Luxury hotels in Singapore

Singapore guide

Gardens by the Bay: Singapore's gardens of the future

Two cooled conservatories by day and the Supertrees lit up at night: how to see both well.

Gardens by the Bay is the first name on almost every Singapore list. Its Supertree Grove, vertical gardens shaped like giant trees, stands beside Marina Bay, and the two glass conservatories hold a cool Mediterranean garden in the Flower Dome and an indoor mountain with a waterfall in the Cloud Forest.

Plan it in two parts. Visit the domes in the heat of the afternoon, when their cool air is most welcome, and return after dark for Garden Rhapsody, the free light and music show under the Supertrees, which usually runs twice each evening. Lying back on the grove's benches is the best seat.

The gardens are a short walk from Marina Bay's hotels, which makes Singapore an easy two-night stop on a longer Asian journey. Jewel at Changi Airport, with its indoor waterfall, is worth a few extra hours before your flight onward.

Marina Bay Sands and the Singapore skyline

Marina Bay Sands, with its three towers joined by a ship-shaped SkyPark, is the defining image of modern Singapore, and the observation deck, 200 metres up, is one of the city's most cited views. The famous infinity pool is reserved for hotel guests.

Every evening, the Spectra light and water show plays on the promenade in front of the hotel, and a bumboat ride along the Singapore River passes Clarke Quay and Boat Quay. The ArtScience Museum, shaped like a lotus, is next door.

Hawker centres: Singapore's UNESCO food culture

Singapore's hawker culture, inscribed by UNESCO in 2020, is the most cited food experience in the city: open-air food centres where hundreds of stalls cook dishes for a few dollars. Maxwell Food Centre is famous for Hainanese chicken rice, and Lau Pa Sat, in a Victorian cast-iron hall, for satay at night.

Some hawker stalls have been recognised by the MICHELIN Guide, and chilli crab at the East Coast seafood restaurants is a national favourite. Chinatown, Little India and Kampong Glam each have their own markets.