Singapore

Singapore is a city-state in Southeast Asia with a mix of Chinese, Indian, and Malay influences.

Visas

Visas are NOT required for tourists from Australia, NZ, Ireland, UK, USA, or Canada entering for up to 30 days.

Money

Singapore uses the Singapore dollar. Check current rates on xe. ATMs are all over the place. Your Japanese card probably won't work though foreign cards should work in most places provided they have Cirrus/Maestro/Plus on them. There are loads of places to change money.

Flights

Check out the following:

• Singapore Airlines

  World-class airline

• Asiana Airlines

  A budget airline based in Seoul. Excellent airline.

• Korean Air

  Top notch airline

• JAL

  Note that you can only book international flights online in JAPANESE. You have to call the bookings centre otherwise.

• ANA

• Malaysian Airlines

  Very nice airline. You could easily combine a trip to Singapore with a trip to Kuala Lumpur (short flight or only 4 hours on the train).

• AirAsia

  Budget airline based in Kuala Lumpur. Note that Air Asia DOES NOT fly from Japan, but if you got a cheap flight to elsewhere in SE Asia (e.g. KL or Johor Bahru, just over the Malaysian side of the Singapore border), this could be handy.

Borders

Malaysia

You can enter/exit through Malaysia in several places. The main crossings are:

• Johor Bahru/Woodlands

  One of the points where you could cross if you are travelling via local bus to/from Malaysia. Immigration here is pretty straight forward. Everyone will get off the bus to have their passports checked. Try to remember which bus you jumped off as it's confusing when there are a thousand similar looking buses!!

• Johor Bahru/Tuas

  Used more by express buses. Pretty much the same as above.

• Johor Bahru/Tanjong Pagar

  Where you will cross if you travel via train. If you are travelling into Malaysia you need to clear Singapore customs before you get on the train, so allow time for this at Singapore station. You jump off the train at the border to clear Malaysian customs. Straightforward enough.

Indonesia

To get to either Sumatra or Java by ferry, you must first travel to Batam, part of the Riau Islands of Indonesia. From there, there are PELNI ferries to Belawan (Medan, Sumatra) and Tanjung Priok (in Jakarta, Java).

The ferry ride from Singapore to Batam takes about 45 minutes, and the one-way fare is about S$25. Ferries to Batam depart from the World Trade Centre Ferry Terminal in Singapore. For more information, contact their sales counter at

You can apply for a 30-day visa on arrival if you hold a passport from Australia, NZ, South Africa, UK, Ireland, USA, Canada. Those from Singapore don't need visas for stays of up to 30 days.

Sightseeing

• Singapore Night Zoo

  Pretty awesome and perhaps the must-see sight in Singapore.

• Changi Prison

Little India

Aside from the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, the main attraction here is the FOOD!

Also in Little India is Sim Lim square - a geek's paradise.

Sentosa

• Beach

  Pretty crappy IMHO. Sure you get some sand and an opportunity to swim in the sea but the view is essentially of frigates.

• The Insect and Butterfly Kingdom

  Pretty cool and the Underwaterworld sounds pretty wicked too.

  The cable-car to get there is cool.

Accommodations

• The Inn Crowd - Little India

  Wanky name; brilliant hostel! One of the best hostels in Southeast Asia.