mnss

I'd like to visit Bangkok and Singapore and part of my SE Asia trip, and I have six days.

I've never been to either one, but I have the impression that there are a lot more things to see/do in Bangkok than in Singapore. How is Singapore compared to Bangkok? Should I spend more time in Bangkok?

mjs

If you only have 6 full days without including transportation I would do 2 days Singapore and 4 days Bangkok. Whether this is the best way to use your time depends on the rest of your itinerary and your interests.
Comparing the two cities requires more information than I can impart at this time so I will leave it for others.

tengohambre

We just returned from Spore and spent about four days there. We liked the city a lot. Super clean, great, great food, very friendly people, English spoken, you can drink the water, cheap taxis and things to see and do. However . . .

Bangkok holds our heart. Its an incredible spot. Way more exotic, interesting and even more to see and do. I would focus my time on BKK. Have fun.

mnss

Thanks a lot you guys, I really appreciate your advice.

rhkkmk

spend all your time in bkk....singapore is ok but not that much to do there...

Guenmai

I absolutely love both and have been going to both for a decade.But, Bangkok is very near to my heart.

However, since you'll already be in that part of the world, then definitely throw in 2 days in Singapore and 4 in Bangkok. Then you'll have a taste of both. That's what I did on my first trip to S.E. Asia....I traveled solo through Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand for 3 weeks.

I loved Singapore so much until I left Indonesia early and flew back to Singapore for extra days.

If you end up like the rest of us crazed S.E. Asia travelers, you'll probably end up returning to the region.

If you type," Singapore" in the SEARCH box, we've written a LOT on it. Happy Travels!

afterall

I'd skip Singapore unless you like shopping and even that's overrated. Spend your time in BKK. If you want an easy trip out of the city (but make it an overnight - day trips are a waste of time) consider Kanchanaburi or Ko Samet.

Put another way, compared to Bangkok Singapore is boring. But then what I find interesting - a different culture may not be what you're after. You may prefer the surface familiarity of Singapore.

Surface only, but that's all you'll see as a tourist.

mnss

Thanks a lot everyone!

I just booked my flights and I'll be spending two days in Singapore and four in Bangkok.

I have a feeling I would want to spend more time in Bangkok, but I thought I'd see Singapore since I'll be a mere two hour flight away.

In addition to Bangkok and Singapore, I'll be visiting Hong Kong for four days and Bali for two. I know Bali deserves some more time but I've heard her beaches weren't that great so I'll be spending a couple of days in the middle of the island.

After that, I would make my way to Australia for a few days (hey, I couldn't pass on Oz when it's a two hour flight away as well!!)

I wish I would've had more time in Hong kong, as it seems to be surrounded by nice little islands that would make nice day trips, in additin to near by Macau which doesn't require an entry visa either.

gard

Hi

Of the two I would say that Bangkok is nore interesting so I would recommed you to spend more days there Here is my Bangkok trip report with pictures and links from last year : http://gardkarlsen.com/Bangkok_trip_report_2007.htm

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

rhkkmk

australia is a two hour flight from where?? not bali, not singapore...??

seems to me you are moving around way tooooo much and staying only short times in each place....why even consider bali for 2 days...go to a beach nearer to singapore or bkk....

Kathie

Bob, she was saying that Singapore was a two hour flight from Bangkok, which is true. But I do agree with you that she is breasking up her trip too much.

mnss, with two nights in Bali, you'll have one day there. Likewise for Singapore. You are going so many places, you won't experience any of them. Cut at least one stop so you'll have a chance to expereince these wonderful places. For instance, if you cut Singapore, you can have 4 nights in Bali - still not enough, but enough time for a taste. One day in Bali - you won't even know what you've missed.

Guenmai

mnss...Is this your first time to S.E. Asia in general? Southeast Asia is not Europe, for example, and can't be comfortably done on a "If it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium" kind of schedule. It just doesn't work like that in that region.

You really need to take out at least one of those places. And you'd better hope that there are no plane delays or mix ups or that you don't get ill and end up too tired and sick to keep going at your planned pace. How many TOTAL days, on the ground, do you have for this planned trip? Happy Travels!

Guenmai

Also, to pull your schedule off, I hope you're a VERY organized person. I can see the 2 days in Singapore and 4 in Bangkok, but I didn't realize you had scheduled those other places on even a tighter schedule. Happy Travels!

mrwunrfl

By "two days" in Bali do you mean "one night with two (part) days" or do you mean "two nights with one full day and two part days" or do you mean "three nights with two full days"?

mnss

All my flights are scheduled in the morning, so I would be arriving in Bali at 8:20 am, spend two full days, then leave in the third morning. I'm planning to stay in the Ubud area and do an extensive day tour on the second day. No beaches for me in Bali- we have plenty of those in Florida and the Caribbean, and I keep hearing that Bali isn't exactly the Maldives.

I'm not planning on doing much shopping in Singapore, so two days should be enough to tour the city.


As for Australia, well, I've already been to the entire east coast, which is the furthest part from Asia. So this time I'll just be visiting Darwin in the tropical north and a national park in that area- that's a two and a half hour flight from Bali. Then I may head to another part of Australia for a few days.

I live in the east coast, and I would need to fly 20+ hours to get there. Who knows if I'll ever be able to go back there!

And I agree that this isn't exactly Europe- it's more than twice as far

But seriously, if you still think my itinerary is extremely irrational, do let me know.

Thanks everyone, happy travels!

Guenmai

Why add Australia if you've already been there..even though you're adding a different place... especially in the lack of time that you have? I still think the schedule is way too intense and I would personally just stick to S.E. Asia? Happy Travels!

Kathie

mnss, I do think your itinerary is "irrational." You have too little time to experience even a bit of the richness these locations have to offer.

Pause and think about your priorities are for this trip. What is it you want to experience? A couple of days in each of the many locations you listed will give you no time to orient yourself to any of the cultures or to "get" what others love about these places.

Imagine spending all of that time and money to go to this part of the world and returning having seen much and experienced nothing. That would be sad.

rhkkmk

i think you will get a small feel for each place but very small...

again, its not like europe where you can hop around day after day and see tons....each place you want to see in asia requires time...transportation is slow and sometimes there are delays....getting from one place in a city, say bangkok, to another can take over an hour....plus the heat is unlike anything you are used to in FLA....

mjs

Another vote for cutting out one stop. I would cut out Australia. Concentrate on the SE Asia experience and slow down.

mnss

OK If I were to cut Australia, where do you suggest I spend the extra week?

I could just add two days to each destination. Alternatively, I could perhaps do a couple more days in Bali and one more stop in Thailand.