Singapore Itinerary: 3, 4, 5 and 7-Day Plans (and How Many Days You Need)

Singapore is small, but there is a lot to fit in, and many attractions have fixed time slots. A good Singapore itinerary groups places that are close together, puts the big theme-park day in the middle of the trip, and leaves evenings free for the city's light shows and food.

Below are tried-and-tested day plans for 3, 4, 5 and 7 days, based on the itineraries our Indian travellers enjoy most, with notes for families, couples and senior travellers.

• 2 to 3 days: the city sights, Gardens by the Bay and either Sentosa or a theme park. Good for a stopover or long weekend.
• 4 to 5 days: the ideal first visit, covering the city, Sentosa, Gardens by the Bay, Universal Studios and, with five days, the Zoo or Night Safari.
• 6 to 7 days: everything at a relaxed pace, or Singapore plus Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur and Genting Highlands).

Most of our guests choose 4 or 5 nights. Arrive on a morning flight if possible, and count your arrival day as a half day.

1. Day 1: arrive, check in, and visit Marina Bay in the evening: Merlion Park, the Marina Bay Sands waterfront and the free Spectra light show.
2. Day 2: morning city tour (Chinatown, Little India), afternoon at Gardens by the Bay (Cloud Forest and Flower Dome), and the Garden Rhapsody show at the Supertrees after dark.
3. Day 3: Sentosa Island by cable car, the luge and beaches, then the airport; or a morning at Jewel Changi before your flight.

Our Singapore 2 nights 3 days package follows this plan with private airport transfers.

1. Day 1: arrival and a free evening at Marina Bay or Orchard Road.
2. Day 2: half-day city tour, then Sentosa: cable car, luge, skyride and the Wings of Time show.
3. Day 3: Gardens by the Bay and the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark, with the Supertree show in the evening.
4. Day 4: shopping or Jewel Changi, then departure.

This is our Singapore 3 nights 4 days package. Swap day 3 for Universal Studios if your children are theme-park fans.

1. Day 1: arrive and relax; evening walk along Marina Bay.
2. Day 2: city tour and Sentosa, ending with Wings of Time.
3. Day 3: Gardens by the Bay, the Cloud Forest and the SkyPark observation deck.
4. Day 4: a full day at Universal Studios Singapore.
5. Day 5: check out and fly home.

This is exactly our most popular trip, the Singapore 4 nights 5 days package. For a wildlife-themed 5 days, choose the City, Safari & Sentosa Escape or the Ultimate Wildlife Escape.

Add a Mandai day to the 5-day plan: the Singapore Zoo and River Wonders during the day and the Night Safari in the evening. Our Singapore Grand Family Holiday covers city, Sentosa, Universal Studios, Gardens by the Bay and Mandai in five nights. Couples may prefer the Romantic Singapore Escape, which adds a river cruise and a Night Safari dinner.

With a week, many travellers add Malaysia. A popular plan is three nights in Singapore for Sentosa and Universal Studios, an express coach to Kuala Lumpur, and three nights there for the Petronas Twin Towers, KL Tower, Batu Caves and Genting Highlands. See our Singapore & Malaysia Family Adventure, or the KL, Genting, Sentosa & Universal Studios Getaway which runs the other way round. If you prefer to stay in Singapore, use the extra days for Bird Paradise, Adventure Cove Waterpark, the Singapore Oceanarium and a river cruise. Or spend the second half of the week at sea: our Singapore cruise package pairs three nights in Singapore with a 3-night Genting Dream cruise.

• Universal Studios: tickets are for a fixed date; weekends and school holidays sell out.
• Gardens by the Bay and the SkyPark: timed entry at busy periods.
• Night Safari: entry slots in the evening fill up on weekends.
• Hotels: especially family rooms, and anything during the Formula 1 weekend.

On our packages, all of these are booked for you, with shared transfers timed to the slots.

For parents and grandparents, plan one main sight a day and keep afternoons free. A good 4-day plan is: arrival and rest; a city tour and Gardens by the Bay (step-free and air-conditioned); a Singapore River cruise and Jewel Changi; and departure. Use taxis rather than the MRT at peak hours, and choose a hotel near an MRT station or in the city centre. Our Gardens, Jewel & River Cruise package is built exactly this way.

Short, heavy showers are common, especially from November to January. Keep these indoor options in mind: the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome, the Singapore Oceanarium, Madame Tussauds, the ArtScience Museum, the National Museum, Jewel Changi and the big malls of Orchard Road and Marina Bay. Universal Studios stays open in the rain, but some outdoor rides pause during lightning, so a dry day is better.

Couples can spread the sights out and save the evenings for experiences: the Supertree show and dinner at Marina Bay on day one, Sentosa and Wings of Time on day two, a river cruise and Clarke Quay dinner on day three, Universal Studios or the Night Safari on day four, and a slow last morning. This is the plan behind our Singapore honeymoon package.

• Don't put Universal Studios on the day after a night flight; you need energy for it.
• Keep an evening free for Little India, Mustafa Centre and an Indian dinner.
• Plan indoor attractions (the domes, malls, the Oceanarium) for rainy afternoons.
• Remember the SG Arrival Card within 3 days before arrival, and carry your e-visa printout.