One Day in Singapore — The Perfect Itinerary

7am — Breakfast at a hawker centre

Maxwell Food Centre (near Chinatown, 12 Tian Tian Road): Tian Tian Chicken Rice (the one Anthony Bourdain called the best chicken rice in Singapore) opens at 10am, but the Zhou's Ji Sia Song Lai Roast Noodles for Cantonese roast pork is open at 7am. The Jian Bo Shui Kueh (steamed rice cakes with chye poh) at stall 78 is a breakfast institution. Eat at a table, drink teh ping (iced Milo or tea), and watch Singapore wake up.

9am — Gardens by the Bay (super trees at 9am)

Gardens by the Bay opens at 9am; the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome require tickets (combine: S$20 online, S$32 at the door). The Supertree Grove is free and opens at 5am. The 16 giant Supertrees (25–50 meters) are best photographed in the morning light. The OCBC Skyway (S$12) connects two Supertrees at 22 meters for aerial views. Combine with the free Marlborough Road exit walk through the Gardens.

12pm — Marina Bay and the Civic District

Walk the Helix Bridge (2010) from Gardens by the Bay to the Marina Bay Sands. The ArtScience Museum (designed by Moshe Safdie, 2010) is at the end of the bridge. Inside: current exhibitions, the lotus-themed lobby, the café with bay views. Walk north through the Civic District: the National Gallery Singapore (free for Singaporeans and PRs, S$25 for visitors) has the best collection of Southeast Asian art in the world.

3pm — Chinatown and the temples

Chinatown has three distinct areas: the food and tourist area (Pagoda Street, trishaws, souvenir shops), the historic shophouse area (Telok Ayer Street, the original Chinese settlement), and the temple district (Upper Pickering Street, Sri Mariamman Temple, Nagore Dargah). Thian Hock Keng Temple (天福宫, built 1821, restored 2000): the oldest Hokkien temple in Singapore. Walk the Smith Street wet market (morning only) and eat at Amoy Street Food Centre.

6pm — Sentosa Island (beaches and sunset)

Take the Sentosa Express from VivoCity (S$4) or walk across the Sentosa Boardwalk (free). Siloso Beach is the liveliest; Palawan Beach is quieter and has the Palawan Tower (S$18, 360-degree views of the Singapore Strait). The Tanjong Beach Club for sunset drinks. The SkyHelix (S$19) is an open-air gondola ride above Sentosa. Take the last monorail back at 10pm.

9pm — Clarke Quay or Tiong Bahru

Clarke Quay (along the Singapore River): 50 restaurants and bars in restored riverside warehouses, the G-Max Reverse Bungy (S$35), the Clarke Quay Bridge (light show at 8pm and 9pm). For something quieter: Tiong Bahru has the best local bar scene in Singapore: Symmetry (industrial design, excellent cocktails), PS.100 (Swiss-Japanese tapas), and the Tiong Bahru Market for a late-night hawker feed.