Singapore

Currency

Money changers in Mustafa Centre, Chinatown and Arcade at Raffles Place give notably better rates than banks or the airport. Cards are accepted almost everywhere, but hawker stalls often want cash or PayNow.

ATMs & cards

DBS, OCBC and UOB machines are everywhere and reliable. Foreign card fees are modest. Decline dynamic currency conversion.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety

Among the safest cities on earth, with correspondingly strict laws. Fines apply for eating on the MRT, jaywalking and littering, and drug offences carry extremely severe penalties. Chewing gum import is restricted.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa

Health & emergencies

Required to enter

• Yellow fever certificate, but only if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present

Worth having

• Routine vaccinations up to date
• Hepatitis A

Getting treated

Among the best healthcare on earth and among the most expensive in Asia. Visitors pay unsubsidised rates, so insurance matters. Tap water is drinkable and food hygiene at hawker centres is regulated and graded.

Dengue is endemic and there are periodic outbreaks; the government publishes cluster maps.

Orientation, not medical advice. Entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history and where you have been — check with a travel clinic or your national health service four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

Hawker centres are the whole point — Maxwell, Tiong Bahru and Old Airport Road. A Michelin-recognised chicken rice plate costs a few dollars. Look for the longest local queue and join it.

Getting around

• MRT — immaculate, air-conditioned, cheap, covers essentially everywhere worth going
• Bus — dense network, tap the same card as the MRT
• Walking — much of the centre is connected by underground air-conditioned malls
• Grab — the local ride-hailing app, reasonably priced
• Airport: MRT East West line from Changi (35 min, ~S$2.50)

Must-see

Things to do

• See the Supertree light show at Gardens by the Bay
• Eat across three different hawker centres
• Walk the Southern Ridges trail
• Visit the Botanic Gardens orchid collection
• Explore Kampong Glam and Little India
• Night safari at the zoo

Nearby day trips

Say a few words

Singapore English — local usage

• Emphasis particleLah
• Reserving a hawker table with a tissue packetChope
• Very good / deliciousShiok
• Can you? / Yes I canCan or not? / Can!
• Fear of missing outKiasu
• The bill, pleaseBill please / Can help me check?
• Coffee with condensed milkKopi
• Thank youThank you / Terima kasih

Singlish adds particles to the end of sentences. Lah adds emphasis, meh signals doubt.

Religion

No majority faith

Genuinely plural — Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Taoist communities live closely together, and religious harmony is protected by law. Remove shoes at mosques and Hindu temples.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Chope your hawker centre table with a packet of tissues — it is the accepted system
• Return your tray after eating; it is now required at hawker centres
• Queue patiently and precisely
• Carry a water bottle and refill it; the tap water is excellent

Don't

• Do not eat or drink on the MRT, including water — it is fined
• Do not bring in chewing gum, and do not litter or jaywalk; all carry real fines
• Do not take drug offences lightly; penalties are extremely severe, including capital ones
• Do not skip the hawker centres in favour of restaurants — you would be missing the point of the city