Singapore
Overview
From the colonial grandeur of the Colonial District's City Hall to Chinatown's busy mix of Buddhist and Hindu temples, Singapore has an easygoing multicultural mix. No wonder its cuisine is a world-famous fusion of Asian nations. In Little India, traders sell spices and flowers from traditional shop-houses, while packed Orchard Road is wall-to-wall shopping malls inside gleaming skyscrapers.
Background
On this sunny island state, British Colonial days are reminisced with cricket matches on the grassy Padang, surrounded by graceful monuments. But Singapore's cutting-edge architecture around the Central Business District reveals its progressive, business-savvy love of designer shopping and a thriving party culture along the river in Clarke Quay. With four official languages, and an easy blend of Malay, Chinese and Tamil cultures, this is an island of many faces, festivals and flavours.
Urban
Along Singapore River, gleaming skyscrapers form a backdrop to the traditional shop-houses. Here, Singapore's best museums cluster, including the Asian Civilisations Museum, plus the chichi bars of Clarke Quay. The graceful Colonial District is home to the old Supreme Court and, from April 2008, the Peranakan Museum. Busy Chinatown shows off Singapore's cultural blend, with Buddha Tooth Relic Temple's scarlet pagoda, and stone carvings on Hindu Sri Mariamman Temple. Near the golden Sultan Mosque, new boutiques hide on backstreets in the Arab Quarter, still famous for its textile traders.
Rural
In Tanglin, the Singapore Botanic Gardens show off their famous orchid hybrids. Go west for walks in Bukit Timur Nature Reserve, with primary rainforest minutes from the city. After a short boat trip south to Pulau Ubin island, cycle around the village and Chek Jawa Wetlands. On tourist-friendly Sentosa Island, it's easy to escape the crowds on peaceful Tanjong Beach. Around Kranji's countryside, tranquil Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is the place to spot migrating birds.
airports
Changi Airport
Essentials
High-tech, stylish and multi-award-winning, Singapore's Changi Airport is a major hub of South East Asia and usually voted the world's best. It flies over 60 million passengers a year, and the journey 20km southwest to downtown Singapore takes just 20 minutes.
Airport Facts
- Airport code
- SIN
- Airport website
- Changi Airport website
- Airport tel
- +65 6542 1122
- No. of terminals
- Four
- Distance from city centre
- 20km (12 miles) northeast of Singapore.
- Transport between terminals
- The one-minute journey on the Skytrain links Terminals 1, 2 and 3, operating every couple of minutes. Travellators also provide links inside the Departure/Transit area. A free shuttle bus service links the Budget Terminal with Terminal 2.
- Airport parking
- There are good-value car parks at all terminals. The open-air car park is handy for Terminal 1, two multi-storey car parks are opposite Terminal 2 and another is by the Budget Terminal. All are payable with the Electronic Parking System (EPS).
- Time Zone
- GMT +8
Fast Facts - Singapore
- Language
- Mandarin, English, Malay and other languages and dialects
- Currency
- The Singapore dollar, but US dollars (US$) are widely accepted
- GMT
- GMT +8
- Electricity
- 220-240V AC, 50 Hz, three-pin plugs are standard
Top events
Book experiences
- Favourites
- Delicious
- Facebook
- Windows Live
- Digg
- Google
- MySpace
- Yahoo
More bookmarks- StumbleUpon
- Technorati
- Blinklist
- Ask
- Furl
- Newsvine
- Reddit
- Fark
- Propeller
What are these?