Singapore - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 667

GETTING AROUND
Getting from A to B is a piece of cake in
well-connected Singapore. he city-state's
impressive bus service and slick metro
rail network system - the MRT (Mass
Rapid Transport) - have all corners of
the island covered. Bus and MRT fares
are extremely reasonable, and taxis
ubiquitous and surprisingly affordable.
However, getting around on foot is the
best way to do justice to the central areas.

9

shuttles. he boom in budget airlines and
the construction of the Budget Terminal
also means that travelling to Singapore
from within the region does not have to
include an expensive international flight
or a long hard journey over land. AirAsia
( W airasia.com) offers cheap flights to
Singapore from Malaysia, Indonesia
and hailand, while Tiger Airways
( W tigerairways.com) flies both within
Southeast Asia and further afield to India
and Australia.
For those travelling overland , there are
excellent road and rail connections from
numerous Malaysian cities, and from
hailand via Malaysia (but bear in mind
the current travel restrictions; see box,
p.819). You'll be crossing a causeway
from Malaysia's Johor Bahru at its
southern tip into the city.
High-speed ferries from the Indonesian
islands of Batam, Tanjung Balai and
Bintan arrive at the Singapore Cruise
Centre at HarbourFront, south of town.

ACCOMMODATION
Room rates take a noticeable leap when
you cross the causeway from Malaysia
into Singapore, and rates can be similar
to Western prices. It is, however, possible
to find a room at a reasonable price,
particularly if you don't mind sharing.
he Singapore Hotel Association has
booking counters at Changi Airport,
and touts circle the arrivals hall handing
out flyers. he tourist o ce (see p.685)
can also book last-minute hotel rooms,
some of which won't break the bank.
An increasing number of hostels are
opening up in Singapore, catering for
travellers in funky, stylish surroundings.
Most offer a choice of dorm beds (from
S$25) and doubles (from S$90) and have
air conditioning, free wi-fi and internet,
private lockers, laundry and cooking
facilities, as well as free breakfast.
Decent guesthouses and more upmarket
“flashpacker” hostels are opening all the
time, meaning that budget travellers no
longer need limit themselves to places
with paper-thin walls and spartan rooms;
expect to pay around S$45-55 per
double. All over Singapore you'll find
branches of Hotel 81 , a predictable but
well-equipped budget option, often near
main attractions.

VISAS
Citizens of Western Europe, the US
and Commonwealth countries are
automatically granted a visa upon arrival
in Singapore by air. Arriving by land or
sea, you will be given a fourteen-day visa ;
arriving by air, you will receive a
thirty-day visa . Check with the “Visa
Requirements” section of the Singapore
Immigration and Registration
Department (Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat
8am-1pm; T 6391 6100, W ica.gov.sg) for
a list of nationals who need to obtain a
visa before entering Singapore.
You can extend your visa online at the
immigration department's website for
up to three months, giving you an extra
thirty days, though there are several
restrictions to this, all listed on the
website, which should be referred to
before submitting an application. he
Singapore immigration department is not
particularly forgiving of transgressions.
An alternative option is to take a bus up
to Johor Bahru , the Malaysian border
town, and return on the same bus
- which can be completed in a morning
(although bear in mind it's only a
fourteen-day extension).

ADDRESSES
With so many of Singapore's shops,
restaurants and o ces located in vast
high-rise buildings and shopping centres,
deciphering addresses can sometimes
be tricky; an address containing 10-08
refers to room 8 on the 10th floor (ground
level is denoted #01).