Travel information with destination guide in Singapore by GuideRooms.com   

Singapore is an island-state in Southeast Asia, connected by bridges to Malaysia. Founded as a British trading colony in 1819, since independence it has become one of the world's most prosperous countries, sporting the world's busiest port. Combining the skyscrapers and subways of a modern, affluent city with a medley of Chinese, Indian and Malay influences and a lush tropical climate, with tasty food, good shopping and a happening, vibrant nightlife scene, this Garden City makes a great stopover or springboard into the region.

Singapore is one of the safest major cities in the world in terms of crime and personal safety. Most people, including single female travellers, will not face any problems walking along the streets alone at night.

Singapore's squeaky cleanliness is achieved in part by strict rules against activities that are tolerated in other countries. For example, jay-walking, spitting, littering, and drinking and eating on public transport are prohibited. Locals joke about Singapore being a fine city because heavy fines are levied if one is caught committing an offence. Look around for sign boards detailing the Don'ts and the fines associated with these offenses, and heed them. Enforcement is however sporadic at best, and it is a common sight to see locals openly litter, spit, smoke in non-smoking zones, etc. Chewing gum, famously long banned, is now available at pharmacies if you ask for it directly, show your ID and sign the register. (Importing it is, theoretically, still an offense though.)

For some crimes, most notably illegal entry and overstaying your visa for over 90 days, Singapore imposes caning as a punishment. Other offenses which have caning as a punishment include vandalism (just ask Michael P. Fay), robbery, molestation and rape. Do note that having sex with a girl under the age of 16 is considered to be rape under Singapore law, regardless of whether the girl consents to it and would land you a few strokes of the cane. This is no slap on the wrist: strokes from the thick rattan cane are excruciatingly painful, take weeks to heal and scar for life.

Singapore also continues to uphold the death penalty for crimes such as murder, kidnapping, unauthorised possession of firearms and drug trafficking.

Homosexual contact is illegal with a theoretical punishment of life in prison and/or caning. Although laws against gay sex are rarely enforced and there is a fairly vibrant gay community, gays should expect legalized discrimination and unaccepting attitudes from locals and government officials.

Prostitution is (surprisingly) legal in Singapore in a few designated areas, such as one specific location in the tourist-heavy Orchard Road and much of area around Kallang. However, these areas still remain very safe for travellers to wander and unless you are actively looking for it, you probably will not even know it exists to a small degree in the country.

WARNING: Singapore treats drug offences extremely severely. The death penalty is mandatory for those convicted of trafficking, manufacturing, importing or exporting more than 15g of heroin, 30g of morphine, 30g of cocaine, 500g of cannabis, 200g of cannabis resin and 1.2kg of opium. If you possess these quantities (and possession means you had control of them), you are deemed to be a trafficker and therefore subject to the death penalty. For unauthorised consumption, there is a maximum of 10 years' jail or fine of S$20,000, or both. Do note that you can be charged for unauthorised drug consumption under Singapore law as long as traces of illicit drugs are found in your system, even if you can prove that the drugs were consumed outside the country.

Contact

By phone

The international telephone country code for Singapore is 65. There are three main telecommunication providers in Singapore: SingTel, StarHub and MobileOne.

Public phones can be found all across the island. They are either coin-operated pay phones (10 cents for a three-minute local call), card phones operated by phone cards in denominations of $3, $5, $10, $20 and $50, or credit card phones. Phone cards are available at all post offices and from phonecard agents. Most coin-operated pay phones are for local calls only, there are some which accept coins of larger denominations and can be used for overseas calls. Credit card phones are usually found at the airport or in some major hotels.

International dialing To make an IDD call from Singapore, dial the access code 001 (for SingTel), 002 (for M1), and 008 (for StarHub), followed by the country code, area code and party's number. Recently the providers have started offering cheaper rates for calls using Internet telephony routes. The access codes for this cheaper service are 019 and 013 (budget calls) for Singtel and 018 for Starhub.

Calling cards are also available for specific international destinations and are usually cheaper. Hello Card from Singtel offers a very cheap rate to 8 countries (Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand).

Mobile phones are carried by almost everyone in Singapore (including some young children!). Prepaid SIM cards are available from the three main telecommunication providers and are sold in 7-Eleven convenience stores and phone shops, just bring your own GSM 900 or GSM 1800 phone (or buy a cheap used phone in Singapore). You will need to show ID. A local phone call costs between 5-25 cents per minute, whereas each local text message (SMS) costs about 5 cents (international SMS cost about 15-25 cents). You may also be charged for incoming calls. Details can be found at the three telecommunications providers' website listed above.

By net

Internet cafes are scattered about the island, but not particularly common since almost all locals have at least dial-up access, and most have high-speed access at home, work, and/or school. However, public libraries offer cheap Internet access.

The first phase of the nationwide free Wireless@SG system is now operating and visitors are free to use the system, although they must register and receive a password via e-mail or a mobile phone first. See the Infocomm Development Authority website for a current list of hotspots. Commercial alternatives include McDonalds, which offers free WLAN at most outlets; Starhub, a member of the Wireless Broadband Alliance with hotspots at Coffee Bean cafes; and Singtel, which has hotspots at most Starbucks cafes. Roaming or prepaid rates are on the order of $0.10/minute.

Embassies

Singapore is a good place to collect visas for the region. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs maintains a complete searchable database of diplomatic institutions.

• Australia High Commission, 25 Napier Road, ☎ +65-67379311.
• Canada High Commission, One George Street, #11-01, ☎ +65-68545900.
• People's Republic of China Embassy, 150 Tanglin Road, ☎ +65-64180328.
• Denmark Embassy, 101 Thomson Road, #13-01 United Square, ☎ +65-62503383.
• Finland Embassy, 101 Thomson Road, #21-03 United Square, ☎ +65-62544042.
• France Embassy, 101-103 Cluny Park Road, ☎ +65-68807800.
• India High Commission, 31 Grange Road, ☎ +65-67376777. Warning: Only issues visas to residents of Singapore.
• Indonesia Embassy, 7 Chatsworth Road, ☎ +65-67377422.
• Ireland Consulate, 541 Orchard Road, #08-02 Liat Towers, ☎ +65-67323430.
• Japan Embassy, 16 Nassim Road, ☎ +65-62358855.
• Malaysia High Commission, 301, Jervois Road, ☎ +65-62350111.
• New Zealand High Commission, 13 Nassim Road, ☎ +65-62359966.
• Norway Embassy, 16 Raffles Quay, #44-01 Hong Leong Building, ☎ +65-62207122.
• Philippines Embassy, 20 Nassim Road, ☎ +65-67373977.
• South Africa High Commission, 15th Floor Odeon Towers, 331 North Bridge Road, ☎ +65-65401177.
• Sri Lankan High Commission, #13-07/12 Goldhill Plaza, 51 Newton Road, Singapore 308900, ☎ +65-62544595-7.
• Sweden Embassy, 111 Somerset Road, #05-08 PUB Building, Devonshire Wing, ☎ +65-67342771.
• United Kingdom High Commission, 100 Tanglin Road, ☎ +65-64739333.
• United States of America Embassy, 30 Hill Street, ☎ +65-63380251.

Emergency numbers

• Ambulance: 995
• Fire: 995
• Police: 999
• Singapore General Hospital: 6222 3322
• Drug & Poison Information Centre: 6423 9119

Healthy

Tap water is safe for drinking and sanitation standards are very high. As a tropical country, Singapore is hot and humid so drink a lot of water. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Singapore was way back in 1934, when it hit a low of 19.4 degrees Celsius.

Malaria is not an issue, but dengue fever is endemic to the region. Singapore maintains strict mosquito control (leaving standing water around will get you fined), but the government's reach does not extend into the island's nature reserves, so if you're planning on hiking bring along mosquito repellent.

Medical care

The standard of medical care in Singapore is uniformly excellent and Singapore is a popular destination for medical tourism (and medical evacuations) in the region. Despite the lower prices, standards are as good or better than those in the West at both public and private clinics, making this a good place to get your jabs and tabs if heading off into the jungle elsewhere. You'll still want to make sure your insurance is in order before a prolonged hospitalization and/or major surgery.

• Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Mount Elizabeth (off Orchard Rd), ☎ +65-67372666. Singapore's largest private hospital and a popular destination for medical tourists.
  
  
• Singapore General Hospital, College Road, 1st-3rd Hospital Avenue (MRT Outram Park). Singapore's oldest and largest public hospital.
  
  
• Tan Tock Seng Hospital, 11 Jalan Tan Tock Seng (MRT Novena), ☎ +65-62656011. One of Singapore's largest public hospitals, fully equipped to handle most anything. Specialist departments here include a one-stop Travellers' Health & Vaccination Centre for immunizations, malaria prophylaxis, pre-trip and post-trip evaluations and general advice. Flat $10 fee for consultation and nurse attendance (read: jabs) - tel. +65-63572222, open 8 AM-1 PM and 2-5 PM weekdays, 8 AM-noon Sat, no appointment needed.

Restrooms/toilets

Nearly all shopping centers, hotels, MRT stations, bus interchanges, and hawker centers are likely to have public restrooms/toilet facilities available. Being clean, McDonald's restrooms are popular too, and the staff do not make a fuss. Public facilities may charge 10 to 20 cents per entry, and a packet of tissue may come in handy if the toilet paper has run out. Most toilets use bowls, but there is usually one squatting cubicle in every public toilet.

Singapore attractions

Sights in Singapore are covered in more detail under the various districts.

• Beaches and tourist traps: Head to one of the three beaches on Sentosa. Other beaches include the East Coast and the Southern Islands (boat service from Harbourfront Shopping Centre).
  
  
• Culture and cuisine: See Chinatown for Chinese treats, Little India for Indian flavors, Kampong Glam (Arab St) for a Malay/Arab experience or the East Coast for delicious seafood, including the famous chilli and black pepper crab.
  
  
• History and museums: The area north of the Singapore River is Singapore's colonial core, with historical buildings and museums.
  
  
• Nature and wildlife: The Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, Jurong Bird Park and Botanical Gardens are all in the North and West section. Other well known areas are the Bukit Timah Nature Walk which joins the MacRitchie Reservoir, Pulau Ubin and the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.
  
  
• Skyscrapers and shopping: The heaviest shopping mall concentration is in Orchard Road, while skyscrapers are clustered around the Singapore River, but also check out Bugis to see where Singaporeans shop.