OZU /SINGAPORE /SINGAPORE /GUIDE
A weekend in Singapore
20 h route3 stopsBest: Any month: no seasons here, only stormy afternoonsUpdated July 2026
The city-state covers well in two days because the metro is fast, punctual and reaches everything, and because the distances are laughable next to any Asian capital. What changes between the days isn’t the area but the register.
Saturday goes to the three communities that built this (Chinese, Malay and Indian) which still have their own quarter and their own temple. Sunday goes to what Singapore has done with its money: gardens, museums and engineering.
The route, stop by stop
3 STOPS- 01
Kampong Glam and Arab Street
Raffles assigned this quarter to the Malay sultan and the Muslim community, and it remains the centre of the city’s Malay life.
The Sultan Mosque, with its golden dome, dates from 1928, and it has a detail almost nobody notices: the base of the dome is made from thousands of glass bottle ends donated by poor families, so that they too took part in building it.
Around it are Arab Street, with the fabric shops, and Haji Lane, a very narrow alley full of small shops and murals that is among the most photographed spots in Singapore. The contrast between the mosque and the lane beside it sums up rather well the balance the city lives in.
- 02
Little India and the wet market
Strong colours, music spilling out of shops, the smell of spice and crowded pavements: Little India is the exception to orderly Singapore. The Sri Veeramakaliamman temple, dedicated to Kali, is the busiest, and on Sundays the quarter fills because it’s the day off for many South Asian workers.
The place to see is the Tekka Centre: wet market below (fish, meat, vegetables, with the wet floor the name comes from) and hawker centre above, where the South Indian food is. Dosa, biryani, and breakfast with roti prata.
It’s among the best in the city and the cheapest.
- 03
The Botanic Gardens and the orchid garden
A hundred and sixty years old, free, and the only tropical botanic garden on the World Heritage list. It has a very specific historic role: the rubber tree tapping technique developed here turned Malaya into the world’s largest producer and changed the economy of the whole region. Inside, the National Orchid Garden does charge, and it is the largest orchid display in the world, with over a thousand species. The orchid is the national flower, and there’s a tradition of naming hybrids after distinguished visitors.
Frequently asked
Is Sentosa worth it?
Depends who you’re travelling with. With children, yes: theme parks, aquarium and artificial beaches. Without, it’s skippable next to the gardens, the museums or the quarters, which is where what makes Singapore distinctive actually is.