Singapore · airport pick-up
Airport car rental in Singapore
Pick up a rental car at Singapore's airport terminals. Expedia Cars covers every major counter on arrivals — collect your key minutes after baggage claim, drop off at the same gate, no shuttle hassle.
- ✓On-airport counters at every Singapore terminal
- ✓No off-site shuttles for the major brands
- ✓Flexible fare options shown per flight
- ✓One-way drop-off available · Powered by Expedia Cars
What first-timers get wrong in Singapore
You no longer need a transit card at all: tap any contactless bank card or phone at the MRT gate and SimplyGo charges the fare. A packet of tissues left on a hawker table means the seat is taken, and moving it is genuinely rude. Durian is banned on the MRT and has its own pictogram. Tap water is drinkable everywhere. Service charge is usually added, so tipping on top is unnecessary.
What things cost in Singapore
A hawker plate costs four to seven dollars, which is the single biggest saving available in an otherwise expensive city. MRT fares run roughly one to two and a half dollars a trip. Museum tickets for non-residents sit around twenty to twenty-five dollars, with citizens and residents admitted free to the national ones. A pint in a bar is twelve to sixteen. Hostel beds in Chinatown undercut hotels enormously.
Singapore with kids, realistically
Singapore Zoo pioneered the moated open enclosure, so animals appear unfenced, and River Wonders and Bird Paradise sit alongside it at Mandai. Everything is engineered for wheels: every MRT station has lifts, buses kneel, and nursing rooms are standard in malls. Sentosa is reachable by cable car, monorail or a boardwalk wide enough to push a pram along. Night Safari suits older children, since it opens at 7.15pm.
What to eat in Singapore
Hawker culture sits on the UNESCO intangible heritage list, and the centres are where residents genuinely eat: Maxwell for chicken rice, Old Airport Road for char kway teow and Hokkien mee, Tekka in Little India for biryani. Chilli crab is a sit-down restaurant dish, messy and priced by weight rather than by portion. Breakfast is kaya toast with soft-boiled eggs and thick coffee at a Ya Kun or Killiney counter.
Singapore after dark
Alcohol carries heavy duty, so a cocktail routinely passes twenty dollars and most people drink at home first. Consuming alcohol in public places is banned between 10.30pm and 7am, which keeps the streets orderly. Ann Siang Hill, Keong Saik and Duxton in Chinatown hold the bars worth finding, several of them on world rankings; Clarke Quay is the loud riverside alternative. Kampong Glam around Haji Lane skews younger and finishes earlier.
When to go to Singapore
| Best months for airport-cars | Avg daily high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| January | 29°C / 84°F | 25 days |
| June | 29°C / 84°F | 27 days |
| August | 29°C / 84°F | 28 days |
The month to avoid is March — around 31°C (88°F) with roughly 25 rain days. Prices and crowds track the weather here: January is the sweet spot, March the month most people skip.
Pack for peak season: Summer clothes, plus one light layer for air-con and evenings, High-SPF sunscreen, sunglasses, and a refillable water bottle, Rain gear is non-negotiable — expect rain on roughly 25 days, Quick-dry shoes — downpours are short but heavy.
Where to base yourself in Singapore
- Marina Bay — Skyline icons — Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay, Esplanade.
- Little India — Colorful streets, banana-leaf meals, Mustafa Centre 24/7.
- Chinatown — Temples, food courts, classic kopitiams.
- Tiong Bahru — Art Deco apartments, indie cafés, the bookshop neighborhood.