3D2N SINGAPORE Travel Guide, Itinerary, and Expenses

Singapore is an island city-state. It may be small but it is packed with all sorts of sites, attractions, and adventures! That’s the reason why we really wanted to visit this well-developed country. Plus, this trip is extra special because this is the first out-of-the-country trip for our younger brother. We’ve been wanting to tag him along before but he is still a minor and DSWD Travel Clearance is needed (if traveling without parents for minors below 18 years old). Good thing he’s an adult now. 👍 So, he can now travel with us in Singapore and probably on our next trips! Yay!

In this blog, let me share with you our expenses and itinerary so you’ll have an idea of what to expect and prepare if you wanted to visit Singapore.

3D2N SINGAPORE Travel Guide, Itinerary, and Expenses

For Travel Requirements please click the link below for details:

SINGAPORE TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS 2022 and How to Fill Up Singapore Arrival Card for Foreign Visit

We took the 8 PM flight from Manila to Singapore. It’s a 4 hours flight. My first impression of Singapore started when we arrived at Changi Airport. I immediately acknowledged why it was dubbed one of the most beautiful and efficient airports in the world. It is very well organized and spacious. Information is listed in 4 languages (English, Mandarin, Tamil, and Malay). Getting through immigration is effortless and smooth because of their contactless system that will automatically open the gates when you scan your passport.

We arrived at 12:30 AM so the MRT (Mass Rapid Transport) that goes to the city is not yet available (only from 06:00 AM to 11:00 PM). We can take a taxi to our hotel but we found a cheaper option which is to rent a private car for 5 pax via Klook – and I love that we did.

Book yours using this link – Singapore Changi Airport Private Car Transfer. Look how fancy our ride going to our Hotel in Chinatown. We booked a day before our flight. I find it very hassle-free and convenient because our driver informed us that he will be waiting at the arrival area at the time we asked him to.

WHERE TO STAY IN SINGAPORE

Budget travelers like us have three options: backpacker hostels, Airbnb, and budget hotels because accommodations in Singapore are expensive by Southeast Asian standards, or by any standard for that matter. Because space is scarce in Singapore, don’t expect rooms of generous proportions.

Personally, when picking a place to stay, I usually look at its location on the map. Normally, if it’s close to an MRT Station, I go for it. Most of the attractions in Singapore can be reached via the MRT. On this trip, we stayed in Chinatown because of easy access to the MRT and cheap hawker places. The one near our hotel is Maxwell Hawker Center.

We booked our hotel via AGODA. We stayed at I’Stay Inn in Chinatown. You can book your hotel using the link below.

SINGAPORE TOURIST SPOTS

Singapore River Walk and Merlion

This is actually my favorite thing to do in Singapore. Why? First, because it’s FREE. 🙂 Second, walking along the river gave me the feeling that I am really in a different country. There are a lot of beautiful buildings around. You can also see Marina Bay Sands from here.

We decided to go in the morning to avoid a big crowd but it’s also best done in the late afternoon so you get to see the area transform as the sun sets.

Kampong Glam/Sultan Mosque

Kampong Glam is a Muslim quarter aside from Little India – I must say. This is where you can see the Sultan Mosque and a lot of cool shops and cafés with colorful murals and mosaics along the streets. I really feel like I was in the Middle East which is a different vibe than when we were in the business and shopping district of Singapore. For our lunch, we went inside an Indian Restaurant. I’ve been wanting to try biryani for a long time and I’m glad we did it here because it tastes authentic. I love it! They serve in big proportions for an affordable price.

Cost: FREE – No Entrance Fee

How to go to: Take MRT going to Bugis Station Exit B

HAJI LANE

Haji Lane is also in the Bugis area same as Kampong Glam. It’s a street filled with insta-worthy spots from the impressive street arts to the spectacular murals. Don’t forget to try the coffee at Arabica Cafe.

Cost: FREE – No Entrance Fee

How to go to: Take MRT going to Bugis Station Exit B

ORCHARD ROAD

We went to Orchard road mainly because I wanted to visit their Library @ Orchard. Yah – yah! certified bookworm here. ❤️ But this place is also known as the shopping center for branded stuff. Then, we tried the famous SGD 1 ice cream – which is now $1.5 in front of Takashimaya.

Cost: FREE – No Entrance Fee

How to go to: Closest MRT Station is Somerset (North-South Line) and take Exit C. The library is located on Level 3 of the Orchard Gateway shopping mall — follow the signs.

Lovely to find a quiet and cool place in the busy Orchard area.

From Orchard Gateway Mall, there’s an exit going to Orchard Road. Then walk to the right in the direction of Takashimaya Mall.

Marina Bay Sands Skypark Observation Deck 

Even if you’re not spending a night at the Marina Bay Sands like us, you can still access its Skypark and Observation Deck for the amazing view of the city. We decided to go here around 5 PM because we wanted to see the city in the day going to night time.

Cost: ₱ 950 via Klook and ₱ 1200 if you’ll purchase directly at their ticketing booth. Book your ticket using this link – Marina Bay Sands Skypark Observation Deck or Sampan Ride and ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands Ticket

How to go to: Take MRT going to Bayfront Station EXIT B. Then follow the signs go to the entrance of Marina Bay Sands Observation Deck.

You’ve never been to Singapore if you do not drop by this place. We love that we got to see as the sunset paints the city with amazing lights.

Gardens by the Bay

It has three main areas: the Flower Dome, the Cloud Forest, which features the tallest indoor waterfall in the world; and the Supertree Grove with the iconic 16-story manmade trees. The Supertree Grove is open to everyone, but tickets are required to enter the bridge on the top.

Cost: ₱ 900 Book your ticket using this link – Gardens by the Bay Ticket Singapore. The outside garden is free of charge.

How to go to: Take the MRT to Bayfront MRT station on the blue Downtown and orange Circle Lines. Then go to Exit B.

Singapore Cable Car

Singapore Cable Car is the most scenic way to Sentosa! The first cableway system in Singapore — linking Sentosa Island and Mount Faber — it was opened in 1974. It allows a 360-degree view of Sentosa including Universal Studios, Resorts World, and Mt. Faber.

We booked a roundtrip ticket via Klook. We started from Harbortfront station going to Sentosa station. From there, we explore the area a little and transfer to the Orange line. After that, we returned to the blue line going to Mt. Faber. There we redeemed the free cake from our tickets. Then back to Harborfront station. The experience took us 3 hours because of our stops at Sentosa station and Mt. Faber.

Cost: ₱ 1157 Book your ticket using this link – Gardens by the Bay Ticket Singapore .

How to go to: Take the MRT to Harborfront Station. Follow the signs going to the Cable Car entrance.

Book your ticket using this link – Singapore Cable Car Sky Pass and Skyline Luge Singapore: Skyline Luge & Skyride

There’s a complementary cake at Arbora Cafe if you book via Klook.

Clarke Quay

We spent our 2nd night here at Clarke Quay. This is a great place to try the nightlife in Singapore. A lot of different resto-bars. We went to a bar and had a few drinks before going home at 1 AM in the morning. ^_^ Let’s not elaborate. haha!

Cost: FREE to explore the area.

How to go to: Take the MRT to Clarke Quay Station – Exit E

Universal Studios Singapore

Universal Studios Singapore is Asia’s second and Southeast Asia’s first movie theme park. Please note that USS is closed every Monday and Tuesday.

We never missed visiting a theme park in every country we went to. So here we are! I always feel like I am never too old or too young whenever I am in a theme park. There are a lot of things to try inside. I really enjoyed the Revenge of the Mummy and the Transformers ride. I highly recommend.

If you want to have a picture of the famous USS globe make sure to visit hours before the opening of the park at 11 AM. We went at around 10 AM.

Cost: ₱2,667 via KLOOK. Book your ticket using this link – Universal Studios Singapore Tickets

How to go to: Take the MRT to Harborfront Station. Follow the signs going to Vivo City. Then at level 2 take the Monorail Station going to Resorts World Station.

Chinatown Tour

Chinatown is a really fun area to check out! It’s a nice place to walk around, shop, and eat. It gets busy and lively at night. There are loads of shops and stalls to check out that sell different kinds of souvenirs. We were able to buy chocolates at Value$ in their shopping mall for a cheaper price.

I’m glad we picked our hotel in this area.

SAMPLE SINGAPORE ITINERARY

Below is our 3 day itinerary in Singapore.

Day 1: ARRIVAL IN SINGAPORE, RIVER WALK TOUR, MERLION, KAMPONG GLAM, HAJI LANE, ORCHARD ROAD, MARINA BAY SANDS
12:30 am – ETA Singapore Changi Airport
01:30 am – Check in: Hostel, Lunch
07:00 am – Free Breakfast at the Hostel
09:00 am – Singapore River Walk to Merlion
11:30 am – Sultan Mosque at Kampong Glam
12:30 pm – Lunch at Kampong Glam – an Indian Restaurant
01:30 pm – Haji Lane
02:30 pm – Go back to the Hotel in Chinatown
04:00 pm – Orchard Road
05:00 pm – Marina Bay Sands Observatory Deck
08:00 pm – Dinner at Chinatown Complex Hawker Center
10:00 pm – Lights Out

Day 2: GARDENS BY THE BAY, SINGAPORE CABLE CAR, NEWTON HAWKER CENTER, CLARKE QUAY
09:00 am – Gardens by the Bay
11:30 am – Singapore Cable Car
01:00 pm – Lunch @ Newton Halker Center
02:30 pm – Chinatown Tour
04:30 pm – Go back to the Hotel in Chinatown
08:30 pm – Explore Clarke Quay until late midnight

Day 3: MAXWELL HAWKER CENTER, UNIVERSAL STUDIOS, CHINATOWN, JEWEL CHANGI, RETURN TO MANILA
08:00 am – Maxwell Hawker Center, Chinatown Heritage Walk
10:00 am – Universal Studios
04:00 pm – Buy pasalubong in Chinatown and explore the area
06:00 pm – Check-out: Hostel
08:00 pm – Light Show Jewel Changi
11:00 pm – ETD: Changi Airport

You may also add several other attractions.

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Breakdown of Expenses

Here’s the list of our expenses on this trip. Below is the breakdown of everything I spent in Singaporean Dollar and in the Philippines Peso. We did all of the tours DIY-style but we do purchase tickets from Klook to avail cheaper entrance tickets on some of the attractions we visited.

DAY 0 – This includes our expenses prior to the trip.
₱ 7,306.43 – Roundtrip Airplane Ticket to SG
₱ 4,185 – 3 Nights of Hotel Accommodation
₱ 325 – Travel Insurance
₱ 1620 – Travel Tax
₱ 2,667 – Singapore Universal Studios purchased via KLOOK
₱ 443 – Singapore Changi Airport Private Car Transfer to the Hotel via KLOOK – ₱ 2,211 for a group of 5
₱ 950 – Marina Bay Sands Skypark Observation Deck
₱ 1,157 – Singapore Cable Car Sky Pass
₱ 18,653.43 – TOTAL COST before our flight

DAY 1
SGD 10 – EZ Link cards
SGD 3.1 – Light Snack at 7eleven in Merlion
SGD 9.7 – Lunch (Tried Indian Foods)
SGD 7 – Iced Americano at % ΔRΔBICΔ Arabica Cafe
SGD 10 – EZ Link Card reload
SGD 1.5 – Ice Cream at Orchard Road
SGD 7.7 – Dinner at Chinatown Complex Hawker Center
SGD 49 / ₱ 2,107 – TOTAL COST (1 SGD = 43 PHP as of writing)

DAY 2 – A friend treat us at night in Clarke Quay. Thank you
SGD 10 – Snack at Sentosa Island
SGD 15 – Lunch at Newton Hawker Center
SGD 25 / ₱ 1,075 – TOTAL COST (1 SGD = 43 PHP as of writing)

DAY 3
SGD 9 – Breakfast at Maxwell Hawker Center
SGD 15 – Lunch at Universal Studios
SGD 2 – EZ Link Reload going to the airport
SGD 10 – Dinner at Airport Food Court
SGD 36 / ₱ 1,512 – TOTAL COST (1 SGD = 43 PHP as of writing)

TOTAL EXPENSES – ₱ 23,347.43

Your budget will depend on your spending habits. A great cut on our expenses is the free breakfast in our hotel. What I shared above is our actual expenses and so you could have a ballpark figure of how much to prepare. But I will still encourage you to bring extra cash. Also, the expenses above do not include the “pasalubong” expenses.

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TIPS AND REMINDERS:

• Where to Eat. If you’re on a budget, ditch the restaurants for hawkers. You’ll get a wide variety of local options at a much lower price. One of the reasons we chose our accommodation in Chinatown is because it is near Maxwell Food Center. We also tried Newton Hawker Center and Chinatown Complex Hawker Center.

A must-try is their Hainanese chicken rice, Kaya-toast and laksa.

• Get an EZ Link Card. You can plan ahead your route using the MRT map below. MRT is very reliable transportation in Singapore. All tourist spots are accessible via MRT. You can also use your EZ Link Card on the bus. I recommend trying a double-decker bus – we did ours from Newton to Chinatown.

• Bring Type G plugs and sockets. It’s a bit expensive if you’ll buy it in Singapore so bring one with you.

I hope this short guide helps you in a way. Enjoy your visit to Singapore!

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