There are many great places in Southeast Asia for your vacation and two of them are Bali and Singapore. Are you wondering which one is better for you? This article compares travelling to Bali and Singapore and answers your question.
If you want to experience a modern, luxurious city with high standards, contemporary architecture and world-class restaurants, then the answer is Singapore. If you want to see great landscapes and amazing beaches, stay in affordable high-quality resorts and be pampered in spas, and do ocean activities such as snorkeling or diving, then Bali beats Singapore.
Modern city or ancient tradition?
Singapore and Bali are two places of very high contrast. Singapore is a modern city and highly developed. Bali is full of ancient traditions, Hindu temples and culture. Bali also has very beautiful nature, rice fields and beaches.
Singapore, highlights and things to do
Singapore is a modern 21st-century city-state with incredibly beautiful yet functional modern architecture, excellent infrastructure, superb restaurants, luxurious hotels and a friendly population. Since 2008, the city is home to a Formula One race which is held once a year in September or October.
Marina Bay and Marina Bay Sands
Marina Bay is a bay and a slick and modern city district in the most central part of Singapore, surrounded by Downtown Core, Marina South, Marina East and Straits View. The district is a masterpiece of city planning and was built on reclaimed land over many decades.
The Marina Bay Sands Hotel building is one of the highlights of the Marina bay development, with its modern architecture, luxurious and accommodating hotel, rooftop infinity pool and integrated mall.
Gardens by the Bay
Walking distance from the Marina Bay Sands building, located towards the Singapore Strait is Bay South Garden, a part of the Gardens by the Bay, which are an artificial nature park of 250 acres in size (100 hectares) right in the city’s heart. There are three different individual gardens making up the entire park:
- Bay Central Garden
- Bay South Garden
- Bay East Garden
Bay South Garden is the largest and most visited of the three at about half of the total size. The Flower Dome inside South Garden is the largest glass greenhouse in the world and a must-visit for plant lovers: It is probably the best plant exhibition anywhere in the world and if not the very best, it will certainly rank amongst the best. This is particularly true at night, as Sigapore wakes up at night with a lught festivale everywhere around the Marina! We totally recommend you check out this amazing Nighttime Sightseeing with River Cruise experience provided by the most knowledgeable locals. It is incredible how Singapore ooks at night!
Bay South Garden is also home to supertree grove, a popular tourist attraction with breathtaking views. Supertree grove is a modern art installation that is mixed with plants such as orchids which are growing on the outer shell. You can climb up into it and walk through the canopy, enjoying spectacular views. At night, the installation is beautifully illuminated for your viewing pleasure. It looks best just after sunset when its artificial light starts taking over from the sun.
Visit Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
A visit to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple should be on anybody’s to-do list for their trip to Singapore. Make sure to go inside, you might just see thousands of Buddhas (yes, we meant that!). There is also a roof garden with some (obstructed) views of the city. If you are particularly lucky, you might catch a Buddhist celebration in the temple and get an idea of the local vibe.
It should go without saying that visiting a temple requires a particular dress code and respectful behaviour. The appropriate attire to show your respect is:
- long pants, with a t-shirt or a long sleeve for men, covered shoes
- long skirt or pants with covered shoulders and arms for women, no skin shown, covered shoes
- particularly:
- no bare backs
- no naked shoulders
- no shorts
- no mini-skirts
- no sleeveless
- no see-through clothing
Visit ArtScience Museum
Singapore is a modern metropolitan city and as such has some great city attractions to offer. The ArtScience Museum is one of those. Located just outside of Marina Bay Sands, the Museum is a good way for the family to learn about Science
The best restaurants in Singapore
Singapore has some very good restaurants. The Michelin guide* currently ranks 249 restaurants there. That is more than for Chicago, which has 166 restaurants ranked for comparison.
* The Michelin guy is a worldwide overview of the best restaurants with high prestige.
The local cuisine in Singapore is excellent and very much recommended. The food is similar to Malaysia, with Laksas and Satays as common local dishes. Chicken rice is commonly referred to as Singapore's national dish. It is a yummy plate where the rice is cooked in chicken stock giving it extra tasty flavour. It is usually served with soy sauce and chilli. Singapore noodles are also known around the world.
Bali, the highlights and things to do
Bali is a stark contrast to metropolitan Singapore. Like Singapore, it too is an Island in Southeast Asia but that is where the parallels end already. Bali is way less developed and more rugged and overall a completely different place.
Bali is the better choice for you, if you want to explore beaches, hike volcanoes or the jungle, look for waterfalls or if you are on a budget. It is also the better-suited location for all wellness seekers with its many affordable resorts and spas.
Explore Hindu Temples
Bali has many beautiful Hindu temples, the most beautiful and most famous of which are:
- Tanah Lot on the southwest coast
- Ulun Danu Beratan Temple in the center
- Pura Penataran Agung Lempuyang in the east
- Pura Penataran Sasih close to Ubud
- Uluwatu Temple in the south
At almost 1200 meters above sea level, the Lempuyang temple is the highest in all of Bali and with a great view of the volcano Mount Agung it is also among the more mind-blowing ones. Keep in mind though that sometimes the weather can interfere with clouds covering up the volcano in the distance. But on a clear day, this temple is very Instagram-friendly because of the jaw-droppingly spectacular view.
Tanah Lot is a special little temple located just off the coast of Bali on a very small island. It is only accessible during low tide and separated from the land during high tide. Tanah Lot literally means “Land in the Sea” in Balinese, which is fitting for it. If you’re staying in the south of Bali, give this temple a visit.
If you decide to travel to Bali, we cannot recommend it highly enough to explore some of the many local temples. And because temples are everywhere in Bali, there is almost certainly going to be a good one close by to where you will be staying. You will not be disappointed.
Sacred Monkey Forrest
A highlight of Bali is the Sacred Monkey Forest, a closed-off section of forest that is home to a horde of Balinese long-tailed macaques.
Located in Ubud, the secret monkey forest is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Bali. Visiting here is so much fun that we highly recommend it!
Be warned, though: The monkeys are very cheeky and will try to steal your things and sell them back to you for bananas or other food. Be careful not to leave loose stuff around like sunglasses on your forehead. These things quickly go missing and if you don't have any food with you, you might not see them again.
Ocean activities
Bali has some incredible ocean activities for you to do. You can snorkel here in pristine waters with beautiful coral and usually great visibility. If you would like to stay underwater a little longer, then Bali is also excellent for some scuba diving. Manta Rays are frequently spotted congregating on the small neighbouring island of Nusa Penida.
The main island has a couple of excellent snorkel and dive spots, most notably in the east and in the north.
Beaches and Landscapes
Bali has some great beaches and beautiful landscapes. It is a volcanic island and has some steep cliffs in the south. The beaches are usually very broad during high and low tide with a lot of space for sunbathing and other fun activities.
Taking a ferry, you can explore the neighbouring island of Nusa Penida. This place is amongst to most beautiful places to visit in Indonesia or anywhere else in the world. You can either get an idea for Nusa Penida on a day trip or stay over to have a little more time.
The rice fields: Tegalalang Rice Terrace
Rice fields are very abundant in Bali and have been used by the local population to make food for about two millennia. Over time, that has resulted in the creation of some very beautiful rice fields in the most unusual locations. The best of all the Balinese rice fields is arguably the Tegalalang Rice Terrace, which is located close to Ubud. This place almost defies explanation and has to be experienced.
It is fascinating what human ingenuity can achieve. The Balinese have found a way to grow rice, a plant that needs to grow submerged in standing water, on hillsides whose slopes make retaining water challenging. Over generations, the Balinese have carved out rice terraces by hand using primitive tools thus shaping the local landscape. So be sure to visit the Tegalalang rice terrace and imagine how long it must've taken to build all of this by hand.
Which place is cheaper? Is Bali cheaper than Singapore?
When it comes to the cost of your trip, there is a clear winner between the two. Singapore is a highly developed first-world country, whereas Bali is part of the ascending, less-developed world. That's why Bali is significantly cheaper than Singapore.
We have looked at the numbers for you in detail. In Singapore, you have to expect to use between 100 and 200 US$ per day. In Bali, you can get away with using half of that to have the same standard, so between 50 and $100 a day. What's more, Bali is very budget-friendly. You can travel Bali on a shoestring budget for even less than $50 a day, which is something that is impossible to pull off in Singapore. There are just no budget-friendly options available in Singapore the same way that they are in Bali.
So, if you're travelling on a low budget, Bali is the clear winner for you over Singapore. If, on the other hand, you are seeking out high-priced luxury, both places have excellent options catering to your needs.
Which is better for honeymoon? Bali or Singapore?
Between the two places, Bali probably is better suited for a honeymoon. We have written a detailed piece answering if Bali is a good place for a honeymoon. In short, Bali is an excellent place for a honeymoon with great resorts, fantastic couples activities, romantic bars and restaurants, and one superb spa after the other.
Bali is probably one of the best places in the world to go on a honeymoon. In that aspect, it is beating Singapore hands-down. So if you're looking to go on a honeymoon, why not read our detailed piece about why Bali is a good place for a honeymoon?
How many days do you need in Bali and Singapore?
To fully explore Bali, you need between nine days on the shorter end and two weeks. That's a good range of time to get an idea of what the place is all about and to experience most of the amazing things to do in Bali. But you can as well spend three to four weeks here or longer and not get bored because the place just has so many great things to do. So how much time do you have?
The island of Bali is about eight times larger than all of Singapore. That is the reason, why only five days is enough time to see pretty much everything in Singapore and get a very good feel for the place. Singapore also has excellent public transport or ride-share services, which makes moving around it a breeze. You can get from one side of Singapore to the other in as little as one hour. No matter where you stay in Singapore, the entire city is available for daily exploration.
The same cannot be said for Bali. For example, getting from the north of the island to the south takes three hours, which makes those kinds of day trips impossible. If you want to see the north and the south of Bali during the same trip, then you have to book accommodation in either. We recommend that folks book a couple of days in the North of Bali, a couple of days in the center (Ubud), and a couple of days in the south (Uluwatu).
If you have got less time for your trip, then Singapore could be the better option for you.
What time of year is best to visit Singapore or Bali?
The best time of year to visit Singapore
You can visit Singapore every month of the year. Singapore is a tropical place and always warm so the only question is: “Will it rain or not?” Because there are two seasons here, the wet and the dry season. Most rain occurs in Singapore in the month of November, December and maybe January.
If you prefer it dry, you should plan your visit between February and September when Singapore experiences the least amount of rainfall. During that time, the humidity is also the lowest and the sun is out the most.
Having said that, the dry season here in Singapore still comes with rain. The driest month of February for instance usually has around 4 inches of rainfall (100 mm). That is more rain than Los Angeles or San Diego get during their wettest months and about as much as Chicago regularly experiences.
The best time of year to visit Bali
Bali is also a tropical island and also experiences a wet and dry season every year. The dry season is from April to October and is the best time to visit Bali.
Because of that, these months are high season and Bali is quite busy with tourism. If you like it less crowded, consider visiting in the shoulder months of November or March or the off-season from December to February. Just keep in mind that it rains heavily then.
Can I visit Bali and Singapore?
If you cannot decide between the two places and if you are considering visiting both of them during the same trip, we've got some very good news for you! You can quite easily visit both Bali and Singapore within the same trip.
You see, Bali and Singapore are located very close to each other. The flight time between the two is about two hours and 40 minutes and direct flights between the two places are operated daily.
With that in mind, it is very easy to go between Singapore and Bali and vice versa. In fact, the last time we travelled to Bali, we met a Singaporean who came in just for one weekend to do some scuba diving. He told us that he did that regularly.
So visiting both Bali and Singapore is a viable option for anybody who flies in from far away (or even just from close by).
Is Bali or Singapore better for Photography?
Both Bali and Singapore are well-suited for photography. The images you walk away with a very different between both places but that is not to mean that one is better than the other. In Singapore, photography is all about cityscape and urban exploration. In Bali, it is all about landscapes, and nature such as wildlife and sunsets or sunrises if you get up early.
Conclusion
So what do you want out of your trip? Do you want to experience a modern city with contemporary architecture and top-notch luxurious hotels? Then Singapore is right for you.
Or do you want to see beautiful beaches, amazing landscapes, rice fields, ancient temples and wildlife and experience the ocean either snorkelling or diving whilst staying at affordable resorts and undergoing spa treatments like massages and such? And maybe you are on a budget too? Then Bali is right for you.
With this in mind, we hope we could help you find the answer for your upcoming trip to either Singapore or Bali.