Complete 3-Day Singapore Itinerary – How to explore Singapore’s MUST SEE attractions in only 3 full days!

Are you planning an extended layover to Singapore? Or a quick city trip, and wondering whether or not three days will be enough to see Singapore’s best attractions?

Well, with this 3-day Singapore Itinerary we show you not only that 3 days are perfectly fine for a first-time visit to Singapore. But also, you get to see just how much you can actually do in Singapore in a short amount of time!

How to spend 3 Full Days in Singapore – A complete Singapore Itinerary

During your visit you will find that the city of Singapore displays a beautiful blend of culture, nature and modern architecture, which makes Singapore a rather fascinating place to explore!

In this 3-day itinerary, we give you the possibility to experience all these facets. You will visit Singapore’s MUST-SEE attractions (a lot of which are free!), get to try a variety of cuisines in the so-called Hawker Centres, marvel at Singapore’s stunning skyline at night, and venture into quarters frequented less by tourists.

If that sounds good to you, then let’s get started!

How many days do you need in Singapore? Are three days enough?

If this is your first time visiting Singapore, 3-5 full days are a good measure of time to experience most of what this city has to offer. You will get a good grasp of Singapore’s city centre and see the most popular attractions.

Overall, three days are definitely enough for a first visit, if:

• You have limited time for a trip to Singapore, but would love to see the main sights the city has to offer!
• Sightseeing is your main focus on this visit to Singapore.
• Your budget is on the smaller side and you would like to mostly stick to free activities.
• You don’t intend to visit Singapore’s Universal Studios.

If at least 2-3 items of this list sound like you, this 3 day Singapore itinerary is going to be absolutely perfect!

How to get around Singapore

A lot of Singapore’s attractions are located in walking distance from each other. We tried to group attractions that are close to each other for convenience, if it made sense in terms of time management for this itinerary.

Singapore also has a great public transport system. The city is home to an extended bus and subway system (MRT), that can quickly get you pretty much anywhere where your feet will not!

Most importantly though, the latter is air-conditioned! Trust us, you will come to appreciate that very much in the humid Singapore weather.

Singapore Travel Essentials

📱 Google Maps. Good for navigating Singapore and its public transport system.

📶 SIM Card. Get Singtel's 5G/4G Singapore SIM Card* or get an eSIM via e.g. Maya Mobile*.

🧥 Scarf/Sarong. Something to cover your shoulders & knees if you want to visit religious sights.

🔌 Power Plug Adapter. If your home country does not use the Type G Power Plug, such as e.g. the UK or Malaysia, bring an adapter.

💳 EZ-Link Card. Easiest way to pay for public transport in Singapore. Find out more on where to get an EZ-Link card here.

Perfect 3-Day Singapore Itinerary for first-time visitors

Now, let’s find out just how much you can actually see and do in Singapore in three full days!

Day 1: Botanical Gardens, Chinatown and Civic District

Your first day in Singapore will be filled with exploring quite a bit of green spaces as well as some of the most popular quarters in all of Singapore! This first day will involve quite a bit of walking around, so wear your sunhat, sunscreen and good walking shoes and let’s go!

🌺 Stroll around the Botanical Gardens in Singapore

First thing in the morning, make your way towards the Singapore Botanic Gardens. The latter is a huge park that is also Singapore’s first and only UNESCO Heritage Site to date! It is the most visited botanical garden in the world and the best part, entry to the park is free!

Some highlights within the botanical gardens include:

• The Trellis Garden.
• Symphony Lake, there were water monitors (Varanus salvator) when we visited!
• Botanical Art Gallery. The gallery is inside a colonial-style building and exhibits botanical artwork.
• National Orchid Garden. Did you know that the orchid is the national flower of Singapore? The orchid garden is the only part of the botanical gardens you will have to pay an entrance fee for. Entrance fee: SG$15.
• The Evolution Garden, Ginger Garden, Rainforest Trail, Water Fall, and so many more.

On the lookout for coffee and breakfast while strolling around the Botanic Gardens? We recommend :

• Bee’s Knee’s, for a more western breakfast/brunch. It is a tad more expensive though.
• Sprouts Food Place @ Botanic Garden, a food court that offers a variety of cuisines. You won’t find typical western breakfast items though, if that’s what you are looking for. However, prices are pretty cheap!

We would suggest to not get too full though, because your next stop will involve quite a bit of eating!

Plan to spend 2-3 hours inside the botanical gardens, depending on whether you want to get breakfast and how many of the highlights you wish to visit. E.g., plan more time if you wish to see the Orchid Garden and Botanical Art Gallery as opposed to only strolling through the main part of the gardens.

How to get to the Singapore Botanic Gardens

There are two MRT stations located right next to either end of the botanical gardens:
🚇 Botanic Gardens, which can be reached via the Circle Line (CC) and Downtown Line (DT).
🚇 Napier, which can be reached via the Thomson-East Coast Line (TE). Napier Station is located next to the more touristy main entrance. 

As a Tip: Start your trip through the botanical gardens at Botanic Gardens Station and end at Napier Station. That way you only have to make your way through the very huge Botanic Gardens one-way.

And, you are right where you want to be to head to your next stop on this itinerary: Chinatown!

How to get to Chinatown from the Botanical Gardens

🚇 From Napier Station, take the Thomson-East Coast Line (TE) headed for Bayshore until you reach Maxwell Station.

🥡 Eat at Maxwell Food Center

With all that walking around the Singapore Botanic Gardens, we hope that you worked up a bit of an appetite. Because, your first stop in Chinatown is the famous Maxwell Food Center! If you are not that hungry yet you can of course explore Chinatown first and come back later😉.

Maxwell Food Center is located right next to Maxwell Station. It is a so-called Hawker Center, a food court made up of various stalls that all sell very affordable drinks and dishes. Being located in Chinatown, Maxwell Food Center largely offers Chinese food.

Some dish recommendations:

🍚 Hainanese Chicken Rice. As the name suggests, chicken and rice. But very delicious!
🍜 Laksa. Singapore's signature dish! A soup made from coconut and chili broth, with vegetables, fish and noodles. 
🥤 Sugarcane Juice. Usually freshly pressed!
🍮 Lao Ban Soya Beancurd. Pudding made of sweetened soy milk (Chinese dessert).

But, honestly, just go for what delights you the most. There are so many great stalls and awesome dishes it is unfortunately impossible to simply try them all!

🐉 Explore the colourful Chinatown

After lunch, it is time to explore Chinatown more in depth. Singapore’s Chinatown is quite a colourful and vibrant quarter that holds historical and cultural significance. The quarter is filled with beautiful murals and shops. The latter are probably the best place in Singapore to do your basic souvenir shopping (magnets, post cards, etc.).

We recommend you plan 1-2 hours for Chinatown.

Don’t miss:

🏮 Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. A beautiful Buddhist temple. Entrance is free.
🐉 Chinatown Street Market & Pagoda Street. Great place to do buy magnets and other souvenir goods! Some of the buildings have stunning fronts!
🥟 Chinatown Complex. A market selling Chinese goods and yet another food court.
🎨 Stunning murals. All over Chinatown you will find lovely murals, so keep an eye out!
🏮 Thian Hock Keng. A Taoist Temple.
🛕 Sri Mariamman Temple. The oldest Hindu temple in Singapore.

🌴 Stroll around Fort Canning Park

Moving on, your next stop is going to be yet another park! We told you, Singapore is a very green city! This one is called Fort Canning Park and very different from the botanical gardens you visited in the morning.

How to get to Fort Canning Park from Chinatown

🚇 Head to Chinatown Station and from there take the Downtown Line (DT) headed for Expo for one station until you reach Fort Canning Station.

🚶 Alternatively you can also walk if you prefer to do so. The distance is about 1.4 km (~20min on foot). However, there will be quite some more walking once you are there so we would recommend to take the MRT.

Situated on a hill, Fort Canning Park holds the remnants of a fort that was built by the British around 1860. It is however believed that Fort Canning Hill used to be a site of certain significance way before the British. More precisely, in the 14th century, during a time where the Malay Kingdom of Singapura thrived on the island.

Today Fort Canning Hill is home to a lovely park, frequented by many locals. The park houses numerous sights and activities and most of them are free. The area is also regularly used as a location for a variety of events.

⛲ Explore Singapore’s Civic District

Located at the foot of Fort Canning Park is Singapore’s Civic District. The latter is home to several colonial buildings, which today house among other things a number of museums and galleries.

This quarter of Singapore is one where you could spend a great deal of time in, if you are very much into museums and art. However, even if that is not your cup of tea, it still remains a rather impressive quarter to walk through.

We put together a walking tour covering most of the highlights of Fort Canning Park and the Civic District.

The starting point is Fort Canning MRT Station and the ending point Singapore’s mascot, the Merlion! From here you will also get your first glimpse of Marina Bay!

During the walking tour, you will pass several points of interest, among which our favourites are probably the Tree Tunnel, Sang Nila Utama Garden, Old Hill Street Police Station, St. Andrew’s Cathedral, the Asian Civilisations Museum and the Merlion! But, this might be different for you😉!

You can find the outline of the walking tour on the map down below. Save the map or this post for later reference!

We would suggest you plan at least 2-3 hours for this walking tour. More time might even be better if you plan on stopping several times. Which we think you should given the sights and very probably the heat. The walking distance is somewhere between 3-4 kilometres (~1h on foot), if you stick pretty closely to the designated path.

Note: You will not have the time to visit each museum and gallery in one afternoon. As an example, you could easily spend 2 hours inside the Asian Civilisations museum alone! Our suggestion would be to pick one at most. But, don’t worry, you will have the chance to circle back on day 2 if there are more that are an absolute must for you.

🌉 Soak in the beautiful skyline at Boat Quay at night!

At this point it is going to be quite late in the day. Luckily for you, the last stop of your first day in Singapore is located right around the corner: Boat Quay.

The area is home to numerous bars and restaurants. Quite a few are perched right on the shore of Singapore River, however equally as many can be found in side alleys and on parallel streets. You should not be short on options for dinner. End the day by soaking in the views around Boat Quay area!

Where to stay in Singapore?

Our personal recommendation would be to stay somewhere near South Bridge Road not too far from Boat Quay or alternatively near Chinatown, for the following reasons:

• Good public transport connections.
• Reasonably priced accommodations available. Book in advance though, the good ones tend to be booked out quickly!
• A lot of food options nearby. In Chinatown there are more food courts, in Boat Quay more restaurants.
• Great areas to spend your evenings in. Both are relatively busy even after dark.
• Marina Bay is in walking distance. Boat Quay is more convenient and closer though.

🛏️ Our recommendation:

We stayed in the Quay Hotel*, near Boat Quay. The Quay Hotel is a budget hotel, which means it has basic amenities and their cheapest rooms have no window. However, their rooms were modern, very clean and the location is unbeatable. We would stay here again anytime!

Day 2: Gardens by the Bay and Downtown Singapore

The second day in Singapore is going to be more relaxed. You will be spending quite a bit more time around Marina Bay and in downtown Singapore and visit some of the most popular attractions this city has to offer.

Depending on what you choose as your optional afternoon activity, it can also be an ideal day for when it is rainy in Singapore, which is unfortunately not uncommon.

So, if the weather forecast predicts one day to be drastically worse than the others, you can always switch the days in this itinerary around. Of course, provided you don’t have any activities booked for a set date yet.

🌴 Marvel at the Supertrees at Gardens by the Bay

Your first stop of the day are the Gardens by the Bay. If this is your first time in Singapore, your feet were probably itching to finally get you here to explore! And with good reason, because these gardens are home to the stunning Supertrees: an absolute MUST-SEE attraction in Singapore.

The Gardens by the Bay are located right behind the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel and offer amazing views while strolling around the beautifully arranged ponds, squares and gardens. Entry is free of charge. However, there are a few paid attractions within the gardens as well.

For instance, you can get into the Supertree Grove and therefore up close to the Supertrees for free, which we thought is rather awesome. However, the OCBC Skywalk (a walkway that winds between the treetops of the Supertrees) or the Supertree Observatory (an observatory located at the top of one of the Supertrees) are paid experiences.

🌺 Visit the stunning Cloud Forest

One experience within the Gardens by the Bay that we found to be quite worthwhile, despite its somewhat hefty price, is the Cloud Forest! The latter is located within one of two glass domes that can be found north of the Supertree Grove.

The Cloud Forest houses one of the tallest indoor waterfalls and leads you through the recreation of a tropical cloud forest setting via several aerial walkways and a multi-story (sort of) mountain. Even though we travelled Singapore on a budget, we decided to splurge on this experience and do not regret having done so.

Note: As a tourist, you can only obtain a combo-ticket for the Cloud Forest.

• Either you book a combo ticket for the Cloud Forest & Flower Dome*. The latter contains plants and flowers from around the world and exhibits them in neatly arranged themed grounds. Price: 59SG$
• Or you book a combo ticket for the Cloud Forest and Supertree Observatory (or OCBC Skyway)*. Price: 34SG$.

🧭 Choose one of four optional activities for your perfect afternoon

After having explored the Gardens by the Bay in the morning, it is now time to choose one of four optional activities to fill your afternoon. This allows you to select the most fitting activity for your trip in terms of your preferences, budget and possibly the weather.

📌 Option 1: Explore Sentosa Island & Stand on the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia

This option is perfect for good weather and people that like the beach, the sun and the outdoors. A trip to Sentosa Island can easily be done on a budget as well.

While the island is quite well known as an entertainment hub for Singaporeans and tourists alike, Sentosa island also offers a number of free activities. Our personal favourite was a relaxing afternoon on Palawan Beach and going to the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia for some awesome views!

You could of course also come here for a more action packed afternoon doing zip-lining and bungee jumping. Or, go for a walk on Fort Silos Skywalk. Or, go to a water park. The possibilities are endless.

How to get to Sentosa Island

🚇 Either take the MRT North East Line (NE) or the Circle Line (CC) to Harbour Front Station. Make your way trough the adjacent shopping centre towards the VivoCity Station, from where a tram (sort of) takes you to Beach Station.

🚌 Alternatively, take the Bus Nr. 123 until you reach Beach Station Terminal. 

Note: We took the MRT to get to Sentosa and the bus to head back towards the city. If you are on a budget the latter is going to be cheaper. The former is a tad more interesting though.

📌 Option 2: Head to Orchard Road for some Shopping

If you would like to do some shopping while in Singapore, Orchard Road is the place to be. This boulevard is lined with shopping malls and known to be a shoppers paradise! However for those of you that are on a stricter budget, you might fall short on things to do here.

As a tip: If you are in the area, check out Emerald Hill Road. The latter is lined with houses having beautiful and colourful fronts, similar to the ones around Chinatown.

How to get to Orchard Road

🚇 Take the MRT North-South Line (NS) or the Thomson-East Coast Line (TE) to Orchard Station.

📌 Option 3: Do a Cooking or Pottery Class

This is a great option if you would like to immerse yourself a bit more into local culture and meet a few Singaporeans while also learning a new craft. We did a pottery class while in Singapore and honestly, it was one of our highlights from the trip.

🏺 We did a workshop at the TK Pottery Jungle. 
- Their atelier and shop are a real hidden gem! 
- We were the only tourists, all other participants were Singaporeans. 
- Workshops take place once every two weeks on a Saturday so you need to check if dates line up. 

Search for unique activities in Singapore on GetYourGuide:

📌 Option 4: Go back to the Civic District for a museum visit

As promised before, you could also just go back to the Civic District which you already explored on day 1. However, this afternoon, you have the time to work your way through the museums and galleries and visit as many exhibitions as you wish.

How to get to the Civic District

🚇 Take the MRT North-South Line (NS) or the East-West Line (EW) to City Hall Station.

🥡 Eat at Lau Pa Sat Hawker Center

For dinner, make your way to the Lau Pa Sat Hawker Center, near Raffles Quay. Compared to the Maxwell Hawker Center, which mostly offers Chinese Food, the Lau Pa Sat Hawker Center displays a wide variety of dishes from various Asian countries!

How to get to Lau Pa Sat Hawker Center

🚇 Take the MRT Downtown Line (DT) either to Telok Ayer or Downtown Station.

🌃 Explore Downtown Singapore at night!

To finish off the second day of this 3-day Singapore itinerary on the same note as it started, head to Marina Bay one more time for the most amazing night views! From Lau Pa Sat Hawker Center you can easily get there on foot:

• ~ 450m to the Promontory @Marina Bay, a promenade alongside Marina Bay.
• ~ 600m to Clifford Square, for the best night views towards the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.
• ~ 900m to the Merlion. From Clifford Square you can walk on a promenade alongside the bay the whole time for a maximum of stunning night views.

Note: The distances given are all calculated from the Lau Pa Sat Hawker Center towards the attraction respectively.

Day 3: Kampong Glam, Little India and night shows at Marina Bay

The third and last full day in Singapore is going to be a bit busier again. You will be exploring a few interesting quarters north east of downtown Singapore, an area where you have not been yet! Your day will be packed with great food, colourful streets and some of our personal Singapore highlights!

🕌 Explore the colourful Kampong Glam

The first stop of day 3 is going to be Kampong Glam, Singapore’s Muslim quarter. Kampong Glam is probably best known for the stunning Sultan Mosque that sits at the centre of this district. The surrounding streets are filled with colourful murals, cafés and restaurants.

How to get to Kampong Glam

🚇 Either take the MRT Downtown Line (DT) or the East-West Line (EW) towards Bugis Station. From here you will have to walk the last 500m until you reach Kampong Glam.

On the lookout for breakfast while strolling around Kampong Glam? We recommend :

• Konditori Artisan Bakes & Pastries. They have the most amazing selection of baked goods and pastries! We can highly recommend their croissants!

Don’t miss these highlights in Kampong Glam:

🌆 Busssorah Street. Street lined with shops and restaurants leading up to the Sultan Mosque.
🕌 Sultan Mosque. Beautiful mosque with a gilded dome.
🎨 Haji Lane & Arab Street. Popular streets in Kampong Glam. Be on the lookout for awesome murals!

🛕 Head to Singapore’s Little India

Next up is Little India, a very different quarter only a few blocks away. Here you can immerse yourself in Indian culture and sample the most amazing Indian food while strolling past shops selling colourful clothing and decor!

How to get to Little India from Kampong Glam

🚇 Take the MRT Downtown Line (DT) from Bugis Station towards Little India Station.
🚶 Alternatively you can also walk. Both quarters are located less than a kilometre apart.

Don’t miss these highlights in Little India:

🛕 Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple. Visit this stunning Hindu temple.
🏠 Former House of Tan Teng Niah. A house with a beautifully colored front.
🍛 Tekka Centre. A food market that also houses clothing shops. There is a food court as well where you can sample authentic Indian cuisine.

Note: If your third day in Singapore happens to fall on a Sunday, be warned that Little India might be really packed!

🥡 Eat at Tekka or Albert Hawker Centre

By now it should already be well around or past lunch time depending on how much time you spend in each quarter. You will have two options on where to eat your lunch based on your food preferences:

• Tekka Centre. Eat here if you would like to try a variety of authentic Indian dishes!
• Albert Centre. If Indian food is not for you then come to Albert Hawker Centre, located near Bugis Station. Here you will find a greater variety of dishes. The focus is however mostly on Chinese cuisine.

🏮 Stroll around Bugis

Truthfully, if you decide to skip Bugis area altogether, you will not miss that much. However, in case you decide to eat at the Albert Hawker Centre, make sure to plan a quick visit to Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple.

The temple itself is a small Buddhist temple and the street that it is located on is filled with shops selling flowers, dried goods and items meant for religious practice. When we visited there was a market in the streets and the area was filled with locals!

🌇 Explore Marina Centre

After lunch, make your way towards Marina Centre. The latter will be in stark contrast to the areas you have visited in the morning. Marina Centre is a newer quarter built on reclaimed land and it is filled with gigantic shopping malls and fancy hotels that are all interconnected by pedestrian walkways either underground or over the roads.

How to get to Marina Centre

🚇 Take the MRT Downtown Line (DT) from Bugis or Little India Station towards Promenade Station.

Things to do in Marina Centre

🛍️ Shopping Malls. Suntec City, Millenia Walk and Marina Square. Truthfully it is quite impressive just how far you can walk without having to go outside once! Note: this will probably only impress you if you are not very used to spending time in big Asian cities😉.
⛲ Fountain of Wealth. A gigantic fountain in the middle of a roundabout, which is built on top of an underground section of Suntec City. You can see the fountain from the latter as well.
🚶 Waterfront Promenade. Once you make it past all the shopping malls and hotels you will reach a promenade alongside Marina Bay.

🌉 Walk the Helix Bridge

The Helix Bridge is a beautifully designed pedestrian bridge, that connects Marina Centre to Marina Bay Sands and the Gardens by the Bay. Walking over the Helix Bridge will grant you awesome views over Marina Bay!

🌟 Explore Marina Bay Sands

While you have been to the Gardens by the Bay on day 2 already, you have yet to explore the Marina Bay Sands Complex! The most prominent feature is of course the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel. However, there is also a shopping mall and a lovely bayfront promenade here as well.

Things to do in Marina Bay Sands

🔭 SkyPark Observation Deck*. The observation deck at the very top of Marina Bay Sands Hotel. Price: 31-35SG$ depending on the timeslot that you book. 
⛲ Rain Oculus. An indoor waterfall.
🌇 Skyline View. Soak in the views onto Marina Bay from the bayfront promenade.
📀 Apple Store. The latter is located inside some sort of glass bubble on the bay.
🚣 Sampan Ride. You can literally take a gondola ride inside the mall. Price: 12SG$.
🥡 Food Court. If you are on the lookout for dinner, head to the food court inside the shopping mall. There is a decent selection of food here!

🎆 Watch the Garden Rhapsody and Spectra Light Shows

Before we reach the end of your last day in Singapore, there is one more highlight that you should definitely not miss out on. Surrounding the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, there are actually two awesome free shows that are performed every night. One by the Supertrees in the Supertree Grove and the second one by fountains in the Marina Bay.

Final Thoughts on spending 3 days in Singapore

And this concludes this 3 day Singapore Itinerary! Phew, that was a long one! Let’s just say, I am impressed if you made it this far. As you might have grasped, there is quite a lot to see and do in Singapore. And who would have thought that you can see that much in just three days?!

Of course there is still more you could do in Singapore, there always is. However, with this itinerary you will manage to get a good overview of Singapore, see the most popular attractions and beyond! And if you decide to come back, you will know exactly what you wish to see more of and what not!

Final Tip: In case you wondered about this MUST-SEE attraction, visit the Jewel at Changi Airport on the day of your departure. Read more on what you should know before you visit though here.

Happy Travels!