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Central District, Singapore

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Singapore

Travel to Singapore City

Flying to Singapore City

British Airways, Singapore Airlines and Qantas offer direct flights to Singapore from the UK. Other airlines offering flights to Singapore from the UK (including cheap flights to Singapore if booked early) include Emirates, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa, Air France, KLM and Malaysia Airlines.

Flight times: 

From London - 13 hours; New York and Los Angeles - 18 hours non-stop (the world's longest flight); Toronto - 20 hours; Sydney - 8 hours.

Travel by road

Summary:

The road system in Singapore is clear, easy and efficient, but can get very congested at peak times, especially on weekends and holidays, when Singaporeans crowd onto the road causeway to Johor Bahru in Malaysia. Driving is on the left and the speed limit is 50-70kph (31-43mph) in residential areas and 70-90kph (43-56mph) on expressways.

For tourists, a valid driving licence from the country of residence is required for driving in Singapore. An International Driving Permit (IDP) is recommended, especially if the driving licence is not in English, to expedite proceedings where police is involved. The Automobile Association of Singapore (AAS) (tel: 6333 8811; www.aas.com.sg) has a helpline for information on IDPs, but drivers must apply for their IDP in their own country before arriving in Singapore. Foreign residents must convert their national licence (or IDP) into a local licence. Minimum third-party insurance is also required for driving in Singapore, which can be extended to cover Malaysia.

Anyone driving their vehicle into Singapore must leave it at customs, then go to the AAS for endorsement, with their passport, vehicle registration documents and insurance. They must then buy local insurance, even if they have international insurance. They will then be given an International Circulation Permit processed within an hour, which will allow them to collect their vehicle. If their visit is for more than 10 days, foreign motorists bringing their vehicles from Malaysia are required to use an Autopass Card, a stored-value smart card which deducts Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) fees and toll charges when passing land checkpoints at Tuas or Woodlands.

All drivers of foreign-registered cars and motorcycles can drive into Singapore for a maximum of 10 days in each calendar year without paying VEP fees. Once they have been used up, fees are chargeable. Toll charges always apply. They must be paid on arrival and departure at Tuas checkpoint, and on departure only at Woodlands checkpoint. The AAS can give all the necessary information on these options.

Emergency breakdown service:

AAS (tel: 6748 9911).

Routes:

The main route into Singapore is the kilometre-long causeway, linking the northern district of Woodlands with Malaysia's Johor Bahru. This causeway is usually very busy, with the volume of traffic multiplied at weekends.

The ‘Second Link', officially known as the Malaysia-Singapore Second Crossing, was built to alleviate the traffic and should be faster at busy periods. This second bridge is located on the western side of Singapore and links the Tuas checkpoint in Singapore with Tanjung Kupang in Malaysia. The highway then runs up the western part of the Malay Peninsula.

The East Coast Parkway (ECP) runs from the airport into the city along the coast; Changi Road and Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) both provide alternative routes.

Driving times:

From Johor Bahru - about 30 minutes, depending on traffic; Kuala Lumpur - 4-6 hours; Malacca - 3-4 hours. Driving times are much longer at weekends, especially over the border.

Coaches:

Operators include Regent Star Travel (tel: 6299 9009; www.regentstar.travel) and Malacca-Singapore Express (tel: 6293 5915; www.melaka.net/expressbus.htm), which are both located at the bus terminal on the corner of Lavender Street and Kallang Bahru.

Coach services go to a number of Malaysian destinations, including Kuala Lumpur and Penang, and usually depart every morning and evening. Tickets between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore can be booked at www.plusliner.com.

The SBS bus 170 for Johor Bahru departs every 15 minutes from Queen Street via Bukit Timah Road and Woodlands Road. My Express Bus (tel: 6341 9338; www.myexpressbus.com) also runs buses between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Travel by rail

Services:

Singapore Railway Station is on Keppel Road, Tanjong Pagar, just south of the Central Business District.
Trains depart daily for destinations in Malaysia, including Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru and a daily service to Kluang. Air-conditioned express trains to Kuala Lumpur leave three times a day. The journey to Johor Bahru takes under an hour with six daily departures (four express).

Operators:

Malaysian Railway (KTM) (tel: 6222 5165; www.ktmb.com.my) operates daily services from Singapore Railway Station, Keppel Road, to other destinations in the region. Keppel Road is also the departure point for the three-day Eastern & Oriental Express (tel: 6395 0678; www.orient-express.com) to Kuala Lumpur, Butterworth, Penang, Kwai, and Bangkok.

Journey times:

From Kuala Lumpur - 7 hours; Johor Bahru - 50 minutes.

Travel over water

Summary:

Singapore is the world's busiest port in terms of shipping tonnage and is also considered the cruise hub of the Asia Pacific. At any one time, there are more than 800 ships in port. The Singapore Cruise Centre (tel: 6513 2200; www.singaporecruise.com) is situated on the seafront side of the HarbourFront Centre (formerly known as the World Trade Centre) on Telok Blangah Road, and has two terminals.

Ferry services:

The HarbourFront Centre has ferries to the Indonesian island of Batam, and further destinations by cruise. Housed inside a shopping centre of the same name, it has restaurants, a food court and a travel agent for Batam trips. Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal near Changi, is a smaller terminal, and has ferries to Bintan, Batam, Johor Bahru and destinations on the Malaysian coast.

Operators include Bintan Resort Ferries (tel: 6542 4369; www.brf.com.sg), Penguin Boat International (tel: 6377 6335; www.penguin.com.sg) and Batam Fast (tel: 6270 0311; www.batamfast.com).

Nearest port:

Singapore.

Transport to the city:

The Singapore Cruise Centre is a 10-minute taxi ride from the city centre, opposite Sentosa Island, and a 10-minute walk from HarbourFront MRT station. Taxis leave from the HarbourFront Centre or Cable Car Towers in Maritime Square. Tanah Merah is served by regular public buses, operated by Singapore Bus Service (SBS) (tel: 1 800 225 5663; www.sbstransit.com.sg), including the regular bus 35 to Bedok interchange. There is a Taxi Order Terminal outside the ferry terminal; however, taxis ordered from here charge a premium.

Transfer distance:

6.6km (4.1 miles).

Transfer time:

8 minutes.

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