5 Budget Things to Do In Singapore (mostly free!!!)
Despite the common belief that Singapore is an extremely expensive city, it is a paradise for budget travellers. Here is a list of things every budget traveller must do in Singapore.
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Visit Botanic gardens
Singapore botanic gardens are perfect place to cope with jet lag and enjoy unbelievable beauty of tropical nature. Don’t miss orchid gardens – they are the most beautiful in the world.
Cost: free
Location: nearby Botanic Gardens MRT Station
Eat in Chinatown
Chinatown is an extremely cheap place. We enjoyed Chinese lychee ice-cream and, of course, sweet fried pork there. Some food might seem weird, but it’s all about experiences, right?
Cost: 3-4 SGD
Location: just in front of Pagoda St. exit of Chinatown MRT station
Make pictures of Haji Lane street art
Haji Lane is a hipster neighbourhood in the downtown of Singapore. All walls are covered with colourful witty graffiti.
One cannot help but take pictures of every single building. We especially enjoyed vintage clothes shops, it’s truly the best place for budget shopping!
Cost: free
Location: take MRT to Bugis station. Then exit towards Raffles Hospital. It’s less than 10 minutes by foot.
Watch a dancing fountain
The dancing fountain at Marina Bay is one of the most beautiful water-and-light installations in Asia. It is not only technologically advanced but also can satisfy the most sophisticated aesthetic tastes. The air around the fountain is hot and humid, so take a lot of cold water with you!
Cost: free
Location: 15-minute walk from City Hall MRT Station
Sunbathe at Sentosa beach
Beaches on Sentosa Island are the cleanest in the whole city, so if you feel exhausted with constant heat it is the best place for you. There are free showers and toilets along the beach, so your Sentosa beach experience will be as comfortable as possible.
Cost: 1 SGD to enter Sentosa Island
Location: walk for 30 minutes from Harbourfront MRT station to the island (the view is great!) or take the Singapore Express monorail.
What other budget things to do in Singapore do you know? Share them with us!
Illia and Nastia are passionate about each other, travelling around the world and sharing their experiences at crazzzytravel.com, a blog where you can find plenty of budget travel tips as well as practical information about numerous destinations. They have already been to 33 countries on 4 continents and ain’t no stopping. Visit their website to learn more about Singapore or check their latest story about how they saw Asia on 2 EUR / day.
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Thanks for publishing our story, looks great on your website!
Best, this is the best blog post Ive read in ages. I am heading to Singapore late December and everyone keeps telling me just how expensive it is. I love that you guys have suggested a couple of really awesome and inexpensive places to hit up. Cant wait to check out hipster town, the wall art looks cool, and the dancing fountains. Yay! Thank you. 🙂
Arghhhh… sweet fried pork. #yarm
Great post! I went to Singapore about 5 years ago, but barely remember it. Visiting the airport in Singapore could also be a budget activity since they have a bunch of attractions inside.
Hey Roshan,
We are heading back to Singapore in October and we will be staying at the Marina bay sands – looking forward to exploring the area.
Hey Jonathan,
I need to look into that as we have an 8 hour stop over in Singapore in October.
HEy Anna,
i was happy to feature these guys on TK, we are headed to Singapore in October and needed some great ideas!
Thanks for being featured!
Love this post! That chinese ice cream looks sooo..interesting! Will be in Singapore in 2 weeks for a short visit so this will come in handy 🙂
Thanks Holly!
Look forward to reading all about your adventures (and getting some tips for our trip in October)
Yummm….I never found that Chinese Ice Cream! Looks so tempting.
Illia and Nastia have pretty much listed everything that an expensive city like Singapore can offer to budget travellers. I have one more suggestion. How about a walk along the Sentosa Broadway? It cost just a dollar and gives beautiful views of the ocean. You can go all the way to the Sentosa Island from the Vivo City Mall terrace by walking this 500m stretch.
Hey Tiaraa,
Im looking forward to walking about Sentosa!
We are heading to Singapore in October
Hi! Singapore isn’t that expensive to be honest! The Botanic Gardens is a hit with tourists. Check out the Souther Ridges Trail where we have one of the best walking trails in Singapore with unique pedestrian bridge! Go to the Fort Canning Park, once the centre of the British administration. Enjoy the view and the uniqueness of our iconic Esplanade (take the MRT train and drop at City Hall and take your own time discovering the art exhibitions). Laze around outside the Esplanade (which is facing the water) and enjoy the view of our city at night. While around the City Hall, walk to our Gardens by the Bay. It’s a free entrance although you have to pay for some attractions inside. You can enjoy an exhilarating display of lights and sound. Do check out the timing for this free show. Take a walk in our shopping centres! You’ll be spoilt for choices as we have lots of shopping centres just around the City Hall area. Go to Shoppes @ Marina Bay Sands where we have a venice-like canal inside the shopping centre! Also visit the Haw Par Villa, a colourful theme park which features the Chinese Legends and mythodology. I do hope you have plenty to do while in Singapore and enjoy your time here!
Hi Faz!
Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for much for your great recommendations!!
We are heading to Singapore in October! I cant wait
Thanks for the informative post 🙂 People generally have the impression that SIngapore’s an expensive place to visit because they forget that there are budget-friendly places to visit, too!
I missed the artwork which is a shame. We watched the day turn to dusk from Altitude which is at the top of an office block. The cover charge wasn’t that expensive and included a free cocktail and live music whilst the laser show danced below us, very atmospheric!
This is a great read!
Especially since I’ll be headed to Singapore in December, along with Hong Kong and another Asia locale…. Starting to save my pennies now.
Cheers,
Ben
@HugePartyTravel
Its amazing to see how much Singapore has to offer to its visitors! we missed all of these in our recent visit. Will definitely bookmark these places for our next visit! great post!
The best of Singapore, I am from Indonesia