48 Hours in Singapore with Kids: The Perfect Family Stopover
Updated: Sep 7
Why Singapore Is Our Favourite Family Stopover
We’ve visited Singapore both as a standalone holiday and as a stopover on the way to Europe, and we’ve loved it for both. For us, it’s an ideal family stopover, easy to navigate, packed with things to do with kids and a great way to break up a long-haul journey.
With only 48 hours, we don’t try to see everything. We stick to a few favourites and keep the pace easy.
What to Do in Singapore in 48 Hours
Visit Singapore's Wildlife Parks
If we only had time for one wildlife attraction in Singapore, we’d choose Bird Paradise.
Our Pick: Bird Paradise
We’ve visited wildlife parks throughout Australia, but Bird Paradise felt genuinely different. Walking through the huge aviaries, getting close to the birds and watching the feeding sessions made it one of our favourite family experiences in Singapore.
Allow half a day to a full day, depending on how many shows and feeding sessions you want to see.
Other wildlife parks worth considering:
Planning to visit more than one Mandai park?
A multi-park ticket can be better value if you’re combining Bird Paradise with Singapore Zoo, River Wonders or Night Safari. Check Mandai multi-park ticket options on Klook.
Spend a Day Exploring Sentosa Island
If you’re travelling to Singapore with kids, Sentosa Island deserves a place on your itinerary. You could easily spend several days here, but if you only have 48 hours in Singapore, we’d focus on one or two key attractions rather than trying to do everything.
Our Pick: Adventure Cove Waterpark
Our favourite Sentosa attraction was Adventure Cove Waterpark. It was the perfect way to cool off, have some fun and break up the city sightseeing before a long flight home.
Check Adventure Cove Waterpark tickets on Klook
Other family-friendly attractions on Sentosa include:
The One We’d Skip: Universal Studios Singapore
This may not be a popular opinion, but after visiting twice, Universal Studios Singapore would be the attraction we’d skip if time was limited.
The park felt smaller than we expected and, compared with everything else we did in Singapore, it simply wasn’t as memorable for us. We came home talking far more about Bird Paradise, Adventure Cove and Future World.
If you’re a huge theme-park family, you may feel differently. But for a short Singapore stopover, we’d prioritise other experiences first.
Escape Singapore's Heat at Future World
Singapore is hot and humid for much of the year, so we like to balance outdoor sightseeing with indoor activities.
Our Pick: Future World at the ArtScience Museum
Future World at the ArtScience Museum was one of Henry’s favourite experiences, but if we’re honest, Rory and I enjoyed it just as much. The colourful interactive exhibits are designed to be explored rather than simply observed, making it genuinely fun for both kids and adults.
It’s also completely air-conditioned, which can feel like a luxury after a morning outside.
Eat at a Hawker Centre
One of the reasons we love Singapore is that it gives kids an easy, relaxed introduction to a different culture and for us, that starts at the hawker centres.
Our Pick: Lau Pa Sat.
There’s something special about finding a table, ordering a few different dishes and soaking up the atmosphere around you. It’s affordable, delicious and feels uniquely Singaporean.
Getting Around Singapore: Use the MRT
One of the reasons Singapore works so well for a family stopover is how easy it is to get around. We regularly use the MRT between attractions, it’s clean, affordable, well signposted in English and incredibly easy to navigate.
Even if you don’t usually use public transport overseas, Singapore is a very easy place to start.
What We'd Add With More Than 48 Hours
If your stopover stretched beyond 48 hours, we’d happily add:
Singapore Zoo
River Wonders
Night Safari
Why We Keep Coming Back
For us, Singapore strikes the perfect balance.
It’s easy without being boring, and different without being overwhelming.
Whether you’re planning a dedicated holiday or simply looking for somewhere to break up a long-haul flight, Singapore remains one of our favourite family destinations.
If we only had 48 hours, we’d head straight to Bird Paradise, Future World, Sentosa Island and a hawker centre and we’d happily do it all again.
Planning a longer trip?
Heading to Europe after Singapore? Read our 3-Week Europe Itinerary or see exactly how we’d spend 4 Days in London with Kids.
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