Essential Short Trip Guide: 13 Places to Visit in Singapore

An essential short trip guide for anybody loves travelling to Singapore but has little time on hand. 2 days trip to be exact. Many things to visit in such a short period of time.

I really can’t wait until this Covid-19 is over or at least until all countries in the world lift the travel bans and quarantined orders. The first place I’m gonna fly to after all of these crazy things is the one and only country: Singapore. I have a big obsession with Singapore in terms of travelling (not moving, just to be clear). Based on the fact that I’ve been here so many times, that’s why I wanted to do this essential short trip guide for anybody also loves short vacation.

Most of my travels has been limited to 2 or 3 days max because of my full time cooking job. I had a crazy working schedule (and a weird boss, lol) which did not really allow me to take time off longer than 3 days frequently. So I stick with short vacation and actually love it. If you have super tight schedule but still want to travel here and there, you are absolutely on the same page with me.

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Moreover, if you haven’t known, I’m having 6 7 cats (as of August, 2020) in my apartment right now so the thought leaving them alone for more than 4 days at home gives me anxiety and nervousness. I did take a-2-week trip before, and by the fifth day I constantly checked our security camera just to make sure everything was ok for my buddies (well, I had my auntie come over and fed them for me as well as cleaned out the litter boxes, they were not starving if you ever wonder).

So the ideal itinerary for short trip is much harder for a 3 to 4 days span trip. I have Googled everywhere and there was limited info about where to go and what to eat within only 2 days. So here I am, saving the day for people with short vacation obsession. I also had a post only about food in Singapore, you can check it HERE.

Essential tip for essential short trip guide

Please keep in mind that you’re gonna walk a lot in Singapore, a lot a lot, so do your feet a favor by bringing the best pair of shoes with you on this trip. The way Singapore designed their infrastructure has allowed pedestrians walk whenever and wherever they want. You might travel faster by foot or by train compared to Taxi or Grab (Uber is not available in Singapore, fyi), especially in rush hours.

For this 2 days trip that I took a while back then, I chose Clarke Quay as my main staying because it has everything nearby: restaurants, bars, clubs, shopping malls, book stores, etc.

1. Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay

This was where I stayed on this 2 days trip. The hotel has a wonderful view of the Clarke walk way and Singaporean River.

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2. Clarke Quay Central

This includes many shopping stores and restaurants within walking distance from the hotel.

3. Irvin Salted Egg

Once you’re at Clarke Quay Central, pay yourself a visit to Irvin Salted Egg store, it has the best salted egg fish skin in the world. Chances are you’ve already heard about it so here you go, buy as many as you can.

4. Robertson Quay

Once you live at Clarke Quay, there’s another place that you can chill out called Robertson Quay (only 10 minutes walking). It has many restaurants with great view if you want to have a nice lunch or dinner here.

5. 7-11

One of things you can’t miss when you are in Singapore is 7-11. They’re everywhere, you can find them in this Clarke Quay neighborhood and buy some unique snacks that you can’t find in other countries that have 7-11. That’s why I put 7-11 on this essential short trip guide.

6. Jumbo Seafood

Ah ha, promise me you MUST go to this restaurant and eat its amazing Chili Crab. You can read more about this wonderful place in this related post: Summer Food in Lion City.

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7. One Raffles Place

Another shopping mall near by in the neighborhood is you want to experience different type of malls here.

8. Ngee Ann City

Ah ha, mall again. In fact you can find yourself surrounded by shopping malls when you’re in Singapore. They are everywhere just like you can find Mc Donald or Starbucks back in the States.

9. Kinokuniya Bookstore

Another gem in this essential short trip guide. Once you’re in Ngee Ann City, you have to visit this book store. Trust me, it does not look like any book store you’ve been to. Barnes & Nobles is nothing closed to this one, and this location is the biggest location on the world. You’ll like it, I promise. I can find myself spend countless of hours once I step foot in the store.

10. China Town

You have to take a train to china town but it only takes 10-15 minutes. China Town has a unique lifestyle that helps you to see how a normal life in Singapore actually looks like. You’ll find a lot of local food stalls and native citizen here.

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11. Liao Fan Hawker Chan

And once you’re in China Town, you should pay this 1 Star Michelin restaurant a visit. It’s very cheap and super delicious. Keep in mind that you should avoid the lunch office hour (which is around 12pm – 2pm) because it might be pack and hard to find a place to sit.

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12. People’s Park

Also located in China Town, this place has a enormous food court that mainly serves the locals. You can find from Chinese food to Indian food here. And remember, bring your own paper napkins with you unless you’re willing to pay for them at check out. Food hawkers or food stalls in Singapore do not provide paper napkin for free.

13. Merlion Park

Last but not least, the ‘Lion’ Park where you can find the mom and the kid version of the country’s symbol. It’s definitely not walking distance, you can take a cab or go by train. Try to squeeze in just an hour in your trip and visit this place. You’ll see such a breathtaking view and a lot of fresh air.

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I hope this post would help you in many ways. Regardless of how many days you intend to spend in this country, these places are definitely should be on your list. Let me know how it goes. I’ll be back with more posts about short trips to different cities/countries.