Spending a day in Singapore can be a lot more rewarding than you think! Here’s your guide for the five most exciting things in the garden city within 24 hours.
The map of Singapore, often a tiny dot on the world map, neighbouring its former counterpart Malaysia, basks in the affluence of many hues and moods. Calm collides with clamour while hymns of heritage intersect with an air of modernity. And what’s really a treat for the eyes, especially for travellers, are its clean streets and even cleaner azure blue skylines (except for the brief hours when it suddenly pours) that promise discoveries of a kind.
Trust us when we say this, a lot can happen in just a day in Singapore when your only goal in the garden city is to wander around, witness the cosmopolitan bustle and earn experiences that traverse pockets of art, culture, food, shopping and an unforgettable me-time. Take our cue — here’s how you can spend a soul-gratifying 24 hours in Singapore minus the extremely touristy spots. Great food, guaranteed!
A morning call at National Orchid Garden
The National Orchid Garden opens as early as 8:30 AM making it just the perfect location to start your morning with. Tucked away on the highest landscaped hillside, the garden, which opened to public in 1995, is in fact a part of the colossal Singapore Botanic Gardens dubbed a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Surrounded by endless stretches of greens and the cleanest sheath of breezy air, the National Orchid Garden bears a striking display of over 1,000 species and even more hybrids of orchids — a parade of colours, patterns, shapes and sizes of beautifully harvested flowers. Plus, the garden is wheelchair-friendly, making the charm of orchids accessible to all.
Lunch amidst the greens in Singapore
Image: Pratishtha Rana.
Before you realise, the world of orchids can easily engage you for hours and hours. Morning soon turns into afternoon and soon it is lunch time! At just a kilometre’s distance is Open Farm Community, a progressive open-concept kitchen and restaurant where sustainability is in the spotlight at the table. The outpost hosts fun farm tours and a lot of the ingredients used in its recipes are directly sourced from their own garden, too. As a result, the fare here is utterly mouth-watering and simply gourmet.
Whether you are a vegan, vegetarian or non-vegetarian, plenty of choices such as Indonesian baby potato, Genting garden tomatoes with cashew ricotta, Tiberias Snapper Ceviche with sago crackers, cauliflower wings with tamarind miso and sesame will stun your palate as it did ours! If you’ve saved up space for incoming dessert, then we suggest calling for the guava sorbet, kafir lime foam and coconut jam bundled up in a white coconut shell; the safest kind of gluten-free gluttony to ever exist, or so we believe.
Palate-freeze at Museum of Ice Cream
Image: Shutterstock/HasanZaidi.
Swathed in pastel pink tones and nestled in the quaint neighbourhood of Dempsey Hill, the story of the US-originated Museum of Ice Cream in Singapore began in late 2021. Ever since, it has become a coveted destination to devour unlimited servings of ice cream. A fitting post-lunch tour, Museum of Ice Cream opens to different rooms with different installations, activities, and fascinating counters of ice creams in distinct flavours that you can try for as many times as you like.
Towards the end, watch out for the vibrant sprinkle pool packed with larger-than-usual rubber sprinkles that you can actually jump into. All your Instagram woes will instantly disappear here.
Shop, shop, and shop some more at Orchard Road in Singapore
When in Singapore, the most common thing you will hear from tourists and locals alike is how small the city of Singapore is and travelling here is a breeze. We agree. Once you exit the Museum of Ice Cream with your palate overwhelmed with the sweet attack, head towards Orchard Road, just about five to six minutes away.
They call it the buzzing lifestyle and shopping district of the city with massive facades of the most high-end labels like Gucci, Burberry, Prada and others shining glamorously on the street. Browse through and shop to your heart’s content and if you’re a coffee fiend just like us, stop by at % Arabica coffee shop inside 313@Somerset Mall for a quick caffeine refuel.
Dine and dance at Clarke Quay
The quintessential favourite of tourists and locals alike, Clarke Quay is Singapore’s riverfront gem that embraces the best views of the waterscape that lights up in the evening, with heart-winning restaurants and bars that run until late in the night. And once you wrap up the late hours here, there’s a 7-Eleven right around the corner to refill your cart for the after-party!
A few eateries that explode with a host of flavours are Hanjip Korean Grill House, Jumbo Seafood, Upin Hot Pot, Monster Fish amongst others, while bars like Zouk, Level Up, Yang Club are the perfect haunts to let your hair down and sip some craft cocktails while at it.
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