Now that borders are open (again), it is time to visit the Lion City – Singapore! If this is your first time in Singapore or back in Singapore since the start of the pandemic two years ago; much would’ve changed in Singapore.

No doubt, the first places to visit will be the touristy spots. Self-planning a trip is no easy feat and Singapore is no exception. Despite being an island nation, there is still so much to cover and explore. Here’s a throwback itinerary to my family’s Singapore trip in 2017. Even though the photos are from 2017 but they hold memories and the places visited are still relevant today.

I hope you find this 4 days itinerary useful and have a pleasant trip in Singapore.

DAY 1

To get the most out of a short trip, the best will be to book an early morning flight. Flying in from KLIA2, we touched down in Changi Airport in Singapore at about 9:35am.

Getting around Singapore is very convenient with their efficient public transport system. We bought the SMRT ez-link card. $20 is more than enough for 3 to 4 days travel within the city center.

Can you believe it?! Star Wars: The Last Jedi came out in 2017! That’s how far we’ve come!

Anyway, we wanted to head to the hotel first. We took the train from Changi Airport (CG2) on the East West Line to the Expo (CG1/DT35), and then changed onto the Downtown Line towards Bencoolen (DT21). Just outside of Bencoolen MRT and a short 2 minutes walk was our hotel – V Hotel Bencoolen – for the next 4 days.

For a 3 nights stay, it was SGD$651, so for a 3 person family for 3 nights, it was SDG$217 per person per night.

After checking-in into the hotel and exploring the view, we were back to our holiday outside. From Bencoolen, we continued down the Downtown Line to Chinatown (NE4/DT19).

After lunch and jalan-jalan in Chinatown, we went on to Merlion. We passed PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering and walked along Boat Quay and the Singapore River. Here, it reminded me of the Malacca River at Jonker Street in Melaka, Malaysia; just that now we’re in Singapore.

Merlion

We crossed Esplanade Bridge. At 3:00pm, we stopped for our tea break at Suzette at Makansutra Glutton’s Bay.

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After tea, we journeyed down to Marina One East Tower, where we had dinner at NUDE Seafood.

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After a fulfilling dinner, we journeyed back up to Bencoolen from Downtown (DT17). We ended our first day and night at V Bencoolen Hotel.

DAY 2

Orchard Road

We started the day and our morning along Orchard Road. At Orchard Central, you’ll find a touch of modern in Orchard Central and a trip back to past across the mall and along Emerald Hill Road.

After lunch at Orchard Road, we took the MRT from Orchard (NS22) and rode down the North-South Line towards Marina Bay MRT (NS27). We walked to the Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade. There it was, a beautiful panoramic view of the bay area. It’s another picturesque spot.

Marina Bay Sands SkyPark Observation Deck

The next stop on the itinerary was the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark. After purchasing the ticket, take the elevator up to the observation deck. The SkyPark Observation Deck is at level 56. In 2017, tickets costed SGD$23 per person.

From the observation deck, you’ve a beautiful overview of the bay and it’s surroundings. You can see how smooth the flow is from the central business district to the arts, entertainment, and leisure area, and then nature and greenery on the other end.

ArtScience Museum

Just below SkyPark and next to Marina Bay Sands is the ArtScience Museum: design, science, and technology exhibits in a distinctive, modern, flower-shaped building.

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Gardens by the Bay

So, 3:00pm at the ArtScience Museum and 4:00pm onwards at Gardens by the Bay. We bought the Standard 2 Conservatories + Christmas Wonderland bundle, which was then priced at SGD$31.00 per person.

This is a throwback to Gardens by the Bay in December 2017. I wonder how will be the Christmas theme in December this year?

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Supertree Grove

We stayed back at night and enjoyed the themed light and music shows. Choreographed bayside spectacles of coloured lights set to classical music, pop songs, and show tunes.

DAY 3

Little India

From Bencoolen, we took the MRT down to Chinatown, and then switched onto the North East Line from Chinatown to Little India.

After spending the morning and early afternoon in Little India, we made our way to Harbourfront. We took the MRT down from Little India to Harbourfront.

HarbourFront and VivoCity

At the heart of family-friendly Harbourfront is the massive VivoCity mall, which has a scenic rooftop playground and monorail access to recreation on Sentosa Island. Sentosa-bound cable cars depart from Mount Faber, home to hilltop bars and eateries, while the Singapore Cruise Centre offers trips to the Indonesian islands of Batam and Bintan.

After spending the better part of the afternoon in Vivocity and Harbourfront, we took the MRT up to Clarke Quay on the North East Line.

Clarke Quay

Clarke Quay is a historical riverside quay in Singapore. There is a mall with restaurants and nightlife in the redeveloped, 19th-century, riverside commercial district. Clarke Quay reminded me of the Malacca River at Jonker Street back in Melaka, Malaysia.

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DAY 4

For the past few days, we always had breakfast near the hotel. On our last day here, we had breakfast at Food Republic, which was just few doors down from V Bencoolen Hotel.

It was time to check-out from the hotel and go back to Changi Airport the same way we came. We took the MRT from Bencoolen (DT21) on the Downtown Line to the Expo (CG1/DT35), and then continued to Changi Airport (CG2) on the East West Line.

Changi Airport

Let’s not forget the first tourist attraction when touching down into Singapore and the last attraction when departing from Singapore.

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