Last Updated: 02/08/20 | February 8th, 2020
Singapore is an expensive place to visit. There’s no method around it. The little city specify is priced relative to the United States, which is a lot much more expensive than its neighbors!
On a little stop-over trip, this isn’t a problem.
But on a big trip with the region, a trip into Singapore can elicit sticker shock, and it can turn people away if they’re trying to do the area on the cheap. If you still want to go to this country, though, there are still numerous methods to travel around Singapore on a budget.
Singapore has numerous totally free and cheap things to do when you vsiit that that will allow you to make the most of this big city!
Here’s a list of my favorite cheap and totally free things to perform in Singapore!
1. cool Off in the Underground Malls
The finest locations to cool off in this extremely hot city are the underground shopping centers where the A/C’s cranking. You’ll be able to relocation around many of the city and never expose yourself to the heat and humidity. because it gets cool at night, it can save you from having to pay extra for A/C at your hotel or hostel. Plus, you can spend your afternoon wandering underground Singapore without costs any money.
2. eat cheap Food in bit India
Singapore has some great food, but numerous of the restaurants are expensive. However, one of the very best locations to eat is the area of bit India, where great Indian meals cost as bit as 5 SGD. Make sure you find the locations where you can eat with your hands! They’re the most authentic and local places. You’ll probably be the only Westerner in there, though, so be gotten ready for people to stare. eating at these locations was still the most fun I had in Singapore.
Make sure you stop off at the Tekka Center, a hawker center with Indian clothing, groceries, and food. The food here is cheap and tasty and makes for an authentic bit India experience. For a sit-down restaurant experience, head to Ananda Bhavan. It’s the country’s oldest vegetarian restaurant and is certainly worth a go to for some tasty southern Indian cuisine. even if you’re not a vegetarian you’ll still like it!
Here are some helpful listings of the locations to eat in bit India:
A Foodie’s guide to bit India
The 10 finest restaurants in bit India
Why You ought to go to bit India
3. eat cheap Food in Chinatown
Another great place to eat cheap food is Chinatown. The dim sum here is great, many everything is in Chinese, the hawker food is also good, and there are a few cool temples here too. This is a fantastic place to not only eat but to also roam around. You’ll be able to cut down a lot of your food budget by staying with the hawker stalls here and in bit India.
One of those food stalls is Hong Kong Soya Sauce chicken Rice and Noodle (aka Hawker Chan), the world’s many economical Michelin-starred restaurant. You can purchase a world-class dish here for under $2 USD. Be sure to eat here! get here early as the line gets incredibly long!
Tian Tian Hainanese chicken Rice is another Michelin-starred hawker stall worth a go to if Hawker Chan’s is as well busy. like Hawker Chan’s, it’s found in the Maxwell Hawker Center.
In addition to checking out the Maxwell Hawker Center, you’ll want to also inspect out the Chinatown complex Food center and Chinatown Food Street. Those are the very best locations to find a few of the most affordable and many tasty food in the city!
Here are a few helpful listings of the very best locations to eat in Chinatown:
The 10 finest restaurants in Chinatown
The finest restaurants in Chinatown
Where to eat in Chinatown
For a guided trip of the district, inspect out the Chinatown at night tour. You’ll get to eat great food, ride a trishaw, take a bumboat ride, and learn about Chinese medicine.
4. eat Out for Lunch
If you’re searching for a good place to sit down and eat, then the very best time to eat at Singapore’s famed restaurants is during lunch when restaurants offer 20% off, making them a great deal. The set lunches will give you dinner food at a discount rate and allow you a bit much more range in what you’re eating. Make sure to inspect out the restaurants in the underground mall, where you’ll find even much more lunch specials.
5. walk around the Gardens
The Botanic gardens are totally free and are a good place to walk around—especially in the mornings and evenings when Singapore’s tropical weather condition cools down a little. early in the morning, locals practice t’ai chi on the lawn, and there are often totally free shows on weekends.
6. combine the Singapore Zoo and night Safari
The Singapore Zoo is a must-see. It’s an open-air zoo, which is great because animals aren’t locked up in small cages. It’s actually one of the very best zoos I’ve ever been to. They also offer a night trip in a different section of the park where you get to see the nocturnal animals. These activities aren’t extremely cheap, but if you combine them together, you’ll save a lot of money. It’s worth the price.
80 Mandai Lake Rd, +65 6269 3411, wrs.com.sg/en/singapore-zoo. open daily from 8:30am-6pm. Admission to the zoo is 35 SGD for adults and 23 SGD for youngsters while the night safari is 47 SGD for adults and 31 SGD for kids. A combination ticket for the zoo and night safari is 68 SGD for adults and 48 SGD for kids.
7. hit the Beach
If you need an escape from the busy metropolis, head to Sentosa Island. There, you can kick back and unwind on the beach. There are actually 3 beaches to choose from here, depending upon what you’re looking for. Siloso beach is where you’ll want to opt for activities, Tanjong beach is a great area to chill and delight in a drink, and Palawan beach is where you’ll go if you’re traveling with kids. While you won’t be getting the beach experience you’d find in Thailand (there are tons of cargo ships in the water here!) it’s still a great place to escape for a day and absorb some rays.
If you want to get out on the water, you can also take a kayak fishing trip here. You’ll get to go to some trick areas along the coast as you troll for fish with a local guide.
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8. See the Supertrees
Gardens by the Bay is a 250-acre nature park build on reclaimed land. It’s well-known for its massive supertrees, 25-50m-tall vertical gardens that look like massive trees. The supertrees are home to all kind of exotic plants and ferns and produce a spectacular sight. While you have to pay to explore the conservatories, admission to the supertree garden is free.
9. go to the national museum of Singapore
While admission to the museum isn’t free, they do offer daily totally free trips which really makes a go to here worthwhile. This is the oldest museum in the country, having opened in 1849. The museum covers the history of the country, making it a great place to learn much more about the country and how it concerned be.
93 Stamford Road, +65 6332-3659, nationalmuseum.sg. open daily from 10am-5pm. Admission is 15 SGD for adults and 10 SGD for trainees and seniors. totally free trips are available at 11am and 2pm on weekdays and 11am, 1pm, 2pm, and 4pm on weekends.
10. Hike the MacRitchie Treetop Walk
The MacRitchie tracks cover over 11km of pathways around the largest reservoir in the country. It’s a place where the locals head for a run or a hike, and it’s a great place to get out and stretch your legs if you need to escape the city. part of the path includes a 250m aerial suspension bridge, which provides some good views of the surrounding area. You can lease kayaks and canoes there, as well, and if you’re lucky you might area one of the rare flying lemurs that phone call the park home!
MacRitchie Reservoir, +65 1800 471 7300, nparks.gov.sg. open Tuesday-Friday from 9am-5pm and 8:30am-5pm on weekends. Admission is free.
11. See St Andrew’s Cathedral
This is the largest cathedral in the country, dating back to the 1850s. The cathedral was developed in the Neo-Gothic style, and it was the first Anglican evangelical outreach in the country. The cathedral’s choir is actually the oldest musical institution in the country too. during WWII, it was utilized as a makeshift medical facility up until the Japanese invaded.
11 St Andrew’s Road, +65 6337-6104, cathedral.org.sg. open from Monday-Saturday from 9am-5pm. trips are totally free though they should be booked in advance.
12. snap a photo with a Merlion
The merlion is a mythical creature that has the head of a lion and the body of a fish. It’s the mascot of the country and often thought about the personification of Singapore itself. There’s a statue of a merlion in Merlion Park (near the central company District) that you can inspect out and snap a photo with. (There are actually 5 official merlion statues around the city, though the 2 in Merlion Park are the most famous).
13. Go Stargazing
Science Centre Singapore provides totally free stargazing every Friday (weather permitting) between January and November. This is a really cool activity and makes for a great educational experience for adults and kids alike. just keep in mind that there is limited space, so be sure to arrive by 7:30pm to claim a spot.
15 science Centre Road, +65 6425-2500, science.edu.sg. Stargazing is every Friday from 7:45pm-10pm. inspect their site for the most updated details.
14. Take a day trip to Chek Jawa
This wetland nature reserve is found on an island a short ferry ride away from the city. There’s a winding boardwalk you can explore in addition to a large seeing tower you can climb to take in the panorama. Bicycles are available for lease outside the park as well, in case you don’t want to hike. The area was originally slated for redevelopment but the locals protested the decision and now it’s one of the last bastions of natural habitat in the area.
Pulau Ubin, +65 6542-4108, nparks.gov.sg. open daily from 8:30am-6pm. Admission is free.
15. explore the Singapore Art Museum
The museum is home to the world’s largest collection of modern Southeast Asian art. modern art isn’t my favorite style, but there were lots of insightful and imaginative pieces here to keep you entertained. They also have regular guided trips in English, which certainly makes a go to worthwhile. If you want to save money, be sure to go to on Friday evening when admission is free!
Note: The museum is currently closed for renovations. 8 Queen St, +65 6589-9580, singaporeartmuseum.sg. open Saturday-Thursday from 10am-7pm and Fridays from 10am-9pm. Admission is 10 SGD per person, though there is totally free entry on Fridays from 6pm-9pm.
16. go to Haw Par Villa
Also understood as Tiger Balm Gardens, this style park includes over 1,000 statues from Chinese folklore and mythology. the most popular section of the park is a depiction of the ten Courts of Hell, an exhibit that shows what hell is like in Chinese mythology. The park was recently updated and renovated and is worth taking a stroll through.
262 Pasir Panjang Rd, +65 6773 0103, hawparvilla.sg. open daily from 9am-7pm. Admission is free.
17. Buddha Tooth Temple
Located in Chinatown, this Buddhist temple is also a museum that is home to a tooth of the original Buddha. The four-story building was developed in the early 2000s though it imitates design from the Tang Dynasty of China. The museum is home to one of practically a dozen “tooth relics” in the world, and while its legitimacy can be debated it’s still a cool temple to go to and explore.
288 South Bridge Rd, +65 6220-0220, btrts.org.sg. open daily from 9am-6:30pm. Admission is free.
18. Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
This wetland is an ASEAN Heritage Park and another great place to escape the metropolitan sprawl of Singapore. It was the first wetlands in Singapore to be made into a reserve because of its significance for migratory birds in Asia. There are lots of bird types that phone call the park home, and there is also a family of otters you can area playing in the water if you’re lucky!
301 Neo Tiew Cres, +65 6794-1401, nparks.gov.sg/sbwr. open daily from 7am-7pm. Admission is free.
***
Singapore may not be the most affordable city in the world, but there are still some methods to make it less of a concern on your wallet. By eating cheap, walking, and taking advantage of discounts, you can easily do Singapore without busting your wallet!
Do you have any suggestions on how to go to Singapore on a budget? Leave them in the comments!
Book Your trip to Singapore: Logistical suggestions and Tricks
Book Your Flight
Use Skyscanner or Momondo to find a cheap flight. They are my two favorite browse engines because they browse sites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned. begin with Skyscanner first though because they have the most significant reach!
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the most significant stock and finest deals. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, utilize Booking.com as they consistently return the most affordable rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. My favorite locations to stay are:
Coral Hostel
Dream Lodge
Don’t forget travel Insurance
Travel insurance will safeguard you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s extensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to utilize it numerous times in the past. My favorite business that offer the very best service and value are:
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