Singapore is a gourmet's paradise, ranging from humble street stalls to 5-star restaurants. There are over 30 different cooking styles, including various regional styles of Chinese cuisine, American, English, French, Indian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Russian and Swiss. Malay cuisine is a favourite, famed for its use of spices and coconut milk.

Things to know: One of the best ways to eat in Singapore is in the open at one of the ubiquitous street foodstalls. Although there are many self-service establishments, waiter service is more common in restaurants. Bars/cocktail lounges often have table and counter service. There are no licensing hours.

National specialities:
• Beef rendang (coconut milk beef curry).
• Chilli crab (fresh crab with a piquant sauce).
• Gado gado (a fruit and vegetable salad in peanut sauce).
• Satay (skewers of marinated meat cooked over charcoal) served with spicy peanut sauce, cucumber, onion, rice and coconut.
• Char Kway Teow (thick rice noodles stir fried in soy sauce with vegetables, fish or meat).

National drinks:
• Singapore Sling (cocktail containing gin, cherry liquor, cointreau, benedictine, pineapple juice, lime juice, grenadine and angostura bitters). It was invented in the early 20th century for the Raffles Hotel in Singapore.
• Teh arak tarik (ginger tea with milk).
• Soya bean milk.
• Sugar cane juice.
• Tiger Beer (ubiquitous local lager brand).

Legal drinking age: 18.

Tipping: Officially discouraged in restaurants, hotels and the airport. A 10% service charge is included in restaurant bills.

Singapore has a vibrant and exciting nightlife. Entertainment ranges from bars, clubs, discos, karaoke pubs, street opera, night markets, river cruises, multiplex cinemas to theatre productions and international stage shows. Boat Quay and Clarke Quay are popular riverside landmarks that offer exclusive restaurants, alfresco dining and lively bars. Moored Chinese junks have been refurbished into floating bars and restaurants.

Bugis Street, Changi Village and Holland Village, known as Holland V, are popular areas for food, drink and entertainment. Muhammad Sultan Road is one of the latest entertainment hubs in Singapore with a wide variety of pubs, nightclubs and wine bars, as is Club Street. In 2009, Singapore is due to gain its first ever casinos, with opening of two huge new ‘integrated resort' complexes at Marina Bay (website: www.marinabaysands.com) and on Sentosa (website: www.resortsworldatsentosa.com).

The vast range of available goods and competitive prices have led to Singapore rightly being known as a shopper's paradise. Special purchases include Balinese, Chinese, Filipino, Indian and Malay antiques; batiks; cameras; Chinese, Indian and Persian carpets; imported or tailored clothing; jewellery and shoes, briefcases, handbags and wallets. Silks, perfumes, silverware and wigs are other favourite buys.

The herding of shop owners from Chinatown into multi-storey complexes lost some of the exciting shopping atmosphere, although these huge centres do provide an air-conditioned environment. Orchard Road is the main shopping street, although many of the large hotel complexes, such as Marina Square, have shopping centres attached.

Although most outlets operate Western-style fixed pricing, bargains can still be made in some places but generally only after good research and shrewd negotiating. Electrical equipment of all types can be bought at Sungei Road, but caution is advised as there are many imitation products around. For more information on shopping in Singapore, see the Singapore Shopping brochure published by the Singapore Tourism Board.

Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 1000-2100, Sat 1000-2200. The Mustafa Centre in Little India is open 24-hours.

Note: A 7% Goods and Services Tax (GST) is levied on most goods and services purchased from taxable retailers. Tourists whose purchases total S$100 or more from a single retailer participating in the Tourist Refund Scheme are eligible for a refund of the GST paid on goods not consumed in Singapore. Refunds may be received at the airport, prior to departure flights.