by Shebs Alom*
Welcome back to The Velvet Runway and this feature about 5 Reasons to visit Singapore : One of Asia’s hotspot destinations by Shebs Alom.
Located to the south of Malaysia, Singapore is known for its glitz and glamour, but also for its cleanliness, stunning skyline and cosmopolitan culture. From stunning architecture, fantastic shopping, delicious food, age-old temples, museums and exotic gardens – Singapore has something for everyone.
5 Reasons to visit Singapore by guest contributor, Shebs Alom
Asia is my favourite destination to travel to. In particularly southeast Asia. The history is vast, you are guaranteed warm weather, and the food is exquisite. Singapore is right up there as one of my favourites to visit. Having travelled there on numerous occasions, Singapore has that spark; with a melting pot of cultures, it has become one of Asia’s hot spot destinations.
5 Reasons to Visit Singapore
Cultural Diversity
“Singapore is truly cosmopolitan, and we’ve managed to preserve our cultural—Chinese, Indian, and Malay—and architectural legacy through a heritage conservation programme. It is a merger of old and new, a mix of the East and West. These are the beautiful contradictions that make Singapore a richly diverse city.”
Cheong Koon Hean, who leads Singapore’s urban development agency, (in National Geographic)
Before heading out to Singapore, I never imagined the country having a skyscraper or being a place with so many diverse cultures.
It’s also a place for many expats from around the world—some who have settled for good. My aunt is one of them, and she has told me in the past, “There is so much balance between work and social life. My lifestyle here is so much better than what it was in the U.K. It’s also one the safest places in the world to raise my kids.”
I’ll also echo that exploring Singapore has been made so easy, thanks to one of the world’s most efficient and comprehensive public transport systems. If you’re craving breakfast in a place called Little India and want to visit the temples in Chinatown before lunch and then get some shopping done at Marina Bay afterwards, you have nothing to worry about, as you can use the scintillating MRT system. It’s fast, clean and immaculately reliable.
Not only the metro system, but their taxi service is also second to none as they are easy to order via various well-known apps. The country’s transport system is constantly improving, especially with its metro lines, making it one of the most accessible islands to navigate.
Glitz & Glamour
Talking of Marina Bay, Singapore has the Asian glitz and glamour, especially during the Singapore Grand Prix in September, which is the best time to visit.
“You will be hard pushed to find a more awe-inspiring venue than the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore. A real downtown street track, it looks incredible enough in daylight – but as F1’s only night race, it’s when the sun goes down that the venue really comes alive”
Chris Medland, F1 contributor
People flock from all over the world for the event. But during that whole week, the island is renowned for its elegant yacht parties. And I was lucky enough to get tickets to one with the race as well. Looking over that Singapore skyline partying the night away on a yacht is only something you can dream of. There was me wondering what I had done to deserve this in my life.
To top it all off, after watching a thrilling race, the aftershow had a band playing to finish the night off. The band that played that night was one of my favourite bands—Bon Jovi!
If you can’t get tickets for the race or yacht party, then the city has some of the best clubs in the world. I highly recommend heading over to Marina Bay, particularly Marina Bay Sands hotel, as a bar at the top of the building offers a beautiful panoramic view of the city. But if that’s not your thing, Clarke Quay offers great alternative nightlife for tourists.
Eco-friendly City
Singapore is becoming one of the leading countries working towards becoming more sustainable and environmentally friendly. If you drive out of town, you will find plenty of places to walk and see treetop jungle bridges with wildlife aplenty and the city’s green jewel, the Unesco World Heritage-listed Singapore Botanic Gardens.
And if that isn’t enough, you can head over to the stunning Gardens by the Bay. You will be pushed to find a garden like it anywhere else in the world.
Dining Out
People in Singapore love to dine out as there is so much variety within their cuisine. You can get cheap hawker fare to Michelin-starred fine dining and deliberate whether it’s up to the hype. Simply follow what your heart desires and whatever lies at the end of your plate; they are almost guaranteed to be delicious.
Shopping
Finally, if the scorching outdoor heat gets too much, Singaporeans love submerging inside as they love to shop and get a good dose of air-conditioning.
Orchard Road is the queen of shopping centres, with all the high-street brands and a few discounted outlets thrown into the mix. You may spot a few celebrities whilst you’re shopping for the next season.
Where to Stay
Booking.comFinal words
Singapore’s varied charms are bound to enchant visitors to its island with its diverse culture, century-old temples, bustling hawker centres, and lush green spaces. The city presents travellers with ample opportunities to explore, indulge and express their passions.
I hope you enjoyed this feature about 5 Reasons to visit Singapore : One of Asia’s hotspot destinations by guest contributor, Shebs Alom, as much as I did, and have a look here for more of our travel guides.
About Shebs Alom
Shebs is the Founder and Director of Shebs The Wanderer LTD. Graduating with a Bachelors degree in Fine art, he specialises in photography, videography, and writing. Shebs is the host of a travel podcast, ‘Take a Wander with Shebs’ which can be seen on his YouTube channel and all major podcasting platforms. Shebs also hosts his own travel show on the startup radio station, Gallivant Radio, the only dedicated travel station in Africa.
You can find him on social media at the following links:
YouTube : shebsthewanderer, Instagram : shebsthewanderer, Facebook: shebsthewanderer, Twitter : @shebsAlom and TikTok : shebsthewanderer
I’ve always wanted to visit Singapore! Hopefully I can go one day!
I hope you get there one day, Rach xo
I’ve never traveled to Asia. Singapore sounds like a great place to visit! Love that it’s an eco-friendly city!
Jill – Doused in Pink
Singapore is definitely worth adding to your bucket list! x
I absolutely LOVE Singapore! I’ve been a few times and would definitely go back again. I do love how clean and eco-friendly the city it. The humidity kills me though – I’ve yet to go when it hasn’t been crazy humid!
I love Singapore too, but I agree about the humidity!
I would absolutely LOVE to see Singapore someday! I’ve heard so many good things!
Yes, it’s definitely worth a visit! I have been a while ago and Shebs feature really makes me want to go back x
I feel like Singapore would be an amazing place to visit. Loved this post! 🙂
Wishing you an amazing day!
Make Life Marvelous
Thanks Ashley! I’m so glad you liked the post x
I would love to visit Singapore again in the future if I have the chance.
Thanks Nancy! Me too!!
This is someplace I had never thought about visiting, but I love how Shebs described it. Especially the public transportation which is lacking where we live.
XOOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Thanks Jodie! The public transport is amazing, and even the airport is stunning! I have been a while ago and I loved it but I didn’t explore as much as Shebs as I was only there for a couple of days xo
I would love to visit here one day. Good to know that there is so much good food and that is an eco-friendly city I would have to visit during the coolest time I hate heat and humidity lol,
Allie of
http://www.allienyc.com
Thanks Allie, it can be hot and humid, so definitely best to pick your time! There are always the shopping malls! xo
These are some excellent reasons to come on holiday here. It looks like such a stunning place. Plus the food and shopping would be exciting as well.
Thanks Heather! The shopping is great 🙂
Ever since I read Crazy Rich Asians, I’ve always wanted to visit Singapore! If only it wasn’t so far away.
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Singapore is definitely worth adding to your bucket list, but yes, it’s a long flight!
Singapore is one of my favourite places! Thanks for sharing these beautiful photos!
Thanks Yvonne! Glad you liked the photos x
I would love to visit Singapore some day. It’s such a gorgeous town to explore. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you liked finding out more about Singapore and hope you get to visit there xo
It’s looks so much fun in Singapore! I have visited it before pandemic. I hope the pandemic will end soon, so that we can start travel again. ????
Miki from Reikami,
Thanks Miki! I visited it before the pandemic too and I would love to go back x
Thanks for sharing this wonderful city! Need to add Singapore to my list!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
Glad you liked the feature Kathrine! Singapore is definitely worth adding to your list x
One of my favourite Asian countries! Many of ex co-workers are from this beautiful country.
It’s a beautiful place x