From the colonial grandeur of the Civic 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.
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.
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 Civic District is home to the old Supreme Court and 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.
In Tanglin, the Singapore Botanic Gardens show off their famous orchid hybrids. Go west for walks in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, with primary rainforest minutes from the city. After a short boat trip south to Pulau Ubin island, cycle around the village or go on a guided tour of 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.
High-tech, stylish and multi-award-winning, Singapore Changi Airport is a major hub of South East Asia and usually voted the world's best. It flies around 40 million passengers a year, and the journey 20 km southwest to downtown Singapore takes just 20 minutes.
