Where to stay in Singapore

21.07.2023 - 07:39 / roughguides.com / Art Museum

While prices may disappoint, the range of accommodation in Singapore will not. The island has a plethora of luxury hotels plus competently run, no-frills and mid-range establishments. There are also plenty of upstart boutique hotels, hostels and guesthouses. Many are in refurbished shophouses and practically all offer air-conditioning, a comfy communal lounge and breakfast. Here's our guide to where to stay in Singapore.

The information in this article is inspired by The Rough Guide to Singapore , your essential guide for visiting Singapore .

There are only a few places to stay among the grand Neoclassical buildings of the Colonial District, the area immediately north and east of the Singapore River that forms the core of downtown Singapore. If you’ve got deep pockets, however, there are some historic gems where you can stay in this district of Singapore.

The area still feels like the centrepiece of downtown, even though modern edifices in the surroundings constantly pull focus from it. The district also has a viable claim to be the island’s museums quarter, home to the lavish National Gallery, the National Museum, the Asian Civilisations Museum and Peranakan Museum.

Also worth a look are verdant Fort Canning Hill, the dignified St Andrew’s Cathedral and the diminutive Armenian Church of St Gregory the Illuminator. By far the most famous building hereabouts, however, is the grand old Raffles Hotel.

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The grand old Raffles Hotel is by far one of the best places to stay in Singapore © Shutterstock

The grid of streets between Bras Basah Road and Rochor Road has been rendered a bit sterile by redevelopment, but remains a good choice where to stay in Singapore. It's within walking distance of the Singapore River, Little India and the eastern end of Orchard Road. Hotels here tend to be either upmarket or, especially around Bencoolen St, budget affairs.

Bras Basah Road supposedly got its name because rice arriving on cargo boats used to be brought here to be dried (beras basah means “wet rice” in Malay). The zone between it and Rochor Road at the edge of Little India has a transitional sort of feel, sitting as it does between the Colonial District and what were intended to be “ethnic” enclaves to the northeast.

These days it’s a nexus for the arts, with many distinguished old properties on and around Waterloo Street being turned over to creative organizations, including the Singapore Art Museum. The country’s leading institutes in the field have also been lured here, among them the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) on Bencoolen Street; and the School of the Arts, in a striking building next to the Cathay cinema.

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