Asia
Hawker centres, garden cities and a skyline built on the water.
Singapore is a compact city-state where rainforest reserves and heritage districts sit close to futuristic architecture. Gardens by the Bay and the Marina Bay skyline are the showpieces, while Chinatown, Little India and Kampong Glam keep older shophouse streets alive. The UNESCO-listed Singapore Botanic Gardens offer a calmer escape, and a short boat ride leads to Pulau Ubin's kampong villages.
Food is the headline, with hawker centres such as Maxwell and Lau Pa Sat serving chicken rice, laksa and satay. Everything is clean, safe and efficient, so it suits short stays and stopovers. It is hot and humid all year; February to April tends to be drier, while November to January is the wettest period.
February, March.