We moved to Singapore from Copenhagen expecting a stopover. We stayed for years and now call the city home. The city gets a bad rap for being sterile, and yes, it is clean and orderly in a way that can feel strange at first. But underneath the efficiency there is real warmth, some of the best eating in the world at prices that make no sense, and greenery everywhere you look. It is also, by a wide margin, the easiest city in Asia to travel in with children.
Why we love Singapore
Singapore works well for family days. The MRT reaches much of the island, tap water is safe to drink, and many neighbourhoods are comfortable to explore on foot. Our days here have a rhythm: a playground or pool before the heat peaks, lunch at a hawker centre, an air-conditioned break, then out again in the evening. Lifts at most stations help with a stroller, though some routes still involve a longer walk than the map suggests.
We also love how much variety sits in such a small space. Malay, Chinese, Indian and Peranakan cultures all shape the food, the festivals and the neighbourhoods. You can breakfast in Little India, browse the shophouses of Tiong Bahru and watch the supertrees light up in Marina Bay, all in a single day.
What to see and do
The headline sights earn their reputation. Gardens by the Bay, with the Cloud Forest waterfall and the Supertree Grove light show, is the one we took every visiting relative to, and it never failed. The Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and River Wonders are among the best animal parks anywhere, and Sentosa offers beaches and a slow, resort-ish pace. Beyond those, the neighbourhoods are the reward. Chinatown and its shophouse streets, Little India around Serangoon Road, Kampong Glam with the Sultan Mosque and Haji Lane, and the leafy, very local Tiong Bahru. Add the Southern Ridges walkway if your kids can handle a long stroll through the treetops, and East Coast Park for cycling and the beach on a weekend morning.
Where to eat and drink
This is the section we could write forever. Singapore eats at hawker centres, open-air food courts where dozens of stalls cook one thing each, extremely well. Maxwell, Lau Pa Sat, Tiong Bahru Market and Old Airport Road are the names to know. Order the chicken rice, the laksa, the char kway teow, and finish with kaya toast and kopi. Above the hawker tier there is a serious fine dining scene, but the everyday hawker meals are the ones we return to most. Our full eating guide is where to eat in Singapore.
When to go and how to get around
Singapore sits near the equator, so the weather is hot and humid all year, with rain that comes hard and passes fast. There is no bad season, only busier ones around Christmas and Chinese New Year. Plan around the heat the way locals do. Out early, indoors midday, out again after four.
Getting around is simple. The MRT is clean, cheap, air-conditioned and stroller-friendly, and taxis and Grab are affordable by European standards. Changi Airport is close to the city and famously good in its own right, with the Jewel waterfall worth a look even if you are not flying.
Our Singapore guides
- Singapore with kids, our full family guide to the parks, beaches, animal parks and logistics.
- Where to eat in Singapore, from hawker centres to the dishes you should order.
If you are building a longer Asia trip, our Bangkok city guide pairs naturally with Singapore, and the two cities are an easy three-hour flight apart.