4 Days in Singapore

Lush Gardens, Street Food, Multicultural Charm

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WHEN Year Round
WHERE Singapore
HOW LONG 4 Days

The city-state of Singapore is a fascinating melting pot and shining example of urban planning. Public transport is efficient, and there’s greenery at every turn. The hypermodern buildings of the financial district blend seamlessly with Chinatown’s charming shopfronts and other distinctive ethnic enclaves.

An old trading port, Singapore is a natural choice for anyone who wants to shop – or eat. From no-frills hawker centers to award-winning restaurants, the dynamic cuisine of Singapore draws foodies from around the globe. While the weather stays hot and humid, things to do in Singapore are varied; if you still think of the city-state as staid and boring, you’re due for a return visit. You can hit the beach, get your adrenaline pumping at theme parks, explore museums championing regional talents, or sample award-winning craft cocktails.

Remember that you can explore freely with no foreign transaction fees1 on purchases made abroad made with your Platinum® Card.

Read on for our recommended Singapore itinerary and learn about some of the benefits that you can enjoy throughout your journey when you book through American Express Travel®.

Get Settled in Singapore

Accommodations

Mandarin Oriental, Singapore

Shangri-La Singapore

W Singapore Sentosa Cove

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Places of Interest

Singapore Botanic Gardens

Museum of Ice Cream Singapore

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Eat & Drink

Open Farm Community

Canchita Peruvian Cuisine

Claudine Restaurant

Meta Restaurant

Fiamma

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Explore Marina Bay & Beyond

Places of Interest

Discover the Neighborhoods of Singapore

Cycling the Heart of Singapore

National Gallery of Singapore 

Gardens by the Bay

SkyPark Observation Deck

Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

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Eat & Drink

The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands

Atlas

Smoke & Mirrors

Nanbantei Japanese Restaurant

Thevar

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Dig into the Local Street Food

Places of Interest

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

Mount Faber/Southern Ridges walks

Gillman Barracks

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Eat & Drink

Taste Singaporean Street Food

Inside Chinatown Street Food Experience

Le Bon Funk 

Zén

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Embrace the Sentosa Resort Lifestyle

Places of Interest

A Day on Sentosa Island

Singapore Light Show Spectacular

Soaring and Racing over Sentosa Island

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Eat & Drink

Ocean Restaurant

Native Kitchen

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Day 1: Get Settled in Singapore
5
EAT & DRINK • DINNER

Opt for Korean or Italian Cooking

Meta Restaurant

All things Korean are taking over lately, from movies to pop music to beauty treatments. It’s no different when it comes to food, and Chef Sun Kim of Meta (short for metamorphosis) is helping to satisfy the hunger for Korean cooking (metarestaurant.sg). While he has a firm grasp of classical techniques, Kim is adept at adding a playful spin to traditional dishes. Meta has become a local favorite and captured the global stage, earning two Michelin Stars as well as the American Express ‘One to Watch’ Award at Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2021.

Fiamma

Chef Mauro Colagreco brings diners together for special occasion-type meals at Fiamma, a beautifully modern Italian restaurant at the Capella Singapore hotel on Sentosa island. The cooking and the dining room center around the wood-fired oven, where loaves of sourdough and fresh pizzas are crisped to perfection. Tartufo pizza, sea bream carpaccio, and bistecca alla fiorentina are among the standout dishes.

Day 2: Explore Marina Bay & Beyond
1
EXPERIENCE • MORNING

Join Neighborhood Tours by Foot or Bike

Stroll Through Ethnic Enclaves

Let a local guide take you on a walking tour through Chinatown, Little India, and Kampong Gelam, a hub for the Malay community. Each neighborhood has its distinctive architecture, landmarks, and street life – and has played its part in developing the vibrant cultural mashup of present-day Singapore.

Cycle Through Singapore

If you prefer to pedal, this guided cycling adventure takes you along the Singapore River and the Marina Bay Sands promenade, passing a variety of neighborhoods, including Chinatown and Kampong Gelam, with their fascinating places of worship, museums, and monuments. You’ll stop at a market and break for a local snack and a drink.

5
PLACE OF INTEREST • EVENING

Enjoy an Outdoor Light Show or the Performing Arts

SkyPark Observation Deck

The Sky Park Observation Deck offers the perfect vantage point to witness the city's iconic landmarks, Gardens by the Bay, and the impressive Supertree Grove. Make a reservation to dine at one of the two restaurants or order a Singapore sling from the rooftop bar. At night, visitors can witness the magnificent spectacle of Spectra, an outdoor light and water show with its dazzling lasers and fountain jets over the promenade.

Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

Singapore’s National Performing Arts Center, Esplanade, is a stand-out two-dome roofed structure in the city (esplanade.com). Inside, the space is home to a Concert Hall, a Theatre, the Singtel Waterfront Theatre, and smaller performance areas. With more than 2,900 performances each year, there is always something exciting to see, from exquisite ballet to jazz orchestras and operas. The center is even home to a mall where you can find a range of boutiques, cafes, and restaurants.

6
EAT & DRINK • DINNER

Sample a Local Japanese Institution or Creative Indian Dishes

Nanbantei Japanese Restaurant

Since opening in 1983, Nanbantei has sold approximately 700,000 dishes – primarily skewered meats, seafood, and bento sets (nanbantei.com.sg). The best seats are at the counter where you can watch the chefs in action at the traditional yakitori grill, roasting seasoned cuts of meat and seafood until they’re perfectly grilled over the charcoal. Glazed chicken meatballs known as tsukune are one of the biggest hits.

Thevar

There are Indian restaurants a-plenty in Singapore, but Thevar serves original dishes that you’re unlikely to find anywhere else (thevar.sg). Chef Mano Thevar draws on his upbringing on the Malay Peninsula, his travels in India, and his training in French techniques. The tasting menu is full of inspired combinations such as strawberry or rhubarb chaat, Chettinad chicken roti, and a spiced rack of lamb with butternut squash masala.

7
LATE NIGHT • DRINKS

Pair Innovative Cocktails with a Gorgeous Setting

Atlas

There are few places in Singapore as awe-inspiring as Atlas, a lounge and bar whose opulent interior is replete with gilded accents and Art Deco motifs (atlasbar.sg). While the bartenders can whip up anything you fancy, the house specialties are champagne and gin; you certainly won’t miss the towering showcase housing a diverse collection of 1,300 gins. Plus, the Atlas Collections features select bottles from the Parkview Family Cellar (the building owners), a collection of 50,000 bottles of fine wine and over 10,000 bottles of whiskey.

Smoke & Mirrors

At Singapore’s National Gallery, Smoke & Mirrors is an acclaimed rooftop bar with sweeping views and indoor-outdoor spaces that feel warm and inviting (smokeandmirrors.com.sg). The culture of South East Asia inspires the speciality cocktail list, and you can read up on the music and art behind the libations.

Day 3: Dig into the Local Street Food
2
EXPERIENCE • LUNCH

Eat Your Way Through Street Food Favorites

Hit the Hawker Centers

Hawker centers are a cultural mainstay in Singapore and full of stalls turning out affordable favorites like hokeein mee (fried prawn noodles), satay, and laksa (spicy noodle soup). Maxwell Food Center and Tiong Bahru Market are two top institutions. Tekka Center specializes in Indian cuisine, such as biryani specialties at Allauddins and Yakader Muslim Food, while East Coast Lagoon Food Village is perfect for no-frills beachside dining. At the Chinatown Complex Food Center, stop by Xiu Ji Ikan Bilis Yong Tau Fu for yong tau fu, a broth of homemade fish paste, vegetables, and tofu. Or sample charcoal grilled specialties from Lian He Ben Ji Claypot and generously filled crispy spring rolls from Ann Chin Popiah.

Join the Inside Chinatown Street Food Experience

It's wise to keep breakfast light before this foodie experience as you're going to try a lot of dishes, eight in total. Your guide will lead you through the famous hawker centers of Chinatown into the lesser-known tiny side streets and alleys to discover the places that many other visitors miss. Your reward is authentic dishes like Hainanese chicken rice, crispy spring rolls, and a savory fried carrot cake.

Book your tickets at letsgotoursingapore.com.

5
EAT & DRINK • DINNER

Opt for Wine with Small Plates or an Elaborate Nordic Meal

Le Bon Funk

Le Bon Funk is a series of neighborhood wine bars run by chef-owner Keirin Buck and Jos Kjer who spearheads the bar’s wine program (lebonfunk.com). The name, Le Bon Funk, is an allusion to the “good funk” from living wines — and an invitation not to take yourself too seriously. Le Bon Funk curates a list of of exciting and accessible wines, complemented with produce-led plates that are never fussy, always tasty.

Zén

Zén, an outpost of Swedish restaurant Frantzén, is one of the more opulent dining experiences in Singapore – and that really says something. Chef Bjorn Frantzén delivers a Nordic kaiseki feast with a menu that includes the signature Grand Tradition French Toast. A highlight of dining at Zén is moving through the stylish three-story shophouse; each floor is dedicated to one chapter of the long meal.

Book Zén at restaurantzen.com.

Day 4: Embrace the Sentosa Resort Lifestyle
2
EXPERIENCE • EVENING

Be Dazzled by Lights or the High-Speed Luge

Singapore Light Show Spectacular

A spellbinding show (marinabaysands.com) in a super modern venue at Sentosa Island in Singapore with 3D effects, water spouts, lasers and fireworks takes you on a magical adventure around the globe with the theme of friendship and kinship at its core. Wings of Time is the perfect way to end a family day out after hours at the beach.

Soaring and Racing over Sentosa Island

Speeding along the Skyride at Skyline Luge Sentosa delivers an exciting rush along with expansive views of Sentosa Island and beyond. Choose between four purpose-built tracks with hairpin corners, tunnels, and downhill slopes that pass through a rainforest with wildlife. You control the speed of your own Luge cart and can opt to take the Skyride cable car to the top of the Luge track.

3
EAT & DRINK • DINNER

Dine with the Fish or Enjoy More Hawker Classics

Ocean Restaurant

At Singapore’s only underwater fine-dining experience, you’re in the company of majestic manta rays and 40,000 marine animals while indulging in exquisite modern-European cuisine. The menu is inspired by Ocean’s consultant chef, Oliver Bellin, who champions locally farmed produce.

Book Ocean Restaurant at rwsentosa.com.

Native Kitchen

True to its name, Native Kitchen serves up hawker center classics and flavors that take you on a culinary journey across the island nation of Singapore. You can expect prawn noodles, nasi lemak, Kurobuta pork, and laksa. The vast restaurant space channels the tropical surroundings with rattan furniture and plants.

Book Native Kitchen at nativekitchen.com.sg.

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