Where to stay in Singapore

Singapore's most characterful neighborhood: the Sri Mariamman Temple (the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore, free to enter), the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple (extraordinary multi-story pagoda), the Chinatown Heritage Centre, and the Maxwell Food Centre — one of Singapore's best hawker centres. The Chinatown Night Market runs daily on Pagoda Street.

The most sensory-overwhelming neighborhood in Singapore: sari shops, garland sellers, the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, the Tekka Centre wet market (the best place to eat Indian food in Singapore), and Mustafa Centre (a 24-hour department store that sells everything at extremely competitive prices). On weekends, Indian migrant workers fill the streets — the neighborhood at its most alive.

The traditional Malay quarter around the Sultan Mosque (Singapore's most beautiful mosque, gold dome, free to visit). Haji Lane is a narrow alley of vintage and concept stores beloved by Instagram. The surrounding streets have excellent Middle Eastern restaurants, vintage furniture shops, and some of Singapore's best rooftop bars. More authentic than Orchard Road; more curated than Chinatown.

Singapore's most charming neighborhood: 1930s Art Deco public housing blocks converted into independent cafés, bookshops, and restaurants. Books Actually is a legendary independent bookshop; the morning wet market is one of the last old-school Singapore markets. Tiong Bahru Bakery's croissants are genuinely among Asia's best. A quiet, walkable contrast to the rest of Singapore's relentless efficiency.

The postcard Singapore: Gardens by the Bay, the Marina Bay Sands infinity pool, the Helix Bridge, the Supertree Grove. An engineered landscape of ambition and spectacle. The Gardens by the Bay light show (free) runs at 7:45pm and 8:45pm — the most photographed moment in Singapore. The ArtScience Museum and the financial towers surround the bay.

Singapore's resort island: Universal Studios, S.E.A. Aquarium, Palawan Beach, and the Resorts World casino complex. Connected to the mainland by a boardwalk, cable car, and monorail. Siloso Point has the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia. The Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa and the Capella Singapore (one of Asia's finest hotels) are on the island. Artificial but spectacularly executed.