Five days in Singapore covers Marina Bay, the three cultural quarters, the Mandai wildlife parks, a full Sentosa Island day at Universal Studios and S.E.A. Aquarium, and a day trip to either Pulau Ubin or Johor Bahru across the causeway. The route averages 5-9 km of walking per day, with no day needing more than 4 MRT transfers.

Day by day

Day 1: Marina Bay: SkyPark, Gardens, Merlion

  • Merlion Park and Esplanade waterfront walk — 1 hr. Free. MRT Raffles Place exit B.
  • Walk across the Helix Bridge to Marina Bay Sands hotel promenade — 15 min. Free.
  • Marina Bay Sands SkyPark observation deck — 1 hr. $24 adult, 11am-9pm. Free alternative: ArtScience Museum bayfront terrace.
  • Rest valve — lunch at Rasapura Masters food court inside The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands basement — 45 min. Mixed hawker plates $5-9.
  • Gardens by the Bay: Cloud Forest and Flower Dome combo — 2.5 hr. $30 adult combo, 9am-9pm.
  • Supertree Grove walk and Garden Rhapsody light show — 30 min. Free. 7:45 PM and 8:45 PM nightly.
  • Spectra free water-and-light show — 15 min. Free. 8 PM and 9 PM nightly (10 PM Fri-Sat).
  • Total: ~7 km walking; 1 MRT segment.

Day 2: Cultural Quarters and Kampong Glam

  • Chinatown morning walk — 1 hr. MRT Chinatown exit A.
  • Buddha Tooth Relic Temple — 45 min. Free. 288 South Bridge Road, 7am-7pm. Rooftop garden Level 4.
  • Maxwell Food Centre lunch — 45 min. Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice ($4-5), or the chwee kueh and roasted duck stalls inside Stall #08 and #11.
  • MRT from Chinatown to City Hall — 5 min. $0.85 SimplyGo.
  • National Gallery Singapore — 1.5 hr. $15 adult, 10am-7pm. Padang and Marina Bay aerial view from the rooftop SkyLight terrace (free entry).
  • Walk through the Padang colonial cricket field to Bugis MRT — 25 min. Free.
  • Sultan Mosque and Bussorah Street walk in Kampong Glam — 1 hr. Free. 10am-12pm and 2pm-4pm visiting windows.
  • Haji Lane and Arab Street walk — 30 min. Free.
  • Rest valve — Bismillah Biryani on Dunlop Street or Singapore Zam Zam on North Bridge Road — 45 min. Biryani and murtabak $4-9.
  • Walk to Little India via Rochor Canal Road — 20 min.
  • Tan Teng Niah residence at 37 Kerbau Road and Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple — 45 min. Free.
  • MRT from Little India to your hotel — 10-20 min.
  • Total: ~9 km walking; 2 MRT segments.

Day 3: Sentosa Island: Universal Studios and Beaches

  • MRT from your hotel to HarbourFront — 15-30 min. $0.95-1.60 SimplyGo. Exit C connects to VivoCity Level 1.
  • Walk the Sentosa Boardwalk to Beach Station — 12 min. Free. Skip the $3 Sentosa Express ticket.
  • Universal Studios Singapore — 5 hr. $58 adult, 10am-7pm (closes 9pm Sat). Seven themed zones across 20 hectares; the Transformers and Battlestar Galactica anchor coasters run the longest queues. Arrive 15 min before opening to clear the front gate; use the free Express Pass mobile lottery in the app to skip 2-3 ride queues.
  • Rest valve — Discovery Food Court inside the Lost World zone or Goldilocks Filipino counter near the Far Far Away gates — 1 hr. Chicken inasal, rice plates, and grilled seafood $14-22 per plate, far above hawker rates outside.
  • Sentosa Express Beach Line from Universal Studios to Siloso Beach — 5 min. Free once on Sentosa.
  • Siloso Beach walk and sunset — 1 hr. Free. The 1.2 km strip of imported sand. Walk west toward Tanjong Beach for the cleanest sand.
  • Sentosa Express back to VivoCity, MRT HarbourFront to your hotel — 25-40 min depending on destination.
  • Total: ~6 km walking on Sentosa; 2 MRT segments, 1 Boardwalk crossing, 2 Sentosa Express rides.

Day 4: Botanic Gardens and Mandai Wildlife Day

  • Singapore Botanic Gardens via MRT Botanic Gardens exit A — 1.5 hr. Free. The Healing Garden, Swan Lake, and Symphony Stage paths. Enter the National Orchid Garden inside ($11 entry, 8:30am-7pm).
  • Rest valve — Halia restaurant at Ginger Garden inside the Botanic Gardens — 1 hr. Pan-Asian plates $14-22.
  • MRT from Botanic Gardens to Khatib via Downtown Line and North-South Line — 40 min. $1.80 SimplyGo. Exit B for the free Mandai Khatib Shuttle, every 10-15 min.
  • Singapore Zoo — 2.5 hr. $44 adult, 8:30am-6pm. Open-concept moat-and-rock enclosures. Free keeper-talks every 30 min.
  • River Wonders — 2 hr. $43 adult, 10am-7pm. Amazon River boat ride included; giant panda enclosure at 11°C.
  • Mandai Khatib Shuttle back to Khatib MRT, then MRT to your hotel — 35-45 min.
  • Total: ~6 km walking inside parks; 3 MRT segments, 2 Mandai shuttle rides.

Day 5: Day Trip: Pulau Ubin or Johor Bahru

  • Option A — Pulau Ubin: MRT to Tanah Merah, transfer to Bus 2 from the bus interchange (15 min wait, 25 min ride, $1.40 SimplyGo) to Changi Village Bus Terminal.
  • Walk 3 min to Changi Point Ferry Terminal, bumboat to Pulau Ubin — 10 min. $3 each way, cash only. Departures whenever 12 passengers fill the boat, typically every 15-20 min from 6am.
  • Rent a bicycle at the Pulau Ubin jetty — full-day ride. $6-12/day. The kampong village paths are flat; the Chek Jawa wetlands trail loop is 8 km with a 21-meter Jejawi observation tower in the middle.
  • Cycle to Chek Jawa Wetlands — 1.5 hr. Free entry. Six ecosystems on one boardwalk: coastal forest, mangroves, sand bar, seagrass lagoon, coral rubble, and rocky shore.
  • Rest valve — lunch at a kampong restaurant near the jetty — 45 min. Fresh seafood platters $9-18 per person. Cash only at most stalls.
  • Cycle to Pekan Quarry and the Sensory Trail — 1 hr. Free entry.
  • Bumboat back to Changi Point — 10 min. $3.
  • Bus 2 back to Tanah Merah MRT, MRT to your hotel — 50 min.
  • Option B — Johor Bahru: Causeway Link CW1 bus from Queen Street Terminal direct to JB Sentral — 30-90 min depending on border traffic. $3 one-way. Departures every 15-30 min from 6:30am.
  • Singapore exit clearance at Woodlands Checkpoint, Malaysian entry at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar — 20-90 min total, weekday mid-morning fastest.
  • JB Sentral and adjacent KSL City mall walk — 1 hr. Free entry.
  • Hiap Joo Bakery banana cake walk to the original 1919 shop on Jalan Tan Hiok Nee — 45 min. Banana cake $1-2 per slice, charcoal-wood-fired oven cakes from 11am.
  • City Square Mall and KOMTAR food court lunch — 1.5 hr. Halal Malaysian plates $4-8 per dish at the basement food court.
  • Walk back to JB Sentral for the return CW1 bus — 15 min.
  • Border clearance return — 20-90 min.
  • Total: ~4 km walking (Option A includes 14 km cycling); 2-3 bus segments and 2 MRT segments for Option B; 2 bus and 2 boat segments for Option A.
Traveller Tips
  • Book Universal Studios online via the Resorts World Sentosa app the night before; the day-of gate window adds a 30-45 min queue. The mobile app's free Express Pass lottery (different from the paid version) opens at 9am and lets one ride per day skip the standard queue.
  • The Day 5 Johor Bahru run only works if you bring your passport and a small amount of Malaysian ringgit cash. The CW1 bus driver does not break large Singapore notes; the cleanest cash route is the Mustafa Centre forex counter in Little India, open 24 hours, no commission on under-1000 ringgit purchases.
  • Pulau Ubin closes early: the last reliable bumboat back from the island is 6:30pm, and the island's only village kampong restaurants stop service by 4pm. Plan a 9am ferry to maximize the cycle window.
  • If Day 5 falls on a weekend or Malaysian public holiday, skip Johor Bahru: the Woodlands and Tuas border posts can hold 2-3 hour queues each way, eating the entire day in transit. Pulau Ubin runs the same on weekdays and weekends and has a higher payoff for a 5-hr window.
  • Days 3 and 4 are physically demanding back-to-back; if you only have stamina for one outdoor day, take Day 4 (Botanic Gardens + Zoo + River Wonders) over Day 3. The Mandai parks pack three world-class attractions into one ticket window and require no theme park queueing.
  • Carry $20-40 cash on Day 5 for either option: Pulau Ubin bumboats, bike rentals, and kampong food are all cash only; Johor Bahru bus fare and street stalls run on Malaysian ringgit.