Looking back, I packed a lot of activities into my trip to Singapore. I left on Thursday evening, my flight arrived early Saturday morning, and I left in the morning on Wednesday. This gave me 4 full days to accomplish my list of things to do in Singapore. I’ve covered much of my travel in my previous posts on the Hawker Centers I visited and eating Singapore Chili Crab (food of course which was my #1 priority). I also shared visiting Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay Sands (#2 on my list of things to do) and learning and appreciating Peranakan architecture and food (#3 on my list). This post is a catch-all on other recommendations I have on other sights in Singapore before one more upcoming post on my time at Changi Airport.
The themes for today’s highlights about Singapore are
- Train
- House
- Temple
- Murals
- Island
Transit: Ride the Singapore MRT
Yes, I just did recommend riding public transportation – aka the Singapore Mass Rapid Transit system or MRT – as something to do in Singapore. It’s easy, fast, and so clean and easy to figure out. The MRT is such a foundation of daily life for Singaporeans, taking it as a visitor is not only convenient but gives you a look at their every day slice of life. It’s as much of a backbone of being here as you might think of the subway in New York, London, or Tokyo.
I used Google Maps on my phone the entire time, and just would click on the Public Transit icon for my recommended route. There are also lots of maps at the station and inside the train to help you out as well. 
Monitors by the platforms tell you how long until the next train, the direction, and even how full the train is. Inside the train is clean with stops clearly announced before arrival and lights along a map showing your way.
The Singapore MRT does offer tourist 1, 2, or 3 day passes, but even in all the going around that I did, I spent less then what those tourist transit passes cost. The advantage of purchasing a normal EZ Link pass is that if there is any value left on your card, you can get it refunded or spend it at a 7-11 or many possible retailers and vending machines.
For me, I added the same amount I would have paid for a 3 day Singapore Tourist Pass and it was more then enough. This was even as I was using it as my primary mode to get around, so it’s likely most people will not use the value of the “unlimited tourist day pass” versus putting cash on the card itself. You will see the card balance every time you scan in and out so you’ll always know if you need to up the amount. You can use your credit card to add value at kiosks. If you want to estimate fares, put in your start poitn and possible destinations at the Go There page here.
Also, maybe this is more my taste – but when you purchase your EZ Link Card you can choose from possibly lots of different designs. I don’t understand why this isn’t more of a thing in the US. I ended up with Star Wars Tsum Tsum theme for my cards, but other options included Hello Kitty, Disney, Bare Bears, One Piece, and more, even winners of art competitions that they hold are printed on these cards. How fun is that!
House:
This former House of Tan Teng Niah was built in 1900, and is the last surviving Chinese Villa in Little India. It’s a heritage building, and besides its bright colors (which are a relatively recent addition, not a 1900 artifact), you can note how the building integrates Southern Chinese and European architectural influences. Note: you can view the building from the outside only, but viewing and photos are all free.
It’s only a block or so away from Tekka Centre’s hawker center and the Little India MRT. 
Temple: Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
Through my visits in Asia I have been to a lot of temples, and the key is knowing what makes a particular temple special versus other temples. For the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum, despite the name, I would say it is the hundreds of Buddha statues. The architecture of the building itself, which is in a Tang Chinese style, is actually modern as it was constructed in 2007. 
There is a supposed Buddha’s tooth relic on the 4th floor, which you really only see in a room with no photography and no shoes allowed and is behind a glass in another room within a golden stupa. The room is also only open during certain hours so check. Even without visiting this room though, there is plenty of visuals to enjoy everywhere else in the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple.
Visit the 1st floor and rooftop garden where all the Buddha figurines are that are really make this Temple unique. The Pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas and the Vairocana Buddha Prayer Wheel are at the top level. On the 1st floor is the Hundred Dragons Hall and Universal Wisdom Halls, both of which are lined with hundreds of Buddha statues in different poses and postures, each which has a different spiritual meaning.
And all those photos above are just from the first floor! Here’s a look at what you might see from the Rooftop floor where you will find the Buddhas of Infinite Life. where the walls are inlayed with 12,300 shrines of Buddha. They line two hallways on this floor – and here I am for scale on the size.
Also on this floor is the Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda, housing the large Vairocana Buddha Prayer Wheel along with where 11,111 Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are enshrined.
Important things to know: you will need to cover your shoulders and back and not anything too short above the knee including shorts and skirts – I brought my own cardigan but they have robes available at both doorways. Visiting is free though they appreciate donations. There are stairs to traverse the multiple floors but an elevator is also available. No pets or non-vegetarian food allowed to be brought in.
Located in Chinatown, you can easily combine this with a visit to the Chinatown or Maxwell hawker centers, Hindu temples such as Sri Mariamman Temple (photos below from the outside of its gopuram tower entrance with six tiers of deities and mythological figures. Admission is free, though a donation is requested of those taking photographs inside of Singapore’s oldest Hindu temple – I personally find the outside the most interesting though) or Sri Layan Sithi Vinayagar Temple. Also in the area in walking distance are attractions like the Chinese Thian Hock Keng Temple temple, a row of Peranakan shophouses at 9 Neil Road, and more in the area.
Murals
There is amazing street art all over Singapore that you can visit for free. Almost all the art has been commissioned and created by local and international street artists. The styles range from the bright and colorful to whimsical to dramatic or nostalgic. I personally really like the unique style of one famous Singaporean artist named Yip Yew Chong for his murals depicting shots of the everyday life of his memories from Singapore in the 70s-80s.
It certainly doesn’t hurt either that food features in many of his artwork, from groceries to hawkers to being consumed by those in the mural. You can also find some of his art projected on the screen at a wall in the National Museum of Singapore, and in the basement of Changi Airport Terminal 4.
His website has a map of all the mural locations. I also found the maps from the The Occasional Traveler blog and some highlights from The Singapore Wall Crawl by the Honeycombers as great resources. You will likely already be in some of these neighborhoods in Singapore, so definitely think about looking up some street art cross streets while in the area. Time Out even has some public art trails that start directly from some MRT stations.
Sentosa Island
Sentosa is an island resort south of Singapore which includes multiple attractions, from sandy beaches with various amenities from beach bar to a pirate water playground for the kid , a casino, Universal Studios, water parks, an aquarium, butterfly park, several shows (both indoor and outdoor), indoor skydiving, ziplining, bungee jumping, paddle boarding, canoeing, and more. You can even set up a dinner on your own private cable car. They have their own supersized version of a Merlion too that you can go inside and learn more about why this is Singapore’s icon and in the evening is lit up different colors.
My visit was spent getting an overview via the cable car and free shuttle buses, a little time in Siloso Beach (if you’re looking for beach time, Sentosa is your best bet). I also spent time on the boardwalk by Sentosa Cove where you can find restaurants and at the time of my visit, also a Pokemon Festival. Sentosa is often host to festivals and other happenings – as I write this post there is a Grill Fest for instance, so check to see what might be happening during your visit.
I have one more post to wrap up my time in Singapore – my exploring of Changi Airport.
What do you think of this round-up of other sights in Singapore I saw after my top 3? What would you list in your top that you would want to do in Singapore?
Singapore Travel Posts
- Dinner at the world’s only Michelin starred Peranakan restaurant
- Singapore Sights: Old Hill Street Police Station, Singapore Chili Crab in Clarke Quay
- Peranakan Style Buildings in Singapore
- Guide to visiting Hawker Centers in Singapore
- Is visiting Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay Sands worth it?
- Other sights in Singapore: things to do in Singapore (this post)
- Things to see in Changi Airport
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