Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
4
Suggested Itineraries
Singapore
If y ou've made it all the wa y t o
Southeast Asia, y ou'll likely be on
a
limited schedule—especially if y ou've
arrived via a long-haul flight fr om Europe
or North America. The good ne ws is that
Singapore is easy . I t's such a small place
that virtually every sight is relatively close.
Still, with so many to choose fr om, it can
be tough to whittle down the must-sees. In
this chapter I' ve done that job for y ou,
identifying the best and mor e impor tant
sights and wor king them into ev en the
shortest stay.
1
THE REGIONS IN BRIEF
On a world map, Singapore is nothing more than a speck nestled in the hear t of South-
east Asia, at the tip of the M alaysian peninsula. In the nor th, it's linked to M alaysia by
two causeways over the S traits of J ohor, which ar e its only physical connection to any
other body of land. The country is made up of 1 main island, Singapore, and around 60
smaller ones, some of which—like Sentosa, Pulau Ubin, Kusu, and St. John's Island—are
popular retreats. The main island is shaped like a flat, horizontal diamond, measuring in
at just o ver 42km (26 miles) fr om east to w est and almost 23km (14 miles) nor th to
south. With a total land area of only 693 sq. km (270 sq. miles), Singapore is shockingly
tiny.
Singapore's geographical position, sitting appr oximately 137km (85 miles) nor th of
the Equator, means that its climate features uniform temperatures, plentiful rainfall, and
high humidity.
Singapore is a city-state, which basically means the city
is
the countr y. The urban
center starts at the Singapore River at the southern point of the island. Within the urban
center are neighborhoods that are handy for visitors to become familiar with: the Historic
District, Chinatown, Orchard Road, Kampong Glam, and Little India.
Beyond the central urban ar ea, y ou'll find older suburban neighborhoods such as
Katong, G eylang, or H olland Village, neighborhoods that featur e pr ewar homes with
charming architectural details. Travel farther and you'll find New Towns, such as Ang Mo
Kio or Toa Payoh, which are clusters of government-subsidized housing that have sprung
up around the island, supported by their own shopping malls, schools, and clinics, many
of them connected by the subway system.
THE CITY: URBAN SINGAPORE
The urban center of Singapore spans quite far from edge to edge, so walking from one
end to the other—say, from Kampong Glam to Chinatown—will be too much for a
relaxed walk. But within each neighborhood, the best way to explor e is by foot, wan-
dering along picturesque streets, in and out of shops and museums.
