What to Expect
Ships use Marina Bay Cruise Centre (MBCC, closest to the city centre) or HarbourFront Cruise Centre. MBCC is 5 km from the city centre; the MRT station at Bayfront is a 15-minute walk or short taxi away. HarbourFront has a direct MRT connection at HarbourFront Station (NE line and CC line). Singapore's MRT is one of the world's most efficient urban rail systems — air-conditioned, frequent, cheap (S$1.30–2.50 per trip), and covers essentially every significant destination. The city is hot and humid year-round (30–33°C, 80%+ humidity); plan indoor activity in the middle of the day.
Getting Around
The MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) is the correct way to move around Singapore. Buy an EZ-Link card at any MRT station (S$12 including S$7 credit) or use contactless bank card. Trips within the central area: S$1.30–2.50. Grab (Southeast Asia's Uber equivalent) for airport-style pricing and no negotiation: S$8–15 within the city. Standard taxis: metered, slightly cheaper than Grab. Buses cover more granular destinations the MRT misses. The city is walkable in covered, air-conditioned connectors between malls and MRT stations — a practical route that keeps you out of the heat.
Hawker Centres
Singapore's hawker centres are UNESCO-listed and the correct way to eat here. A full meal (3 dishes, drinks) costs S$8–15 (€5.50–10.50). Maxwell Food Centre in Chinatown and Lau Pa Sat (Telok Ayer Market) in the CBD are the closest to the city centre. Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice at Maxwell is frequently cited as the best in the city; the queue is real. Char kway teow (wok-fried flat noodles), laksa (coconut curry noodle soup), and chilli crab (S$60–80 at a seafood restaurant) are the canonical dishes. The food in Singapore's coffee shops and hawker centres consistently outperforms most restaurants at ten times the price.
Gardens by the Bay and Culture
Gardens by the Bay — the Supertree Grove and the two cooled conservatories (Flower Dome and Cloud Forest) — is 15 minutes by MRT from HarbourFront, directly adjacent to Marina Bay Sands. Admission to the outdoor Supertrees is free; conservatories S$28–53. The Cloud Forest's 35-metre indoor mountain with a waterfall is the more unusual of the two. The Marina Bay Sands observation deck (SkyPark, S$32) has the best 360° view of the city skyline. Chinatown, Little India (Tekka Centre), and Kampong Glam (Arab Street) each have 2–3 hours of content. The Singapore Botanic Gardens (free entry) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the finest tropical gardens in the world.
Tipping and Currency
Singapore Dollars (SGD). Restaurants automatically add 10% service charge and 9% GST to bills — the displayed price plus 19% is what you pay. Because the service charge is already on the bill, additional tipping is not expected. Hawker centres and coffee shops: no service charge, no tipping expected. ATMs at every MRT station.