Tourist information
In a place as organized and wired-up as Singapore, it’s usually straightforward to get hold of accurate and comprehensive information of use to travellers: everything from public transport to sales taxes is extensively documented online, some companies provide toll-free t 1800 helplines, and many restaurants and shops have websites that are kept up to date.
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB; information line Mon–Fri 9am–6pm t 1800 736 2000, w yoursingapore.com) and operates Visitors’ Centres at Changi Airport and downtown on Orchard Road, diagonally across from the 313@Somerset mall (daily 9.30am–10.30pm). Two smaller Visitors’ Centres exist on the ground floor of the ION Orchard mall (above Orchard MRT; daily 10am–10pm), and behind the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in Chinatown (Mon–Fri 9am–9pm, Sat & Sun 9am–10pm).
If you have a particular interest In Singapore’s past and architectural heritage, you can get booklets providing background on downtown districts from the Singapore City Gallery, or download them from w ura.gov.sg/rediscover.
A number of publications offer entertainment listings plus reviews of restaurants and nightlife. The best of these are the weeklies I-S (w is-magazine.com; free) and the monthly Time Out (w timeoutsingapore.com; $4). Other freebie publications available from Visitors’ Centres and hotels contain similar information, and the “Life!” section of the Straits Times also has a decent listings section. Geared towards the large expat community (though with some information of interest to tourists) are The Finder, a free monthly magazine available at some downtown bars and restaurants, and the website w expatsingapore.com.