Cruise Life
What We Did During Our 48-Hour Singapore Layover
Trip date: January 2017. We tagged a 48-hour Singapore stopover onto the end of a Southeast Asia cruise, exploring Sentosa Island, the National Orchid Garden, and Chinatown during Chinese New Year with our family of five. Here’s what we did and what to know before you go.
Singapore is uniquely suited to a short stopover. Changi Airport — consistently rated the world’s best airport — is practically a destination in itself, with gardens, a cinema, a rooftop pool, and a 40-metre indoor waterfall all inside the terminal. The city is extraordinarily safe, English is an official language, public transport is world-class, and many nationalities receive visa-free entry for short stays. Even 48 hours here feels like a complete trip.
In January 2017, while we were in South Korea, we had gone on our first cruise which took us from Singapore to Thailand, then Vietnam, and back. We would love to go to these places again because there is so much yet that we have not done or seen! Before we came back home we had decided to stay in Singapore for 2 days and see what we could do at that time.
In all actuality, we stayed here for 2 nights but only had a day and a half to explore before we had to catch our flight back home. When you are determined, you can do a lot of things in a short period of time!
*Did you know that Singapore has 4 official languages? They are English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil.
“Travel is never a matter of money but of courage”
Paulo Coelho
Where we stayed
During our brief stay in Singapore, we did not stay in a hotel. We were very happy to use Airbnb Singapore and found a lovely place with harbor views downtown. We could actually see the ship we had just departed get ready before disembarking again. David was very happy with the views because he got to play with his cameras and take some time-lapses.
The place we stayed at was very convenient. It had shops on the first floor and access to the train station right outside. If I was going to describe Alex’s place in one word, I would say White. It had 2 bedrooms but plenty of beds, a full kitchen with everything we needed readily available. It was very affordable too at $139 a night, and Alex was a very helpful host. 🙂
Downtown Singapore was an ideal base for our short stay. With the MRT station steps from the front door, Sentosa Island was about 20–25 minutes away door-to-door and most major attractions were reachable in under 30 minutes. For a layover trip, we’d recommend prioritizing accommodation near an MRT station on the East-West or North-South line — it makes everything effortless.
Singapore Airbnb options range from budget shared rooms to luxury marina-view apartments. If you’re traveling with family, the Marina Bay, Tanjong Pagar, or Bugis areas are all central, safe, and well-connected. Hotels cover every budget too — from boutique hostels to iconic five-star properties like the Raffles Hotel and the Marina Bay Sands hotel itself.
Singapore Attractions
Our first afternoon here, David, Lily, and I were the only ones that went out and explored while Gabe and mom stayed behind. This was because Gabe was still suffering from seasickness and was just not up to going anywhere. So while he and mom relaxed, we decided to go to Sentosa Island. There is SO much to do here but with our limited time, I would say that we did plenty.
Sentosa Island is essentially Singapore’s purpose-built entertainment and resort destination. Connected to the main island by MRT, cable car, and a pedestrian boardwalk, it packs in beaches, theme parks, nature trails, cable car rides, and more within a compact area. For families with limited time, Sentosa is the right call — it concentrates a full day’s worth of varied activities in one accessible location.
Sentosa Singapore
Skyline Luge
We decided to go on the luge which was pretty fun. So much so that we wound up going more than once! Lily made me nervous because she wanted to go so fast. She did phenomenally though, and I just had to stop worrying and just have fun.
The luge runs from the hilltop down to the beachfront, and a chairlift carries you back up for your next run. Multi-ride passes are available at the ticket booth — we’d strongly recommend buying more than one because a single run goes by fast. Children as young as 6 can ride solo (minimum height applies), and younger kids can ride tandem with a parent. Tip: go first thing in the morning before the midday heat and the queues build up.
Gogreen Segway Eco Adventure
When we found out that there was a segway tour we wanted to try it. Unfortunately, Lily was too young to go on a full tour. They did however offer a quick one that Lily could do which just gave you the opportunity to try a segway. We were pretty happy with this but would have really loved the full tour.
The full Gogreen Segway Eco Adventure tour runs about an hour and takes you through Palawan Beach and Sentosa’s forested interior trails — parts of the island most visitors walk straight past. The minimum age for the full tour is around 10 years old, which is why Lily had to settle for the intro experience. If your kids meet the age requirement, the full tour is worth the upgrade.
Singapore’s Butterfly Park and Insect Kingdom
We wound up going to the butterfly park after touching some pythons because Lily saw it and really wanted to go. It turned out to be very interesting. We got to watch butterflies leaving their cocoons…..well start to. It takes a while. 🙂
There were so many beautiful butterflies that were preserved, a good portion of which can be found in Africa. Along with the preserved butterflies and other insects were a fascinating array of pictures made of beetles and butterflies.
The park is split into two areas: a live butterfly garden with hundreds of free-flying tropical species, and a museum-style insect kingdom with thousands of preserved specimens from around the world. In the live garden, butterflies land on you freely — Lily had three on her at once at one point. Before entering, there’s a cocoon observation room where you can watch butterflies actively emerging from their chrysalises. We stood there far longer than we expected to. If you have kids who are curious about nature, this place consistently exceeds expectations.
Henna on Sentosa Island
Before we made our way home we came across a small shop on Sentosa offering henna services. This was such a fun, unexpected find. Lily and I both got designs done — mine on my hand and wrist, hers on her arm. The artist works quickly and the designs are beautiful. Plan for about 20–30 minutes for the paste to dry properly before you touch anything. The stain deepens overnight and fades naturally over the following week or two. A lovely low-key souvenir that costs just a few dollars.
Last Day
National Orchid Garden Learning Forest & Chinatown
Since we only had one day left, we really wanted to see as much as possible. We wound up going on a tour that took us to the National Orchid Garden and to China Town. Mom was so happy during this tour because she adores orchids. There were so many different varieties all gorgeous and colorful. Besides the Orchid Garden, we checked out Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. This was a beautiful mall with a gondola in it.
Turns out when we got to Singapore, it was the Chinese New Year. Sooooooo many people! Mom and I had decided to go out with our friend that met us here, to experience the Chinese New Year.
If you are not familiar with this place, I DO NOT RECOMMEND you go out to this event by yourself. Was a bit nerve-wracking trying to leave. I am sure there was more than one way to get out of there, but I only saw one escalator and the line was long. The streets were PACKED with people and the train station as well. If I had been more comfortable with the area I am sure I would have liked it a lot more.
We also explored the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands earlier in the day — one of the most architecturally striking malls you’ll ever walk through. A full gondola canal runs through the lower level of the building. The famous SkyPark infinity pool sits on the 57th-floor rooftop and is reserved for hotel guests, but non-guests can access the observation deck on the same level for around SGD$23. The 360-degree view of the Singapore skyline from up there is one of the most photographed panoramas in Asia and genuinely worth the price.
The Singapore Botanic Gardens, where the National Orchid Garden sits, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of only three tropical botanical gardens in the world to hold that designation. Entry to the gardens is free. The National Orchid Garden charges a small admission fee (approximately SGD$5 for adults, free for children under 12) and houses the largest orchid display in Southeast Asia — over 1,000 species and 2,000 hybrids. There is even a VIP Orchid Garden featuring hybrid orchids named after visiting heads of state and dignitaries. Mom could have stayed all day.
Practical Tips for Your Singapore Layover
Airport to city: Changi Airport’s MRT runs to the city centre in about 30 minutes for ~SGD$2. It’s clean, air-conditioned, and extremely simple to navigate. Skip the taxi queue.
Getting to Sentosa Island: Take the MRT to HarbourFront station, then the Sentosa Express monorail (~SGD$4 from VivoCity mall). The cable car is more scenic but costs more.
Approximate attraction prices (2017 SGD — verify before visiting): Skyline Luge ~$15–20 for 2 rides. Singapore Butterfly Park ~$16 adults / $10 children. Segway mini experience ~$5–10.
Chinese New Year tip: If your visit overlaps with CNY, explore Chinatown earlier in the day. By evening the train exits and streets are overwhelmingly packed — not ideal with young children. We went at night and found it exciting but stressful to leave.
Currency: Singapore Dollar (SGD). Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere, including hawker centres.
What’s Still on Our Singapore Bucket List
There was so much yet that we wanted to do like going to the Gardens by the Bay, Night Safari Singapore, Universal Studios, and Dolphin Island on Sentosa — and we still haven’t made it back. Here’s what’s at the top of the list for our return trip:
Gardens by the Bay is probably our biggest regret from this trip. The 18 iconic Supertrees — solar-powered vertical gardens up to 16 storeys tall — are impressive during the day and breathtaking at night during the free OCBC Garden Rhapsody light show (nightly at 7:45pm and 8:45pm). The Cloud Forest dome houses the world’s tallest indoor waterfall. With kids, this could easily fill half a day.
Night Safari Singapore holds the title of the world’s first nocturnal wildlife park. Over 2,500 animals across 130 species roam large naturalistic habitats, and the entire experience is done in near-darkness by tram and walking trail. It opens at 7:15pm and runs until midnight — a perfect evening activity after a full day of sightseeing.
Universal Studios Singapore on Sentosa is a full day of rides, shows, and themed zones based on films like Jurassic Park, Transformers, and Shrek. If you’re doing a Singapore layover with kids who love theme parks, plan at least two nights in Singapore to fit this in. One day simply isn’t enough time to do both Sentosa and Universal Studios justice.
Singapore was just one stop on an incredible Southeast Asia journey. We also visited South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam on this same trip. Even a short layover in Singapore is absolutely worth building into your itinerary — you can pack in far more than you’d expect.
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