4 Days in Singapore

Where to stay: Marina Bay/Downtown (skyline views, mostly upscale), the riverside (Clarke Quay, Robertson Quay), Chinatown/Tanjong Pagar (food and boutique hotels), Bugis/Kampong Glam or Orchard. Submit the SG Arrival Card online within the three days before you arrive.

Garden Rhapsody (Supertree Grove) and Spectra (Marina Bay Sands waterfront) are free evening shows — check the current show times.

At hawker centres, locals reserve (“chope”) tables with a packet of tissues — don't sit at one that's been claimed.

Get to Sentosa by the Sentosa Express monorail from VivoCity (HarbourFront MRT), the cable car from Mount Faber, or on foot along the covered Sentosa Boardwalk.

Universal Studios is a full day on its own — book ahead and go early at weekends and in school holidays. Alternative: S.E.A. Aquarium for a half day, then the beaches.

Palawan and Tanjong beaches are quieter alternatives. Stay for sunset, or head back to VivoCity or the riverside for dinner.

Singapore's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Go early, when it's cooler.

Alternative afternoon for families and wildlife lovers: the Mandai area — Singapore Zoo, Bird Paradise and River Wonders — then the Night Safari after dark (book ahead).

Jewel is landside, so you can visit before you check in. From the city, take the MRT (change at Tanah Merah for most central stations), a taxi or Grab.