24 Hours in Singapore

Getting around Singapore is quite easy. All of the signs in the airport and around the city are in English, and nearly everyone speaks English, so communication is fairly easy. You can take a taxi, bus, or subway and all are efficient and easy to navigate. The only difference between your options is how much money you want to spend and the size of your group. The currency in Singapore is the Singapore Dollar (SD) and you can use a credit card almost everywhere, but should you want or need cash, ATMs are easily accessible across the city. The Singapore MRT (subway) is very well laid out, extremely clean, and connects you to all parts of the city for between $2-$4SD per ticket (Kids 4 and .8m and under ride free) and taxi rates are comparable to most major cities. I recommend taking the subway everywhere except to and from the airport to minimize the hassle with luggage, though you get to anywhere in the city from the airport via subway fairly quickly. If you choose to take a taxi you can pick it up directly outside of customs. The cost is roughly 25SD to the city center and many vehicles fit 4-6 travelers.

After breakfast, head to the subway and make your way to the Singapore Zoo. The transport to get to the zoo requires you to take the subway and then a bus from the subway station, but there are signs everywhere at the subway station that make it difficult to miss. The trip takes a total of 55 minutes and you should arrive with just enough time to buy tickets before the gates open. The Singapore Zoo is unique in that all of the exhibits are “open” and surrounded by rainforest. When I say open, I mean there are exhibits where you literally walk through animal habitats and are close enough to touch any animals on display. For a family with children, it is just about the coolest experience.

Once you leave the hotel head back to the subway for the 20 minute trip to Sentosa Island. Sentosa Island is an island just south of Singapore where people go to have a day of fun. The island is home to beautiful white-sand beaches, Universal Studios, Resorts World, an Aquarium, and 30 other adventurous activities. If you are not big on adventures, there are also restaurants and spas to keep you entertained. I recommend a visit to the S.E.A. aquarium to fit in with the time schedule, but if you should return to Singapore on your trip home, Universal Studios is also fun for every age. The S.E.A. aquarium houses more than 100,000 marine animals throughout the various exhibits. Two of the most impressive tanks are the shark tank, where you can walk through a tube and see the sharks swim all around you, and the Open Ocean Gallery. The museum is so well-appointed that there are rarely too many people at each exhibit, so you can get up close and personal with any animal you choose. I recommend allowing 1.5-2 hours to see every exhibit and grabbing a snack at the Open Ocean Gallery to munch on while you watch all of the sea life pass you by.