You could see the whole of Singapore in a few days.However the airport will take half a day in itself and the Singapore port may be one full day.So this gives you a sense of proportion of how small Singapore is or how large trade , banking and tourism is in proportion to such a small country.When I was landing by Singapore Airlines one very early morning I could see the huge harbour and the countless ships and yachts moving in and out.
Typical Places
I went to Singapore a year back and visited the usual tourist attractions like Night Safari and Sentosa .I liked the Night Safari and the feeling of animals so close to oneself .But sometimes the animals look tired of their fake roars , their artificial antics that you end up wondering why does man have to control everything.The whole show is orchestrated towards children but it borders on insulting adult intelligence as well.
Well, the cable ride to Sentosa was the best part of being in Singapore especially the part when the car moves over the port when you could see ships anchored under you. But Sentosa itself is not such a big deal.The underwater world looks better in magazines than when you are actually there .The dolphin show is good but not involving enough.The best part is the greenery and the gardens which have been maintained very well.
I couldnt go to the birds park as we didnt want to hop on with the hundreds of tourists(mostly Indians) along with their noisy kids -after all we were on holiday and standing in line to board the bus was not our idea of relaxing.So we went and explored the city on our own.
Dont Let your travel agency pick all those typical places -they are boring if you dont have children. You can plan your itinerary after you get there
Exploring the city
One thing which catches your attention is the greenery which mixes with the concrete atmosphere seamlessly .That is excellent planning.For example there was a green space outside my hotel and there were some lawns as well. Another aspect is the well preserved European style buildings in and around the city which are really a wonderful sight during night where again the whole of Singapore is lighted with stars.
The city has one of the best public transport and you could put a deposit and get train coupons which you can encash after the journey.The system is so good we would have travelled more of Singapore by train than even people of their own country. It is hassle free , cheap and you can actually reach out to non-tourist parts of the city and feel the true fabric of the city
There are some new constructions on the outskirts where we travelled on a magnetic railway system.After finishing we took the trip back to the Business district with all those huge buildings with Banks and corporations.We took a taxi to look around.
This led us to Clark Quay wherein there is a boat ride on Singapore river.This is excellent and so relaxing.After dinner Clark Quay has a lot of riverside restaurants where you can have a candle-light dinner .
Also people told me that Science City is a good place to visit.But I am sure you can discover some cool places on the way and by asking the locals.
Overdiscipline
When you go by train , you see a lot of signs on the station that a 1000 cameras are watching you and you better behave. Similar signs and warnings were all around the place.While I understand that they have maintained the place excellently but always being told about what to do is irritating!!!!!
Shopping
Singapore is sexy for shopping and you can keep shopping for days together. Higher end shopping is there in the business districts while Indians mostly are in Mustafa . While shopping remember that the Singapore Govt redeems sales tax which you pay while buying things in Singapore .For that you have to get a form from the shopkeeper and put it in the Airport .The cheque shall arrive after a month or so promptly.Best buys are digital cameras , watches and toys while cellphones and garments are cheaper in india actually.
Eating
There are really a lot of eating places for non-vegs.For veggies the choices are limited but surely better than other foreign countries.Little India is an ideal hotspot for veggies but there are other good indian restaurants around town.Non-veg guys should try the fish head curry which is the delicacy.
Final word
Combine Singapore with Malaysia- Relax in Malaysia and shop in Singapore.Also there is this wonderful cruise from Singapore which goes around islands to Malaysia in two days.You should try to put two-three days and go on that cruise if you are going to Singapore. And another good option would be to take a road trip from Malaysia to Singapore as this area is covered with some beautiful tropical rain forests.
And fly Singapore Airlines which is the best airline I have flown in !!!