Singapore Singapore 6 Day Itinerary

If you land at Changi expecting to hunt for a taxi, stop. The MRT runs straight from Changi Airport station into the city for about 1.50 to 2.20 Singapore dollars on a stored-value card, a fraction of what a taxi or private transfer costs, and it takes roughly 35 minutes to City Hall with one change at Tanah Merah. Buy an EZ-Link card at the airport on arrival and you will not think about transport cost again for six days.

Day 1: Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay

Check in and drop your bags, then head straight for the SkyPark Observation Deck at Marina Bay Sands. Admission runs from around 27 to 30 Singapore dollars depending on time slot, and it is open from 11am to 9pm, so aim for late afternoon to catch the skyline in both daylight and dusk light without paying twice. The Shoppes below are unremarkable as malls go, skip the lengthy browse and save the time.

In the evening, walk over to Gardens by the Bay for the Supertree Grove light show, which still runs multiple nightly showtimes and remains free to watch from the ground, though the elevated OCBC Skyway walkway between the trees now charges separately. For dinner, a hawker center rather than a restaurant is the right call here; order Hainanese chicken rice and a plate of satay and you will spend a fraction of what a Marina Bay restaurant charges for a worse version of the same dish.

Day 2: Orchard Road and Chinatown

Spend the morning on Orchard Road if shopping interests you, though be honest with yourself about whether you need to see three malls that all sell the same brands. Chinatown is the better use of a morning: wander the shophouse-lined streets and visit the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum, which houses an extensive collection of Buddhist artifacts across several floors and is free to enter, donations welcomed.

For dinner, People’s Park Food Centre remains one of the better hawker centers for variety and price, and Clarke Quay afterward is fine for a drink, though it leans touristy and overpriced for food; treat it as a bar stop, not a dining destination.

Day 3: Sentosa Island

Take the Sentosa Express monorail from VivoCity, which sits directly above HarbourFront MRT station, so the connection from the city is seamless. The S.E.A. Aquarium at Resorts World Sentosa is worth a few hours if marine life interests you, though check current opening details before you go since Resorts World has been rotating attractions in and out over the past couple of years.

In the afternoon, Palawan Beach is a pleasant, low-effort way to spend a couple of hours, and Universal Studios Singapore is worth a full day on its own if you want to prioritize it, though doing both the aquarium and the theme park in one day is a stretch. In the evening, the Wings of Time light-and-water show still runs at the Waterfront Plaza with two nightly showtimes, and a seafood dinner at one of the restaurants overlooking the show is a reasonable splurge on your one Sentosa evening.

Day 4: East Coast Park and Kampong Glam

Rent a bike at East Coast Park in the morning; the paved coastal path is one of the most pleasant, least touristy stretches in Singapore and a good antidote to two days of malls and theme parks. In the afternoon, head to the Geylang Serai area for Malay produce, textiles, and food stalls, and try nasi padang at one of the long-running local eateries there rather than a tourist-facing restaurant.

In the evening, walk Kampong Glam’s streets, visit the Sultan Mosque, and browse Haji Lane and Arab Street, which remain the best concentration of independent shops and street art in the city. Have dinner somewhere in this neighborhood rather than trekking back to the East Coast, since the area has a strong and growing food scene of its own.

Day 5: Mandai Wildlife Reserve and Night Safari

Here is a correction worth knowing before you plan this day: Jurong Bird Park no longer exists at its old site. It relocated and reopened in 2023 as Bird Paradise, now part of the Mandai Wildlife Reserve alongside the Singapore Zoo, River Wonders, and Night Safari, in the north of the island rather than the west. It is billed as Asia’s largest bird park, spread across 17 hectares with more than 3,500 birds across roughly 400 species in eight walk-through aviaries, and general admission runs from around 49 Singapore dollars, cheaper if booked online in advance rather than at the gate. Budget the whole morning and into early afternoon here; the walk-through aviaries are large and worth lingering in.

Head back to your hotel for a rest, then return to Mandai in the evening for the Night Safari, which remains one of Singapore’s most distinctive nocturnal wildlife experiences and pairs naturally with the same-day Bird Paradise visit given they share the same reserve.

Day 6: Little India and farewell dinner

Spend the morning in Little India, wandering the shophouse streets and visiting the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, whose ornate gopuram tower is one of the most photographed religious buildings in the city. For lunch, an Indian restaurant in the neighborhood will do better authentic food than anything you will find back near Marina Bay.

In the afternoon, the National Museum of Singapore gives useful context on the country’s transformation from colonial port to independent city-state in under 60 years, a genuinely fast timeline worth appreciating given everything you have just seen over five days. For your farewell dinner, Peranakan cuisine is the right closing note, since it is the one food tradition genuinely native to Singapore and the Straits region rather than imported wholesale from elsewhere. Finish with a walk along the Marina Bay waterfront or through Clarke Quay for one last look at the skyline before you fly out.

Things to know

Singapore’s MRT and bus network covers almost everywhere you will want to go, and an EZ-Link card works across both, so there is little reason to rely on taxis except late at night or with heavy luggage. Tap water is safe to drink island-wide. Chewing gum import and sale remain restricted, though carrying a small personal amount for your own use will not get you in trouble. Jaywalking fines are real and enforced, so use the crossings even when the road looks empty.

Tips

Book Bird Paradise and Night Safari tickets online rather than at the gate, since online pricing runs noticeably cheaper and skips the queue. If you only do one hawker center in the whole trip, prioritize it over any Marina Bay restaurant; the food quality per dollar is not close. And carry a light rain jacket rather than an umbrella, since Singapore’s afternoon downpours are short, sudden, and better handled hands-free.