5 Days: Singapore and Beyond

Five days from a Singapore base covers two international borders and one no-passport escape that most itineraries skip. This extends the 4-day route with Pulau Ubin, the easiest day trip on this whole list precisely because it needs no border at all. Want a full week? See the 7-day version, which closes at Changi itself.

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 4 Ferry to Bintan, Indonesia Tanah Merah terminal, roughly 70 min each way
Day 5 Pulau Ubin, no passport needed Bumboat from Changi Point, about 10 min each way

Day 1: Singapore, Fast

Changi Airport has taken Skytrax’s World’s Best Airport title again this year, and Jewel Changi is free with no boarding pass required, the HSBC Rain Vortex runs a free light show most evenings. The MRT reaches City Hall in about 35 minutes for roughly SGD 1.50 to 2.20. Go straight for a hawker meal, Maxwell Food Centre or the Chinatown Complex, SGD 4 to 8 a plate, then Gardens by the Bay’s free Supertree Grove and the free Spectra show at night. Our Singapore travel guide covers the full in-city version.

Day 2: Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Bring your passport, Malaysia is a different country across the Woodlands Causeway. A bus or the existing KTM shuttle train gets you there in well under an hour; the RTS Link, cutting that to about five minutes, is targeted for late 2026, possibly slipping to early 2027. Johor Bahru runs on ringgit, not SGD, and prices feel noticeably cheaper across the border.

Day 3: Batam, Indonesia

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). Switch your mental currency to Indonesian rupiah once you land, and book the return sailing before you leave your hotel that morning.

Day 4: Bintan, Indonesia

Ferries from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal reach Bintan’s resort side in about 70 minutes, return fares roughly SGD 78 to 92 plus the same surcharge structure. It’s a slower, more resort-paced island than Batam, and a genuine change of rhythm after three days split between one city and one border.

Day 5: Pulau Ubin

Why add a domestic island after two international ones? Because it’s the one day on this itinerary that needs no passport, no currency swap, and almost no planning. A bumboat from Changi Point Ferry Terminal takes about 10 minutes, SGD 4 per person each way, cash only, departing once 12 passengers are aboard. Rent a bicycle for the dirt paths or walk the mangrove boardwalk at Chek Jawa Wetlands, there’s essentially no real development on the island, which after four days of borders and currencies is a genuinely quiet way to close the trip.

Bring exact SGD cash, the bumboat doesn’t take cards, and there’s little reason to linger on the mainland side beforehand, the whole appeal is arriving and slowing down immediately.

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.
  • 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.
  • Four days, three currencies (SGD, ringgit, rupiah), and one island, Pulau Ubin, where SGD cash is the only thing that matters.

One concrete tip: schedule Pulau Ubin last, not first. After two border crossings and three currencies, a quiet island with no immigration line is exactly the right way to end a Singapore-as-a-base trip.