In One Day

Perhaps you're only in Singapore overnight en route. Here's how to make the best of it. Since the city is compact, you can take in some sights fairly easily and still make it to the airport for your flight out. If your time is very limited, I recommend you bypass the museums and head straight for the streets, where you'll find a "living museum" of sorts, with local people, food, shops, and places of worship, plus a couple of interesting cultural displays. Do yourself a favor and stop first at a Singapore Tourism Board (STB) Visitors' Centre to pick up copies of their walking tour pamphlets, one for each of Singapore's ethnic neighborhoods. The brochures identify points of interest and bits of local color as you walk along neighborhood streets. They're very well done. I recommend you start in Kampong Gelam, Singapore's historical home base for Malay heritage (Malays were, after all, the original inhabitants). Chinatown makes an excellent afternoon of strolling, and in the evening, the night safari in Singapore Zoological Gardens is always a good time. Start: Taxi to Arab Street.

1. Arab Street

This short street is lined with shops that sell Malaysian and Indonesian batik cloth and home decor items, baskets, carved wood, objets d'art, and other gifts. Most places will be open by 10am, but if it's a Sunday they'll be closed; in that case, head straight to the Sultan Mosque instead.

2. Sultan Mosque

Just off Arab Street, you can't miss the towering onion dome of this mosque. The most historic in Singapore, its grounds are open so feel free to explore within its walls, including the ablutions area, where worshipers wash up before prayers according to Muslim tradition, and a small grave site with unmarked stones. Inside the front entrance they can provide robes if you're wearing shorts or a sleeveless top. Come before the noontime prayers, especially on Fridays; otherwise you may be asked to wait until they're finished. Non-Muslims are not permitted inside the main prayer hall.

3. Malay Heritage Centre

Just a 2-minute stroll from the mosque, the Malay Heritage Centre is inside the restored palace of the original sultanate. The staff here is really nice, and can also chat about the local Malay culture from their personal experiences.

Take a taxi from Arab Street to the Chinatown Heritage Centre.

4. Chinatown Heritage Centre

Say goodbye to Malay culture and hello to Chinese and a welcome respite from the midday heat (it's air-conditioned!). The streets surrounding the center are packed with souvenir shops with tons of curious finds, plus some beautiful art and antiques galleries, so be sure to wander around a bit.

5. Yue Hwa

This Chinese emporium is practically a museum of Chinese handicrafts, filled with floor after floor of fabulous shopping. Excellent buys here include ready-made silk clothing, embroidered handbags, carved jade, pottery, and cloisonné. Unusual buys include musical instruments, men's coolie outfits, and plenty of strange Chinese interpretations of Western goods.

Take a taxi from Yue Hwa to Thian Hock Keng Temple.

6. Thian Hock Keng Temple

If you see any one Chinese temple in Singapore, this is it. One of the earliest built, it is a meaningful tribute to the Taoist gods and goddesses that have guided the Chinese community here. Try to get here before 5pm, so you have time for relaxed exploration.

7. Night Safari

If you come from temperate climes, this is a rare chance to see nocturnal animals. This is the one place where all Singaporeans bring their foreign visitors, and I have yet to see anyone walk away unimpressed. Also, an easy dinner can be had from local- and fast-food stalls at the park entrance.