Singapore, According to Me 🇸🇬
Not a tourist guide. Just places I’d genuinely recommend.
Singapore is one of those cities that can very easily become a checklist trip — Marina Bay, Gardens by the Bay, shopping, done.
But I think the city gets far more interesting when you stop trying to “cover” it and instead build your days around great bars, thoughtful hotels, creative neighbourhoods and slow afternoons.
So this is my version of Singapore: slightly design-obsessed, very hospitality-led, and centred around the places I would actually go back to.
The Bars Are a Big Part of the Trip
Singapore does cocktails exceptionally well, and this is where I’d happily spend a disproportionate amount of the itinerary.
Atlas Bar
Walking into Atlas feels a little like stepping into The Great Gatsby.
The room is the experience — dramatic, glamorous and completely transportive — with a legendary gin collection to match.
It’s the kind of place I’d recommend even to someone who isn’t especially into bars, because you go as much for the setting as the drink.
Cat Bite Club
A hidden speakeasy and one of the more fun bar experiences on my list.
The focus is on agave spirits, the cocktails are excellent, and it feels intimate without being painfully serious.
Reserve ahead.
Live Twice
This one feels straight out of a retro film.
Beautiful interiors, low lighting and genuinely good drinks. Come here when you want somewhere that feels considered and slightly cinematic rather than loud.
Jigger & Pony
One of Singapore’s most celebrated cocktail bars and, for me, very deserving of its reputation.
The drinks are excellent, but so is the overall experience — polished service, a great room and actually good bar food.
BOP — Bartenders of Pony
Think of BOP as Jigger & Pony’s younger, more relaxed sibling.
Smaller, more intimate and much easier for an evening where you actually want to talk to the people you came with.
Bon Funk
Much more relaxed neighbourhood energy.
A good one for when you don’t need every bar to be an “experience” but still want genuinely good drinks.
Do a Duxton Hill Bar Crawl
If you want one evening where you don’t plan every reservation, head to Duxton Hill on a weekend.
The area is packed with cocktail bars, wine bars, restaurants and smaller hidden spots, and so much of it is walkable.
You’ll find places like Cat Bite Club, Live Twice and Seagul House within the broader area, alongside plenty of places you can just discover as you go.
This was one of my favourite ways to experience Singapore because it makes the city feel spontaneous.
Start somewhere you’ve booked, have one drink, walk ten minutes and see where the night goes.
Spend Half a Day at New Bahru
If your idea of sightseeing involves independent labels and good coffee rather than monuments, New Bahru is very much worth your time.
It’s a former school that has been turned into a lifestyle and creative destination, filled with:
Independent brands
Concept stores
Cafés
Restaurants
Creative spaces
It’s exactly the sort of place I love travelling for because you’re not just shopping — you’re seeing how the city approaches design, retail and hospitality.
Don’t Miss: The Stacked Store
A particularly good stop if you like discovering local brands and pieces you’re less likely to find everywhere else.
I’d give New Bahru at least a few hours rather than squeezing it between two other plans.
For the Creative People: National Gallery Singapore
If you’re interested in art, architecture, design or storytelling, make time for the National Gallery.
Even beyond the exhibitions, it’s the kind of place where the building itself becomes part of the experience.
It’s also a nice break from an itinerary that could otherwise very quickly become food-drink-shop-repeat.
Afterwards, walk over towards Raffles City.
I liked it less as a “mall stop” and more because you can browse through stationery, electronics and Japanese lifestyle stores alongside brands like Think and Tokyu Hands.
Very dangerous if, like me, you can somehow justify buying stationery in every country.
Where I’d Stay
I would choose a hotel with character over a giant traditional luxury property in Singapore.
Two I genuinely liked:
The Warehouse Hotel
The Warehouse Hotel
An industrial heritage building with a lot of personality.
The hotel feels atmospheric and rooted in its history rather than like a luxury hotel that could exist in any city.
The restaurant is also excellent, so it’s one of those stays where the hotel itself becomes part of the trip.
21 Carpenter
21 Carpenter
A very different mood.
Smaller, boutique and design-led, with a much more intimate feeling.
Everything feels quite thoughtful rather than overly grand.
Both properties are memorable for completely different reasons, and that is exactly what I want from a city hotel.
Give Sentosa One Slow Day
Tanjong Beach Club
One of my favourite places in Singapore.
Go when you want to temporarily forget you’re on a city break.
Come for a late lunch or afternoon, order cocktails, sit by the water and stay through sunset.
No aggressive itinerary required.
This is the day I’d deliberately keep empty around the reservation.
Beach views + cocktails + sunset + absolutely nowhere else to be.
Perfect.
The Website I’d Bookmark Before You Go: Seek Sophie
One of my favourite discoveries for Singapore was Seek Sophie.
Instead of only scrolling through the same tourist attractions, you can use it to find more local experiences like:
Pottery classes
Creative workshops
Food experiences
Small-group activities
More unusual things to do around the city
It’s particularly good if you have an extra day and want to do something beyond eating and shopping without signing up for a giant tourist excursion.
My Singapore Take
I wouldn’t go to Singapore with the goal of seeing absolutely everything.
I’d go with two or three strong plans per day and leave the rest open.
Book the great bars.
Stay somewhere interesting.
Spend an afternoon looking through independent stores.
Go to a gallery.
Sit by the water longer than you intended.
Walk around Duxton Hill and accidentally add another cocktail to the evening.
Because Singapore gets much more interesting once you stop treating it like a stopover and start experiencing it through its hospitality, design and neighbourhoods.
That, for me, is the version worth going back for.
