Singapore is such an amazing destination – and a wonderful option for families who want to introduce their smallest travellers to a softer side of Asia. It has become more than just a stopover destination – with a food scene to rival some of the best cities in the world, amazing transport, fantastic sights and activities to keep everyone entertained.
This Singapore trip was our first overseas family holiday and I was so unbelievably excited and looking forward to introducing my kids to travelling and exploring a new destination.
Pre trip preparation and travelling with an infant:
I had approximately 457 activities packed for Elliott and enough snacks to sustain the entire plane load of passengers for a 3 day journey. Some of the activities definitely took up time and the snacks for Alice were a distraction (that and still breastfeeding her was a massive help) – however Elliott was happy to watch a movie, chat about what was going on or spent hours watching the route map. I guess if you’re not into screen time then the more activities the better – however I tend to think whatever works on a flight to get there with minimal fuss for everyone involved!
Obviously there is plenty to do in Singapore for kids such as the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari, Sentosa Island with Universal studios – however our kids were far too young to get much out of these type of activities. We were more after experiencing the neighbourhoods and introducing our kids to our way of travel – such as hauling everyone for ages on a train to get to a local market that was supposed to be the best ‘wet’/produce market in Singapore. Insert mental image of me charging ahead of the pack – ‘come on kids when we travel we visit local markets!!!’
Weather:
It is hot and steamy and that did affect the kids a fair bit (and heat intolerant husband!) Elliott had a sleep most days in the stroller and did wake up grumpy because he was hot and bothered. It was so important to take time out in the afternoons to just enjoy the pool back at the apartment and take it easy. I read a quote about travelling with kids and I think it’s a great mantra – ‘raise your tolerance, lower your expectations’. You have to adjust the way you travel if you want to make it an enjoyable experience for parents and kids.
Gardens By The Bay:
The Gardens by the Bay is an absolute highlight and a must see for anyone going to Singapore. It’s free entry unless you want to go into the domes – the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest. As a foreigner you have to purchase entry to both – which was $28 per adult and $15 per child aged 3-12.
The cloud forest and man-made waterfall was amazing – and a welcome cool relief from the steamy Singapore weather. I was probably a bit done by the time we went into the flower dome but if you are very into your plants and flowers this would be pretty impressive.
Alternatively you can just visit the gardens day or night and there is plenty to see. The Super grove trees are very impressive especially at night.
Families must check out the Far East Organisation Children’s Garden – an awesome water play space for kids with a view of the Marina Bay Sands towering overhead. A great way to cool off on a busy sightseeing day
Sentosa Island:
We did visit Sentosa but mainly spent time at the beaches there – Palawan and Silosa Beach – and exploring the very impressive SEA Aquarium. I am sure you could spend a fortune doing all sorts of activities here including Universal Studios, however for younger families you can do it cheaply. We paid SGD$4 per person to take the Sentosa Express monorail over and really the ony thing we paid for was entry to the Aquarium – which was around SGD$34 per adult and children under 4 were free.
The aquarium is amazing – with over 800 species represented across 49 different habitats. It’s easy to navigate (and keep track of wandering 3 year old’s (unlike Melbourne Aquarium which is a nightmare!!)
The Merlion and Pip’s PlayBox:
The day we visited the Merlion was a seriously hot one – and thankfully we happened to stumble across Pip’s PlayBox at the ‘Esplanade Theatres On the Bay’. Admission is free and their mantra is ‘learning through play and playing to learn’. It’s a gorgeous play space – air-conditioned:):) so a beautiful cool relief and time out for the kids.
Neighbourhoods and Market’s:
We tried to spend some time exploring the different neighbourhoods and markets of Singapore. Chinatown, Kampong Glam and Little India were all amazing spots to discover giving the kids a taste of other cultures. Chinatown was quite close to our apartment and had many souvenir shops and hawker markets – the People’s Place hawker centre and also Maxwell Food Centre were great. An average dish costs about $5 so it’s a really good cheap option for eating. Lao Pa Sat is fantastic for Satay after 7pm at night when the stall holders get the charcoal burning outside – it’s around $1 per satay.
East Coast Park:
On the way in from the airport we spotted an amazing looking park and had planned to get back their – however unfortunately it wasn’t to be. The Marine Cove Playground is huge – so big it is separated into two separate areas one for aged 2-5 and one for bigger kids (5-12).
It’s right next to the beach so would be a great day out and there also looked to be a fair few restaurant/café options and a seafood hawker centre.
Costs:
The Singapore dollar is currently at parody with the Australian $ – and whilst eating at markets is cheap – groceries and drinks are quite expensive. Don’t plan to buy a bottle of wine in Singapore:( Lunch or dinner at a Hawker centre or market you could get for between $5-$10 per person – with a large beer costing approximately $10
Transport:
It’s a wonderful, clean and safe city that is extremely easy to travel around by using the MRT train and bus network.
We purchased a Singapore to Changi Tourist Pass for 3 days which cost $20 (+ a $10 deposit for the cards).
Singapore’s Changi Airport:
Even if you are ever just transiting through Singapore you will soon realise it’s an amazing airport and you can easily fill in time here. There is a movie theatre, Sunflower garden, butterfly garden, interactive zones, huge kids playgrounds, ample toilet and baby change facilities – it’s a very impressive airport!
We had such an amazing time for our first overseas family holiday. The kids travelled like little stars and Elliott is ready to head off already on another adventure. We easily filled in our time in Singapore and there is still so much we didn’t do so would still make a good stop over location in the future.
Run Wild My Child 