The MRT is excellent, taxis are cheap and honest, and the city is smaller than it looks. Here is what each is actually good for, and the one thing that catches visitors out.
Last updated: 23 July 2026
Yes — it is clean, air-conditioned, punctual and very cheap, and it reaches almost everywhere a visitor wants to go. Just tap a contactless bank card at the gate; there is no need to buy a tourist pass unless you are making a lot of journeys in a single day. Trains run from around half past five in the morning until midnight. The one genuine limitation is luggage and stairs, which is why it is a poor choice on arrival and departure days.
No, and they are metered and honest, which is not true everywhere in the region. A cross-city journey typically costs a fraction of what the equivalent would in London or New York, and drivers take the direct route without being asked. Surcharges apply at peak hours, late at night, and from the airport and the city centre — they are legitimate and appear on the meter. Cards are accepted almost everywhere, though a small number of older drivers still prefer cash.
The distance between the taxi stand and where you actually are, in a city built around malls and covered walkways. Hailing on the street is often not possible because a designated stand exists nearby, and hotel and mall taxi stands can have long waits at the wrong hour. The other surprise is how walkable the core is: people take a taxi between two points fifteen minutes apart on foot, most of it under shade or air conditioning. Ask before you queue.
Not for a normal city visit, and Singapore actively discourages private cars through one of the world's most expensive ownership regimes. A private driver becomes worth it in specific cases: a group of six or more, a day that crosses the island several times, small children or mobility needs, or a schedule where waiting for transport eats the margin. For a couple doing a museum, a neighbourhood and dinner, taxis and the MRT are both cheaper and usually faster.
About 45 minutes from one end to the other, which is smaller than most visitors expect. Singapore is roughly 50 kilometres east to west and 27 north to south, and the expressway network is good. This has a practical consequence for planning: you can comfortably combine a morning in the east at Joo Chiat with an afternoon in the west at the Botanic Gardens, provided you avoid moving during the evening peak between six and seven.