Stopover Bangkok or Singapore ?

I'm in the initial stages of planning a 'big' holiday to Krabi in Thailand next year. I have been before and we went with Qatar which was fine, but this time going to make use of the 'plane change' by stopping over a few nights. I am leaning toward a stopover in Singapore, but the Bangkok option means the flight comfort will be enhanced as premium economy is within my budget. I imagine Singapore to be clean, very clinical like and expensive and Bangkok the opposite and a bit seedy??

Anyone been to both and can advise ??

I loved both. Spent a week in each. Found Singapore amazingly safe, clean and friendly, easy to navigate and everyone speaks amazing English but a tad sterile. Bangkok was an eye opener and totally mad, scary and potentially get ripped off at every turn but my god did I love it.

All depends if you actually are going to make use of your stopover and go adventuring.

Singapore....simple

Bangkok is East, Singapore is West.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Peajay

I'm in the initial stages of planning a 'big' holiday to Krabi in Thailand next year. I have been before and we went with Qatar which was fine, but this time going to make use of the 'plane change' by stopping over a few nights. I am leaning toward a stopover in Singapore, but the Bangkok option means the flight comfort will be enhanced as premium economy is within my budget. I imagine Singapore to be clean, very clinical like and expensive and Bangkok the opposite and a bit seedy??

Anyone been to both and can advise ??

---

Singapore is great, especially for a few days. The Zoo and the night safari are both good. Very safe place to go.

Wales Bales got it right
Bangkok can be a real eye opener but there’s so much more to see and do thể whereas Singapore is more made for anodyne type tourism

Street food, Khaosan Road, backpack dístrict, Kick boxing

Canals, Grand palace and temples
It’s Bangkok for me every time

It’s a bit more tight there now the military have clamped down bit still a great place for a long weekend

I also spent a night in the local lock up due to a ‘misunderstanding’ and was treated very well ...,comparatively

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Peajay

I'm in the initial stages of planning a 'big' holiday to Krabi in Thailand next year. I have been before and we went with Qatar which was fine, but this time going to make use of the 'plane change' by stopping over a few nights. I am leaning toward a stopover in Singapore, but the Bangkok option means the flight comfort will be enhanced as premium economy is within my budget. I imagine Singapore to be clean, very clinical like and expensive and Bangkok the opposite and a bit seedy??

Anyone been to both and can advise ??

---

They are polar opposites to be honest, one very organised and structured, the other a bit chaotic.
I’d prob go for Bangkok as Singapore is a bit of a soulless shopping centre with very few decent places to drink or have a laugh.

Bangkok is a buzz , Singapore sterile , only one option

Seems clear the choice depends to a large extent on your age :-)

Any more advice about Singapore?

We're going to Australia next month with a 2 day stop over in Singapore and I don't know anyone who has been there.

I don't like the sound of 'sterile shopping centre', but I think I'm going to have to do the zoo (I have been outvoted on that one). What is the night safari? I'm not bothered about wild night life any more, but I would like to see some of the historic city and experience the sights and smells.

Either are worth a trip,

Singapore is a really nice place, the zoo is one of the best I've been to, and there are plenty of touristy things out on sentosa, zip wires, dolphin encounters etc.
There are loads of really cool swanky bars and restaurants, haunted by the ex-pat community predominately, and they can be expensive, but it doens't have to be. You can get really good food for dirt cheap at the street vendors, chili crab is a local speciality I think. Singapore also runs a food hygiene rating like here, I think it's A-D rather than numbers though.

Bangkok is cheaper, dirtier, more chaotic, but some people prefer it that way - there's probably more to see, landmark wise, as there are various temples, the royal palace etc. Food is cheap.
It can certainly be sleazy there though, unpleasant disturbing kind of sleazy at times. But if you stay away from the worst of it it can be an amazing experience.

on balance it would depend who i was going with, the mrs- singapore, the lads- bangkok

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jon1959

Any more advice about Singapore?

We're going to Australia next month with a 2 day stop over in Singapore and I don't know anyone who has been there.

I don't like the sound of 'sterile shopping centre', but I think I'm going to have to do the zoo (I have been outvoted on that one). What is the night safari? I'm not bothered about wild night life any more, but I would like to see some of the historic city and experience the sights and smells.

---

The night safari is basically a trip to part of the zoo at night, partially driven around in a kind of land train.
It is good though, you get to see some nocturnal animals really close up.

Definitely find out where some decent street food can be had, and check out sentosa, its very touristy but there might be something for you there.

A typical thing to do is to go and have a singapore sling in raffles hotel - I wouldn't bother, the hotel itself is interesting to see the old colonial style, but the cocktail is vastly overpriced

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by light up the darkness

Wales Bales got it right
Bangkok can be a real eye opener but there’s so much more to see and do thể whereas Singapore is more made for anodyne type tourism

Street food, Khaosan Road, backpack dístrict, Kick boxing

Canals, Grand palace and temples
It’s Bangkok for me every time

It’s a bit more tight there now the military have clamped down bit still a great place for a long weekend

I also spent a night in the local lock up due to a ‘misunderstanding’ and was treated very well ...,comparatively

---

I'd agree with this, but I'd avoid Khaosan Road (or chaos-an road as I call it). I got bottled on that street by a crazy bitch who saw me a few weeks after I stopped messaging coz she was nuts, hence the bottle of Heineken over my head, and it's a shithouse area. I lived in Bangkok for a short while and it's a good place, and a lot to do there.

As others have said, Singapore is nice but not that exciting, but safer. Even Bangkok isn't that dangerous if you're careful enough, plus it's cheaper.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rjk

The night safari is basically a trip to part of the zoo at night, partially driven around in a kind of land train.
It is good though, you get to see some nocturnal animals really close up.

Definitely find out where some decent street food can be had, and check out sentosa, its very touristy but there might be something for you there.

A typical thing to do is to go and have a singapore sling in raffles hotel - I wouldn't bother, the hotel itself is interesting to see the old colonial style, but the cocktail is vastly overpriced

---

Thanks.

Either is good but if you haven't been to the far east before, then Bangkok every time. Plenty to do in both for a couple of days but Singapore is a very sterile experience of the far east whereas Bangkok is the real thing.

Done Both

Not really a fan of Bangkok, just found it full of " riffraff " from all over the world, its like the toilet bowl of the world, yes its a eye opener and i am sure it has its plus points, but it just wasnt for me

Singapore is much nicer, sterile makes it sound bad, its not

For the reccord, i went in 93, so things i bet have changed

Some great advice on this thread.

I think it comes down to this: will you be doing daytime stuff (family, missus) or nighttime stuff (on own, with the boys, with an adventurous missus).

I don't think Bangkok offers much in the day; seen one temple seen them all. If you want to visit anywhere away from the hotel then you'll have to allow a few hours for the jams. But if you're active from 10pm-4am then get a hotel near Nana Plaza and enjoy yourself.

If it's a daytime thing, then Singapore. Yes it's a lot drier than Bangkok but there's more than enough to fill a couple of days. Also, if you're going to be in Thailand for the rest of the trip, then I personally would like to see another country.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jon1959

Any more advice about Singapore?

We're going to Australia next month with a 2 day stop over in Singapore and I don't know anyone who has been there.

I don't like the sound of 'sterile shopping centre', but I think I'm going to have to do the zoo (I have been outvoted on that one). What is the night safari? I'm not bothered about wild night life any more, but I would like to see some of the historic city and experience the sights and smells.

---

The zoo is excellent, it's very open. I've been to Bali Zoo and that was completely depressing after Singapore Zoo with all the caged animals.

You need to do the Hippo hop-on/off bus tour. It'll take you through Chinatown and Little India, the historic areas, and also the ultra-modern areas like Marina Bay (where the F1 track is). You can also do a riverboat tour through Clarke Quay and down to Marina Bay. Do that in the early evening as the sun goes down and the CBD lights come on.

They're the obvious tourist things. If you're interested in city development, go to the City Gallery. A very interesting exhibition of all the city planning that they've done. Singapore has gone from third world to first world in a generation and it's amazing to see how quickly it happened. They'll have a five year plan, and actually follow through and build what they plan. Compare it to how slowly the UK works and it's fascinating (if you're into that kind of thing).

Some really good stuff there, thanks all. I think its going to be Singapore for us.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by lardy

The zoo is excellent, it's very open. I've been to Bali Zoo and that was completely depressing after Singapore Zoo with all the caged animals.

You need to do the Hippo hop-on/off bus tour. It'll take you through Chinatown and Little India, the historic areas, and also the ultra-modern areas like Marina Bay (where the F1 track is). You can also do a riverboat tour through Clarke Quay and down to Marina Bay. Do that in the early evening as the sun goes down and the CBD lights come on.

They're the obvious tourist things. If you're interested in city development, go to the City Gallery. A very interesting exhibition of all the city planning that they've done. Singapore has gone from third world to first world in a generation and it's amazing to see how quickly it happened. They'll have a five year plan, and actually follow through and build what they plan. Compare it to how slowly the UK works and it's fascinating (if you're into that kind of thing).

---

Cheers Lardy.