J’adore Singapore ❤️🇸🇬

It’s so easy to fall in love with Singapore. [View in browser](   [facebook]( [instagram]( [TikTok](   PICTURE YOURSELF IN… Singapore [An outdoor market in Singapore] Wander through Singapore's busy Bugis Street market Everything you’ve heard about [Singapore]( It’s all true. The city-state is the rare destination that is exactly as unique, vibrant, beautiful and jaw-dropping as advertised. Before I started working in travel publishing, I never considered a visit to Singapore feasible: it’s far away and expensive to get to from the US, where vacation days and extended trips can be hard to come by. I finally managed to get to Singapore thanks to a business trip (that I extended) – and that made all the difference. My recent Zoom with Singapore-based Lonely Planet contributor Ria de Jong, author of our recently published [Pocket Singapore]( allowed me the pleasure of reliving my Singapore trip. Having lived on the island for eight years now, Ria is still not an official “Singaporean” (more on that later), but she does know her stuff: breakfast spots, hawker stalls and history. Read on for a Michelin-starred taste of this extraordinary place, which, in the parlance of my most favorite recent film (no, not [The Menu]( epitomizes the impossible energy and excitement of being everything, everywhere, all at once. [AnneMarie McCarthy]     Brekke Fletcher   Director, Newsletter Content               [Woman eating noodles]     Featured Story Don't misss out on Singapore’s tastiest dishes Narrowing down a list of must-eat Singaporean food is a herculean task – but someone has to do it. [Read more](   Immerse yourself Plan an unbeatable trip to Singapore with a little help from Lonely Planet's local writer Ria de Jong Best things to do From the moment you arrive at Changi Airport, Singapore unfurls an array of singular and memorable experiences. [Read more]( Local Tip: Head to Amoy Street food center and check out A Noodle Story for irresistible Singaporean ramen.   [ When to visit June and July are Singapore at its most hectic. January is known as the coolest month – though temperatures will rarely dip below 24°C/75°F. [Read more]( Local Tip: It’s hot and humid almost always, but the MRT network is air-conditioned if you need a quick cool-off.   Getting around The most efficient way to navigate the city is by public transport. Get an EZ-Link [card]( to use trains, local buses, river taxis and more. [Read more]( Local Tip: [Grab]( is Singapore’s answer to Uber and Lyft, if you need to head somewhere that's not accessible by public transport.   Free things to do Despite its status as a spendy paradise, there are plenty of free things to see and do to ease the pressure on your wallet. [Read more]( Local Tip: Changi Airport has a free cinema, along with the largest indoor, full-drop waterfall in the world.       WHERE TO GO WHEN February's hottest destinations If you can't swing Singapore, we have a ton of other ideas for places to go this month, like Cambodia and the Serengeti, pictured. It's not too late to book a fantastic February trip! [Read more]( [Cambodia] [Tanzania]     Ask an Insider Ria de Jong on her cosmopolitan background and enviable life in Singapore What is your travel person origin story? I am half Dutch, half Australian. I was born in Sri Lanka and spent my first seven years in Asia. My parents were expats with friends around the world, so I traveled a lot as a kid. I took every holiday I could get. I would go off to faraway places like Thailand and the US. How did you turn into an expat yourself? My husband got a job in the Philippines, and I spent those two years doing bucket-list things. I climbed the Himalayas; I planned my sister’s wedding in New York. And we’ve now been living in Singapore for eight years. What were your first impressions of Singapore? It’s small but it’s an absolutely wonderful country. You can experience so much, so quickly. It’s really multicultural, it’s very safe and efficient … you can get around very quickly. [Bio image] “It’s small but Singapore is an absolutely wonderful country. You can experience so much, so quickly.” Do you consider yourself Singaporean? Well, the system here keeps it quite separate. My kids, for example, cannot attend a Singaporean school. And they won’t let Singaporean kids attend international schools. That said, it’s such a welcoming country and society. In Singapore everyone is really an immigrant. How does that aspect manifest itself? We’ve got our designated Chinatown; there is a designated Little India; there is a designated Kampong Glam, which is the Malay quarter. And everybody is pretty harmonious about it.   Love travel inspiration in your inbox? Share with a fellow travel-lover by forwarding to a friend. Did someone share this email with you? Subscribe by clicking [here.](   This email was sent to you by: Lonely Planet Publications Ltd. | 1101 Red Ventures Drive, Fort Mill, SC 29707 © 2022 Lonely Planet [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy](