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Singapore, December 2025

Singapore in a weekend: the Night Safari at Mandai, the 24-hour Mustafa Centre, Arab Street under the Sultan Mosque, and a wizard cafe with fire at the table.

We spent a weekend in Singapore in December 2025 and managed to pack in far more than we expected. Two days is short, but this city is built for it.

The best of Singapore in a weekend, or a long layover. Watch on YouTube

The headline act was the Night Safari at Mandai Wildlife Reserve, a nocturnal animals show, walking trails and a safari tram that lets you watch animals that only come alive after dark. It’s unlike any zoo visit we’ve done.

Food never disappoints here. Hunting for breakfast we passed a Sri Lankan restaurant before settling on an Indian place serving both North and South Indian food, dosa was an easy choice, and Chinese food is on practically every street. Later we found a Harry Potter-themed café for dessert: magical snacks, cocktails, smoke effects and actual fire at the table.

The itinerary

In between: the Mustafa Centre, a massive 24-hour complex where six floors hold everything from chocolates and electronics to gold jewellery (with tax refunds on site); VivoCity at HarbourFront, Singapore’s largest mall and the gateway to Sentosa, with a festive lunch at a pet-friendly Aussie café; and Kampong Glam’s Arab Street, full of murals and small shops, crowned by the golden dome of the Sultan Mosque.

We wrapped up at Changi Airport Terminal 4, calm, modern and beautifully designed, and honestly a fitting final sight for a city that gets the details right. If you had one weekend in Singapore, what would you add?

Photos from the weekend

Inga and Dileep hugging on the palm-lined pedestrian street in Kampong Glam, the golden dome of the Sultan Mosque rising behind
Kampong Glam, with the Sultan Mosque's golden dome keeping an eye on the souvenir stalls.
The four of us around a white table with blue Iznik-style tiles at a pavement cafe on Arab Street, shophouses, skyscrapers and a rooftop Santa behind
Turkish coffee stop on Arab Street: one tiled table, four takers, and a rooftop Santa across the road confirming it really is December.
Four of us around a table of plates in a curved booth beneath a canopy of hanging greenery at a VivoCity restaurant
The festive family lunch at VivoCity from the video: four plates, one indoor jungle.
The family at a dark brick-walled cafe table with glowing potion bottles, tiny cauldrons and dry-ice smoke, framed portraits covering the wall
The wizard-themed dessert stop: potions glowing, smoke pouring, portraits silently judging our order.

This was our second time in the city. The first was a very long while ago and had no film crew attached: Singapore, May 2010.

There’s more from this trip on our YouTube channel, we film the real sights and sounds, no fluff. You’ll also find us on TikTok and Instagram.