5-Day Budget Singapore Itinerary: Explore the City Without Breaking the Bank

I have done Singapore twice on a tight budget and once on a loose one, and I can tell you the tight trips were more fun. Not because I enjoyed counting coins, but because spending less forces you onto the MRT, into the hawker centres and out into the neighbourhoods where the city actually lives. The expensive version of Singapore is a pleasant blur of air-conditioned lobbies. The cheap version is a hot, noisy, delicious walk with a cold drink in your hand, and it sticks in the memory far better.

This guide is the five-day plan I now give to friends who ask me how to see the city without watching their bank balance fall off a cliff. It covers where to sleep, how to move around, what to eat, which attractions are worth paying for and which are worth only looking at from outside, and how the days fit together so that you are not criss-crossing the island. Every price I quote is an estimate or a current listing price, and prices in Singapore creep up, so treat the numbers as a planning guide rather than a promise.

One thing before we start. “Budget” in Singapore does not mean what it means in Hanoi or Kathmandu. This is one of the most expensive cities in Asia for beds and beer. But food and transport are unusually cheap for what you get, a lot of the best sights cost nothing, and the few things that cost money can be chosen carefully. Done right, five days here can be surprisingly gentle on your wallet.

Where the money actually goes, and how to keep it

Before the day-by-day plan, it helps to understand the shape of a Singapore budget. Accommodation is the big one. A bed in a decent hostel dorm usually runs somewhere around S$35 to S$60 a night depending on the season and how close you are to an MRT station, and a private room in a small budget hotel can easily double that. If you are travelling as a pair, a basic private room often works out cheaper per person than two dorm beds. Look at the location first and the price second, because a cheap bed twenty minutes from the nearest station will cost you more in time and fares than you save.

Food is where Singapore gives you the money back. A plate of chicken rice, a bowl of noodles or a serving of nasi lemak at a hawker centre generally costs somewhere between S$4 and S$8. Eat like that for most meals and food stays well under S$30 a day, even with coffee and a treat. Eat in mall restaurants and tourist-strip cafes and the same day can cost three times that. Transport sits in the middle: a typical MRT or bus ride is roughly S$1 to S$2.50, and a day of moving around comes to S$6 to S$10 for most people.

Those are my own working numbers from past trips plus a bit of rounding, not official figures, so allow a margin. The point of the table is the pattern: if you keep beds and food under control, the attractions line is the one you can flex up or down depending on your mood.

Before you land: entry rules, a SIM and a transport card

Singapore is easy to enter for most nationalities, but not all. A large number of passports get visa-free entry for short stays, and others need an entry visa arranged through an authorised agent in advance. If you are not sure which group you fall into, do this first, before you book anything non-refundable. HolidaySG has a visa requirements checker where you pick your passport and see what applies. For nationalities that do need a visa, the official fee listed in our records is about SGD 30 for a single entry, with processing that typically takes three to five working days and sometimes longer at peak periods. Apply early and leave a cushion.

A practical point for visa applicants: many embassies and agents want to see travel plans, and some ask for proof of onward or return travel at the application stage. Buying a full non-changeable ticket before you know the visa outcome is a risk I would not take. HolidaySG runs a flight reservation service made for exactly this situation. It is a manual reservation for visa paperwork, not an issued airline ticket, and it does not promise that a visa will be approved. It simply gives you a document to attach while you wait. Use it for what it is and nothing more.

Whatever your passport, all travellers need to submit the Singapore Arrival Card online within a few days before landing. It is free, takes a few minutes and is done on the official government channel. Do it the evening before you fly so you are not typing passport numbers into a phone at the immigration queue.

Next, connectivity. A local data plan is worth having for maps and for checking which exit of a big MRT station you want. An eSIM is the cheapest and fastest way: Commbitz Singapore e-SIM Daily starts from S$3.00, and the package version from S$4.16. Install it before you leave home and switch it on when you land.

For getting around, you have two reasonable options. Most contactless bank cards and phone wallets work on MRT gates and buses, so you may not need anything extra. If you would rather keep your travel spending separate from your card, or your card charges foreign-transaction fees on every small tap, a stored-value card is simpler. The Ez-link card is listed from S$12.00. If you plan to ride a lot, the Singapore Tourist Pass, with 1 to 5 day options, is listed from S$15.12. Do a quick sum before buying: if you will only take four or five rides a day, a plain stored-value card often wins, and if you will hop on and off all day the pass can pay for itself.

Where to stay without overpaying

My rule is to sleep close to an MRT line, not close to a landmark. Singapore is small and well connected, so any station on the North-South, East-West or Circle lines puts you within thirty minutes of everything in this plan. That frees you to choose the neighbourhood with the cheapest beds and the best food rather than the one nearest a famous building.

Three areas tend to work well. Little India and Kampong Glam have the largest cluster of hostels and small budget hotels, with hawker centres and cheap restaurants on the doorstep and two MRT stations close by. Chinatown has a handful of hostels and guesthouses in restored shophouses, with the best late-night food in the city a short walk away. Geylang and the area around Lavender are rougher round the edges and often cheaper, though some travellers prefer to avoid the busiest night-time streets. Orchard Road is convenient but mostly priced for shoppers, so it rarely pays off for a lean budget.

Book in the shoulder periods if you can. Hotel prices spike around major holidays and the Formula One weekend in the second half of the year, and a dorm bed that costs S$40 in a quiet week can double. Late March to early May and parts of September to November are generally calmer, though the weather is hot all year anyway. If your dates are fixed, book early and compare cancellation terms rather than assuming anything is refundable.

The rhythm of a Singapore day on a budget

The first thing you learn here is to work around the heat. It is warm and humid in every month, with afternoon thunderstorms common, particularly in the wetter stretch from November to January. A good budget day starts early, eats a hawker breakfast, does the outdoor walking in the morning, hides in a museum, a mall or a food court through the early afternoon, and goes back out when the light softens. This is why the plan below puts outdoor sights first and indoor ones in the middle.

Carry a small umbrella that works for both sun and rain, a refillable bottle, and sunscreen. Tap water in Singapore is safe to drink, and many hawker centres, malls and parks have free water points, so you never need to buy bottled water. That saves a couple of dollars a day. It adds up.

Day 1: Marina Bay on foot, and what is truly free

Start the trip where most postcards were taken. Marina Bay is a loop of waterfront that you can walk around in about two hours without paying anything, and it takes in the Merlion, the Helix Bridge, the glass-and-steel shell of the arts centre, the three-tower hotel with the ship-shaped deck on top, and the gardens behind it. If your flight lands in the morning, drop your bag at the hostel and go straight there, because the walking is easy and the views reward jet-lagged eyes.

Begin at the Merlion Park, the stone creature with the fish tail spouting water into the bay. You will queue for a photo and it will be crowded, but it takes ten minutes and costs nothing. From there walk across the Helix Bridge, which has a DNA-like spiral frame and lookout bays with a good angle on the skyline. Come back along the water to the Esplanade, the spiky-domed arts centre locals call the durian. It has free outdoor performances on many evenings, and there is a rooftop terrace worth a quick look.

If you want to go up high, the sky deck on the three-tower resort is the classic view. The SkyPark Observation Deck is listed from S$35.00. It is not cheap for a view, and I would only do it once, at the late-afternoon slot when you can watch the daylight give way to the lights. If you are counting every dollar, skip it and enjoy the same skyline from the free waterfront promenade at night. The photograph from the water is, in my view, just as good as the one from the top.

The ArtScience Museum, the lotus-shaped building beside the bay, has changing exhibitions. Tickets for the ArtScience Museum are listed from S$20.00. Check what is on before you decide, because the value depends heavily on the current show. If an exhibition is not your thing, admire the building from the outside and move on.

Gardens by the Bay, the right way

This is the one place where I would say paying a bit is worth it, but only after you have enjoyed everything that is free. The outdoor gardens, the paths between the great artificial trees known as the Supertree Grove, and the lakeside walks cost nothing. The grove is dramatic by day, and at night it lights up in a show that runs twice each evening. Check the posted times, arrive twenty minutes early, and lie on your back on the grass or the benches below the trees. It is one of the best free things in Asia.

The paid parts are the two big conservatories and the elevated walkway among the treetops. Gardens by the Bay tickets are listed from S$33.94. If you can only afford one thing, the cool, misty forest dome with its tall indoor waterfall is the one I remember most, and the air conditioning is a real bonus in the middle of the day. There is also a hop-on bus bundle if you like a ride included: Gardens by the Bay 2 Domes plus a FunVee 2-hour bus ticket is listed from S$41.46.

Dinner at a hawker centre by the bay

For dinner, walk to Lau Pa Sat, a Victorian cast-iron market building turned food court a short stroll from the bay. It is more tourist-facing than some hawker centres, and prices sit slightly higher than the neighbourhood ones, but it is a genuine introduction. In the evening the street outside is closed to traffic and the satay vendors set up smoky grills; a stick or two with peanut sauce and a cold drink makes a very cheap, very Singaporean first night. Agree the price per stick before you order and check the total on the board. If the budget is tight, eat a normal plate of rice or noodles from the main hall and treat the satay as a side.

Finish the night back at the bay for the free light and water show if the timetable suits you, then take the MRT home. A first day done this way costs almost nothing beyond the food and perhaps one ticket. You have seen the most famous parts of the city without a single high-priced booking.

Day 2: Chinatown, old temples and the river

Chinatown is where the day gets slower and more textured. Take the MRT to the Chinatown station and come out into the streets of restored shophouses, food stalls and souvenir shops. Go early, before the tour groups, and do the temples first because they get hot and busy later.

The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple is a big, richly decorated building that charges no entrance fee. Dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered, and expect a quiet, active place of worship, not a museum. A few streets away is the Sri Mariamman Temple, the oldest Hindu temple in the city, easy to recognise by its tiered gateway covered in painted figures. Both are free. If you walk the length of Telok Ayer Street, you also pass a number of old places of worship from different traditions within a few hundred metres, a reminder of how mixed the city has always been.

For a bit of background, the Chinatown Heritage Centre is listed from S$20.95. It rebuilds the cramped living quarters of the early residents in surprising detail, and I found it more affecting than I expected. If you are going to pay for one small museum on the trip, this is a strong candidate, particularly in the early afternoon when you want to be indoors anyway. If you would rather be guided, the Ultimate Chinatown Heritage Walking Tour is listed from S$77.21.

Eat well for very little

The Maxwell and Chinatown Complex area is the heart of cheap eating for the day. The Chinatown Complex food centre is huge, with stalls on the upper floor selling everything from claypot rice to roast meats, and the prices are what locals pay. Go before one in the afternoon to avoid the longest queues. If you want a guide to get you through the ordering, the Singapore Food Tours at the Chinatown Complex Hawker Centre is listed from S$62.08. It is a cost to weigh against a self-guided meal, but it takes the guesswork out of what to order and where the queue is worth joining.

A tip I learned the hard way: look at the stalls with a queue of office workers rather than the ones with laminated photos and a person calling out to you. Order one dish per person, and share a plate of vegetables or a bowl of soup if you want variety. Pay as you go, return your tray where signs ask you to, and wipe nothing, because cleaners do that. Coffee here is called kopi, and a sweet one with condensed milk is just kopi. If you want it less sweet, say “kopi siew dai.” You will be understood, and you will be happier.

The river in the late afternoon

After lunch, spend the hot hours in the museum or a cool cafe, then walk down to the Singapore River as the heat eases. The riverside path from Boat Quay up to Clarke Quay is a pleasant walk past old warehouses turned into bars and restaurants. The prices at the waterfront tables are firmly tourist, so look at the view and eat elsewhere. If you want to see the river from the water, the Singapore River Cruise is listed from S$26.52, and a short trip at dusk is a relaxing way to see the skyline come on. It is optional. The walk gives you most of the same scenery for nothing.

For the evening, go back towards Chinatown and eat again at a different stall. By now you should have a small list of favourites. Walk off dinner along Smith Street, where the night food market opens, and head home early. Day three starts with a lot of walking.

Day 3: Little India, Kampong Glam and Bugis

Day three is my favourite, and it is the cheapest of the lot. You will cover three different neighbourhoods on foot, they sit close together, and nearly everything worth doing costs nothing. Begin at Little India, where the streets smell of jasmine, incense and frying dough. Come out at the Little India MRT station and walk towards Serangoon Road, past garland sellers, sari shops, gold jewellers and small restaurants selling banana-leaf rice.

Tekka Centre is the big food centre here, with north Indian and south Indian stalls and some of the cheapest sit-down meals in the city. A plate of biryani, a roti prata with curry or a masala dosa with a cup of tea can be had for a few dollars. On weekends it is packed and loud, which is half the appeal. Early on a weekday morning it is calmer and you can see the market side of the building coming to life. Order at a stall, point at what the person in front of you is having, and you will not go wrong.

For something quieter, the Indian Heritage Centre is listed from S$10.00. It is a well-designed museum on the history of the Indian community across Southeast Asia, and it gives the street scenes outside a context that you will miss if you just wander. Allow about ninety minutes, and use it as your indoor break in the heat of the day. Nearby, the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple is free to enter, with dress rules like the other temples, and is one of the most colourful in the city.

Kampong Glam and Haji Lane

From Little India it is about a twenty-minute walk, or a short MRT hop, to Kampong Glam. This is the old Malay quarter, built around the Sultan Mosque with its golden dome. You can see the mosque from outside, and visitors who dress modestly and visit outside prayer times are often welcomed into certain areas. Check the posted rules at the entrance rather than assuming. Behind the mosque, Haji Lane is a narrow alley of small boutiques, murals and cafes that has become popular for photos. It is lively, not cheap, and a pleasant half hour to wander.

For the history of the area, the Malay Heritage Centre is listed from S$10.00 and sits in the former palace grounds. It is smaller than the other heritage museums and pairs well with an afternoon coffee on Arab Street. If you want an organised walk through the neighbourhoods, the Singapore 3 Ethnic Quarters Tour covering Chinatown, Kampong Glam and Little India is listed from S$89.91, though if you have already planned your own route you may not need it.

Bugis for a cheap evening

Finish the day at Bugis. The street market area near Bugis Junction sells clothes, souvenirs and snacks at much lower prices than Orchard Road, and the food stalls around the area do cheap noodles, fresh fruit juices and desserts. This is a good place to buy souvenirs, because prices are reasonable and you can see whole sets of postcards, magnets and small gifts before choosing. Compare a couple of stalls before you hand over cash, since the first one you see is rarely the lowest.

If you want a guided evening instead, the #INSTAWALK Bugis, Waterloo and Kampong Glam walk is listed from S$61.64. I would only add it if you enjoy photography tours, since the free version of this area is already very walkable. Go back to the hostel on the MRT and sleep well, because tomorrow is a beach day.

Day 4: Sentosa without the resort prices

Sentosa has a reputation for being expensive, and parts of it are. But the island is also home to some of the best free things in the south, and a cleverly planned day can cost very little. The trick is to choose what you pay for and ignore the rest. Get there early, spend the cool morning on the beach, and leave before the evening crowds if you want to save on food.

The easiest way in is via the VivoCity shopping mall in the south, where you board the Sentosa Express monorail on the top floor. Check the current fee at the station, since there is a small entry charge to the island by rail, and you will pay again if you take other routes. Walking across the boardwalk from VivoCity is another option and is free, with a nice view of the harbour. It takes about fifteen to twenty minutes, so on a hot day it is a question of whether the saving is worth the sweat.

Once on the island, the beaches are the first free thing. Siloso, Palawan and Tanjong are public, with sand, palm trees and places to swim. They are not the cleanest or quietest beaches you will ever see, since this is a working shipping lane with ships on the horizon, but they are fun and free. Bring a towel, sunscreen and your own water, and you can spend a morning for the cost of your fare. The famous rope bridge on Palawan Beach leads to a small islet and a southernmost-point marker, and the photo is worth the few minutes.

Choose one paid thing

If you want to pay for one attraction, choose carefully, because prices add up. I have three suggestions at different budgets. The cable car gives you a ride over the harbour and a view of the whole island. The Singapore Cable Car is listed from S$31.50. If you want a thrill, Skyline Luge Singapore is listed from S$35.51 and includes a chairlift ride up the hill. If you prefer the evening, Wings of Time Fireworks Symphony is listed from S$35.11 and combines water, lasers, music and fireworks on the beach. A combined ticket also exists: Wings of Time plus the Singapore Cable Car is listed from S$38.09.

For families and water-lovers, Adventure Cove Waterpark is listed from S$32.87, and Universal Studios Singapore from S$73.59. These are full-day attractions and will take the budget out of a lean trip, so I would only include one of them if you are travelling with children or are a theme park person. They are not part of my core five-day plan, but they slot in easily if you swap out Day 5's wandering. If you are going to go, buy tickets ahead for your date rather than at the gate, and arrive at opening time.

Eating on the island

Food on Sentosa is pricier than on the mainland, so the budget move is to eat before you go or carry snacks. There is a food court at the beach end of the island, but it still costs more than the hawker centres you have been eating at. A few good options: have a big hawker breakfast in town, pack a bottle and a bag of fruit, and come back to the mainland at around four for a normal-priced early dinner at the VivoCity food court or a hawker centre nearby. If you decide to stay for the evening show, eat a light snack on the island and have a proper meal after.

A quick rule on weather. If a thunderstorm rolls in, which it often does in the afternoon, shelter under a covered walkway or in the nearest mall and wait it out. The storms are usually short, and the island is lovely and cool afterwards. Do not buy a poncho from a shop on the beach; a small umbrella from home will do.

Day 5: Botanic Gardens, Orchard Road and Jewel

The last day is the one where I let the trip breathe. You will have walked a lot, so spend the morning in the Singapore Botanic Gardens, which is free to enter and large enough to lose an hour. It is a heritage garden with old rain trees, a lake with swans, and shaded paths that are a relief after a week of city heat. The garden is recognised by UNESCO, and it is a very pleasant place to read, jog or stroll. The National Orchid Garden inside the grounds charges a modest entry fee. If you like orchids, it is worth it, and if not, you can skip it without missing the best of the park.

Get there early, around eight, when the air is cool and the locals are out doing tai chi on the lawns. A flask of coffee and a snack from the stall at the entrance, and you have a very cheap and very beautiful morning. Take the MRT to the Botanic Gardens station, which has an entrance almost directly into the park.

Orchard Road, and the cheaper side of it

After the gardens, head to Orchard Road, the main shopping belt. It is not budget-friendly for shopping, and I would not buy much here, but it is worth a walk to see the tree-lined avenue and the enormous malls. Treat it as a window-shopping and air-conditioning stop. If you do want to buy something, check the lower floors and basements of the older malls, where small shops and food courts sell at more reasonable prices than the glossy flagship stores. Many malls have a basement food court where a plate of rice or noodles costs about the same as at a hawker centre, and it is air conditioned.

If you prefer culture to shopping, the National Gallery Singapore is listed from S$13.00 and holds a large collection of Southeast Asian art in two restored colonial buildings. The Peranakan Museum is listed from S$12.00 and tells the story of the Straits Chinese community, with beautiful beadwork, furniture and clothing. Either is a good indoor choice for a hot afternoon, and you should not try to do both in one day.

Finish at Jewel

If your flight is late in the day, or you want one last memorable thing, end at Jewel Changi Airport. Even if you are not flying, the shopping and garden complex beside the terminal is worth a visit, with a very tall indoor waterfall at its centre. Entry to the building is free, and you can see the waterfall from several viewpoints without paying. Jewel Changi Airport attractions are listed from S$37.96 if you want to go into the paid gardens and walkways. If you are flying out the same evening, this makes a lovely last stop before you check in, since the MRT goes straight to the airport from the city.

If you are going to Changi for an early flight and want to avoid an early taxi, check the MRT's last and first train times the day before. The first trains run in the morning, but a very early departure may need a taxi or a pre-booked ride. Book that in advance and compare with your hostel's suggestion, because night surcharges apply on taxis.

Wildlife day: a swap-in if you have the budget

If you have more money, or one of your five days is rainy, the wildlife parks at Mandai are the best way to spend a full day. There are four of them close together: the zoo, a river-themed park, a night safari and a bird park. They are priced separately, and a day at one of them can easily cost the same as three days of food. If you love animals, choose one and do it properly, rather than rushing through two.

To save on transport, check whether a shared shuttle covers your route before booking a private one: the ULACAB Mandai attractions transfer is listed from S$49.82. If you are travelling alone, a normal bus and MRT link usually costs less, though it takes longer. If you are a group of three or four, a transfer can make financial sense.

A last suggestion on wildlife. If money is tight, skip the animals and use that day for the free Southern Ridges walk, the long elevated trail with a canopy bridge that links several parks along a green ridge. It costs nothing, and it is one of the best views in the city on a clear morning. Carry water and go early.

Eating cheaply, and what to order

This is the section I get asked about the most. Singapore has a food culture where an unglamorous plastic stool and a laminated tray can serve you some of the best meals of your life. The hawker centres are government-run food courts with dozens of stalls, and some are recognised by UNESCO as part of the national heritage. Eat at them most of the time, and treat restaurant meals as occasional.

Those ranges are rough and depend on the centre and the stall. A few extra tips. Chilli crab is the famous seafood dish, but it is priced by weight and is a restaurant meal; if it is on your wish list, share one crab between two or three people and budget for it separately. Drinks are where hawker meals can grow: a bottle of soft drink costs more than a local tea, so stick to the local drinks or refill your bottle. And remember that the cheapest option is often the best.

Do not forget the small habits that make you look like you know what you are doing. Reserve a table by leaving a packet of tissues on it, which is a long-standing local custom, then go and order. Pay at the stall when you collect your food, and take your tray back to the return point if there is one. Be patient with queues, because long queues generally mean good food.

Getting around: the MRT, buses and walking

The MRT is clean, air conditioned, reliable and easy to navigate, and you will use it daily. Stations have signs in English, platforms are clearly marked, and trains come every few minutes. Buses are cheaper in some cases and reach areas that the trains do not, and any map app will tell you which one to take. Both take contactless cards and the stored-value cards mentioned earlier, and you tap in and out.

A few small pieces of etiquette will save you embarrassment. Do not eat or drink on the train, which carries a fine. Let people off before you step on. Stand on the left on escalators and leave the right side free for people walking. And if you see a priority seat, leave it for those who need it, even if the carriage is empty at first.

For tours that cover long distances, such as a visit to the airport or the island's sights in one go, an open-top bus is a useful option. The Singapore FunVee Hop-On Hop-Off City Sightseeing Bus Tour is listed from S$33.64, and Big Bus Singapore from S$58.34. Frankly, the MRT is cheaper for getting about, but a bus gives you a commentary and a seat in the shade, and some visitors like that on a first day.

Safety, etiquette and the little rules

Singapore is one of the safest places I have travelled, and I have walked home at midnight without a second thought. That said, take the usual care with your phone and bag in crowded areas, and keep copies of your passport in your email. Basic emergency numbers are 999 for the police and 995 for ambulance and fire.

The city is also strict about small rules, and tourists sometimes get caught out. Chewing gum cannot be brought in for sale, and littering, jaywalking and smoking in banned areas draw fines. Smoking is restricted in many outdoor places as well as indoors. Drinking alcohol in public places can be restricted late at night in certain zones. None of this is hard to follow, and most visitors never notice, but it is better to know. Tipping is not expected in most places, as a service charge is often added to restaurant bills, and you can simply leave it.

In temples and mosques, dress modestly, remove your shoes when asked, and ask before taking photos of people praying. A light scarf in your bag solves most problems.

A realistic daily budget for five days

Here is how all of this adds up. I have built two versions: a lean one where I sleep in a dorm, eat at hawker centres and pay for almost nothing, and a comfortable-cheap one where I take a private room with a friend and buy two or three tickets. Neither includes flights, shopping or a surprise bubble tea habit.

These are estimates, and your own total will vary with the season, the exchange rate and how often you are tempted by a rooftop bar. The best way to stay on budget is to decide on your two or three paid attractions before you leave, book those, and treat everything else as free until proven otherwise.

Booking tickets without overspending

A few simple habits keep ticket costs under control. First, pick your paid attractions in advance, ideally one per day at most. Second, buy for a specific date if the attraction offers it, so you are not queueing at the gate. Third, check what is already included before you buy a bundle, because some bundles pay off and others bundle things you do not want. Fourth, avoid buying something that duplicates a free view; the sky deck and the waterfront are a good example.

You can browse and book all of the attractions mentioned in this guide on HolidaySG. After you book, the tickets are emailed once our team confirms your order, so build a little time into your plans rather than booking the same morning. If you need to see whether your passport needs a visa, use the visa requirements checker before you finalise dates, and if you need a document for an application, the flight reservation service is available.

What I would do differently

Looking back over three trips, I have a short list of regrets. I once paid for two paid attractions on the same day and was too tired to enjoy the second. I booked a hostel that looked cheap but was a long walk from the MRT, and the daily fares and time more than cancelled the saving. I bought bottled water for the first two days before I realised the tap water was fine. And I skipped the Southern Ridges walk because it looked too far, only to learn from a friend that it was one of the best things she did. Learn from my errors.

If you only take three things from this guide, make them these. Eat at hawker centres. Do the free things first. And choose your paid attractions deliberately, not by habit. The rest takes care of itself.

Frequently asked questions

Is Singapore too expensive for a budget trip?

It is expensive for accommodation and alcohol, but food and public transport are good value, and many of the best sights are free. With a dorm bed, hawker meals and a few carefully chosen tickets, a five-day trip is manageable for many travellers.

How much money do I need per day?

As a rough guide, a lean traveller can get by on about S$60 to S$110 a day excluding flights, and a comfortable-cheap traveller on S$130 to S$210. Your own figure depends on the season and your tastes, so treat the range as an estimate.

Do I need a visa for Singapore?

It depends on your passport. Many nationalities enter without a visa for a short stay, while others need to apply through an authorised agent. Use our visa requirements checker to see what applies to you, and apply early, because processing can take several working days.

What is the best time of year to visit?

Singapore is warm and humid year-round. The wetter period is roughly November to January, and the drier months run from about December to June. Late March to early May and parts of September to November are often calmer for prices and crowds, though this changes from year to year.

Is the tap water safe to drink?

Yes. Tap water in Singapore is safe to drink, and carrying a refillable bottle saves money every day. Many parks, malls and hawker centres have water points.

Which attractions are worth paying for?

It depends on your interests, but a good short list for a lean budget is the Gardens by the Bay conservatories, one heritage museum such as the Chinatown or Indian Heritage Centre, and either the cable car or the Wings of Time show on Sentosa. Everything else on this itinerary is free or very cheap.

Can I do all this in five days using only public transport?

Yes. Every day in this plan can be done with the MRT, buses and walking, and a stored-value card or a contactless bank card will cover the fares. Use a taxi or ride-hail only for a late arrival or a very early flight.

What should I pack?

Light clothing that dries quickly, comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen, a small umbrella, a refillable bottle and a scarf for temple visits. A power bank is useful, since you will rely on your phone for maps.

Featured experiences in this guide

Commbitz Singapore e-SIM DailyFrom S$3.00 Book →Commbitz Singapore e-SIM PackageFrom S$4.16 Book →Singapore Tourist Pass – 1/2/3/4/5 DayFrom S$15.12 Book →ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay SandsFrom S$20.00 Book →Gardens by the Bay 2 Domes Plus Free FunVee 2 HoursFrom S$41.46 Book →Singapore Ultimate Chinatown Heritage Walking TourFrom S$77.21 Book →Singapore Food Tours – Chinatown Complex Hawker CenterFrom S$62.08 Book →Singapore 3 Ethnic Quarters Tour (Chinatown, Kampong Glam & Little Ind...From S$89.91 Book →#INSTAWALK: BUGIS, WATERLOO, KAMPONG GLAMFrom S$61.64 Book →Skyline Luge Singapore 新加坡斜坡滑车与空中吊椅From S$35.51 Book →Wings of Time Fireworks SymphonyFrom S$35.11 Book →Wings of Time + Singapore Cable CarFrom S$38.09 Book →Adventure Cove Waterpark™From S$32.87 Book →Universal Studios SingaporeFrom S$73.59 Book → Peranakan MuseumFrom S$12.00 Book →Singapore ZooFrom S$46.17 Book →Night SafariFrom S$54.24 Book →River WondersFrom S$42.35 Book →Bird ParadiseFrom S$46.17 Book →ULACAB Singapore Mandai Attraction (Bird Paradise, River Wonders, Nigh...From S$49.82 Book →Singapore FunVee Hop-On Hop-Off City Sightseeing Bus TourFrom S$33.64 Book →Big Bus SingaporeFrom S$58.34 Book →