Gallery afternoons, garden walks, markets and evenings out — ideas for every kind of day.
Typical spend per person, in Singapore dollars.
Singapore Repertory Theatre's 380-seat riverside home at Robertson Quay: close enough to see the actors sweat, big enough for a proper play, with a children's company for first-timers.
The Projector's old halls on level 5 of Golden Mile Tower, reopened as Filmhouse by the people who ran them, with better projectors. Still the place for films the multiplexes won't show.
A 1930 picture palace on Stamford Road with a zodiac dome, two white Pegasus beside the stage and a line-up that depends on who has booked the room. The seat is the show; arrive early and look up.
Two colonial halls under one clock tower: the SSO’s home on one side, a hire theatre on the other. Book the concert hall for the music; check the theatre’s listings before assuming.
A calm, design-led studio on the sixth floor of Orchard Central: vinyasa, hatha and yin on one timetable, and a newcomers' trial week to work out which you are before committing.
A spa inside Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park where each of the 12 treatment rooms has its own courtyard and outdoor bath. Expensive, so save it for an occasion and book the longest courtyard time.
A thermal bathhouse on Dempsey Hill that asks you to switch off, not show off: two hot pools, a sauna, a steam room, a cold plunge and a lounge for tea. No phones, quiet voices, small groups.
A pop-up weekend market where a hundred-odd indie labels from across Asia time their launches. Free in, a different venue each edition; check the next date before you plan.
The one Orchard Road building where every label is Singapore-made: 80-plus brands at street level, a planted roof to sit on and a dining floor upstairs. Go for gifts, not bargains.
Haji Lane is the photo; Arab Street, two minutes away, is the trade – silk by the bolt, ribbon by the reel, carpets behind pink walls. Do both or you've only seen half of Kampong Glam.
The east's barbecue beach: book a pit with NParks, bring a bike and watch the planes come in over the sea. Wear covered shoes on the rocks, and don't count on the Coastal Walk.
Pilgrimage season runs until 8 November: boatloads of devotees, special ferries only. After that it's two lagoons, a tortoise sanctuary and far fewer people.
Don't buy everything. Our guide to the conservatory, the viewpoint and the ticket that suit one evening at the Gardens, and what to leave for next time.
A catch-up goes easier with a shared task. Choose pottery or climbing by the kind of concentration you want, and book a proper introduction rather than winging it.
