Singapore Travel Guide – Three Days In Singapore – Budget Travel In Singapore

Singapore is often overlooked by backpackers in Southeast Asia due to its reputation as one of the world’s most expensive cities. However, my time in Singapore proved you can visit Singapore on a budget.

Originally, we had decided to skip Singapore. It would have been the obvious next stop for us after Malacca in Malaysia before flying to Borneo. But instead we chose to return to Kuala Lumpur and fly from there. Why? Because we had heard that Singapore is SO expensive. Hence why a lot of backpackers miss it out completely.

However, later on our travels we were trying to get from Bali to Taiwan and Singapore offered the cheapest flights. We decided to stay for three nights and try to do it on the cheap.

Singapore Is A ‘Fine’ City

Singapore is known for its strange laws that could, if you are not careful, land you with a big fine. Who’d have thought that singing or connecting to someone else’s WiFi without their permission could land you a prison sentence? Smoking in public and even bringing chewing gum into the country can carry hefty fines! More worryingly, homosexuality is still illegal and carries a sentence of up to two years. This law is almost never enforced but shows that, despite its pristine appearance, Singapore still has some work to do!

Klook.com

Arriving In Singapore

We arrived in Singapore Airport and, instead of getting out of there as quickly as possible, we took a shuttle bus to one of the other terminals. The reason? This thing called ‘The Jewel’.

The Jewel, Singapore Airport

I had only learned about The Jewel in Singapore airport the previous night. I would have been gutted if we found out about it AFTER our visit. The Jewel is basically an entertainment and retail complex that is linked to all terminals of the airport. Nothing exciting about that, right? Until you discover that at its heart is the world’s tallest indoor waterfall which is surrounded by a terraced indoor rain forest. It is a truly breathtaking spectacle. I never thought I’d ever want to hang around in an airport!

Getting From Singapore Airport To The City

Singapore airport is well connected and we were able to take the MRT to within walking distance of our hostel. We were unable to buy single tickets from the ticket counter and the machine would not change the crisp $50 notes we had just drawn out of the ATM. Luckily, the man at the ticket office changed our money. First lesson: always carry small notes when attempting to use the MRT as you won’t be as lucky as us in most other stations.

Where To Stay In Singapore

These are some of the best budget hostels in Singapore, according to user reviews. These are affiliate links to the Agoda web site. I found Agoda to be much better than booking.com in Southeast Asia. I receive a small amount for any bookings made through these links at no extra cost to you.

• Footprints Hostel
• K Space Inn 569
• Backpacker’s Hostel @ The Little Red Dot
• OSS Backpackers Hostel
• Royal Lodge @ Pagoda Street
• Traveller@SG
• The InnCrowd Backpackers’ Hostel
• BEAT. Sports Hostel
• RedDoorz Hostel @ Clarke Quay
• Thad’s Boutique Hostel

7 Wonders Hostel @ Upper Dickson

For our stay, we used dorms for the first time on the whole trip. We stayed at a place called ‘7 Wonders Hostel @ Upper Dickson’ (map) which is located in the heart of ‘Little India’. The smells of Indian food wafted through the hostel from dawn to dusk. Within 10 metres of leaving the hostel, we walked past at least 3 Indian restaurants.

Little India is one of the cheaper neighbourhoods in Singapore which is why we chose to stay there (and the food, obviously). For two bunks in a 6-bed dorm, we paid a total of £83.62 for three nights. When you consider that in Thailand we paid an average of around £10 per night for a double room, you get an idea of the difference in price.

The hostel was decent. It was clean and had good WiFi and provided a basic but decent breakfast. The downside was that there was only one shower and toilet for 18 beds, meaning I had to wait on more than one occasion. Our beds were so close to the wall, we could barely get out of bed!

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We paid £83.62 for three nights in 2 beds in a 6-bed dorm with shared bathroom.

Click here to book a room at ‘7 Wonders Hostel’.

Things To Do In Singapore

Little India Singapore

Once we got settled in the hostel, we headed out to explore the local area. Within 30 seconds we found ourselves sat at a table in an Indian restaurant called ‘Prasanna’s’ (map). The owner was very friendly and we both ordered a dinner set. I had mutton curry with various sides for $7.50 (approximately £4.40). Not a bad start!

Singapore Street Art

We continued to explore more of ‘little India’ and its street art.

In the evening, I went for another wander. There didn’t appear to be many bars in the ‘Little India’ district. I found a place called ‘The Countryside Cafe’ (map) which sold draft pints for $10. I had a couple then headed home. We had a busy day planned the next day.

Kampong Glam (Arab Quarter)

Just 10 minutes walk from ‘little India’ is the ‘Arab Quarter’. This is one of the most colourful and cool areas in the whole of Singapore with quirky coffee shops, bars and restaurants to be found amongst its art-filled streets.

We knew we had found the area when we came across the mosque.

We walked down ‘Arab Street’ (map) which offers a great juxtaposition of old and new Singapore.

There aren’t many interesting shops on Arab Street but things really brighten up when you take a turn onto ‘Haji Lane’ (map).

They even had a small piece of Amsterdam.

We spent around an hour exploring the streets of Kampong Glam. It seemed there were surprises around every corner. Even the backs of shops were worth a look!

Raffles Hotel

We then headed towards the Marina Bay. On our way, we passed the ‘Raffles Hotel’ (map). Unfortunately, it was temporarily closed for refurbishment. As prices start at around $900 up to $12,000 per night,  it was probably out of our budget anyway.

We continued walking towards the Marina Bay when we came to a road with an underpass to get to the other side. We went down and came to an old dirty door. Expecting it to be locked, we couldn’t believe it when it opened into a HUGE mall with thousands of people inside!

Singapore Flyer

The mall led us out into the Marina Bay and we headed to the ‘Singapore Flyer’ (map) where we stopped and had a rest. This is how you do things on the cheap in Singapore. You don’t do anything; you just look at it 🙂

We walked along Raffles Avenue and then crossed the Esplanade Bridge, taking in the amazing Singapore skylines. This part of Singapore was such a contrast to Kampong Glen and Little India. Singapore was truly revealing itself as a beautiful city. Check out this post to see the most Instagrammable places in Singapore.

Hawker Centre

We were now entering the business centre of Singapore and were surrounded by skyscrapers. In amongst them, we found an old hawker centre called ‘Lau Pa Sat Food Court’ (map) with many stalls offering good food at affordable prices.

We had planned to eat in Chinatown but we couldn’t resist and in hindsight I feel we made the correct choice. The food was delicious and cost just $4.50.

Singapore Chinatown

We then headed towards Chinatown which, like ‘Little India’ and ‘Arab Quarter’, had plenty of street art to feast our eyes on.

I got the impression that we were too early for Chinatown and that it came much more alive in the evening.

Buying Durian In Singapore

As we were wandering around Chinatown, I caught a familiar smell. I followed my nose and, to my delight, discovered this shop:

As I had not seen durian since Cameron Highlands, I couldn’t resist. I bought a $5 piece. It was ok but not the best durian. I spotted whole durian for $10 and I should have gone for that. The best durian I have tasted is when it is cut open and eaten, rather than wrapped in plastic.

Gardens By The Bay, Singapore

By this point, it had already been a long day and we still had the ‘Gardens By The Bay’ (map) to explore, which was a good half hour walk away. We toyed with the idea of skipping it but then decided to keep going.

We entered the gardens at the south side. The gardens are free to explore with some activities having an admission fee. The gardens are immaculate and a great escape from the city. If it wasn’t for the overlooking presence of the futuristic ‘Marina Bay Sands’ hotel, you could easily forget you were in the centre of such a modern, rich city. It really is one of the best Singapore attractions and one of the best free things to do in Singapore.

There are sculptures dotted around the park.

Every now and again, you are reminded that you are actually in a big city.

Supertree Grove

We eventually came across the ‘Supertree Grove’ situated in the centre of the park. Unfortunately, it was too early to wait for the sun to disappear so we could watch the light show. They were still very impressive.

We reached the main entrance where people were queuing to pay many dollars for the ‘flower dome’ and the ‘cloud forest’. We were very tired by this point and so made our way back home. Apart from some cheap food and a couple of dollars for the MRT to take us home, we had spent a whole day in Singapore without spending any money and had a fantastic time!

Gardens By The Bay Opening Times: 5 am – 2 am, every day.
Gardens By The Bay Entrance Fee: The park is free admission. For information on attractions, click here.

Nightmare Supper

In the evening, Joanna couldn’t be bothered going out for food so I ventured out on my own, looking for tandoori chicken. I walked around for about 20 minutes when I finally found a place that did tandoori chicken. This is Little India, right?

Of course, they didn’t have any so I had to settle for fried chicken. I wasn’t in the mood for a curry.

As I took my seat, the waiter stamped his foot. I realised he was trying to kill a cockroach but the blighter had just been too quick for him.

My food arrived and was very average. As I was eating, I felt something on my neck. I swatted it away. Damn mozzies. Seconds later, I felt it again. I swatted it away and this time I saw it land. IT WAS THE DAMN COCKROACH! ON MY NECK!!

Now, this is not the best thing to happen at any time, let alone when you are eating. As you can imagine, I felt very itchy from that moment. YUK!

Singapore Coffee Shop

Having fully recovered from the traumatic cockroach incident the previous evening, I was all ready to explore again and we found a nice coffee shop called ‘The Wired Monkey’ (map) in which to plan our day. We were going to visit the Botanic Gardens. There. All planned. Only problem was… the rain!

Yes, it was hammering it down. We had not seen rain like this for a long time and whilst this was certainly going to help our cause of doing Singapore on the cheap, we really wanted to go to the gardens.

Thankfully, it slowed right down and we decided to go for it. We caught a MRT and by the time we got off, it was dry again.

Singapore Botanic Gardens

‘Singapore Botanic Gardens’ (map) is another free activity in Singapore. It is also huge so you can easily spend a day there. There are a couple of cafes but they are expensive so my advice would be to stock up from a 7-eleven and have a picnic (just remember not to leave a trace).

The plants had clearly enjoyed the rain fall and the park glistened beautifully in the post-storm light.

We even found a random Chopin monument.

National Orchid Garden

We reached the centre of the gardens and had to decide whether to pay the $5 to visit the orchid gardens. We figured as it had been free so far, it would be worth it. It was a good choice. If you come to the gardens, you simply have to visit the orchid garden.

Following the orchid garden, we continued towards the north of the park.

We reached Swan Lake.

The turtles all came to the lake side to say hello.

But the swans, from Amsterdam, didn’t bother.

We made our way back to our starting point, passing an outdoor stage on the way.

It had been another long and tiring day, but a most enjoyable one.

Singapore Botanical Gardens Opening Times: 5 am – 12 am, every day.
Singapore Botanical Gardens Entrance Fee: Free admission ($5 for the orchid garden).

Singapore Food Court

We arrived back near our hostel and stopped off at ‘Broadway Food Court @ Sim Lim Square Basement’ (map) where I treated myself to a stupid amount of food!

Singapore Bars In Little India

A couple of nights previous, I had only managed to find one bar and that was quite pricey. Surely I could find a friendly, local place with local prices. I wandered around and found a couple more bars but nowhere I imagined to be any cheaper. I then came across ‘Bigg Boss Bistro’ (map). This was an Indian cafe that sold beer at 3 cans for $12!

It turned out the beers on offer were 8% super-strength beers. They did have Tiger at only $5.50. Bargain!

Ignorant Loser

I bought a beer and sat down and, to my surprise, noticed they had WiFi. That was me settled for the night then! I asked the guy who had sold me the beer for the password and he simply ignored me. Strange. Thinking he must not have heard, I asked him again. This time he acknowledged me but still didn’t give me the password. He then started serving people.

Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I sat patiently waiting for him to finish serving. A woman that was also working had noticed this and pointed out to the man that I was still waiting for the password. He looked at me and turned away and stood doing nothing. By this point, it was clearly obvious he was being an ignorant, racist moron. Even though I knew it was going to cost me double to go and drink in the other bar, I drank up and left. There was no way I was giving this guy any more money. AVOID THIS PLACE

I went back to ‘The Countryside Cafe’ which was double the price but at least they were friendly. And they had WiFi.

Is Singapore Worth Visiting?

You should definitely include Singapore on your Southeast Asia itinerary. It is an amazing city and there are plenty of things to do on the cheap meaning you don’t have to spend a fortune. It is such a clean city and it makes a nice change to actually have decent pavements to walk on! And the traffic actually stop at red lights!

Food can be cheap and very good and, if you don’t drink or smoke too much whilst you are here, you can enjoy a few days without hurting your budget too much.

Just make sure you don’t rush out of the airport.