I love Singapore. From the moment we landed in the world’s top-rated airport (mesmerised by the digital interactive fish-pond), to gliding into town on the skyway with ease - I had a feeling as urban-adventurers we were going to enjoy this place. After a month in India, we were craving simple comforts like being able to walk on a pavement without constant car horns blazing and drinking tap water - this visit had come at just the right time.
In my opinion, backpacker blogs and vlogs are unfairly unkind to Singapore and cost is often a defining factor in their decision (as well as some being unnerved by the cleanliness, but that’s just odd!). There’s no escaping the fact Singapore is more expensive than in its South East Asian neighbours, considerably so, but this city has so much more to offer budget travellers than we were led to believe. A bit like London, whilst you can probably spend more than our entire year’s budget on one night in a hotel and a Michelin starred meal, there’s also so many cheap and free activities, you really don’t need to. I’ve compiled our top tips for enjoying Singapore in the monsoon season and on a budget of less than £100 per couple per day.
Note all of the $ in this blog are Singapore dollars not US, 1 Singapore $ = 59p.
Choose your accommodations wisely Singapore’s one of those cities where accommodation not only blows your budget but often comes with very budget ratings. We were looking for a simple, clean, double room with air conditioning and a private bathroom for under £40 a night. Backpackers and travellers can find budget accommodation in the Historic District, Little India or Geylang but we chose the East Coast Park area along Marine Parade and loved it. A bit out of the city in a hipster area, you can get a little more for your money here, but it’s lively enough that there’s plenty of independent shops, bars and restaurants and non-touristy hawkers. It’s also really accessible for the airport, being on the east side of the city AND the oceanfront park East Coast Park itself is a haven to exercise, explore and provide a stunning cycle way into the city. In the end we stayed in The Snooze Hotel. The room was very small but spotless, there was a TV, kettle and fridge and strong aircon and good shower (much needed in the heat of the humidity). The bed itself was one of the comfiest we’ve stayed in across Asia and we would definitely stay again.
Travel on two wheels
Public transport is plentiful and easy to use in Singapore. As a foreigner you can simply tap your debit or credit card, google/ apple pay etc. on buses and metros, a bit like London. But also like London you pay per journey and distance and all those $1.40 (85p) trips can add up in a day. Singapore has fantastic city bike rental schemes and plenty of cycle paths. We downloaded the Anywheel App which offers to options to buy single journey, day, week and month unlimited passes starting at only a few dollars. We chose an unlimited day pass for about $7that included as many 60 minute journeys as we could pedal in 24 hours. You can’t leave the bikes anywhere, you need to be sure to pick up and park in the designated bays, but the app was easy to use and bike parking is plentiful so we didn’t waste time finding somewhere to park or grabbing a new bike. Top tip: Seek out cycle routes for your journeys in advance. Whilst you can cycle on all roads except highways, much of the road transport is built for cars and you can find yourself endlessly waiting at traffic lights or trying to switch lanes in 4 lanes of traffic. There are also some really peaceful green cycleways connecting a lot of Singapore so do your research and find the best route, visit Singapore can help.
Go on a Michelin guide hawker crawl The cliche is true, Singapore is the food capital of the world; moreover you do not need to break the bank to sample top notch cuisine. Hawker markets are everywhere! Even in the leafy suburbs EVERY apartment block complex or street corner is selling something delicious. With 17 hawker stalls added to the Michelin guide last year alone, there is no end of fantastic fayre and most comfortably under $7 a bowl. You obviously can’t miss the famous market of Lau Pa Sat in the financial heart of the city but we also loved the smaller out of town markets which were a few dollars cheaper. Rebsy tip: Vegetarian and vegan food is a little hard to find and you want to ensure the market you are headed to has a vegetarian stall. I’ve included a few of our favourite eats at the end of this blog. Also, do check the opening times, for some reason a lot of the veggie places seemed to open only for lunch so we missed a few due to timing errors.
Take advantage of happy hour As you know we like a beer when we’re travelling!! Alcohol in Singapore is more expensive than anywhere else we have travelled in the world so far (except for Iceland, maybe) with a glass of the cheapest beer, Tiger, coming in around $12 when full price. But, Singapore loves a happy hour. So, if you are happy to day drink (and to be honest a cold beer is much appreciated in the afternoon in 32 degrees and 70% humidity) you can usually get BOGOF offers in most bars, slashing the price of your pints in half.
Seek out green spaces
There’s roughly 6 million people living in Singapore, and yet the city feels remarkably spacious and calm. There’s fantastic opportunities to get properly out into nature, all just a short cycle ride for town. From impressive bridges that take you across rainforest rooftop walks and jungle hill climbs, to abandoned railway paths that now provide long unbroken natural paths for walking and cycling, Singapore was a breath of fresh air (quite literally) giving us the option to get some outdoor exercise all completely free. I would recommend The Green Corridor for biking and Henderson Waves bridge and surrounding area for walking and hiking in the tree tops.
Swap you coffee for Kopi
Everywhere we travel to around the world nowadays likes to charge a premium for a hipster coffee. Flat white’s are the post pandemic boom-industry and you can easily find yourself paying extortionate prices to fulfil your caffeine needs. Well in Singapore I fell in love with Kopi and particularly the ritual of having a set breakfast at a Kopi shop. Kopi is a robusta thick, black earthy drink. Iced or hot (I prefer hot) sweetened with sugar or condensed milk (or not), it's a very strong and very satisfying way to wake you up. Even more so when it’s paired with kaya toast and two-half boiled eggs drenched in soy sauce. This is the perfect breakfast and in Singapore you can order this whole set, kopi included for about $3. Our personal favourite was served at the famous Keng Wah Sung Cafe.
Hit the beach
It is unlikely that you have arrived in Singapore for a beach holiday (and if you are I might question your travel planning) but a completely free and fantastic way to unwind during your stay is to spend time on one of Singapore’s perfectly clean, well equipped and rather beautiful beaches. We stayed near East Coast beach and were pleasantly surprised at how beautiful the waterfront was. There’s endless amenities for picnics, BBQs, sports, cycling, running and swimming to name a few, as well as hawker markets dotted along the coast. For a full list of Singapore’s best swimming spots and beach retreats, take a look here.
Marvel at the modernity
We love cities. And Singapore is one of those modern cities that showcases some of the best of what humans are capable of achieving though architeture and city planning. Whilst you might not have the budget to head up the iconic Marina Bay Sands towers or even visit the ArtScience centre there (we certainly didn't), you can still spend half a day marvelling at the architectural spectacular and strolling the gardens of the bay completely free and mind blowing. And, if you happen to be visiting in the rainy season and get caught in a shower (or three), never fear, Singapore has you covered (quite literally) as multiple malls and pedestrian walkways and tunnels connect the financial and modern centre and so you can keep dry whilst exploring the modern city.
Wander the historic towns
Whilst I had seen countless images of Singapore’s modernity before visiting, I was struck with pleasant surprise at the historic regions of the city, so well preserved and each with their own cultural significance. A stoll in Chinatown is a must. It's impossible not to appreciate the well-preserved pedestrianised historic centre, also a great place to hunt down a happy hour beer or two! Little India has fantastic food, an authentically South Asian vibrant community with bags of and charm where the roads are filled with shops selling spices, saris and teas. It’s slightly less relaxing a stroll due to the busy road system but still a pleasant visit. Finally we enjoyed exploring the eastern suburb of Katong and Joo Chiat, a uniquire neighbourhood with stunning 20th century Perankan and Eurasian styles and the home of some of the best Kopitans and pastry shops.
This is how we spent our 72 hours and very limited budget in Singapore but I’m sure there’s great places (and bargains) we’ve missed!
And if you are interested in finding veggie or vegan food take a look at the list I’ve compiled below. We didn’t make it to all of them, but maybe one day!! Click on the link to open in google maps and save for later.
Rong Xiang Vegetarian Food - Hawker stall with a huge selection of vegetarian versions of noodle soup and rice/ mock meat dishes. Mini Star (HK) Fermented Beancurd - for the famous stinky tofu
iVegan i12 Katong - vegan global cuisine with a Singapore slant
Shun Cheng Vegetarian Food - hawker stall for vegetarian Bee Hoon (make sure to check the opening times)
Xuan Miao Vegan PLQ - stall specialising in vegan soup noodle and tofu dishes
Victor Veggie - hawker stall specialising in veg and mock meat satay
Warung Ijo - an Indonesian vegetarian restaurant for classics like rendang and gado gado!
I’ll keep adding to this so send your Singapore veggie recommendations this way. And keep an eye on the blog for more plant-focused global food recommendations
#GlobalTravel #BudgetTravel #VegetarianTravel #SingaporeOnABudget #ILoveSingapore #Backpacking #AroundtheWorld
Comments