Destinations: Singapore

Singapore Holidays from the UK: Tours, Packages and Deals

Singapore packs an entire region into one small, dazzling island. Futuristic gardens with glowing supertrees, hawker centres serving some of the best-value food on earth, colonial shophouses beside soaring skyscrapers, and a rooftop infinity pool that has launched a million photos. It is clean, safe, effortless to get around, and the perfect launchpad for Southeast Asia.

At GenZ Travel, we build holidays to Singapore from the UK that take the planning off your plate. Return flights, hand-picked hotels, private transfers and 24/7 UK-based support, and all bookable with a low deposit and 0% interest monthly payments. Whether Singapore is your whole trip or the first stop on a longer adventure, we tailor it to you.

Singapore at a Glance

Why Book a Singapore Holiday?

Effortless from the moment you land. English is everywhere, the plugs match your UK devices, and the MRT metro is spotless, cheap and easy. Few long-haul destinations feel this smooth for first-time travellers.

Food that punches far above its price. Singapore has Michelin-starred restaurants, but the real magic is in the hawker centres, where a plate of Hainanese chicken rice or chilli crab costs a few pounds and tastes unforgettable.

A city built for wonder. Gardens by the Bay, the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark, Sentosa’s beaches and Universal Studios, and the night safari all sit within a short ride of each other. You can pack a lot into a few days.

The perfect stopover. Singapore’s Changi Airport is a destination in itself, and its position makes it the ideal launchpad for a multi-centre trip with Thailand, Bali or Malaysia, spreading your long-haul flight cost across two experiences.

Green in every sense. Singapore calls itself a “city in a garden”, and it means it. Lush vertical planting climbs the sides of skyscrapers, the Botanic Gardens are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Gardens by the Bay shows what a green city of the future might look like. For a place this dense and modern, it is remarkably full of nature, which makes it a refreshing place to walk and explore between the shopping and the food.

Something for every budget. The city has a reputation for expense, but that only holds if you eat and drink like you are in London. Stick to hawker centres, ride the MRT, and enjoy the many free attractions, and Singapore becomes genuinely good value. Splurge on a rooftop bar or an iconic hotel if you want to, but you never have to in order to have a brilliant time.

Getting to Singapore from the UK

Singapore is one of the most accessible long-haul destinations from the UK, with frequent direct flights and a world-class airport waiting at the other end. The direct flight from London takes around 13 hours, and several airlines run daily services, so you rarely have to settle for an awkward routing or a long layover unless you want to save money.

Singapore Airlines and British Airways both fly non-stop from London Heathrow, and these are the most comfortable options given the length of the journey. If you are happy with one stop in exchange for a lower fare, carriers routing through the Gulf hubs of Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, or through European hubs, often work out cheaper and can be very civilised if you time the layover well. Regional UK departures from Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and elsewhere are usually available with one connection.

Because the flight is long but the time difference is a manageable seven hours ahead, most UK travellers find Singapore easier to adjust to than destinations further east. Flying out overnight and arriving in the early evening lets you sleep on the plane, check in, and wake up roughly in sync with local time. It is one of the reasons Singapore makes such a gentle introduction to Asia.

Changi Airport: an attraction in itself

Most airports are somewhere to endure. Changi is somewhere you might actually want to arrive early for. Consistently ranked among the best airports in the world, it has an indoor waterfall, butterfly gardens, a rooftop pool, free film lounges and food courts that put many high streets to shame. The Jewel complex, with its enormous Rain Vortex and indoor forest, is worth a visit even if you are not flying that day.

For travellers on a stopover, this matters. If your itinerary gives you a long connection, Changi turns dead time into part of the holiday. And when you land at the start of a Singapore trip, the airport’s efficiency means you are through immigration, on the spotless MRT or in a taxi, and at your hotel faster than you would believe possible after a 13-hour flight.

Getting from the airport to the city

Reaching your hotel from Changi is simple and cheap. The MRT metro runs directly from the airport into the city for a couple of pounds and takes around 30 to 45 minutes, depending on your destination. Taxis and ride-hailing apps like Grab are readily available, well priced by UK standards, and the natural choice if you are tired or travelling with luggage and family. Many hotels also offer private transfers, which we include in our packages so you step off the plane and straight into a waiting car.

Best Time to Visit Singapore

Singapore sits almost on the equator, so it is warm and humid all year with temperatures around 30°C. There is no bad time to go, but some months are more comfortable than others.

February to April is generally the driest, sunniest window and the most comfortable for sightseeing. May to July stays warm with the odd shower. November to January is the wetter monsoon period, though rain usually falls in short, heavy bursts rather than all day, and the festive season brings dazzling light displays and events.

Because the weather varies less than the crowds and prices, timing your trip around events and value often matters more than chasing sun. Our guide to the best time to visit Singapore breaks down the weather, festivals and prices month by month so you can pick the right window for you.

Singapore’s calendar is packed with festivals that can shape when you choose to visit. Chinese New Year, usually in late January or February, fills Chinatown with lanterns, markets and lion dances. Deepavali lights up Little India in October or November, and the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix in September turns the Marina Bay street circuit into a night-race spectacle with concerts and crowds. If any of these appeal, build your trip around them, but book early, as hotels fill fast.

Top Things to Do in Singapore

For such a small island, Singapore has a remarkable spread of things to see, from futuristic gardens to heritage neighbourhoods and beach resorts. Our roundup of the places to go in Singapore maps out the districts worth your time, while the highlights below are the ones most UK travellers build a trip around.

• Gardens by the Bay: The glowing Supertrees and the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome conservatories are Singapore’s signature sight, magical after dark during the light show.
• Marina Bay Sands: Ride to the SkyPark observation deck for the skyline view, or watch the free Spectra light and water show from the waterfront promenade.
• Sentosa Island: Beaches, Universal Studios Singapore, the S.E.A. Aquarium and cable cars, all a short ride from the centre and ideal for families.
• Chinatown, Little India and Kampong Glam: Three vibrant heritage quarters full of temples, mosques, street art, markets and outstanding food.
• Singapore Zoo and Night Safari: Among the best in the world, with the after-dark safari a genuinely unique experience.
• Hawker centres: Maxwell, Lau Pa Sat and Newton are edible attractions in their own right and unbeatable value.

There is far more than any single trip can cover, and our guide to the best things to do in Singapore goes deeper into tours, hidden corners and family favourites. If your hotel is near the waterfront, the concentration of sights around the bay is unbeatable, and our roundup of things to do in Marina Bay covers the area in detail.

Where to Stay in Singapore

Singapore’s neighbourhoods each offer a different base. Marina Bay puts you beside the headline sights and the best skyline views, but comes at a premium. Chinatown and Clarke Quay suit those who want nightlife and food on the doorstep, while Orchard Road is the choice for shopping. For better value, the heritage areas of Little India and Kampong Glam offer character and lower rates within easy reach of the centre.

Hotels are pricier here than elsewhere in Southeast Asia, so choosing the right area for your plans really pays off. Our guide to where to stay in Singapore compares the main neighbourhoods and hotel options for every budget, from smart hostels to the iconic Marina Bay Sands.

Marina Bay for first-timers and icons

If it is your first visit and you want to be in the thick of the action, Marina Bay is hard to beat. You wake up beside Gardens by the Bay, the ArtScience Museum and the waterfront promenade, with the nightly light show on your doorstep. Marina Bay Sands itself, with its famous rooftop infinity pool overlooking the skyline, is a bucket-list stay, though there are more affordable hotels nearby that share the same location and views. Expect to pay a premium here, but for a short trip built around the headline sights, the convenience is worth it.

Chinatown and Clarke Quay for food and nightlife

For travellers who want to eat and drink their way through the city, Chinatown and the riverside district around Clarke Quay put you in the middle of it. Chinatown balances heritage temples and hawker food with boutique hotels and easy MRT links, while Clarke Quay comes alive at night with bars and restaurants lining the water. Both offer a slightly better mix of value and atmosphere than the bay, and neither is more than a short ride from the main sights.

Orchard Road, Little India and Kampong Glam

Shoppers gravitate to Orchard Road, a glittering avenue of malls and department stores with hotels to match every budget, from smart business bases to luxury flagships. For more character and lower prices, the heritage quarters of Little India and Kampong Glam are the insider’s choice. Here you get colourful streets, some of the best and cheapest food in the city, independent hotels and hostels with genuine personality, and quick connections into the centre. They suit travellers who care more about atmosphere and value than a skyline view.

Sentosa for a resort feel

Families and couples after a resort-style stay often base themselves on Sentosa, the leisure island just off the south coast. Here the hotels come with pools, beaches and the theme parks on your doorstep, trading the buzz of the city for a more relaxed, holiday atmosphere. It works especially well for a few nights at the end of a trip, or for families who want the attractions within easy reach without daily commuting.

Food and Drink in Singapore

If there is one thing that turns a first-time visitor into a lifelong fan, it is the food. Singapore is one of the great eating cities of the world, a place where four cultures, Chinese, Malay, Indian and Peranakan, have blended over generations into a cuisine you cannot find anywhere else. Best of all, the finest food is often the cheapest, served in bustling hawker centres rather than white-tablecloth restaurants.

The hawker centre is the beating heart of Singaporean food culture. These open-air food courts gather dozens of specialist stalls under one roof, each perfecting a single dish over decades. You order from whichever stall calls to you, grab a table, and eat like royalty for a few pounds. Two hawker stalls have even earned Michelin stars, proof that price and quality are not the same thing here.

Dishes you have to try

Some dishes are non-negotiable on a Singapore trip. Work your way through as many as you can:

• Hainanese chicken rice: Poached chicken with fragrant rice cooked in stock, often called the national dish. Simple, comforting and perfect.
• Chilli crab: Whole crab in a sweet, savoury, mildly spicy tomato sauce, best mopped up with fried mantou buns. Messy and glorious.
• Laksa: A rich, coconut-based noodle soup with prawns and a fiery, aromatic kick that sums up the Peranakan blend of Chinese and Malay flavours.
• Satay: Skewered, grilled meat with peanut sauce, smoky and moreish, best eaten in the open air with a cold drink.
• Char kway teow: Stir-fried flat rice noodles with egg, prawns and Chinese sausage, cooked over ferocious heat for that signature smoky flavour.
• Kaya toast: The classic breakfast of toasted bread with coconut jam and butter, served with soft-boiled eggs and strong local coffee.

Beyond the hawker centres, Singapore rewards the curious. The city has a sophisticated cafe and cocktail scene, rooftop bars with skyline views, and some of Asia’s best fine dining if you want to treat yourself. The famous Singapore Sling cocktail was invented at the Raffles Hotel’s Long Bar, and while it is firmly a tourist ritual, sipping one in that colonial setting is a fun slice of history. For a cheaper thrill, a fresh sugarcane juice or a teh tarik (pulled milk tea) from a hawker’s stall costs almost nothing and hits the spot in the heat.

What makes eating in Singapore so special is how naturally the cultures sit side by side. You might start the day with Indian breakfast in Little India, graze on Chinese noodles for lunch in Chinatown, and finish with Malay satay in the evening, all within a couple of miles. Food here is the easiest and most delicious way to understand the city’s history as a trading crossroads, and it costs a fraction of what a comparable food tour would elsewhere. Come hungry, eat often, and treat every meal as part of the sightseeing.

Getting Around Singapore

Getting around Singapore is a joy compared with most cities, thanks to one of the cleanest, cheapest and most efficient public transport systems on the planet. You genuinely do not need to hire a car, and most travellers rely on a mix of the metro, the occasional taxi and their own two feet.

The MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) metro is the backbone of the network. Trains are frequent, air-conditioned, spotless and signed in English, connecting virtually every attraction you will want to visit. A single journey costs little more than a pound, and you simply tap in and out with a contactless bank card or an EZ-Link stored-value card. For most trips around the city, the MRT gets you there faster than a taxi stuck in traffic.

Above ground, an extensive bus network fills in the gaps and offers a scenic way to see the city, while taxis and the Grab ride-hailing app are cheap, metered and plentiful for when you are tired, loaded with shopping, or travelling late. Fares are a fraction of UK taxi prices, and drivers are honest and professional. Walking, meanwhile, is a pleasure in areas like Marina Bay, the Civic District and the heritage quarters, where sheltered walkways help you dodge both sun and sudden showers.

Transport tips worth knowing

• Use a contactless card: tap your UK bank card straight onto MRT and bus readers, with no need to buy a separate ticket for short stays.
• Avoid rush hour crushes: the MRT gets very busy from around 8 to 9am and 6 to 7pm on weekdays, so plan around it if you can.
• Grab for groups and late nights: splitting a Grab between three or four people often costs little more than the metro and saves the walk.
• Carry a light layer: the aggressive air-conditioning indoors and on trains can feel cold after the heat outside.

A Sample Singapore Itinerary

Three to four full days is the sweet spot for a first Singapore trip, enough to cover the headline sights without rushing and to leave room for the long meals and spontaneous wandering that make the city special. Here is a realistic route that balances the must-sees with time to breathe, whether Singapore is your whole holiday or a stopover on a longer journey.

Start with the classics on day one. A morning at Gardens by the Bay, wandering the cooled Cloud Forest and Flower Dome, sets the tone, followed by an afternoon rest to beat the heat and an evening return to the bay for the free light show as the Supertrees glow. Day two slows the pace with the heritage quarters, where the real reward is eating your way from Chinatown to Little India to Kampong Glam, pausing for temples, mosques and murals along the way.

Day three is for Sentosa, the resort island a quick ride from the centre, ideal for families with its theme parks, aquarium and beaches. If you have a fourth day, fill it with the superb zoo or the unique after-dark Night Safari, a morning in the tranquil Botanic Gardens, and an afternoon along Orchard Road for shopping and air-conditioned rest. Slot a rooftop bar or a Singapore Sling into any evening, and you have a trip that feels full but never frantic.

The beauty of Singapore’s compact size is that this itinerary flexes easily. Short on time on a stopover? Compress days one and two into a single, packed day and you will still see the essentials. Travelling with children? Give Sentosa two days and drop the shopping. Here for a special occasion? Trade a hawker lunch for a degustation menu and a sunset cocktail high above the bay. However you shape it, the short distances mean you spend your time enjoying the city rather than commuting across it, which is a rare luxury on a city break.

Singapore Costs and Budget for UK Travellers

Singapore has a reputation as an expensive city, and it is true that hotels, alcohol and taxis cost more than elsewhere in Southeast Asia. But that reputation only tells half the story. With smart choices, especially around food and transport, a Singapore trip can be surprisingly affordable, and the value on offer often exceeds what the same money buys in a major European city.

Accommodation is usually your biggest daily cost. Budget travellers can find smart hostel beds and capsule hotels from around £25 to £45 a night; mid-range hotels sit around £90 to £160, and the iconic properties like Marina Bay Sands run well above that. Food, by contrast, is where Singapore shines for value: a hawker meal costs £3 to £6, a mid-range restaurant meal £15 to £30, and only fine dining approaches UK prices. Public transport is cheap at a pound or two per journey, and many of the best experiences, from the Gardens by the Bay light show to the heritage neighbourhoods and the Botanic Gardens, are free.

Add those together and a budget-conscious traveller can enjoy Singapore on roughly £45 to £90 a day once flights and hotels are covered, while a comfortable mid-range day sits nearer £160 to £290. The single biggest saving is to eat like a local: swapping restaurant meals for hawker centres barely dents your experience and frees up budget for a paid attraction or a rooftop drink. Alcohol is the notable exception to Singapore’s good value, so if you enjoy a drink, look out for happy hours and the local beer rather than imported wine.

Singapore for Families and Couples

Few destinations work as well for such different kinds of travellers. Singapore is one of the most family-friendly cities in Asia and at the same time a romantic, sophisticated escape for couples. The same compact, easy-going city delivers both, which is exactly why it suits multi-generational trips and honeymoon stopovers alike.

For families, the draw is obvious. Sentosa’s Universal Studios, the S.E.A. Aquarium and the beaches keep children happy for days, while the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and River Wonders are consistently rated among the best wildlife attractions anywhere. Everything is clean, safe and easy to navigate with a pushchair, the food has something for even fussy eaters, and the short distances mean less time in transit and more time enjoying yourselves. Many hotels offer family rooms and pools that become an attraction in their own right on a hot afternoon.

For couples, Singapore turns on the glamour after dark. Sunset from a rooftop bar, dinner in a restored colonial shophouse, a night stroll along the illuminated Marina Bay waterfront, or a quiet morning in the orchid gardens all lend themselves to a romantic trip. The city’s polish and safety make it a relaxing place to unwind, and its position as a stopover means many couples pair a few nights here with a beach on Bali or an island in Thailand for the best of both worlds.

Culture, Etiquette and Practical Tips

Singapore is famously orderly, and a little awareness of local norms helps you fit in and avoid the odd fine that the city is known for. None of it is onerous, and Singaporeans are welcoming and used to visitors, but a few practical points are worth knowing before you go.

The city takes cleanliness and public order seriously, with fines for things like littering, jaywalking and eating or drinking on the MRT. Chewing gum is famously restricted, so leave it at home. These rules are part of why the city is so pleasant, and following them is simply good manners. Beyond that, Singapore is a multicultural, multi-faith society, so dress modestly when visiting temples and mosques, remove your shoes where asked, and be respectful when photographing places of worship.

Handy things to know

• Plugs and voltage: Singapore uses the same three-pin Type G plug as the UK, so you can leave the adapter at home.
• Tipping: not expected, as a service charge is usually added, and it is not part of the culture the way it is elsewhere.
• Connectivity: free public wifi is widespread, and a local or eSIM data package is cheap if you want to stay connected on the move.
• Safety: Singapore is one of the safest cities in the world, with very low crime, though normal common sense still applies.
• Language: English is an official language and spoken everywhere, so communication is effortless for UK travellers.

Perhaps the most useful thing to understand about Singapore is its rhythm. The heat and humidity are constant, so locals structure their days around air-conditioned refuges, whether malls, museums or cafes, and eat, shop and socialise late into the cooler evenings. Fall into that rhythm, hydrate often, and you will find the climate far easier to enjoy than to fight.

Singapore as a Stopover or Multi-Centre Trip

One of Singapore’s greatest strengths is its position. Sitting at the crossroads of Southeast Asia, it is the natural gateway to the wider region, which is why so many UK travellers use it as a stopover or the first leg of a multi-centre holiday rather than a standalone destination. A few nights here at the start of a trip lets you shake off the jet lag in comfort before flying on to a beach or a jungle.

The most popular pairing is Singapore with a beach, and the options are superb. A short flight takes you to the islands of Thailand, the beaches of Bali, or the resorts of Malaysia and the Maldives. Spending three or four nights soaking up Singapore’s city energy before a week of doing very little on a beach gives you the best of both worlds and spreads the cost of that long-haul flight across two very different experiences.

Singapore also combines beautifully with other cities. A multi-centre trip taking in Singapore and the temples of Thailand, or Singapore and the neon of Japan, makes for an unforgettable itinerary that would be hard to arrange yourself. This is exactly the kind of trip we love to build: the flights, the internal connections, the hotels in each city, and the transfers are all handled, so all you do is turn up and enjoy it. If you are thinking beyond a single destination, tell us where else tempts you and we will design the route.

Why a stopover makes sense

• Beat the jet lag: a couple of nights in an easy, English-speaking city eases you into the time zone before the main event.
• Two trips in one: pairing a city with a beach or a second city doubles the variety for barely more flight cost.
• Break up the journey: splitting a long-haul flight with a Singapore stop makes the whole trip more comfortable.
• Effortless connections: Changi’s short onwards flights reach dozens of regional destinations quickly and cheaply.

Singapore Holiday Packages from GenZ Travel

We tailor every Singapore trip, whether you want a short city break, a longer stay or a multi-centre adventure. A typical package includes:

Want to pair Singapore with the beaches of Bali, the temples of Thailand or the cities of Japan? Multi-centre trips are our speciality, so just enquire and we’ll build the route around your dates, budget and interests.