We were lucky enough to land in Singapore on the eve of the Lunar New Year. We were unlucky enough not to realise until we were there. Learn from my mistakes.
1. You need to plan. The majority of city restaurants aren't open! We went to two that were closed and gave up. We are a very average meal (unheard of in Singapore) at the only place we could find open. It was packed, with people in the same boat as us.
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| Linking wiht #WeekendReflection |
2. After dinner I wandered off to the Teamlab installation in Gardens By the Bay. The taxi queue was massive so I walked via Bayfront to check out the Chingay lanterns. The queue for the MRT tickets was equally massive. Get your ticket home prior to leaving or before 10.30 pm otherwise it will take you an hour to get home, and you'd be quicker to walk.
3. Arriving back at the hotel at 11.40, I discovered there were fireworks at midnight. Which I missed completely as I was in the bath. I love the Singapore Fireworks over the harbour, so I was so disappointed.
4. They close the roads in Chinatown so plan your arrival and departure if using taxis.
5. New Year's Day is similar with restaurants closed or later opening hours. There are plenty of festivities on however, so plan ahead and make the most of it.
Gong Xi Fa Cai!
The Chingay Parade is a big deal. Plan ahead if you want to go. https://www.chingay.org.sg/
TeamLab has their installations at Gardens By the Bay until March 15
https://www.teamlab.art/e/gardensbythebay
Further Reading:Singapore F1 on the cheap
It's Singapore, but not as we know it
Haw Par Villa theme park
Hello, what a great trip. It still looks like a fun place to visit. The lanterns and decorations are wonderful. Enjoy your day, wishing you a great new week!
ReplyDeleteSomeday I want to time my Asian trip to celebrate Lunar New Year. I once was in Singapore a week or so before NY.
ReplyDeleteWorth a Thousand Words
All good advice. I'd be devastated at missing the fireworks!
ReplyDeleteI was very cross!
DeleteWhat a shame. Singapore is such a great destination but maybe one to be avoided at Chinese New Year.
ReplyDeleteNo, fabulous for NY but you need to know before hand - and book a dinner somewhere and plan your exit...
DeleteI feel you, had some similar experiences in Penang at the end of last month! #FarawayFiles
ReplyDeleteIt's like you realise what an exceptional time you could have had, but didn't...
DeleteThe lanterns look gorgeous. We were treated to a mini-Chinese New Year in a small street in Bristol, which was beautiful, but I can hardly imagine the scale of the celebrations in Singapore. #Culturedkids
ReplyDeleteSpontaneous travels have so many merits but of course the occasional downside just like in here! Sorry you had to inspire us through these mishaps! Loving your pictures, this is a part of the world we don't know well so great #CulturedKids inspiration and lessons learnt!
ReplyDeleteShame you missed out on the fireworks - seems like knowing the local holidays ahead of time is the way to go. Thanks for linking up with #KCACOLS. Hope you come back next time.
ReplyDeleteThe lanterns look amazing. Shame about the fireworks. #KCACOLS
ReplyDeleteOh no! I really feel for you reading this post. It's so frustrating when we feel as though we've missed out on something special by not knowing about it beforehand. Thanks for sharing your insight on #farawayfiles
ReplyDeleteIt's always useful to read travel blogs that help you to learn from mistakes. Missing the fireworks because you were in the bath - that's just the sort of thing I would do! #culturedkids
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame about missing the fireworks. Certainly a good idea to plan ahead, thank you for the tips! #KCACOLS
ReplyDeleteIncredibly festive and cheery photos, I thought the lanterns where purple eggs, lol. Gorgeous shots.
ReplyDeleteGah, how annoying to miss the fireworks! It still looks incredibly festive though #culturedkids
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ReplyDeleteMagic shots.
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