Destination Singapore: An F1 fan’s guide

The Singapore Grand Prix, home of Formula 1’s first night race, is run under floodlights on the streets around Marina Bay, with the towers of the financial district rising directly above the track.

Beyond the track, Singapore packs a great deal into a small island. Gardens by the Bay sits beside the circuit, the shophouses of Chinatown and Kampong Gelam – the narrow terraced buildings that give the old quarters their character – are a short ride away, and the food runs from hawker stalls to fine dining.

Whatever takes your fancy, there is plenty to fill the hours around the Singapore Grand Prix.

Introduction to Singapore

Race Dates – 9–11 October 2026, with the Grand Prix held on Sunday night
Time Zone – UTC+8 (Singapore Standard Time)
Language – English, alongside Malay, Mandarin and Tamil
Currency – Singapore dollar (SGD)

Good to Know – Contactless bank cards and mobile wallets are widely accepted, including on public transport, where you can tap in with a bank card.

Drinking alcohol in public places is not permitted between 2230 and 0700, and the restrictions run for longer at weekends in Little India and Geylang. Licensed bars and restaurants are not affected. Vaping is illegal in Singapore, including possessing an e-cigarette, so leave vapes at home. Smoking is not permitted in most buildings or in many outdoor public places, and signs mark where it is allowed, so look out for them.

Singapore sits near the Equator, so temperatures change little through the year. October falls in the inter-monsoon period, with daytime highs of around 32C, high humidity, and thunderstorms common in the afternoon and early evening. Light clothing and something waterproof will cover you, and the Grand Prix itself runs after dark, when it is a little cooler.

Attractions in Singapore

Wander through Gardens by the Bay

Right beside the circuit, Gardens by the Bay is home to the Supertrees – vertical gardens rising up to 50m above the ground, which come alive with a light and music show after dark. Its two cooled conservatories hold plants from around the world, and the Cloud Forest shelters one of the world’s tallest indoor waterfalls.

Explore the heritage quarters

Chinatown, Kampong Gelam and Little India each tell a different part of the city’s story. Restored shophouses line the streets, Kampong Gelam is home to the Sultan Mosque, and independent boutiques fill lanes such as Haji Lane. All three are a short ride from the bay.

Stroll through the Singapore Botanic Gardens

Founded in 1859, the Singapore Botanic Gardens became the country’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015, and it is the only tropical botanic garden on the list. More than 10,000 types of plants grow across its 82 hectares, including the region’s most significant living collection of orchids.

Escape to Sentosa

A short hop off the southern coast, Sentosa trades skyscrapers for beaches, nature trails and a cable car strung above the water, and makes an easy change of pace from the city centre.

Food and drink in Singapore

Graze your way around a hawker centre

Hawker centres are the heart of Singapore’s food culture, so much so that hawker culture became the country’s first entry on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020. Dozens of stalls gather under one roof, many specialising in a single dish. Find a seat, join whichever queue takes your fancy, and when you have finished, return your tray and crockery to the return racks and clear your table – diners are required to do so at hawker centres, coffee shops and food courts. Several of the best known sit around Chinatown and the financial district.

Seek out the signature dishes

Hainanese chicken rice, chilli crab, laksa – a coconut and spice noodle soup – and char kway teow, fried flat rice noodles, are the ones to start with. The cooking draws on Chinese, Malay, Indian and Peranakan traditions, the last from mixed-heritage communities formed as settlers from China, India, the Arab world and beyond married into local families across the region. Durian, the famously pungent tropical fruit, is worth trying once – ideally at the stall where you buy it.

Take in the skyline from a rooftop bar

Rooftop bars around Marina Bay and the financial district look out across the water to the towers of the city centre, and the view changes as the lights come on after dark. Arrive early for a spot by the glass.

Start the day with kaya toast and kopi

Breakfast means toast grilled over charcoal and spread with kaya, a coconut and egg jam, served with soft-boiled eggs and a cup of kopi – coffee with condensed milk, unless you ask for kopi-O, which is black with sugar, or kopi-C, made with evaporated milk and sugar. Kopitiams, the traditional coffee shops, serve it from early morning, and it is about the most Singaporean way to begin a day in the city.

Getting to Singapore

Changi Airport sits on the eastern side of the island, a short ride from the city centre. It handles direct flights from across Asia and Australia, along with long-haul routes from Europe, the Middle East and North America.

Entry requirements vary by nationality, so check the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority’s official guidance before you travel. From the terminals, the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) network, buses, taxis and ride-hailing services all run into the city.

Getting around Singapore

Walk the bay

Marina Bay is compact and made for walking, with a promenade looping right around the water, taking in the gardens, the museums and the waterfront.

Ride the MRT

The MRT network reaches most of the island, and several of its stations sit within a short walk of Marina Bay. Trains are air-conditioned and you can tap in with a contactless bank card, and the operator publishes route maps and service information on its website.

Reach the circuit

The Marina Bay Street Circuit runs through the centre of the city, so for many fans the track is within walking distance of where they are staying, or a short ride on the MRT. Full travel information for the weekend is published on the official Singapore Grand Prix website.