Singapore

Travel back through time at this engrossing ode to Asia's cross-cultural connections, developed through Singapore's position and history as a port city. Having recently undergone a radical transformation, the galleries are like visiting a sprawling, glittering attic, heaving with ancient pottery, religious sculptures, silver tea sets, whimsical puppets and mystical weaponry. You'll find the region's most comprehensive collection of pan-Asian treasures within its walls, and the recently recovered treasures from the Tang Shipwreck need to be seen to be believed.

Fragrant chicken rice, nutty satay, sweet and sour rojak, spicy barbecue sambal stingray: Singapore's hawker food is the stuff of legend, and celebrity chefs, including the late Anthony Bourdain and New York Times writer Johnny Apple, have raved about the dazzling array of cheap, lip-smacking dishes available – you'll even find two Michelin-starred stalls! There's really no better way to get into Singapore's psyche than through its cuisine, so roll up your sleeves and get ready to sweat it out over steaming plates of tried, tested and perfected local favourites.

Spanning a whopping 101 hectares, Gardens by the Bay is Singapore's hottest horticultural asset. The $1 billion 'super park' is home to almost 1.5 million plants, not to mention awe-inspiring contemporary architecture. Two giant conservatories rise beside Marina Bay like futuristic shells, one home to ancient olive trees, the other to a towering, tropical mountain. To the north are the Supertrees: futuristic, botanical giants connected by a commanding Skyway and glowing hypnotically each night during the Garden Rhapsody sound-and-light show.

The breathtaking National Gallery Singapore is the jewel in the crown of Singapore's art scene. Art-lovers could spend hours wandering the world-class collection of 19th-century and modern Southeast Asian art housed across two of the city's most iconic heritage buildings, while kids are kept busy at the Keppel Centre for Art Education. Some of Singapore's newest, highly acclaimed restaurants are also tucked within the gallery's wings, and the rooftop bar delivers jaw-dropping views along with its impressive cocktail list.

The Singapore Zoo is one of the world's most inviting, enlightening animal sanctuaries, where open-air enclosures allow for both freedom for the animals to roam and unobstructed visitor views. It is one of the few places outside of Borneo or Sumatra where you can stand under the trees with orang-utans above your head, or where mouse deer and lemurs scamper across your path. The zoo is also well known for it's educational, conservation and sustainability efforts, across Singapore and throughout Southeast Asia.

Singapore's Garden of Eden is the perfect antidote to the city's rat-race tendencies. At the tail end of Orchard Rd, it's a sprawling oasis laced with elegant lakes and themed gardens, and no shortage of perfect spots for picnics and people-watching. Stroll through the orchid gardens, looking out for Vanda Miss Joaquim, Singapore's national flower, or cool down in a rare slice of ancient rainforest. The Singapore Botanic Gardens are also home to a dedicated Children's Garden, free guided tours and free opera performances at the Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage.

What was once a dusty road lined with spice plantations and orchards is now a 2.5km torrent of magnificent malls, department stores and speciality shops. You'll find every brand imaginable, from emerging local designers to global high-street heavyweights and coveted European couture. Indeed, you can shop until you drop, pick yourself up, and continue spending some more. When you've stashed your purchases back at the hotel, duck out to Emerald Hill for Peranakan architecture and happy-hour bar specials.

Singapore's very own rustic island getaway offers a glimpse of the kampong (village) life that was a big part of Singapore as recently as the 1960s. By hopping aboard a chugging bumboat (motorised sampan) from Changi, visitors can explore Pulau Ubin's old-growth mangrove swamps and silent, lotus-peppered lakes; cycle past tin-roof shacks, ramshackle shrines and lazing monitor lizards; rampage along a cross-country mountain-bike trail; and end the day by digging into a simple seafood meal by the sea.

The most atmospheric of Singapore's historic quarters is as close as it gets to the Singapore of the old chaotic days. Experience it with the masses on the weekends when it gets packed to the gills with Indian workers wanting a slice of home. The five-foot-ways of colourful shophouses spill over with aromatic spices and Bollywood magazines. Backpackers and coolhunters swill beers at laid-back bars, and insomniacs head to Mustafa Centre to buy iPads at 3am before tucking into teh tarik (pulled tea) and roti prata (dough-flour pancake).

Sentosa is Singapore's carefully planned, all-ages playground – a world-class sprawl of theme parks and amusements, evening spectaculars, luxe resorts and a subterranean casino. There's something for everyone, from blockbuster rides and shows at Universal Studios, to giant tanks peppered with marine life at SEA Aquarium and artificial surf at Wave House. Palm-fringed beach bars flank stretches of sand, seemingly begging you to stop in for a sundowner, while top-notch restaurants look out over million-dollar yachts.

Hiking in sunny, humid Singapore? Why not? After all, the country's British forefathers, Sir Stamford Raffles and William Farquhar, were great naturalists. And Singapore has a surprising number of green pockets. One must-do is to hike the trails at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, a 163-hectare tract of primary rainforest clinging to Singapore’s highest peak, Bukit Timah (163m). Its cacophony of roving monkeys, rare birds and lush canopy hark back to a time when Singapore was mostly thick, wet wilderness.