artsciencemuseumsg / @capellasingapore / Elise Cullen
Humid, humble and home to the life-changing spicy chicken laksa I still think about, Singapore is so much more than an obligatory layover. Travellers, and even some expats, will tell you that a few nights is all you need in the Little Red Dot. But between its bustling hawker centres, vibrant shopping districts, lush green spaces, sleek cocktail bars and Michelin-starred restaurants, a few nights never quite feels like enough.
Clean, safe and only a two-to-three-hour time difference from Australia’s east coast, it’s one of the most accessible city breaks in Southeast Asia; close enough for a long weekend, rewarding enough to warrant a full week.
Like any coveted city destination, Singapore’s tourist hot spots can feel, well, touristy. But they’re popular for a reason. To give you a balanced guide to what makes the Lion City a destination worth lingering in, we’ve rounded up where to eat, shop, stay and explore, with an unapologetic emphasis on Singapore’s formidable, UNESCO-recognised hawker culture. Come hungry, leave room for snacks (and dessert), and let the city unfold one moreish meal at a time.
You might also like The best Singapore hotels for your stint in the Garden city
Eat your way through Singapore’s legendary hawker scene
Ask any taxi driver, concierge, hotel staff member or local where to eat and, more often than not, they’ll point you towards their favourite hawker. Synonymous with the city’s celebrated food culture and communal way of life, hawker centres are fast-paced and raucous, yet unhurried and deeply social. Steaming bowls of laksa, plates of Hainanese chicken rice and crisp roti prata are eaten alongside a generous dose of people-watching, with generations of Singaporeans returning to the same stalls they’ve loved for years.
If you only have 72 hours, I’d make time for at least one meal at Maxwell Food Centre, Lau Pa Sat and Hong Lim Food Centre. Each offers a different window into Singapore’s hawker culture, although individual stall hours vary.
Maxwell Food Centre is the one I’d send first-time visitors to. In the heart of Chinatown, it’s home to some of Singapore’s best-known hawker stalls, including Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice, which holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand. The centre is busy from breakfast onwards, with locals, office workers and visitors filling the tightly packed tables. There’s little ceremony: order at the stall, find a seat, eat alongside everyone else, and wash it down with an ice-cold Tiger beer.
Lau Pa Sat is a different proposition. Housed in an ornate Victorian-era market building in the CBD, it becomes particularly lively after dark when the adjoining Boon Tat Street fills with satay stalls. Skewers are grilled over charcoal and served with peanut sauce, rice cakes and sliced onion. It draws plenty of visitors, but the atmosphere is part of the appeal.
But if it came down to food alone, Hong Lim Food Centre was my favourite of the three, and we returned often. Less tourist-facing than Maxwell or Lau Pa Sat, it has a distinctly local rhythm. With several MICHELIN-recognised stalls, the choice can feel paralysing, but Heng Kee Curry Chicken Bee Hoon Mee was unforgettable: a piping-hot, fiery red curry brimming with tender Hainanese-style poached chicken, juicy tau pok and soft potatoes, all tangled through with noodles. At around $7 AUD a bowl, it’s a family recipe with more than 50 years of history and a fiercely loyal local following.
Make room for Michelin-starred dining
For all the pleasures of Singapore’s hawker centres, make time for dinner at the other end of the culinary spectrum. The city’s fine-dining scene is every bit as distinctive, and the contrast is part of the appeal. In the 2026 MICHELIN Guide, Singapore is home to three three-star restaurants, nine two-star restaurants and 33 one-star restaurants, reflecting a dining culture that moves easily between tradition and reinvention.
At Odette, Julien Royer’s elegant French cuisine unfolds inside the National Gallery, while Labyrinth takes a more distinctly Singaporean approach, transforming familiar local flavours and dishes into an intricate tasting menu. Burnt Ends offers another interpretation of fine dining altogether, with Dave Pynt’s open-fire cooking bringing a sense of theatre and smoke to refined, produce-driven plates.
You don’t need to devote your entire trip to tasting menus, but one Michelin-starred dinner is worth the reservation. Eat chicken rice or laksa at a hawker centre, then sit down to a meticulously composed tasting menu, and the breadth of Singapore’s food culture becomes apparent. Few cities make the journey from plastic stools and communal tables to linen-covered fine dining feel quite so natural. For an epicurean long weekend, that range is reason enough to stay another night.
Uncover more Gourmet Traveller-approved restaurants and bars here
Sip Singapore Slings atop CÉ LA VI
For a drink with a view, it’s hard to beat CÉ LA VI, perched 57 floors above Singapore atop Marina Bay Sands. The rooftop bar has become an iconic fixture of the Singapore experience, but the setting remains impressive, especially for first-time visitors, and particularly as the buildings begin to light up around the bay.
While the observation deck is below, it’s ticketed and the sweeping views from the bar are just as breathtaking. Come in the late afternoon, when the heat begins to ease, order a Singapore Sling and look out across Marina Bay and the city beyond. It’s a fitting pause between sightseeing and dinner, with the skyline stretching out in every direction. It’s also worth noting that alcohol is costly in Singapore, and while CÉ LA VI’s entry fee is S$38, it includes a house-pour drink, like a Singapore Sling.
Book your ticket to the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark Observation Deck here
Wander beneath Singapore’s Supertrees
Gardens by the Bay is one of those Singapore sights that is difficult to fully appreciate until you’re standing beneath it. Spanning 101 hectares beside Marina Bay, the gardens bring together enormous Supertrees, sculptural landscapes and two extraordinary conservatories, all set against the city skyline.
Early morning is a particularly lovely time to visit. The paths are quiet and the air is cooler, making it a natural choice for runners and walkers. The paths wind through pockets of greenery beneath the Supertrees, with the city skyline appearing between the foliage. It’s a different perspective on Singapore, one that feels a world away from the bustle of its hawker centres and shopping districts.
Return after dark and the experience changes. The Supertrees become the stage for Garden Rhapsody, a free light and sound show held daily at 7.45pm and 8.45pm. The towering structures are illuminated in shifting colours as music plays overhead, and the scale of it is best appreciated from somewhere beneath the canopy. It’s a well-known Singapore attraction, but one that still feels genuinely spectacular in person.
There’s more to explore if time allows, with the Flower Dome home to changing collections of plants and flowers, and the Cloud Forest rising around a 35-metre indoor waterfall, its elevated walkways winding through mist and tropical vegetation. Both are ticketed, but if you only have 72 hours in Singapore, they’re not essential. A wander through the outdoor gardens followed by Garden Rhapsody offers a memorable introduction, and costs nothing.
Book your tickets to the Cloud Forest conservatory at Gardens by the Bay here
Shop Singapore’s luxury labels along Orchard Road
A little retail therapy can be as uplifting as the holiday itself, and Orchard Road is Singapore’s main address for designer fashion and luxury shopping. A string of polished malls stretches along the boulevard, making it remarkably easy to move between international fashion houses, local labels, restaurants and cafés. The malls are air-conditioned, immaculate and designed for lingering, which is particularly welcome when the humidity sets in.
Start at ION Orchard and make your way along the boulevard, leaving time to browse rather than simply ticking off the big names. Expect international houses including Louis Vuitton, Prada, Dior and Bottega Veneta alongside Singaporean and Asian labels, with plenty of jewellery, beauty and homewares to tempt you along the way. Even if you’re not shopping for a new wardrobe, the concentration of fashion, design and architecture makes Orchard Road worth exploring.
Hunt vintage and boutique treasures at Haji Lane
If Orchard Road sits at the polished end of Singapore’s shopping spectrum, Haji Lane is its more eclectic counterpart. This narrow street in Kampong Gelam is lined with colourful murals, independent boutiques and small lifestyle stores, with vintage clothing, jewellery, accessories and homewares tucked into its compact shopfronts.
The fun is in wandering. Browse the racks, duck into the smaller boutiques and stop for a coffee or cocktail as the afternoon rolls on. Haji Lane is part of the wider Kampong Gelam neighbourhood, so it’s worth taking the time to explore beyond the strip, where shophouses, cafés and the golden dome of the Sultan Mosque add a little more context to the area. It’s the kind of place where a planned shopping trip can easily turn into an afternoon of browsing, eating and stopping wherever catches your eye.
Explore Singapore’s vibrant Chinatown
Chinatown is one of the best places to let Singapore’s food culture lead the way. Start with a distinctly Singaporean breakfast of kaya toast, soft-boiled eggs and strong Nanyang kopi: crisp charcoal-grilled toast spread with sweet coconut-and-egg kaya, paired with eggs seasoned with dark soy and white pepper, and coffee brewed strong and sweet. It’s simple, inexpensive and deeply woven into everyday life.
Then wander. The streets around Chinatown Food Centre and the surrounding shophouses are made for grazing, whether you’re after noodles, dumplings, roast meats or something sweet. If you’re visiting during durian season, seek out Musang King, a prized Malaysian cultivar with rich, custardy flesh and a bittersweet, almost savoury flavour. The aroma is formidable, but for durian devotees, it’s part of the Singapore experience.
Make time, too, to look beyond the food. Chinatown’s preserved shophouses and striking temples, including Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Sri Mariamman Temple, offer a glimpse of the city before the skyscrapers.
Step into a world of light and colour at ArtScience Museum’s teamLab Future World
For a change of pace from hawker centres and sightseeing, head to teamLab Future World at the ArtScience Museum. The immersive exhibition brings together light, sound and movement across a series of interactive digital installations, creating a playful world that’s as much about exploring as it is about looking. With a toddler in tow, I found it an easy way to break up a day of sightseeing, offering plenty to touch, watch and discover.
You can expect a series of large-scale installations that blur the line between art and play, from digital flowers that bloom around you to rooms of cascading light and interactive spaces that respond as you move through them. It’s immersive without being overly cerebral, with the exhibition designed to invite curiosity and participation.
Book your tickets to the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands here
Check into one of Singapore’s most indulgent hotels
Singapore’s strict rules around short-term private rentals mean Airbnb isn’t really part of the city’s accommodation landscape, but, fortunately, Singapore does five-star hotels and white-glove hospitality exceptionally well. But the most memorable addresses offer more than polished rooms and impeccable service. For a stay that feels like part of the destination (and a reprieve from the humidity), these three addresses boast their own distinct sense of place.
Capella Singapore is the choice for tropical seclusion. Set among 30 acres of greenery on Sentosa, the resort combines contemporary design with two restored colonial bungalows, creating a sense of escape that feels far removed from the city. Its villas and private pools make it particularly appealing for travellers who want to slow the pace without sacrificing Singapore’s proximity.
Address: 1 The Knolls, Sentosa Island, Singapore 098297
For old-world glamour, Raffles Singapore remains the grande dame. Established in 1887, the National Monument is steeped in the city’s history, from its colonial architecture and courtyards to the legendary Long Bar, where the Singapore Sling is said to be created in 1915. Staying here is less about checking into a famous hotel and more about inhabiting a living piece of Singapore’s past.
Address: 1 Beach Rd, Singapore 189673
For something younger and distinctly design-led, Artyzen Singapore offers a contemporary take on Singaporean luxury. Built on the former site of the Peranakan Villa Marie, its 142 rooms and suites feature private balconies, while layered greenery and bold architectural details give the hotel the feel of an urban oasis. Its One MICHELIN Key is a fitting endorsement of its distinctive approach to design and hospitality.
Address: 9 Cuscaden Rd, Singapore 249719
Uncover more Gourmet Traveller-approved luxury hotels in Singapore here
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Why Malta should be your next Mediterranean escape
