3 Days: Singapore and Beyond

Three days is where Singapore’s “base for the region” pitch really pays off: one day in the city, then two genuinely different countries by lunch on back-to-back days. This builds on the 2-day route by adding a second border, this time by ferry instead of bus. Want the deep in-city version instead? Our 3-day Singapore itinerary never leaves the city.

Book these before you go

Day Focus Distance / Time
Day 1 Changi arrival, Marina Bay, Gardens by the Bay, one hawker meal In Singapore
Day 2 Cross into Johor Bahru, Malaysia Bus/KTM shuttle, under 1 hour each way
Day 3 Ferry to Batam, Indonesia HarbourFront terminal, 45-60 min each way

Day 1: Singapore, Fast

Changi Airport has taken Skytrax’s World’s Best Airport title again this year, its 14th win, and Jewel Changi is free to enter with no boarding pass required, the HSBC Rain Vortex runs a free light show most evenings. From the airport, the MRT reaches City Hall in about 35 minutes for roughly SGD 1.50 to 2.20. Tap a contactless bank card or phone wallet straight through the gantries via SimplyGo once you’re settled, no top-up card needed.

Go straight for a hawker meal, Maxwell Food Centre or the Chinatown Complex, both run SGD 4 to 8 a plate, then spend the afternoon at Gardens by the Bay’s free Supertree Grove before catching the free Spectra light-and-water show at Marina Bay Sands after dark. One solid day is genuinely enough to feel the city’s rhythm before you cross anything; our Singapore travel guide covers the deeper version if you add a return trip later.

Day 2: Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Bring your passport, Malaysia is a different country the moment you cross the Woodlands Causeway. A bus or the existing KTM shuttle train gets you into Johor Bahru in well under an hour. The RTS Link, cutting that trip to about five minutes with co-located immigration, is targeted to open by the end of 2026, though some reports point to early 2027, so check current status before planning around it. Johor Bahru runs on Malaysian ringgit, not SGD, and prices feel noticeably cheaper across food and shopping once you’re across. Head back before the evening checkpoint rush.

Day 3: Batam, Indonesia

Is Batam worth the ferry from Singapore? For a genuine change of pace, yes. Ferries from HarbourFront reach Batam in 45 to 60 minutes, return fares roughly SGD 58 to 76 plus a fuel surcharge (about SGD 5 to 10 a leg since March 2026) and terminal fees. Bring your passport again, this is a second country in two days, and Indonesian rupiah is the currency once you’re there, not SGD or ringgit.

Book your morning ferry the day before if you can, weekend sailings fill up, and the return leg matters more than the outbound, since a missed evening ferry means an unplanned night away from your Singapore hotel. Batam moves at a noticeably slower pace than Marina Bay’s glass towers, which after two days of city and one border crossing is a genuinely welcome contrast.

Practical Notes

  • Visa-free entry covers most nationalities for short stays across Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia; check current requirements for your specific passport before you fly, rules vary by nationality and change without much notice.
  • MRT fares in Singapore run SGD 1.28 to 2.57 per trip via SimplyGo; Grab covers ride-hail, there’s no Uber option since it sold its Southeast Asia business in 2018.
  • Three currencies in three days: Singapore dollars, Malaysian ringgit, and Indonesian rupiah. Don’t assume any one of them spends across a border.

One concrete tip: keep your Singapore hotel booked for all three nights and treat both crossings as day trips, not overnight moves. Coming back to the same base each evening is what makes this three-day version work without a single repacked bag.