Key areas
Raffles Place and Shenton Way lie at the heart of the CBD, housing the major banking, broking and trading institutions. Suntec City, hand-shaped for good feng shui, is home to more technological office tenants, while industrial estates and hubs like Biopolis, New Tech Park and Science Park abound in the outlying areas. Changi is best known for the airport and Singapore Expo. Many other suburbs —or heartlands as they are known—are residential areas with government-subsidised high-rise HDB (Housing Development Board) flats.
The Heritage Trail, around City Hall, is of historical interest, extending from Sir Stamford Raffles’ reputed landing site to the famous hotel now boasting his name. Esplanade—Theatres on the Bay lies beyond that, toward the sea. Many of the city’s best hotels are clustered nearby. Orchard Road is the city’s shopping Mecca, and there’s Chinatown, Little India and Arab Street. Geylang is well known for its after-dark visitors as it’s something of a red-light district.
Getting around
Taxis are cheap, compared to most major cities, with fares starting at 80p. Most trips around the city hub should take no longer than 10 to 15 minutes and cost around €2. But be aware of peak traffic and ERP surcharges—there’s a €1 booking fee if you call a cab and fares go up by 50% after midnight, so taxis can be conspicuous by their absence between 11.30pm and 12am. Rain and early evening shift changes can also cause a lack of cabs. Mass rapid transport (MRT) journeys start at 40p—allow two minutes per station. Buses, at 26p, are even cheaper but obviously take longer.
Shopping
Orchard Road is a veritable shopping extravaganza, offering everything from high-end luxury goods to bargains—if you can be bothered to look for them.
The Great Singapore Sale lasts from May to June, and there are numerous other excuses for sales all year round. Cheaper prices mainly result from changes in currency exchange rates, and if it’s pirated or fake goods you’re after, then Bangkok is probably a better bet.
Sim Lim Square (Bencoolen Street) is good for electronic goods, as long as you’re willing to bargain. Another great place is PariSilk in Holland Village—no bartering, though, just good prices. And Mustafa Mohammed’s in Little India is an Aladdin’s cave of cheap goods. It’s open 24 hours a day and is well worth a look. Arab Street and Holland Village are good for textiles/fabrics, Dempsey Road and The Shophouse at Lock Road are good for furniture. Carpet/rug shops and jewellery shops abound, but once again you need to be willing to bargain.
Gifts to buy
Much of Chinatown has been pedestrianised and filled with stalls selling a fair amount of tacky, but also quite acceptable, gifts. Silk pyjamas, dressing gowns, cheongsam dresses and table linen can be good quality and good value. Try Yue Hwa Chinese Department Store on the corner of Eu Tong Seng Street. Food-wise, local companies have started selling pre-packed ingredients for favourite local dishes, and Raffles Hotel has a good range of gifts to suit most pockets.
Things to do
The amphibious Duck Tour, which starts at Suntec City, is a fun way to look around, especially with children. It’ll take you around the city, onto the river and into the bay. A River Cruise (starting Clarke Quay or Boat Quay) is also an informative and low-level way of seeing the city from a traditional bumboat, like those that made Boat Quay a trading hub. Its shophouses are now juxtaposed with the high-rise business sector.
Esplanade—Theatres on the Bay offers a plethora of concerts, performances, musical and stage plays and even free lunchtime outdoor concerts and (legitimate) buskers. Known locally as ‘the Durians’, its spiky exterior resembles the foul-smelling, sweet-tasting fruit much loved in the region.
The Heritage Trail encompasses what’s left of the CBD’s colonial architecture. Extending from Raffles Hotel, past City Hall opposite the Padang, past Victoria Concert Hall to Old Parliament Lane, to the newly renovated Asian Civilisations Museum. It also encompasses Raffles’s original landing site which is just across the river from the erstwhile GPO and Tax Office, The Fullerton Hotel.
Excursions
The Singapore Tourism Board endorses a wide range of free and reasonably priced tours, ranging from the island’s attractions to tours of ethnic, cultural and historical interest. As the city centre is about 30 minutes from anywhere on the island, you can take your pick from a range of bus tours of areas like Chinatown, Little India, Arab Street, Malay Village, or tourist attractions such as Singapore Zoo or Sentosa. Tours can be arranged through your hotel concierge or the Singapore Visitors’ Centres at Orchard (at the junction of Cairnhill Road and Orchard Road, Tel: 1800 736 2000), Liang Court (177 River Valley Road , Level 1, Liang Court Shopping Centre, Tel: 6336 2888), Plaza Singapura (1/F Plaza Singapura, 68 Orchard Road, Tel: 6332 9298) or Changi (Arrival Halls, Terminals 1 and 2, Changi Airport). Or check the website www.visitsingapore.com.
There are a few nice escapes just half an hour from the CBD. Singapore Botanical Gardens is beautifully laid out. Ignore the coach-loads of tourists and enjoy the fascinating flora and fauna, the Orchid Garden or the free concerts that are held about once a month at the natural amphitheatre.
Sentosa island is also undergoing a significant revamp, which may help it shake off its slightly ’80s image. Beaches, Spa Botanica, a very exclusive golf course and other attractions all make for a pleasant— and soon to be better—day out.
One of the best in the world, Singapore Zoo prides itself on having no visible barriers. But panic not, as cleverly concealed moats and ditches prevent the primates and predators from pouncing on you. The new elephant exhibit allows you to view the jumbos at play, while the white tigers never cease to dazzle. And just next door is the innovative Night Safari, billed as the first of its kind, where you can watch nocturnal animals in their waking hours. Jurong Bird Park is also a popular tourist attraction, and many people choose to get out of Singapore completely to the neighbouring Indonesian islands of Bintan and Batam (45 minutes by ferry) for golf or spa days. Or you can go up to Johor in Malaysia (less than an hour) for golf and horse riding.
Tourist traps
Tourists have been known to be over-charged for electrical goods at Sim Lim, and at famous hawker centres like Newton Circus. Beware of seafood that’s priced by the 100 gram or kilo. Always check how much your crab or lobster is going to cost before agreeing to order it. Also beware of dodgy chaps hawking fake Rolex watches that will have stopped working before you get back to the hotel. However, the Singapore Tourist Board is very keen to stamp out such practices and wants to be alerted to any such incidents.
Convention centres
Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre, 1 Raffles Boulevard, Suntec City, Tel: 6337 2888, Fax: 6825 2222, website: www. suntecsingapore.com. The Conrad, Pan Pacific, Marina Mandarin, Ritz Carlton and Oriental hotels are all nearby.
Waterfront Conference Centre, Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, 392 Havelock Road, Riverside/City area, Tel: 6733 0880, Fax: 6737 8880, website: www. grandcopthorne.com.sg. Other convenient hotels include the Copthorne Kings and Holiday Inn.
Raffles City Convention Centre, 2 Stamford Road, City/Bay area, Tel: 6338 8585, Fax: 6338 2862, website: www. rafflescityhotels.com. The Swissôtel, The Stamford, Raffles the Plaza, Raffles Hotel and Carlton Hotel are close by.
Singapore Expo, 1 Expo Drive, No. 01-01, Changi, Tel: 6580 8308, Fax: 6580 8300, website: www.singapore-expo.com.sg. The city is a 20-minute taxi ride away.