Singapore 101: What nobody tells you until you land

Every city has its rules. Singapore just writes more of them down.

Four habits will spare a newcomer most of the grief: tap a bank card instead of buying a transport card, carry an umbrella after lunch, add nearly a fifth to any menu price marked ++, and never move a tissue packet. Everything else you will learn the damp way, like the rest of us did. This is the briefing we would give a friend just off the plane, checked against the official sources wherever it matters.

Getting around: just tap

You probably don't need a transport card at all. Under SimplyGo you tap a contactless Mastercard or Visa at the MRT gantry or on the bus and pay the same fare as on a stored-value card. Cards in Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay work too, with one catch to know before the first gantry: if several cards live in one phone wallet, only one is charged per ride, so make sure it is the one you meant.

Foreign-issued Visa and Mastercard cards are accepted, but your bank may add a foreign transaction fee to every journey, so ask before a week of rides adds up. For transit, leave the American Express in the wallet.

Once aboard, the code is short. Stand on the left of the escalator; the right is the fast lane, and people will let you know without saying a word. The red seats at the end of each row are meant for the elderly, pregnant women and people with disabilities: sit if the carriage is quiet, and get up the moment someone needs it more. Keep calls low and videos in your earphones.

Weather: respect the afternoon storm

The Meteorological Service's long-term figures make the case for an umbrella better than we can. The monthly mean temperature barely moves, from 26.8°C in December and January to 28.6°C in May, with daytime highs seldom beyond 31–33°C. Humidity averages about 82% and often tops 90% before dawn. It rains on roughly 171 days a year; the wettest months are December, November and January, in that order, and February is the driest.

October and November sit in the inter-monsoon, when thunderstorms, sometimes severe, roll in during the afternoon and early evening. From December the Northeast Monsoon takes over, with spells of widespread heavy rain early in the season before windier, drier weeks from late January. So: outdoor things in the morning, the museum in mid-afternoon, and never trust a blue sky at lunchtime.

Public holidays to plan around

The Ministry of Manpower lists two left in 2026: Deepavali falls on Sunday 8 November, so Monday 9 November is the day off, and Christmas Day is Friday 25 December. The 2027 list is already out: New Year's Day (Friday 1 January), Chinese New Year (Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 February, with Monday 8 February off), Hari Raya Puasa (Wednesday 10 March), Good Friday (26 March), Labour Day (Saturday 1 May), Hari Raya Haji (Monday 17 May), Vesak Day (Thursday 20 May), National Day (Monday 9 August), Deepavali (Thursday 28 October) and Christmas (Saturday 25 December). The rule of thumb: when a holiday lands on a Sunday, the Monday after usually becomes the day off.

The bill: decoding the plus signs

Singapore's GST is 9%. A menu price marked "++" has two more things coming: a 10% service charge and GST. Service charge goes on first and GST is charged on the larger sum, so the real multiplier is 1.199, not 1.19, and a S$100 dinner becomes S$119.90. Our advice is to read the service charge as part of the price rather than as a tip, and to do the sum before you order, not when the bill lands. "Nett" is the opposite of "++": the price you see is the price you pay.

Tap water: drink it

No need to haul bottled water home from the supermarket. National water agency PUB states that tap water is safe to drink straight from the tap "without any further filtration", and says it runs about 500,000 tests a year against standards based on World Health Organization guidelines. If the water ever looks discoloured, let the tap run until it clears. Carry a refillable bottle; in this humidity you will empty it.

Manners, briefly

A packet of tissues on an empty hawker table means the seat is choped; respect it, or ask to share (it is the one Singapore institution we will defend to the death). Anyone a generation older is aunty or uncle, related or not. "Have you eaten?" is a friendly check-in, not a dinner invitation. Singlish can sound brisk on the first day; give it a week and you will hear the warmth in it. People value their personal space, so don't stare, and leave the chewing gum at home; mints travel better anyway.

Learn those and you will pass for someone who has been here a while. You will still get caught in the rain. Everyone does.

Good to know Holiday dates are from the Ministry of Manpower's published 2026–27 list; check with your card issuer about overseas fees before relying on a foreign card for MRT and bus fares.