Where to stay in Singapore

Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country in Southeast Asia. Its territory comprises a main island, over 60 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet.

Singapore is a microcosm of Asia, populated by Chinese, Malays, Indians and a large group of workers and expatriates from all around the globe, in a country that can be crossed in barely an hour.

Sometimes referred to as the Little Red Dot (originally coined as a pejorative by the former Indonesian president B. J. Habibie) or the Lion City (a literal translation of the original Sanskrit name), Singapore is a small country on a small island with six million people. It is a fairly crowded city and in fact, it is second only to Monaco as the world's most densely populated country. However, Singapore has over 50% of its area covered in greenery and with over 50 major parks and 4 nature reserves, it is an enchanting garden city. Large self-contained residential towns have mushroomed all over the island, around the clean and modern city centre.

Accommodation in Singapore is expensive by South-East Asian standards. Particularly in the higher price brackets, demand outstrips supply and during big events like the F1 race or some of the larger conventions it's not uncommon for pretty much everything to sell out. Lower-end hotels and hostels, though, remain affordable and available throughout the year. Unless you're a shopping maven intent on maximizing time in Orchard Road's shopping malls, the Riverside is probably the best place to stay in Singapore. You will notice that hotels within certain parts of the Riverside area are much more expensive than others. Those hotels are inside the boundary of the Electronic Road Pricing area.

Getting in

All visitors to Singapore must have a passport that is valid for at least 6 months from their date of arrival. Citizens of Australia, the European Union, New Zealand, Norway, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland the United Kingdom and the United States do not need a visa for stays of 90 days or less. Holders of a valid APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) may visit Singapore for up to 60 days without a visa. Citizens of most other countries can stay without a visa for 30 days or less, so that's the case if your country is not named here.

Getting around

Getting around Singapore is easy: the public transport network is extremely easy to use, affordable, and covers populated areas extensively. Furthermore, taxis/rideshares are reasonably priced and easy to hail via apps. CityMapper, Google Maps, and Apple Maps are all capable of figuring out the fastest route by rail and bus and even estimating taxi/rideshare fares between any two points. Public nuisance behaviours like putting your feet on the seats or playing loud music from your phone are strictly prohibited on all public transport, and violation of this rule can result in a $500 fine.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.