Sensational  Singapore holidays & tours

The flight time from the UK to Singapore is approximately 13 hours, with direct flights from Manchester as well as London airports. 

Yes, there’s so much to do on Singapore holidays that it’s a great destination to explore, as well as being a tempting place to stop over if you’re travelling further east towards Australia and New Zealand. You’ll find history and culture here, including a unique mix of influences which have shaped Singapore, but also iconic buildings and futuristic attractions which ensure a stay is always out of the ordinary. With mouth-wateringly good food from bargain bites at hawker centres up to fine dining, shopping for every budget, beaches and more, this compact country has plenty to keep everyone entertained.

Singapore’s tropical climate means that rain is common year-round, with heavy showers most days. However, the wettest months are during the monsoon season from November to January, when there are also frequent thunderstorms.

Although it’s common to picture Singapore as a city state, the country does have plenty of beaches along its coastline, especially on Sentosa Island off the southern coast. The sand itself is imported from Indonesia and Malaysia, but Siloso Beach, Palawan Beach and Tanjong Beach are no less tempting for that. On the east coast, Changi Beach is a great place to see the sunrise (or spot planes taking off and landing at the nearby airport), while neighbouring East Beach has more man-made beaches and is ideal for anyone looking for water-sports and beach activities.

UK citizens can visit Singapore for the purposes of tourism without a visa. The period of your stay is decided by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, so always check the visit length after you receive it from the immigration officer, although it is usually between 14 and 30 days for British citizens. Requirements can change, though – for the most up-to-date information on visas, please use the quick-check tool on our visa requirements page.

The best time to visit Singapore is from around February to August, when there’s less rainfall and lower humidity, although with a tropical climate you won’t see any extremes of seasonal weather here – average temperatures hover around 26-30C year-round, and humidity rarely falls below 80C.

To enter Singapore, your passport must have six months remaining until expiry from the date of your arrival in the country, and have been issued within the past 10 years. Visitors must also complete an electronic SG arrival card within the three days before you arrive, which includes a health declaration, but UK citizens do not currently need a visa if you’re visiting for the purpose of tourism. You may also need to show proof of available funds for your time in the country, and if you’re visiting from a country listed as having a yellow fever transmission risk, you will need a certificate of vaccination. Your biometric data is also recorded and checked when you enter and leave Singapore, including fingerprints and iris/facial recognition.

Singapore is a small country, only around an hour’s drive from end to end, but there’s plenty to see. Three to four days is a good amount of time to see the highlights and get a feel for Singapore, although you won’t run out of things to do if you have longer to spend. Even if you only have a stop-over in Singapore, you can see quite a few of the main sites within a day, but that’s only enough to give you a flavour of the country.

The currency in Singapore is the Singapore dollar, consisting of 100 cents. Coins include 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents plus a 1 dollar coin, while notes come in denominations of 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 1,000 and 10,000 dollars. You’re very unlikely to come across the highest denomination notes; even the 100 dollar note is equivalent to around £60. Credit cards and contactless payments are widely accepted at tourist attractions and in shopping malls, as well as larger businesses including hotels and on public transport. However, cash is still used by smaller businesses including hawker centre food stalls and taxis, so it’s worth having some Singapore dollars, especially smaller denominations.

Singapore has four official languages including English, along with Mandarin, Bahasa Melayu and Tamil, representing the three main ethnic groups (Chinese, Malay and Indian). English is often used between different ethnicities as well as in schools and businesses, so you’ll find it very widely spoken across Singapore.

Singapore’s tropical, humid climate means that light, loose clothing is best to try to stay cool. While the country’s mix of cultures means visitors won’t be expected to cover up completely, anything too revealing may be frowned upon. You will need to cover shoulders and knees at temples, so a lightweight scarf is also useful, and you may also want additional lightweight layers for anywhere air-conditioned, which can be unexpectedly chilly. Comfortable sandals will also stop you getting too hot when walking during the day, but you may need smarter outfits and shoes for the evening as some places have stricter dress codes at night. A small fan is also a good option in the heat, as well as a hat and high factor SPF against the sun – Singapore is almost on the equator, so it’s always hot. With rainfall year-round, it’s a good plan to bring a small umbrella against showers and sudden downpours, plus mosquito repellent for the evenings. A reusable water bottle is also useful, as Singapore is phasing out plastic bottles.

Singapore’s mix of cultures means attitudes can vary between communities, but in general customs tend to be conservative, including deferring to elders, the importance of punctuality and good manners, while public displays of affection may be frowned upon. More unusually, it’s also common for Singaporeans to reserve seats by placing a packet of tissues, umbrella or another small item on the seat, so don’t assume these have been left accidentally if you’re looking for a table. Some of Singapore’s more stringent laws – such as the fact you can’t bring chewing gum into the country, or buy it there – are well-known outside the country, but there are some other customs to be aware of before your Singapore holidays. Any littering can bring an immediate fine, as can eating on public transport, while it is also illegal to drink alcohol in a public place between 10.30pm and 7am, except restaurants, bars and other licensed venues. Vapes and e-cigarettes are also banned, and it is illegal to bring them into the country, while smoking is banned at all public parks and beaches. You may not display flags of emblems from your own country either. 

When you’re planning your Singapore holidays, there’s a mix of historic sites and unique futuristic displays as well as other attractions to keep on your wish list. Start by soaking up the views from Marina Bay Sands, looking out across Singapore from 200m up, before heading down to Merlion Park to see the official mascot of Singapore, a creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. Nature lovers can wander through Gardens by the Bay, a huge 250-acre site with flower-covered towers, conservatories and skyways bringing you across the site, while the Botanic Gardens are more traditional but another lovely spot. There’s culture to discover too, including Thian Hock Keng Temple, Singapore’s oldest Hokkien temple, with its elaborate architecture, along with a string of museums and galleries, including the Singapore National Gallery and the Peranakan Museum. Head to Orchard Road if you’re looking to shop, Sentosa Island for time to chill out on the beach or Singapore Zoo, including its night safari, which is impressive too.

Singapore is a food-lover’s dream, with a whole array of different cuisines to try, from Malaysian, Chinese and Indonesian dishes to Indian curries, with restaurants offering food from around the world and traditional hawker centres cooking up traditional meals fresh in front of you. Chicken rice has been called Singapore’s national dish, with rice cooked in chicken stock, and served with chicken, soy sauce, chilli and ginger. Or hokkien mee includes two types of noodles, stir-fried with pork, prawns, squid, egg and beansprouts, with citrus and spice to taste. If you’ve also visited Malaysia on one of our Singapore tours, look out for laksa soup noodles too, which are a popular Malay dish. You’ll also find nasi lemak, a rice dish cooked with coconut milk and served with a spicy sambal paste and anchovies, fried and scattered on top. Whole crabs are another popular Singaporean addition to menus, sometimes cooked in a spicy tomato sauce or with black pepper. Or find some southern Indian-inspired options, such as roti prata, a fluffy flaky little fried flatbread, as well as dosa, a thin, savoury pancake served with a variety of fillings. And while a cocktail will set you back a bit more in Singapore than elsewhere in Asia, it’s hard to beat a Singapore Sling in Raffles Hotel, where they were invented. 

Singapore has an excellent public transport system, including the MRT (Mass Rapid Transport) which has six lines. Signs and announcements are in English, as well as Singapore’s other national languages. Each line is marked with a different colour while stations have numbers. Do expect it to be busy during the morning and evening rush hours. The Sentosa Express monorail connects the island of Sentosa with the Harbourfront. There’s also an extensive bus network, including some free shuttles, including one around Sentosa island. You can use contactless payment for the MRT and bus network, which is most straightforward unless you’re planning to make a significant number of journeys – always tap your card to exit as well, in order to be charged the correct amount. You can also get taxis from stands (make sure you have cash to pay) or use rideshare apps, such as Grab (similar to Uber, which doesn’t operate in Singapore) but it’s rarely faster and they may be hard to find if it’s raining.

Singapore is easily one of the safest places to visit in Asia, and both violent crime and theft are very rare. It always pays to use common sense, so you should never leave bags unattended, and always take care of valuables including your passport, but it’s very rare for tourists to be the victims of crime.  

Tipping is not generally expected in Singapore, although restaurants and cafes will normally include a 10% service charge in the bill. Otherwise, you may see a tip box, and any additional tips are always appreciated, but it’s not mandatory. Tour guides and drivers will appreciate a small tip (we include recommended amounts for tour managers, drivers and guides in our useful information packs, which you’ll receive after booking). Remember that porterage is included in our Singapore tours, so there’s no need to tip for bags.