during two peaks in May and October. Pack light and wear cotton, though a scarf and cardigan might be needed in the air conditioning. Locals sip coconut water or crushed sugarcane juice to stay cool and hydrated. In the relative freshness of dusk and dawn, savvy Singaporeans jog through the Botanic Gardens or along the Marina Bay waterfront.
The driest months in Singapore tend to be February and March – that makes it a good time to tour historical areas like Chinatown, Little India and the Islamic Malay quarter of Kampong Glam, which represent the nation’s three main ethnic groups.
Monsoon downpours, which peak in December, are sudden but mostly short. If you get caught in the rain, do as Singaporeans do, and grab an iced kopi (a condensed milk coffee) or bubble tea in any cafe.
Singapore in low season: the best time for fewer visitors
While rainier days can keep crowds away from March to June, busy days return when the whole world takes a summer holiday in July and August. Room rates lower again from September to November when rainfall rises and Europeans, Asians and Americans return to work. To beat the biggest crowds, avoid Chinese New Year (often in February) and the Singapore Grand Prix (in October).
The best time for shopping in Singapore: the Great Singapore Sale
Shopping in Singapore is far less weather dependent than in other Southeast Asian cities. Browsing takes place in air-conditioned malls during daytime or on street stalls in the cool of night.
The prime shopping season occurs during the Great Singapore Sale. During June and July, downtown becomes a deeply discounted shopoholics’ fantasy as malls slash prices by 25% to 75%. Expect flash sales and spend-more-save-more bonuses on electronics and textiles too.
The best hotels link seamlessly to the biggest shopping centres, such as Conrad Singapore Marina Bay, which is surrounded by six malls featuring upwards of 1,000 stores. Premier-league malls such as Ion and Paragon, stocking Gucci and Dior, reside on Orchard Road. Conrad Singapore Orchard and Hilton Singapore Orchard sit on their doorstep.
Singapore hotels: the best for families, wellness and culture
Conrad Singapore Orchard
The feel is luxury but the theme is discovery, writ bold. Using Conrad’s 1/3/5 cultural immersion programme, guests can deep dive Singapore in one-, three- or five-hour slots. Experiential highlights include a bean-to-bar chocolate workshop and a hosted encounter inside a private heritage home. Conrad Singapore Orchard is perfectly placed for self-discovery, set back from Orchard Road it’s ideal for exploring Singapore’s premier shopping boulevard.
Ten restaurants and bars lure visitors to hotel venues such as Tea Lounge, where British heritage blends with cocktails, often shaken with local botanicals. Manhattan bar frequently features on Asia’s 50 best bar list and hosts the world’s first in-hotel rickhouse for ageing whisky.
In place of a conventional spa, Conrad Singapore Orchard weaves wellness into daily routines. Try the fitness centre with Technogym equipment, a jogging route into Singapore Botanic Gardens or sleep-to-wake rituals using sound baths and herbal tea.
Hilton Singapore Orchard
The largest Hilton in the entire Asia-Pacific region is a Singapore establishment. With six food and drink options and more than 1,000 rooms, this is a social nexus on the nation’s most vibrant street. Select Sichuan-Cantonese fusion at Michelin-starred restaurant Shisen Hanten, where sweet and sour pork is fried with black vinegar then flambéed with gin. Or go local at Chatterbox by ordering its classic mandarin chicken rice recipe, which remains unchanged since 1971.
Hilton Singapore Orchard prides itself on family friendliness. Young travellers receive an activity backpack containing a “passport” to stamp as they explore the hotel. One call to reception will deliver a Dream Ritual package containing lavender pillow mist and funky night lights. The hotel has high sustainability goals. Hilton Singapore Orchard was the first accommodation in Singapore to host an in-house water bottling system and uses AI to help chefs reduce food waste.
Conrad Singapore Marina Bay
Conrad Singapore Marina Bay sits at the heart of Asia’s most emblematic waterfront zone. The esplanade becomes part of the race circuit during the Formula One grand prix. Thanks to feng shui design and Michelin-listed dim sum, the hotel distils the essence of Singapore. A unique 3,400-piece art collection showcases the country’s cultural narrative.
The hotel keys into Singapore’s premier lifestyle zone. It connects to six malls, two Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) underground lines and conference centres. Inside Conrad Singapore Marina Bay itself, guests can meet local artisans and artistic partners through the hotel’s Singapore Edit project. There’s also a pool with cityscape views to wind down in after shopping or sightseeing.
Hilton Garden Inn Singapore Serangoon
The USPs at this vibrant address are cultural immersion and great rates. Hilton Garden Inn Singapore Serangoon is steps away from Little India. The historic zone is a fragrant myriad of South Asian temples, textile shophouses and mutton masala served on banana leaves.
Wallet-friendly tariffs are particularly appealing to families. One child can stay free with their parents, or larger families can book interconnecting rooms. Little guests receive a Junior Joy Pack filled with Singapore-centric activities, while all ages can splash in the rooftop pool.
What to do in Singapore: the top attractions, restaurants, gardens and unmissable stops on a short trip
Attractions
Singapore has several iconic sights including Singapore Zoo, Singapore Botanic Gardens and Gardens by the Bay. Chinatown has sacred Buddhist relics and a fascinating heritage centre, while Marina Bay is a must for city strolls and water cruises. Completing the big ticket mix is Sentosa island, home to sheltered beaches, cable cars and theme parks. Sentosa’s biggest highlight is Universal Studios, where replica streets recreate New York in the tropics and rollercoasters channel ancient Egypt.
Food
Singapore’s culinary scene is a shared dialogue between Chinese, Malay and South Indian influences. It’s best tasted all at once in an iconic hawker centre. These open-air food courts are so intrinsically important that they are inscribed on Unesco’s cultural heritage list. Near Marina Bay, hit Maxwell Food Centre for Michelin-starred Hainanese chicken rice at £3-£4 a bowl, or katong laksa, an only-in-Singapore shrimp noodle broth. Near Orchard Road try Cuppage Terrace food centre, a more modern take on the open table concept.
Gardens
Where Singapore Botanic Gardens now sits, British horticulturalists created an economic laboratory to rear nutmeg, coffee and pepper, which could then be planted across the empire. The adjoining Orchard Road was a living, working orchard packed with papayas and pineapple trees. Today the bucolic gardens are the city’s green lung. Try hiking the rainforest trail through primary jungle to dodge gigantic jelutong trees (a hardwood used to make chopsticks) and rattan palms (which are transformed into cane furniture). Near Marina Bay sits Singapore’s other green must-see: Gardens by the Bay. It’s a botanical concept turned sci-fi with cloud forest biomes, aerial walkways and 16-storey Supertree groves, which host more than 150,000 ferns, orchids and tropical climbers.
Shopping
Singapore is the entrepot of Southeast Asia and has a shopping scene to match. Mall culture and evening browsing are essential elements, given the tropical climate. In Little India, Mustafa Centre takes both tenets to extremes by opening 24 hours, seven days a week, to sell Indian bangles, Chinese smartwatches and Arabian essential oils alongside juice bars and samosa stores. For a more curated Singapore shopping experience, Takashimaya department store features skincare consultation booths, footwear pop-ups and the Kinokuniya mega-bookstore, all fuelled by a brilliant basement food hall.
Short itineraries
If you’ve only got a few days, start in Little India for shopping and spices, Marina Bay for big-ticket attractions or Orchard Road for gardens and malls. Then purchase a Singapore Tourist Pass for unlimited MRT and bus transport. Alight first at Fort Canning park for leafy respite and to visit the park’s heritage gallery, where artefacts and audio recordings chronicle the Singapore story. Then go off the tourism trail with activities like the Rail Corridor, a disused 15-mile train route reincarnated as a hiking trail through rural Singapore. Or try the Sungei Buloh wetland reserve, which is an amphibian oasis and avian stopover.
Getting around Singapore: taxi apps, public transport and city etiquette
Singapore is ruthlessly efficient. The underground MRT network will leave Londoners or New Yorkers in awe. Taxi app Grab whizzes visitors through a blade runner cityscape in style. But bear in mind that Singaporeans are, categorically, the world’s fastest walkers, so don’t get bundled over in the bustle.
The city-state runs like clockwork because everyone plays by the rules. Strictly no jaywalking, gum-chewing or littering. And no eating or drinking on the bus or MRT, however tempting Singaporean street food may be. Copy local cultural norms by queueing correctly and returning your tray at hawker stands.
If you know, you know: discover Singaporean brunch culture
Eating out is embedded into Singaporean society. Partly because apartments are generally too small to host groups and partly because Singaporeans work more hours than the global average.
Brunch raises eating out to ritualistic levels. On Saturdays and Sundays, residents enjoy a lie-in, then graze from noon onwards on gigantic buffets at landmark addresses. At Hilton Singapore Orchard, restaurant Estate is known for its impressive seafood buffet as well as Asian-inspired and traditional dishes – adults can opt for free-flow champagne to make the most of it. Or for a different vibe, Sunday brunch at Conrad Singapore Orchard’s Basilico takes on an Italian twist. House specialties come to life across buffet and set menu offerings, complemented by brunch drinks and choices from a cheese room with more than 80 options.
To book your ultimate trip to Singapore with Hilton, visit here
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