Last Updated on June 15, 2026 by Eve Dawes
Singapore is one of those cities that rewards you for doing your research. Get it right and four days feels like more than enough time to experience the food, culture, skyline, and the nightlife without ever feeling rushed. Get it wrong and you’ll spend half your trip waiting in lines in 35 degree heat wondering why nobody warned you. We spent four days in Singapore in May 2026 and this is the itinerary we’d tweak to be 3 days as well as some Singapore travel tips. I’ll share both the 3 and 4 day Singapore itineraries below.
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This Singapore 4 day itinerary is based on our own experience visiting Singapore. Every restaurant, tour, bar, and attraction listed here is something we personally did, booked, and paid for or researched in detail before arrival. Booking links, timings, and prices are accurate as of our visit and we recommend checking directly with venues before you travel as details can change. Pro Tip: Download the Grab app (their version of Uber) before you go and use this for transport while there.
Arriving at Night in Singapore
If you land into Changi in the evening, dinner at the airport or your hotel is the move. Changi is genuinely one of the best airports in the world so don’t rush through it, and if you’re staying at a hotel with multiple restaurants on site there’s no reason to venture out on night one after a long flight. We stayed at the JW Marriott Singapore South Beach so grabbed a late dinner at Akira Back which was fabulous.
DAY 1 Singapore 4 day itinerary: Eat Your Way Through Singapore & Catch Some Cultural Highlights
Morning: Your first full day is best spent with a slower morning at your hotel, pool time, and then hitting the city in the afternoon when you have energy for it.
Afternoon: We love doing foodie tours when we travel to experience locations as a local. We booked Singapore food tour via Viator ’10 Tastings Private Foodie Tour’ ($149 per person) from 1pm to 4pm. It wasn’t our favourite foodie tour we’ve done and felt overpriced for what it was, however we did get to see three of Singapore’s neighborhoods in three hours: Kampong Glam, Little India, and Chinatown and try ten food tastings we wouldn’t have otherwise. Including teh tarik, nagasari, thosai, appam, popiah, bak chang, and Hainanese chicken rice. It’s private, well-paced, and gives you a genuine introduction to Singapore’s food culture before you’ve had to figure anything out yourself.
After the Singapore food tour, stay in Chinatown to explore the heritage centre, market stalls, tea houses, and the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. One practical note: don’t wear short skirts or shorts to the temple. They do provide fabric to cover up at the entrance but it’s easier to plan ahead.
Evening: Head back to your hotel to shower and change, then make your way to the famous Marina Bay Sands for the evening. Ce La Vi on the 57th floor of Tower 3 is the place to be for sunset cocktails and super buzzy. Walk-in entry is $38 which is redeemable against a drink, so it effectively costs relatively nothing if you were planning to order anyway. Go early enough to catch the sunset. If you can’t get in or want dinner with the view, Lavo on the opposite side of the SkyPark at Tower 1 is where to book your table.
LAVO for late dinner: LAVO Singapore is coastal Italian. The outdoor tables are the ones to request so you can watch the nightly Laser Show over Marina Bay. The laser show runs at 8pm and 9:30pm Sunday to Thursday and also at 11pm on weekends. We had a direct view from our outdoor table at Lavo which was the ideal way to see it without fighting for a spot on the waterfront.
Book Lavo well in advance. Tables go fast and walk-ins are difficult to guarantee.
DAY 2 Singapore 4 day itinerary: Waterfront, Marina Bay and Gardens By The Bay
Morning: Start the morning with a slow walk along the Waterfront Promenade before the heat sets in. Begin at the Marina Bay Sands promenade and walk to the Helix Bridge, the Esplanade, across to Jubilee Bridge where you get the best photos of Marina Bay Sands from the water, then continue to Merlion Park, and stop for drinks at OverEasy. You’ll want to wear something light, SPF and I wish I’d worn a hat. As we were sweaty puddles by the time we got to OverEasy, so needed a G & T to cool off. I’m recommending here as it has views of Marina Bay Sands views and swing chairs in the shade on the waterfront. We also grabbed lunch next door at Jypsy One Fullerton which offers Japanese cuisine and marina views. If you’re up for it, finish the marina loop. Otherwise this is an easy spot to catch a Grab or taxi from.
Afternoon: Cool off at your hotel pool after lunch. A city break doesn’t mean rushing around at full speed and getting heatstroke. An afternoon rest makes the rest of the day significantly more enjoyable.
If you’re planning on watching the Supertrees light show in the evening, you’ll want to arrive at Gardens by the Bay around 4:30pm. This timing is intentional: it avoids the worst of the heat, the natural light in the domes is better in late afternoon, and it positions you perfectly for the Supertree light show.
Go to Cloud Forest first and take a coverup as they keep the domes cool. It’s cooler, more dramatic, and the waterfall gives you an energy boost after the heat outside. Move to the Flower Dome from 5:30pm. I’ll be honest, we weren’t particularly impressed with the Flower Dome or OCBC Skyway, so if you’re short on time or energy, skip them. The OCBC Skyway at 6:30pm gives you elevated sunset views over the Supertrees and is quick to do as long as there’s not a line. Then come down to Supertree Grove at ground level, grab drinks and snacks, and get your spot for the 7:45pm light show. Lie on the grass directly under the tallest Supertrees for the full effect. It fills up so arrive at your spot by 7pm at the latest. The second show at 8:45pm is less crowded if you miss the first.
Dinner: We ended up the evening with dinner back in Kampong Glam as we’d liked this vibrant area on the Foodie Tour. A lot of restaurants in this neighborhood like Anatolia Restaurant (Turkish and Lebanese Food) where we went don’t sell alcohol. So we walked over to Haji Lane afterwards for a Singapore Sling and people watching before catching a Grab back to the hotel.
DAY 3 Singapore 4 day itinerary: Sentosa Island Cable Car and Raffles Singapore
Morning – Sentosa: To get to Sentosa, take the Sentosa Island cable car from HarbourFront Station, located on the 15th floor of HarbourFront Tower 2, accessible from HarbourFront MRT Exit B. When you get dropped off at Tower 2 don’t go in North entrance, follow signs to Sentosa Island cable car to the left of the building. There are 2 lines Sentosa and Mount Faber – choose before you get there. Also, book tickets in advance and plan to get there when it opens at 8:45am to beat the lines and avoid being in a non-air-conditioned cable car in the midday heat.
One practical note for the transfer: when you reach Sentosa, look for Imbiah Lookout signs. It will feel like you’re going the wrong way out of the gift shop but turn right and it’s on the left.
Honest verdict on Sentosa and Sentosa Island cable car: we wish we’d skipped it. Unless you’re going to Universal Studios, have kids, or have never been on a cable car, the time is better spent at the spa, the hotel pool, or exploring more of the city. We went because of FOMO and it confirmed that FOMO is rarely a good reason to do anything in 35 degree heat.
Afternoon: Drinks or Afternoon Tea at Atlas Bar are worth building into your day. The Art Decor, Gatsby-inspired Atlas Bar has been on my bucket list for a while. So we decided to come here for a drink. Atlas Bar is one of those places that stops you in your tracks the moment you walk in. Located on the ground floor of Parkview Square on North Bridge Road, a building locals call Gotham for its bold 1920s Art Deco exterior, the interior is a Great Gatsby fever dream of gold detailing, velvet seating, soft jazz, and a 15-meter gin tower that dominates the room.
It holds one of the world’s largest gin collections and has been named one of Asia’s 50 Best Bars. Cocktails are the focus and they’re exceptional. Afternoon tea is served daily from 3pm to 5:30pm and requires 48 hours notice to book. For evening visits, smart casual dress code applies after 5pm, no shorts or sandals. It’s closed Sundays and closed Mondays, so factor that into your planning. Walk-ins are welcome on a first-come-first-served basis if you can’t get a reservation online.
Evening: The iconic Raffles Singapore is a non-negotiable Singapore experience. Book dinner at Raffles Courtyard, then move to Long Bar, home of the Singapore Sling. The bar has been serving them since 1915. The Long Bar doesn’t take reservations, so be prepared to wait. A Singapore Sling here costs around SGD44 which is steep, but you’re paying for the history as much as the drink.
The colonial interior with its ceiling fans and plantation styling is unlike anywhere else, and there’s a bag of complimentary peanuts on every table with the tradition of throwing the shells directly onto the floor. Fun fact: The Singapore Sling was originally created so that women could drink in public without appearing to, as fruit juice cover. Worth knowing for the story if nothing else.
Day 4 Singapore 4 day itinerary: Whatever You Missed
Use your final morning for anything left undone. The Singapore Flyer is worth checking out if you like that kind of thing, the equivalent of the London Eye but with Singapore’s skyline. The Singapore Zoo and Night Safari are consistently ranked among the best in the world, with over 2,500 animals in naturalistic open habitats rather than cages. If you have a late afternoon flight to your next destination, the Night Safari would work well as a final evening.
For shopping, skip Orchard Road entirely unless you want international chain stores you can find anywhere. Haji Lane in the Kampong Glam Muslim quarter is the better call: a small lane packed with independent, trendy boutiques including Soon Lee and Rusty Bottoms for unique finds. It’s where I bought my pashmina and you can find lots of authentic Middle Eastern restaurants for lunch in this area.
For coffee: Singapore has a serious third wave coffee scene. The New Black is the nerdiest coffee bar in the city. Chye Seng Huat Hardware on 150 Tyrwhitt Road has a roastery, nitro coffee on tap, and a coffee lab. Nylon Coffee Roasters on 4 Everton Park does single-origin espresso tucked into a housing complex. Common Man Coffee Roasters on 22 Martin Road does Aussie-style brunch and rotating house blends.
Before you fly: Changi Airport has a butterfly garden, rooftop pool, free movies, and lots of lounges so arrive early enough to enjoy it.
How to do This in 3 Days
We could easily have done this Singapore 4 day itinerary in 3 days. Drop the Sentosa cable car from Day 3 entirely. Move Atlas Bar into the afternoon of Day 2 before or after Gardens by the Bay. Skip the Skywalk and Flower Dome too unless you’re set on doing those. Shift Raffles dinner and Long Bar to become your Day 3 evening. You lose the least rewarding part of the trip and keep everything that matters.
Singapore is compact, efficient, and genuinely one of the easiest cities in Asia to navigate as a first-time visitor. The MRT gets you almost everywhere, and a Grab is even easier. The food is diverse at every price point, and the skyline at night from the 57th floor of Marina Bay Sands is one of those travel moments you don’t forget. Four days is the sweet spot. Use this itinerary as your foundation, build in the restaurants and bars that appeal to you from our recommendations, and give yourself at least one slow afternoon at the pool when the heat wins. It always wins.
Everything I wore in Singapore and Bali
These are all of the outfit I packed. A lot I could mix and match to create more outfits with. If you need more help packing and outfit inspiration, read the Singapore Outfit Ideas article.
Planning a trip to Southeast Asia? Read more Singapore and Bali guides here for everything you need to know about where to stay, what to do, and the experiences worth every dollar.
