Top Tips For Sightseeing and Visiting Temples in Singapore

I certainly hope you’ve been following along with my adventures on my world cruise on board Fred. Olsen Cruise Line’s Black Watch. Today we are in Singapore and are doing the city all on our own. Singapore, officially known as the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign city-state and island country in Southeast Asia.

Exiting the Cruise Terminal

Before we could do anything else, we needed to exit Singapore Cruise Centre, a clean and organized cruise terminal located in the VivoCity Mall. As we only had a few hours in the city of Singapore, we were determined to see as much as we could and so we had to get going and quickly. We stepped outside, I set up an Uber to get us to where we needed to go, and we were off to our first destination.

We were dropped off in Chinatown just as the skies opened up and it started to pour down upon us.

That meant we ducked for cover as neither of us had an umbrella, but it was fine nonetheless. I bought one and of course, it didn’t rain again all day.

Sri Mariamman Temple

Located in Chinatown, Sri Mariamman Temple is Singapore’s oldest Hindu temple.

A major tourist attraction, the temple built in the Dravidian style, is considered a national monument. The temple is dedicated to the goddess Mariamman, known for her power to cure illnesses and diseases.

Founded in 1827, it served as a refuge for new immigrants to Singapore. Today it still serves a social and religious role in the community.

Sri Mariamman Temple
244 South Bridge Road – downtown Chinatown district

Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple

Another large temple, Sri Verramakaliamman Temple is a Hindu temple located in the middle of Singapore’s Little India.

Before you even step inside, you can see the intricate detail all around the outside of the temple.

Across the street there’s the usual vendors selling flowers, in case you wanted to buy any before entering the temple.

The temple is dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali, the embodiment of Shakti and the god Shiva’s wife, Parvati.

The temple was built in 1881 in the style of South Indian Tamil temples.

After taking off our sandals outside and grabbing a few scarves to cover ourselves, we entered the temple. I was completely entranced by the beauty of this temple and didn’t know where to look first.

To one side there was a man selling a few things, including small Ganesh statues, which I couldn’t resist purchasing. Overall, a beautiful temple that was definitely worth a visit off the touristy path.

Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple
141 Serangoon Road – Little India

Little India

Since we were already in the neighborhood of Little India, we decided to continue exploring. Serangoon Road runs from Little India to Kallang and since it was hot, we weren’t about to walk the entire distance.

Instead, we popped into a few shops to see what they had, like the one with snacks galore that I couldn’t resist.

TSG Tip: Did you know that in the Indian Signaporean community Little India is more commonly known as Tekka?

I especially loved finding the most amazing street art in Little India. Beautiful bright colors that fit in completely with the neighborhood.

Marina Bay Sands

After visiting the two temples and Little India, we decided to go over to the Marina Bay Sands for a photo op. Unfortunately, we didn’t research this properly as I don’t think this was exactly where we wanted to go. But we decided to make the best of it regardless.

Our Uber driver dropped us off and we walked across the street to the shopping side of the resort. We’re talking high end designer brands here so if you’re all about labels, you’ll love it. We walked outside to see what it looked like and decided this was not the place we thought we were at. As we were both hungry, we wanted to look around the food court, which was all types of Asian fast food including but not limited to Korean, Chinese, Thai, etc. In the end, we chose to head back to VivoCity and see if we could find food there.

Before we left, walked outside past the lily pads and the ArtScience Museum that’s shaped like a beautiful lotus flower.

VivoCity

A short Uber ride later, we were back at VivoCity and looking for not only food, but a way back to the cruise ship. VivoCity is massive and whether you’re looking for clothing or just about anything else, including furniture, exercise equipment, jewelry, or food, you’re going to find it here.

We stopped in at the grocery store to pick up some snacks to take back with us and of course, I had to take a few pics of some interesting food finds.

Only a few steps away from the entrance to the ship, I spotted a small store with sandals and purchased a pair of Hello Kitty sandals. C’mon – how could I possibly resist?

Back to Black Watch

To return to the ship once inside VivoCity, go down to level B2 and walk toward McDonald’s where you’ll see the entrance for public transportation. From here, walk down a few steps and make an immediate left and follow the signs for the harbor. Then follow the signs for the cruise ship entry and you’ll be back on board your ship in no time.

Sail Away And Final Thoughts On Singapore

The sky was an ominous gray overhead as we prepared for sailaway out of Singapore. This beautiful city and country welcomed us with open arms and we enjoyed our stay immensely. My only regret is that we didn’t have more time to explore and see more.

Have you visited Singapore? Can you suggest other destinations in Singapore that you found equally exciting? Leave your comments below. Discover some other great destinations and travel ideas here on the Travel Shop Girl website.