2 Days in Singapore

Today I want to share my travel itinerary for spending 2 days in Singapore with you. This country has a lot going for it, from food to sightseeing and culture.

After traveling through Sri Lanka for 10 days, it was time for me to head back to Singapore, where I’d spent Christmas two weeks prior.

Day 1 in Singapore

I took a red-eye flight that arrived at Changi Airport at 8am, and had breakfast in the lounge before starting my day in the city-state.

I first took a taxi to the house of friends who’d moved from London to Singapore to start a business. They’d graciously agreed to let me stay with them for the night.

We spent some time catching up at their place, then headed into Chinatown to do some sightseeing on the first of my 2 days in Singapore.

But first came lunch. Yum Cha was their favorite dim sum restaurant in Singapore’s Chinatown, and they didn’t hesitate to take me there.

Out came deliciously fluffy char siu bao, cheong fun, and other delicious parcels. We washed it all down with green tea, and then we were ready for an afternoon of sightseeing.

My 2 days in Singapore continued as we wandered through the busy market streets of Chinatown, exploring both traditional shops and new ones. Of the latter, I was delighted to find a Tintin store.

From the shops we made our way over to Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore’s oldest Hindu temple. It was stunning with its brightly-colored towers and details.

Set against the backdrop of the sleek contemporary skyscrapers in Singapore, it provided a nice relief from the ultra-modernity of the country.

My 2 days in Singapore continued with a visit to a second temple. This one was the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum. Located just down the street from the Sri Mariamman Temple, it was striking in its own right.

A Buddhist cultural complex, the temple resounded with chanting and smelled rich with the scent of incense burning at its entrance.

From Chinatown we walked to a less touristy area for a Taiwanese treat: bubble tea. I used to have this kind of tea a lot in San Francisco, but haven’t found many good places for it in London.

The place we tried had just opened that week. The tapioca pearls were smaller than the ones I’d had in the past, but they were extremely fresh and exactly what I had hoped for.

Moving on from tea, my 2 days in Singapore continued as we took a taxi to Holland Village. There we spent the next hour getting foot massages. It was so relaxing we didn’t want to get up when they were over.

We eventually tore ourselves away, though, and headed to the nearby Dempsey area for drinks. My friends took me to a restaurant and bar where we had cocktails like the berry gin fizz.

Later I met up with another friend who was in town on business from Hong Kong. We went to the rooftop Lantern bar at The Fullerton Bay hotel.

The open-air bar had views over the Singapore night skyline, and we caught up over classic cocktails as we watched the twinkling lights across the water. It was a great way to end the first of my 2 days in Singapore.

Day 2 in Singapore

The next morning I was off on an early flight to Ho Chi Minh City, but I didn’t have to say good-bye to the city-state for long.

I was back soon to continue my 2 days in Singapore as a guest of the Four Seasons Hotel Singapore.

My flight arrived late, so I checked in at 1am and found myself in a spacious, well-decorated room with a king-size bed and a huge bathroom.

The following day I stayed at the Four Seasons Hotel Singapore for most of the day.

First I had breakfast at the One-Ninety Restaurant on the ground floor, where I unfortunately had some poached eggs that were way overcooked.

Lunch improved with jasmine tea, dim sum, and kung pao chicken at the Cantonese restaurant, Jiang-Nan Chun.

In the afternoon my 2 days in Singapore continued as I was treated to a massage at the spa that combined Thai massage elements with traditional techniques.

The result was relaxing, and I availed myself of the spa’s sauna and steam room afterwards. It was raining outside, but otherwise I would’ve used the huge outdoor pool. Next time.

At the end of the day I met up once again with my friends, who took me to Din Tai Fung for dinner. The restaurant is famous for its Taiwanese xiaolongbao dumplings, and we didn’t hesitate to order a wide variety of them.

Accompanied by steamed vegetables and fried rice, the meal was a perfectly delicious way to end my 2 days in Singapore.