VISA AND OTHER PROCEDURES
You only need to have a valid passport for at least another six months to enter Singapore by air. If entering by sea, 30 days stay without a visa is allowed.
HEALTH CARE
Singapore authorities require yellow fever vaccination certificate for all visitors over one year of age who come from a transmission risk destination in the country or who have transited for more than 12 hours at airports in those countries. Despite its tropical latitude, Singapore is a highly sanitized, sanitized and – some inhabitants complain – even excessively “sterilized” country. Tap water is drinkable. Singapore does not pose risks of contracting malaria or health risks worthy of any alarm. Avoid mosquito bites to negate the normally low risk of contracting Dengue fever.
For more information on traveling health, see the Health Portal of the Ministry of Health and Tropical and Traveler Medicine Clinic. In FitForTravel find country-specific health and disease prevention advice (in English).
TRIP TO SINGAPORE
Fly from Lisbon to Singapore with the Swiss Air, with a single stopover in Zurich from €600.
METRO
Sophisticated MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) and LRT (Light Rail Transit) systems are very comprehensive and underpin Singapore's social and economic mobility and functionality. They are a very accessible and punctual mode of travel. The best way to pay them is through cards. EC link or Nets FlashPay that can receive credit that is debited the respective amount for each trip that can include up to five line transfers and take up to 2 hours.
TRUCK
A fleet of modern and eco-friendly buses travels above Singapore in a slower and less practical way. On the positive side, buses allow visitors to enjoy the island's scenery. Can also be paid with EC link or Nets FlashPay. After midnight on Friday, Saturday and days prior to public holidays, a service called NightRider runs which runs through most of the island's nightlife areas, including Boat Quay, Clarke Quay, Mohamed Sultan and Orchard. It costs around €6.
TAXI
Another way to get around the city. All taxis are regulated and metered. Due to the size of Singapore, if you are not stuck in rush hour traffic, few trips will exceed €7 or €8.
CAR RENTAL
The island is small and the public transport system is so functional that few visitors go to the trouble and extra expense of renting a car. Either way, they are simple to rent on the internet. If you do this in advance, expect to pay around €45 per day for a small utility vehicle to which you must add the cost of fuel (1€ per liter) and tolls. You can also rent electric cars. In this case, you save fuel cost.
OTHER
The so-called Bumboats travel the waters of the Singapore River. They offer rounds that have different prices depending on the distance but start at €2
Practically on the equator, Singapore is always hot and humid. The minimum temperature almost never drops below 20°C and the maximum temperature almost always rises above 30°C. The wettest months are usually November, December and January, the driest May, June and July. During the rainy season, it is normal to rain every day for not too long periods which can be followed by strong sun at any time.
Singapore's currency is the Singapore Dollar (SGD). Singapore is a highly sophisticated island nation. ATMs can be found everywhere and credit card payments are widespread. Singapore has a very high cost of living for the average Asian who has Hong Kong as the most obvious example.
ACCOMMODATION
Accommodation is considered expensive. You will not find any accommodation for less than €30 per night. These prices will likely be found in the districts of Geylang, Balestier and Little India. Count on really basic living conditions and make sure you're not staying at one of the many hotels in these areas that rent rooms by the hour for sexual services.
In Singapore, up to €70 per night, for a double room, you will be staying in a hotel considered to be cheap and humble. Intermediate hotels have daily rates in double rooms from €70 to €250. Many of these hotels are the Book which have recently opened in Chinatown and at the mouth of the Singapore River.
From €250 daily, you will be staying in a luxury hotel. The most highly rated are centered on the newly renovated Marina Bay with a privileged view of the Singapore Straits and the entire island of Singapore and around the famous Orchard Road, where most of the shopping centers and fine shops are concentrated. Stay prices fluctuate significantly in Singapore. Any media event is enough for them to soar.
FOOD
The fact that Singapore's population is divided between three major ethnic groups (Chinese, Malay and Indian) makes, in itself, a gastronomic prodigy. The abundance of products, dishes and snacks at the Tekka market, in the vicinity of Little India and many others spread across the island – each neighborhood has at least one market and food pavilion – are living and very dynamic testimonies of this wealth, with mini-restaurants and stalls lined up by the hundreds, with very varied menus and the most affordable prices in Singapore, €5 to €7 for a starter, main course and drink.
Medium-sized restaurants, for example in Chinatown, serve Chinese specialties for €7 to €25. A meal at more sophisticated restaurants in Marine Bay, around the Singapore River and other areas can cost from €25 to €300.
INTERNET
As long as you register via email or SMS, you will be able to use the Singaporean national wi-fi system Wireless@SG, available and free in many areas of the island. At the same time, many hotels, bars, shopping centers etc etc have their own wifi networks open or, more often, accessible with codes provided.
Alternatively, several companies already provide 4G mobile Internet services under different technologies and tariffs. These are the cases of StarHub Mobile and M1. SIM cards cost around €7.
With all this Internet abundance, Internet cafes are rare. Those dispersed around the island charge around €1.50 per hour of navigation.