Singapore - Get Around

This small diamond-shaped island, linked to Malaysia by two causeway bridges, is easy to get around. Places of interest are clustered mainly in the south.

There's not much distance between the shopping, historical sights and ethnic areas, and the enviably superb public transport system and cheap taxis means getting around is easy.

The ethnic districts of Chinatown and Little India, plus Boat and Clarke quays, Raffles and the Civic District are in the south. To the east are seafood and sands at East Coast Park, and Changi Village with its chapel built by World War II PoWs. Travel west to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Jurong Birdpark, the city's natural highlights.

Singapore's underground train network, or Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) is the quickest way to get around and is cheap, clean and safe. Trains run between 5.30am-12.30am. All signs and announcements are in English. Trains and stations are air-conditioned. Avoid cramped rush hours.

More than 15,000 yellow air-conditioned taxis ply Singapore's streets. Starting fares are low, with a small supplement for travelling through the CBD (Central Business District) and on certain highways during rush hour, and a 50% surcharge between midnight and 6am. Advanced bookings can be made with private minicab companies.

Singapore's buses are the cheapest way of getting around and accept exact fare only. The air-conditioned vehicles charge slightly more.

In spite of the often oppressive humidity, many areas are far better explored on foot, especially the streets around Chinatown and Little India. Maps and signs are clearly marked throughout the city. Maps of self-guided walking tours are available from the tourist offices and main hotels.

A cruise on the Singapore River on a traditional small, motorised "bumboat", a glass-top or open-top boat, takes in the historic colonial sights on the riverbank. Sampans (small boats) ferry passengers to the tiny island of Pulau Ubin.

A stored-value ez-link card, bought at any station or bus interchange, can be used on the MRT and bus and saves foraging around for change. Taxis can be hard to come by during a sudden downpour and just before the changeover from day to night-time fares.

The oldest government building in this thoroughly modern city is the Old Parliament House, built in 1827, with its stately columns and bronze elephant statue. Less imposing but more inviting are the shady fronts of the shop-houses in Little India, which date back to the 1920s.

Singapore Mass Rapid Transport SMRT website"