Singapore Travel Tips

Here are some Singapore travel tips that you’ll find useful on your tour of Singapore.

 Shopping: Singapore is more or less a shopping destination. The city-nation offers a lot of places (both streets and malls) where one can shop. But before you go on a shopping spree, it is wise to compare the prices carefully and know your product. For electronic, wonder whether the cost difference is worth the limited consumer support & protection.  Also, when possible, check whether your stuff is working before leaving the shop.

Littering: Be careful about littering the city, for Singapore is a clean city and is very serious to remain so. A carelessly thrown tissue could result in a SGD 1,000 fine for a first offender, and a SGD 2,000 fine and a stint of corrective work order cleaning a public place for repeat offenders.

Best time to visit: For a wonderful time visit Singapore during the Chinese New Year. During this time of the year, things are a little bit more crazy, colorful and authentic than usual with lots of markets, decorations and people in the streets.

Tipping: Tipping is prohibited at the airport and discouraged in hotels and restaurants where there is a 10% service charge automatically added to your bill. A tip should only be exercised in instances where the bill does not include a service charge.

Eating: Eat at food courts whenever possible and be adventurous with the food on display. Street food is great in Singapore. Eating in Singapore is a rewarding and relatively cheap experience.

What to Wear: Loose and light summer clothing is recommended, especially for outdoor activities like bazaar shopping and sightseeing. Evening wear depends very much on the setting. Jeans, T-shirts and sandals are acceptable in casual eateries and hawker stalls, but discouraged in fine dining establishments. For men, a tie and jacket may be necessary in some of the more exclusive places. For woman, anything from dressy silk to casual cotton would be appropriate.

Credit/Charge Cards: Credit and charge cards are widely accepted in Singapore. Hotels, travel agents, retailers, restaurants - even taxi cabs readily accept international credit and charge cards.

Drinking Water: When in Singapore one can drink straight from the tap but it is suggested that one goes for drinking bottled water especially if you will be visiting other countries in the region.

Electricity: Singapore's voltage is 220 - 240 AC, 50 Hertz. Most hotels can provide transformer to convert it to 110 - 120 AC, 60 Hertz.

Smoking, rather No Smoking: Smoking is banned in public buses, taxis, lifts, theatres, government offices, cinemas, air conditioned restaurants, shopping centers and covered areas. First-time offenders may be fined up to a maximum of SGD 1,000. Smoking is not prohibited in air-conditioned pubs, discos, karaoke bars and nightspots.