Singapore: Changi, the MRT and a First Day by the Bay

Entry rules for Singapore are published by the Government of Canada in its travel advice for Singapore, linked below. Read it before booking and again before flying: it covers entry and exit requirements, laws that differ from Canada's, and the current safety assessment.

All travellers must submit a Singapore Arrival Card online before arrival; Canada's advice says it can be done up to 3 days before arriving, and the card is run by Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority. The passport rule Canada publishes is a passport valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of entry. Visa and stay rules are the Singapore authorities' to set; check the Canada page and the Authority before travelling.

Changi Airport (SIN) sits about 20 kilometres east of the city centre. Changi Airport MRT station sits between Terminals 2 and 3; passengers from Terminal 1 reach it by the Skytrain or the link bridge, and passengers from Terminal 4 take the free shuttle bus to Terminal 2. From the station, the ride continues with a change at Tanah Merah for the East West Line or at Expo for the Downtown Line. Changi Airport puts the train fare at about S$2 per person and the ride to the city centre at about 40 minutes.

Inside the city, the MRT is the backbone: its lines link the airport, Marina Bay, Orchard, Bugis, Chinatown and the residential districts, and the network is signed in English. Buses run the same fare system and reach the streets the trains do not. The Downtown Line serves Bayfront and Bugis directly, and the East West Line serves City Hall and Raffles Place.

Payment is by tap: contactless bank cards and mobile wallets work at the gates through SimplyGo, with no registration needed, and a SimplyGo EZ-Link card is the stored-value alternative. The Land Transport Authority publishes the payment options and notes that the Singapore Tourist Pass allows unlimited travel all day on basic bus and train services within its validity period. Cash is only for buses, and the Authority notes that higher fares apply and no change is given, so a card or a pass is the simpler choice for a visitor.

Taxis are metered and available at the stands in the arrival areas of all four terminals. Changi Airport lists a ride to the city at about 30 minutes and between S$25 and S$45, with an airport surcharge of S$8 in the evening and S$6 at other times. Ride-hailing cars use marked pickup points at each terminal. The MRT and the airport are step-free, and assistance is arranged through the airline; the Land Transport Authority's journey planner gives step-free routes and operating times for each station.

The currency is the Singapore dollar. Cards are accepted in malls, larger restaurants, the MRT and most taxis; cash is still useful at hawker stalls and smaller shops. ATMs are common at the airport and in the malls, and fees are set by the bank and the ATM operator. A contactless card that works for transit also works for most purchases, so a visitor can travel light on cash.

English is one of Singapore's four official languages and the working language of signage, transit and business, so directions, menus and announcements are in English. The other three official languages are Mandarin, Malay and Tamil, and they appear on signs in the districts where they are spoken. A data SIM or eSIM bought before departure works on landing; the airport also sells local SIMs, and a passport is needed to buy one.

Singapore's rules are strict and visible: chewing gum is not sold, littering and smoking outside marked areas carry fines, and eating or drinking on the MRT is not allowed. The practical habit is to read the signs at the station and in the mall and follow them. Canada's advice notes that credit card and ATM fraud occur, and that property rental scams target visitors, so book through a reputable service and check prices before paying.

A greeting in English opens most exchanges, and a short thank you closes them. In the hawker centres the habit is to order, pay and move on so the next person can use the table; trays go back to the return points. Queues are orderly at stations, bus stops and food stalls, and joining the end of a queue is the expected move.

Shoes come off before entering a mosque or a temple and before entering many homes, and shoulders and knees are covered inside places of worship. Ask before photographing people, and accept a refusal without argument. Tipping is not expected: service charges are printed on the bill where they apply, and a small tip for good service is a choice, not an obligation.

Marina Bay is the base for the skyline and the gardens: the Downtown Line serves Bayfront, and the bay, the gardens and the museums sit within a short walk. Orchard is the shopping and dining base, on the North South Line at Orchard and Somerset, with malls, restaurants and hotels along one road. Bugis and Kampong Glam are the base for shophouses, street food and the Sultan Mosque area, on the Downtown and East West lines at Bugis.

Choose by how the days will run: Marina Bay for the bay and the gardens, Orchard for shopping and dining, Bugis and Kampong Glam for streets and food at lower prices. Book the first night before arriving; the address is needed for the Singapore Arrival Card, and arriving after a long flight is not the moment to go looking for a room.

Marina Bay walks best: the waterfront promenade links the bay, the gardens and the museums on flat paths, and the Helix Bridge crosses to the other side of the water. Bugis and Kampong Glam walk well street by street, from the shophouses of Bussorah Street to the stalls of Bugis Street, and the lanes are short and flat. Orchard Road is a straight walk along the malls, with air-conditioned passages between them.

Heat and rain shape any walk: plan the walking hours for the morning and the late afternoon, use the MRT to skip the midday heat, and carry water and a small umbrella, since showers arrive fast. Footpaths are level and crossings are marked, and the covered walkways between the MRT stations and the malls keep the rain off for much of the centre.

Start the morning at Marina Bay. Walk the waterfront promenade, cross the Helix Bridge, and look in at the gardens, then take the MRT to Bugis. Walk Bussorah Street toward the Sultan Mosque area and stop for lunch at a hawker centre.

Spend the afternoon in one covered place: the malls of Orchard Road, or a museum back at the bay. A short rest at the hotel in the middle of the afternoon is a plan, not a failure. The MRT between Bugis and Orchard is a few stops, and the stations are air-conditioned.

In the evening, return to the bay for the skyline at dusk, when the towers light up across the water. Walk the promenade, eat near the bay or at a hawker centre, and keep the evening close to the hotel on the arrival day. The gardens and the late-night malls are for the second day, when the city is familiar.

Trying to cover the whole island in one day, and planning a midday walk across town in the heat. Eating or drinking on the MRT, where it is not allowed, and smoking outside the marked areas. Treating a taxi as the default from the airport when the MRT reaches the centre for about S$2.

Booking a room without checking the MRT station that serves it, then paying for taxis. Leaving the Singapore Arrival Card until the airport, and changing money at an unmarked counter instead of a bank or a licensed exchange.

The Government of Canada's travel advice for Singapore, linked below, is the primary source for safety, laws and entry requirements. Beyond it, the precautions are the ordinary ones for a busy city: keep bags closed in crowds, use the official taxi stands and the marked ride-hailing points, keep a copy of the passport separately from the original, and tell the hotel where the day is headed.

Singapore's streets and transit are orderly at night, and the precautions are about property as much as personal safety: pickpocketing occurs at airports, hotels and tourist areas, and card fraud is a risk Canada's advice names, so check statements after the trip. In an emergency, the local emergency numbers are published in Canada's advice.

Business travellers: the MRT and the airport run on schedule, English is the working language, and Marina Bay and Orchard put meeting hotels and restaurants within a short ride of each other. Plan the airport return with the operating hours in mind: the MRT stops running late at night, and a taxi is the late option.

Mobility: the MRT stations and the airport are step-free, with lifts and wide gates, and the buses kneel at the kerb. Ask the hotel about a step-free route from the station before booking, and arrange airport assistance through the airline. First-time visitors should treat the first day as an arrival day: the bay, one district, and an early night, with the rest of the city left for the days after.