What to See and What to Skip in Singapore

— -- Singapore is young. Last year only marked its 50th anniversary as an independent country.

Its star, though, is rising quickly, as it attracts a growing number of international travelers with a booming economy, an eclectic cultural scene and a welcoming vibe. If Singapore is on your to-do list, here are a few special activities that will enhance any itinerary.

Skip the Downtown Core, Visit the ‘Hoods
New York City native Rhiannon Berenbaum has been living in Singapore for three years. That’s longer than she and her family originally planned, thanks in large part to “the great mix of cultures and languages and, of course, food!” She points visitors to Singapore’s various ethnic neighborhoods, like Chinatown and Little India, “which are really interesting places to walk around.” Chinatown is teeming with street vendors and is home to a temple and museum that houses a tooth allegedly belonging to Buddha, himself. Little India features colorful architecture and a bevy of souvenir and jewelry shops. The Kampong Glam neighborhood is a living portrait of Singapore’s Arabian influences. Interesting fact: there are four official languages in Singapore -- Malay, Tamil, Mandarin and English.

Skip the Restaurant, Dine at the Hawker Centers
The cultural diversity here may be best showcased in the food. Hawker centers are open-air marketplaces where culinary diversity and abundance reign supreme, and they’ve been regulated and upgraded in recent years so that they’re dependably hygienic. “They’re like outdoor buffets with small stalls that serve a specific cuisine or just one or two dishes, and they’re such good value,” Berenbaum says. “And if you don't know what to get or can't decide, just join the stall with a long queue, point to a picture and smile!” Frequenting hawkers (and discovering foods like BBQ stingray, rice dumplings, fried carrot cake and local fruits like longan and mangosteen) has actually helped her kids expand their palates in a big way, Berenbaum adds. “But they’re not ready for the stinky Durian yet!”

For more food adventures, Ashley Yeo, a travel deal expert in Travelzoo’s Southeast Asia’s Singapore, raves about the Tiong Bahru enclave. “It’s one of my favorite café-hopping areas in Singapore,” she tells me. “It has many hipster cafes, bars and restaurants, even a little bookstore. Most shops are renovated from old housing – a really nice area just to spend the afternoon.”

Skip Sleep, Go Shopping
Shopping – many call it retail therapy – is also a draw here. Orchard Road is an attractive 1.5-mile-long boulevard packed with designer names and flagship stores. Luxury labels abound at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, and VivoCity Singapore’s largest mall. Travelzoo’s Yeo, though, likes Mustafa Center, especially when she can’t sleep. “It’s a 24-hour shopping mall which is really cheap, and they sell everything from groceries to branded goods. It's quite amazing but not an upscale shopping centre,” she says. “Many tourists from the West love to frequent this area as it has really good Indian food as well.”

Skip the City, Go Island Hopping
The product of increasing land reclamation, Singapore is home to dozens of natural islands that offer unique visitor experiences. Yeo really likes park-like Coney Island, which opened to the public just last year. “Convenient and clean, it’s great for picnics, cycling and just a day out in the sun on the beach,” she says. Kusu Island, an hour-long ferry ride south of Singapore, is home to swimming lagoons and a turtle sanctuary, as well as various sacred sites. Also to the south, St. John’s, Lazarus and Seringat are linked and, from plush white sand beaches, offers striking views of the mainland. Sentosa, once a British fortress, is one of Singapore’s most popular islands; golf courses, museums, Universal Studios Singapore, a mile-long sheltered beach and more than a dozen hotels make this is a veritable playground.

Skip Universal Studios, Visit Haw Par Villa
When you think theme park, you may not think Chinese mythology. But that’s the big draw at Haw Par Villa, which brings folklore and legends to life – from Journey to the West to Madame White Snake -- through more than 1000 statues and dozens of oversize dioramas. Opt for the guided tour. Haw Par Villa is open daily and admission is free. The 10 Courts of Hell exhibit, with its very graphic images, may require parental supervision.

Skip the Concrete, Visit the Gardens
Although a modern cosmopolitan flair is inescapable here, Singapore is also a haven of beautiful parks, forest trails and lush reserves. Singapore Botanic Gardens is a 200-acre tropical wonderland –- and a brand new UNESCO World Heritage Site; home to an array of plants, including the National Orchid Garden, as well as a rainforest. Gardens by the Bay is an even larger oasis, a green zone with plant conservatories and futuristic Supertrees that reach more than 150 feet to the sky. The Southern Ridges is a six-mile route that links several iconic parks; when it’s lit up at night, the pedestrian bridge known as Henderson Waves is a marvelous sight. To the east, the Changi Point Coastal Walk is popular with budding fishermen while the Riverine Loop, to the northeast, is a scenic route that’s easy for avid bikers to traverse in just a few hours.

Go Wild, Hang with Animals
The Singapore Zoo is no secret; rainforest-themed, it’s famous for housing close to 3,000 animals, many of whom roam freely in open and natural habitats. Animal lovers will also find thrills at Jurong Bird Park, where Pelican Cove and daily shows are a big draw, and River Safari, where boat rides bring the Amazon to life and where pandas flourish in a forest sanctuary. Night Safari is extra cool -– it’s the world’s first nocturnal zoo, and home to 2500 animals; The Leopard Trail and the Wallaby Trail are walkable, while the popular tram ride takes you through seven geographical zones. Don’t want to miss a thing? Ask about the ParkHopper, which allows you to visit all four parks for the price of two.

Want to Go Nonstop? It’s Coming
Singapore Airlines gets consistently high marks: USA Today’s Road Warriors panel of frequent flyers just picked it as their favorite international airline and TravelSkill’s top blogger, Chris McGinnis, recently raved about its new entertainment app, which allows travelers to select from hundreds of movies, TV shows and music options well before departure. But the airline probably won’t be re-launching its nonstop flights between California and Singapore until 2018, when it takes delivery of brand new Airbus A350-900ULR aircraft. June of this year will be a much shorter wait, though. That’s when United Airlines launches its nonstop service to Singapore out of SFO in June, laying claim to the longest Dreamliner flight in the world.

Leaving? Go Early
Singapore’s Changi Airport consistently tops best-airports-in-the-world lists, and the array of attractions and activities has a lot to do with it. The rooftop garden in Terminal 1 features 100-plus species of succulents while T2 houses gardens teeming with colorful sunflowers and orchids. The Butterfly Garden in T3 features more than 1,000 tropical butterflies and a 20-foot waterfall. The theaters in T2 and T3 screen new movies and are open 24 hours a day, and you can hone your Xbox360 skills at the Entertainment Deck in T2; they’re all free. Then take the kids to The Slide in T3; at 40 feet, it’s the tallest slide in all of Singapore, and you can get a free ride for every $10 you spend at the airport’s many restaurants and duty-free shops. Just passing through? If you’re connecting at Changi with five or more hours to spare, sign up for a Free Singapore Tour; offered daily out of Terminals 2 and 3, and lasting 2-1/2 hours, it’ll give you a quick but memorable snapshot of this vibrant city.

Gabe Saglie is Senior Editor for Travelzoo, which features exclusive deals to Singapore at Travelzoo.