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Getting around Singapore is effortless: the public transportation system is among the best in the world and taxis are cheap. Very few visitors rent cars.
If you are staying in Singapore for some time, a farecard called ez-link might be a worthwhile purchase. You can store value on it and use it to enter and exit the MRT and buses at a 15% discount, and you get a 25 cent discount on transfers too. The card costs $15, including $7 of stored value and a $3 refundable deposit, and the card can be “topped up” in increments of at least $10 at the farecard vending machines or at the numerous 7-Eleven’s in the city). Alternatively, the Visitors Card also includes ez-link card functionality and a variety of discounts for attractions; prices start at $45 for 3 days.
Besides the popular methods of taking the public buses (Singapore public bus guide), MRTs (Singapore MRT train guide) and taxis (Singapore taxi guide), there are some other methods listed below that you can try out:
By trishaw
Trishaws, three-wheeled bicycle taxis, haunt the area around the Singapore River and Chinatown. Geared purely for tourists, they aren’t really recommended for serious travel and locals do not use them. There is little room for bargaining: short rides will cost $10-20 and an hour’s sightseeing charter about $50 per person.
By boat
Tourist-oriented bumboats cruise the Singapore River, offering nice views of the CBD skyscraper skyline. You can also take a ferry to Singapore’s largely uninhabited Southern Islands for a picnic and lagoon swimming.
There is also a boat shuttle passengers from Changi Village to Pulau Ubin, a small island off Singapore’s northeast coast which is about as close as Singapore gets to unhurried rural living. One can rent bikes to cycle around the island which has a number of disused granite quarries.
By car
Car rental is not a popular option in Singapore. You will usually be looking at upwards for $100 per day for the smallest vehicle, not including gas at around $1.50/litre or electronic road pricing (ERP) fees, and you’ll usually need to pay extra to drive to Malaysia.
If planning on touring Malaysia by car, it makes more sense to head across the border to Johor Bahru, where both rentals and petrol are half price, and you have the option of dropping your car off elsewhere in the country. Take note that if you do intend to rent a car, be sure to drive on the left side of the road (Singapore follows the UK road system), and reading up a bit on road regulations helps too.
On foot
Singapore is almost certainly the most pedestrian-friendly city in southeast Asia. Sidewalks and pedestrian crossings are in good shape and plentiful, roads are well signposted and drivers are usually very careful — by law, any accident between a pedestrian and a vehicle is presumed to be the driver’s fault. Classic walks in Singapore include walking down the river from the Merlion through the Quays, or just strolling around East Coast Park, Chinatown, Little India or Bugis.
The one unavoidable downside, though, is the tropical heat and humidity, which leaves many visitors sweaty and exhausted. Therefore, bringing along a packet of tissue or a handkerchief is recommended. Having a bottle of water with you also helps.
It’s best to get an early start, pop into air-conditioned shops, cafes, and museums to cool off, and plan on heading back to the shopping mall or hotel pool before noon. Alternatively, after sundown, evenings can also be comparatively cool and breezy, especially by the river.
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