Three Days in,
Singapore.

The Merlion is a 28 foot white statue with a lion's head and a fish's body that sprays water into Marina Bay from a small park beside the Fullerton Hotel. It's Singapore's national mascot, free to visit and open around the clock.

The ArtScience Museum is the lotus-shaped white building at the edge of Marina Bay Sands, with 21 galleries across three floors. It runs a permanent teamLab digital exhibit, Future World, plus touring shows on design, science and pop culture.

Lau Pa Sat is a Victorian cast iron market pavilion with an octagonal roof and a clock tower, now a hawker center with more than 80 stalls in the middle of the financial district. The name is Hokkien for old market.

The Cloud Forest is one of two cooled glass conservatories at Gardens by the Bay, built around a 115 foot planted mountain with an indoor waterfall pouring off its side. Elevated walkways spiral down through orchids, pitcher plants and ferns from the tropical highlands.

The Sands SkyPark is the 1,120 foot long deck bridging the three towers of Marina Bay Sands, 57 stories up. The paid Observation Deck at the north end is the public part; the infinity pool and restaurants are the private part.

Satay by the Bay is a covered open-air hawker center at the eastern edge of Gardens by the Bay, with a row of charcoal satay grills and a couple dozen stalls facing the water. It stays open late, which makes it the natural dinner before the Supertree show.

The Supertree Grove is a cluster of 12 steel-and-concrete trees between 80 and 160 feet tall, wrapped in more than 160,000 plants, that lights up for a free music-and-light show twice a night. Eighteen Supertrees stand in the Gardens altogether.

The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum is a five-story Tang dynasty style temple on South Bridge Road in Chinatown, built to house a tooth said to have been recovered from the Buddha's funeral pyre. It's free to enter and combines a working temple, a museum of Buddhist art and a rooftop garden.

Maxwell Food Centre is a single-story hawker center with about 100 stalls at the south end of Chinatown, best known for Hainanese chicken rice. It opens early, and most stalls are done by mid-afternoon.

Haji Lane is a single narrow lane of two-story shophouses in Kampong Glam, painted with murals and packed with independent boutiques, bars and cafes. It's the most photographed street in the district.

Sultan Mosque (Masjid Sultan) is Singapore's largest and most important mosque, with a huge gold onion dome that closes the view up Bussorah Street. It's a national monument and the center of Kampong Glam.

Tekka Centre is Little India's wet market, hawker center and shopping arcade under one roof at the corner of Serangoon Road and Buffalo Road. It's where the district actually shops, as opposed to where visitors do.

Sri Veeramakaliamman is Little India's oldest and busiest Hindu temple, dedicated to Kali, the fierce form of the goddess Parvati. Its painted gopuram tower over the entrance is the landmark of Serangoon Road.

The Banana Leaf Apolo is a South Indian restaurant on Race Course Road in Little India that has been serving fish head curry on banana leaves since 1974. It's the restaurant most Singaporeans name first for the dish.

The Sentosa Express is a 1.3 mile monorail from the VivoCity mall on the mainland to the beaches at the far end of Sentosa, with stops at Resorts World and Imbiah in between. A single S$4 tap covers island entry and unlimited rides for the day.

Universal Studios Singapore is a compact movie theme park at Resorts World Sentosa with seven themed zones around a lagoon, including Transformers, Jurassic Park and, since 2025, Minion Land. It was the first Universal park in Southeast Asia.

Mel's Drive-In is the 1950s American diner in the Hollywood zone of Universal Studios Singapore, modeled on the San Francisco original that appeared in the film American Graffiti. It's the park's most reliable sit-down meal.

Singapore Oceanarium is the aquarium at Resorts World Sentosa, reopened in July 2025 after a three year expansion that tripled the floor space of its predecessor, the S.E.A. Aquarium. It's organized into 22 zones, from a prehistoric section with animatronic marine reptiles to the Open Ocean tank.

Song Fa Bak Kut Teh is Singapore's best-known chain for Teochew-style bak kut teh, pork ribs simmered in a clear pepper-and-garlic broth. The Jewel outlet on Basement 2 is a quick, cheap dinner before the Rain Vortex show.

The HSBC Rain Vortex is the 130 foot indoor waterfall at the center of Jewel Changi Airport, the tallest indoor waterfall in the world, falling through the roof of a glass dome into a terraced forest of 2,000 trees. Canopy Park on the top level is an indoor playground of nets, mazes and walkways.