Travel Guide to Singapore

Singapore is a small island country, part of Southeast Asia, originally a British trading colony founded in the 18th century. Today’s Singapore has a prospering cosmopolitan scene; full of skyscrapers and plush shopping centres, a happening nightlife, good food, and a supporting infrastructure. Singapore leaves a lasting impression on the tourists. All thanks to the well-maintained attractions, excellent shopping and party spots, and the friendly locals.

Many reasons make Singapore a popular destination for tourism. First, the entry to this port city is less stringent. Two, there is a Royal, preserved English feel to the city and three, even though Singapore is populous, it is a green city and has well-kept major parks and nature reserves that have earned it the title of Garden City.

Most of the Singapore city’s points of interest lie in the south. This zone has the Orchard Road Shopping area, one of the finest tourist places in Singapore and also marked among the best places to visit in Singapore. It is a shopper’s paradise and not without good reason. There are many shopping malls packed into this area, which makes the 2.2 Orchard shopping belt a walking trail and a reputed and most popular Asian shopping street.

Among the famous places in Singapore is Marina Bay Sands. This area is an integrated resort consisting of a luxurious hotel, shopping malls, casino and a museum. A recent addition is the Gardens by the Bay, situated adjacent to the Marina Bay Sands. It is a big public garden which has two cooled conservatories - the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest.

Visited by approximately 20 million people every year, Sentosa is a popular island resort. It is home to two golf courses, a long-sheltered beach, Resorts World Sentosa, the Merlion, Fort Silso and the Universal Studios Singapore.

A must-visit is the Riverside. The place is at the core of Singapore’s rich colonial past and is a revered tourist site for people who wish to visit the past through museums, theatres, statues, and more. Not to forget the restaurants, clubs, bars and other entertainment options. Another popular shopping centre in Singapore is the Suntec City.

The places to visit in Singapore include Chinatown and Little India. Chinatown is a Chinese heritage area and Little India, an Indian city piece located on the north side of the city.

Singapore has eight airports and all of them are well connected with the rest of the world. However, Changi Airport is the busiest airport of Singapore and remains as one of the best in the world. All major Indian cities are connected to Changi Airport. The major airlines flying between Singapore and India are Air France, Air China, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, Bangkok Airways, and more.

Most of the city landmarks, like the Marina Bay Island, Orchard Shopping Road, and more can be reached using the efficient public transport network.

There are buses and taxis to help you navigate to the destination, locally, and then, there is a very dependable network of Mass Transit Rail (MRT) which connects every corner of the city, including the suburbs, to each other. There are almost 90 city train stations. Taxis are usually affordable. There are rickshaw style vehicles available too.

You can reach Sentosa via Orchard or Suntec City by using the taxi, the ferry and the cable car to reach the final point. You can maneuver your way in the city using the subways too.

To reach Chinatown, board the northeast line of the MRT. For Little India, take the same route and de-board at Little India and Farrer Park stations, close to Serangoon Road.

Singapore is a year-round travel destination. Between February and April, the city climate is pleasant and calm, and it is not very hot or cold during these months. It is the best time to plan outdoor activities in Singapore.

November to January are the rainy months and May and June, the hottest in Singapore. Another reason or a time to visit Singapore is during the Great Singapore Sale and during the Singapore Food Festival, which takes place anytime between July to September.

• The average temperature in the city is between 25-31 degrees Celsius, so it is recommended to carry light wears like cotton shirts, comfortable pants or trousers, shorts, etc.
• For the beach, swimwear and flipflops or sandals are a must
• Carry light, comfortable pair of sneakers
• During the monsoons, carry a light jacket and an umbrella
• Keep your evening dresses ready with you, Singaporeans like dressing up in the evenings
• Dresses go from day to night smoothly, keeping you cool.
• Always carry a sunscreen and an antiperspirant as the weather can be hot and humid
• Carry a mosquito repellent especially for a visit to the Night Safari on a marooned island and the Zoo
• Carry a water bottle
• If you plan to do much swimming, carry an ear medicine to avoid catching an ear infection later
• There are certain restrictions on bringing alcohol and cigarettes into Singapore, so be mindful
• Always carry travel insurance on your foreign trips. Singapore is no exception. Travel insurance is helpful in case of any mishap or emergency in the foreign location.

Bak Kut the: This simple dish is prepared in Singapore from the time when it was a developing country. Only mild herbs are used for the recipe of this highly flavoured soup. It is popularly called the pork rib tea.

Carrot Cake: It is made using ground white radish, and combining it with rice, flour and water. Eggs are also used in its preparation.

Char Kway Teow: It is a fried flat rice noodle preparation made using the quick Chinese stir-fry techniques. The dish has dark soy sauce, egg, prawns, local sausage, cockles, and sliced fish cake, as the main ingredients.

Chili Crab: It is made using a paste base of garlic, ginger, onions, sesame oil, sugar, black rice vinegar, ketchup and ground chilli.

Satay : Meat marination prepared on a skewer and accompanied with peanut sauce, onions, cucumbers and a rice cake on the plate.

• The mega-malls of Orchard Road offer a variety of designer brands to the immense street-bargain shopping
• In Chinatown, pick up candles, clothing and artwork at cheap prices
• In Little India, buy electronics, traditional Indian fabric from the very affordable dress stores
• Near to Little India establishment is the Mustafa Shopping Centre Complex which provides electronics, designer items, watches, textiles, bags, costume jewellery, and gold at cheap prices

• Travel Clinic
• International Medical Clinic
• Mint Medical Centre
• The Clinic @ Fusionopolis
• The Clinic @ Aperia

Singapore is a land of immigrants and thus, has many national languages. There are primarily four languages spoken: Malay, English, Mandarin and Tamil. For business interaction, English is the language of choice.

Singaporeans also communicate through facial expressions, the voice tonality and posturing. So much so, that, often the locals give more important to non-verbal communication than spoken words. Their way of speaking is mostly subtle and implicit. They will not speak directly to your face.

Singaporeans practice handshakes.

Mandarin Basics

Yes : shi

No : bu shi

Hello : ni hao

Good-bye : Zai jia

Thank you : Xie xie

I'm sorry : Duibuqi

How much? : duo shao qian

Very beautiful : Hen piaoliang

It's too expensive : Tai gui

The following medical expenses are covered: 

• Travel insurance includes medical expenses, repatriation, and emergency medical evacuation. Even dental care expenses such as acute anesthetic treatment of teeth are covered.

“Deductible”means a cost-sharing requirement under this policy, that provides that the insurer will not be liable for a specified rupee amount or percentage of claim amount or number of days or number of hours, as specified in the policy schedule and which will apply before any benefits are payable by the insurer. A deductible does not reduce the sum insured and is applicable per event, upto the specified limits mentioned.

• Medical Expenses (inclusive of Repatriation and Emergency Medical Evacuation), Daily Allowance in case of hospitalization, Compassionate Visit benefits, the following will not be payable for Any pre-existing condition, Routine examinations, Expenses for rest or recuperation at spa/ health resort/ sanatorium, Pregnancy (including childbirth, miscarriage, abortion or related complications ) or treatment relating to the removal of physical flaws or anomalies (cosmetic treatment or plastic surgery).
• Cosmetic surgery, unless such cosmetic surgery is rendered medically necessary as part of treatment for accidents and burns whilst being abroad.
• Suicide, attempted or wilfully self inflicted injury or illness, mental disorder, anxiety, stress or depression, venereal disease, alcoholism, drunkenness or the abuse of drugs, or any loss arising, directly or indirectly, from any injury, illness, death, loss, expense, or other liability attributable to HIV and/or any HIV related illness including AIDS and/or any mutant derivative or variation thereof however caused.
• Treatment which could be reasonably delayed until the Insured’s return to India, which will be decided jointly by the treating Physician and the Emergency Assistance Service Provider and shall be in accordance with accepted standards of medical care.
• The Insured taking part in naval, military or air force operations; war and nuclear perils.
• Insured engaging in air travel unless he or she flies as a Fare Paying passenger in an aircraft licensed to carry passengers.
• Participation of the Insured in winter sports, mountaineering and such other professional sports or any other hazardous or potentially dangerous sport for which the Insured members are adequately trained, physically fit and using proper equipment. and that too only if specifically agreed and mentioned in the policy schedule.
• Hazardous occupation, or if engaged in any criminal or illegal act.
• Medical Expenses in respect of Experimental, investigational or unproven treatments or treatments which are not consistent with or incidental to the diagnosis and treatment of the positive existence or presence of any Illness for which confinement is required at a Hospital. Any Illness or treatment which is a result or a consequence of undergoing such experimental or unproven treatment.
• Naturopathy treatment.
• Non Allopathic treatment e.g. - Ayurvedic, Yogic, Homeopathic, Unani treatment(s).
• Under no circumstances shall this insurance contract be deemed to provide cover and no liability be incurred to pay any claim or provide any benefit hereunder to the extent that the provision of such cover, payment of such claim or provision of such benefit would expose us to any sanction, prohibition, or restriction under United Nations resolutions or the trade or economic sanctions, laws or regulations of the European Union, United Kingdom, United States of America & India

You can avail the Travel Insurance online and enjoy the benefits offered by ICICI Lombard General Insurance (Bharti AXA General Insurance*)

Loss of passport and documents:

Reimbursement of actual expenses incurred in connection with obtaining a duplicate or fresh passport or reasonable cost of replacing/obtaining the stolen documents/ tickets if the passport belonging to the Insured / Insured Person be lost

Home Fire Insurance Contents & Home Burglary Insurance (contents):

Cover against any loss or damage of the Contents at Home of the Insured in India caused by Fire and Allied perils or through burglary and/or housebreaking while the Insured is on a trip abroad.

Hijack Distress Allowance

Payment of distress allowance in case of hijack of a common carrier for more than certain number of hours whilst on the trip. You can easily avail the allowance by filing a claim online through Travel Insurance cover online process.

Medical Expensesinclusive of Repartration  and Emergency Medical Evacuation

If you are sick or injured during the journey, your medical expenses can prove to be costly. In such cases,  Travel Insurance cover greatly helps. The insurance company also offers a cashless settlement with the network hospitals or you can also opt for the reimbursement process within 30 days of hospitalization.

Legal Expenses

Payment of legal costs and expenses incurred by the Insured towards claims from third Parties for compensation in respect of death or disablement arising due to an injury whilst on a trip abroad.

Personal Accident

Payment of compensation if the Insured sustains accidental bodily injury during a trip resulting in death or Permanent Total Disablement or Permanent Partial Disablement within 12 months of occurrence of such injury.

Trip Cancellation/Or Interruption

Payment towards the non-refundable prepaid payments incurred on the trip being cancelled and additional cost of transportation in case of Interruption: due to medical problems, personal employment problems or natural disasters or other listed reason in policy wordings.

Trip Delay

 Reimbursement of additional expenses if trip is delayed beyond a period, due to airline problems, medical problems, personal employment problems or natural disasters.

 Daily Allowance in case of Hospitalisation

 Payment of daily allowance for the days the Insured is hospitalised beyond a specified number of days, as mentioned in the Policy Schedule, for which a valid claim is admissible under the Policy whilst on a trip abroad.Emergency Accommodation

 Payment of compensation for the additional cost of emergency accommodation if the Insured/ Insured Person could not stay in the accommodation originally booked due to ­fire& flood, earthquake, storm, hurricane, explosion, outbreak of major infectious diseases.

During a trip there are chances of unfortunate events such as loss of checked in baggage, medical emergency, loss of passport that can spoil your international trip, be it business or leisure. Travel insurance can protect you from such events ensuring that you are left stuck in foreign land.