Singapore With Kids
What Singapore with kids really looks like, from a family that plans these trips for a living.
3 and 4 night cruises from Marina Bay, Disney's biggest ship. Read the answer
Nicole Damiano, ASTA Verified Travel Advisor with FG Luxury Travel
Is Singapore worth it with kids?
Yes. Give it three days. The zoo, the gardens and the food make it one of the easiest and most fun cities in the world for kids.
How many days?
Three, four with Sentosa. Longer if you are using it as a base before Bali or Malaysia.
Do we need to book anything ahead?
Almost nothing needs booking far ahead. Grab zoo and Gardens tickets online to skip lines, and that is about it. The city runs on the day you show up.
Do we need a car?
No. The MRT reaches nearly everything, and Grab covers the rest cheaply. A car is a needless expense here.
When should we go?
Singapore is warm and humid all year, so any time works. The driest, most comfortable stretch is February through April, and heavy rains come November through January.
The Easiest First Trip To Asia
Singapore is the one I hand to families who are nervous about Asia. Clean, safe, everyone speaks English, and it is small enough to see in a few days. If you have ever wondered how to start, this is the front door.
It also happens to be one of the best cities anywhere for kids. Giant tree gardens that light up at night, one of the finest zoos in the world, a whole island of beaches and rides, and hawker centers where a family eats like royalty for pocket change. It is hot and humid, and the trains and the malls are cool, so you pace around the heat.
Getting Around
You will not want a car. The MRT is spotless, cheap and easy, and it reaches almost everything, with buses filling the rest. Tap an EZ-Link or your contactless card and go. Taxis and Grab are cheap for the odd hop, and most of the city is walkable in short, air conditioned bursts.
Neighborhoods worth basing in
Marina Bay
The postcard center, with the giant hotel, the gardens and the light shows, walkable and right on the MRT. This is where I would base a first trip, in the middle of the spectacle.
Chinatown & the River
Old shophouses, temples and the river, colorful and full of food, a short walk or one train stop from the bay. A characterful base with the best hawker food at your door.
Sentosa
The resort island just offshore, beaches, a cable car and family attractions, reachable in minutes. A fun base if the kids want sand and rides more than city.
Marina Bay Sands
The one with the ship on the roof and the pool in the sky, the most famous hotel in Asia. A real splurge, and the infinity pool over the skyline is a memory the kids will keep.
PARKROYAL Collection Marina Bay
Bright, green and family friendly right on the bay, with big rooms and a great pool, steps from the gardens. Well priced for the location and the one I point most families to.
ibis Singapore
Clean, cheap and central near the river and the MRT, with the space families need and none of the fuss. It does the job and puts you where you want to be.
The Three I Build Every Singapore Trip Around
Gardens by the Bay
Two enormous glass domes and a grove of solar Supertrees that burst into light and music after dark, all built on reclaimed land by the bay. Do the domes in the heat of the day and come back for the free light show at night. Kids are wide eyed the whole time.
The Singapore Zoo and River Wonders
Not a zoo behind bars, an open one where the animals roam in habitats and you ride a tram or a boat through. Add the River Wonders next door for the pandas and the giant fish. Go at opening before the heat, and give it a full morning.
Sentosa Island
An island of its own just off the south coast, reached by cable car or a short train, with real beaches, a luge, the cable car itself and the S.E.A. Aquarium. A full, easy day where the kids run and you slow down.
Family Time, Built In: Singapore With Kids
Singapore is built for families without breaking a sweat. Cool trains, safe streets, a zoo, an island of beaches, and food courts where a picky eater and an adventurous one both win. The only real enemy is the midday heat, so plan around it.
The harbor ferry to the beach
Sunday fish market
Paddle boats on the the bay
Planten un Blomen
the Singapore Zoo plaza
PARK & DOWNTIME PICK
The Botanic Gardens and its Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden, a free, shady, sprawling green space with water play and a rainforest, right in the middle of the city. The reset when everyone is hot and done.
Five Things To Eat In Singapore
Chicken rice
Chili crab
Laksa
Kaya toast
Ice kacangNicole’s Perspective
A whole world in one small island
I taught social studies for eight years, and Singapore is a living lesson in how a tiny place with no resources became one of the richest cities on earth in a single lifetime. You can walk from a Chinese temple to a Hindu one to a colonial church to a super modern skyline in an afternoon, and a kid feels how many worlds fit on one small island.
I have planned and priced a lot of Asia for families, and Singapore is almost always where I start the nervous ones. It is the gentlest possible introduction, and it pairs beautifully with a beach stop in Bali or a few days in Malaysia. When a family wants Asia without the leap, this is the one.
The Day Trip: Pulau Ubin
Pulau Ubin is a ten minute bumboat ride off the northeast coast, and it is the Singapore of fifty years ago, a rustic island of old kampong houses, jungle and dirt tracks. Rent bikes, watch for wild boar and hornbills, and let the kids see a completely different side of the country. Pack water and go in the morning.
Things I Would Tell A Friend Before They Booked
How Many Days
Three full days covers Singapore well, four if you are adding Sentosa or a slower pace. That is the city as a real stop before the region.
Day one, Gardens by the Bay and the bay itself, ending with the night light show. Day two, the zoo and River Wonders in the morning, Chinatown and hawker food at night.
Day three, Sentosa and its beaches, or a slow day in the Botanic Gardens. Day four, the bumboat out to Pulau Ubin.
If all you have is a layover with a long enough window, do Gardens by the Bay and one hawker center dinner, and call it a strong taste.
Singapore With Kids, Answered
Is Singapore worth it with kids?
Yes. Give it three days. The zoo, the gardens and the food make it one of the easiest and most fun cities in the world for kids.
How many days?
Three, four with Sentosa. Longer if you are using it as a base before Bali or Malaysia.
Do we need to book anything ahead?
Almost nothing needs booking far ahead. Grab zoo and Gardens tickets online to skip lines, and that is about it. The city runs on the day you show up.
Do we need a car?
No. The MRT reaches nearly everything, and Grab covers the rest cheaply. A car is a needless expense here.
When should we go?
Singapore is warm and humid all year, so any time works. The driest, most comfortable stretch is February through April, and heavy rains come November through January.
Ready To Put Singapore On The Calendar
Send me your dates and your kids’ ages and I will tell you the three days that cover Singapore, and if Sentosa or a beach stop after is worth adding.
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