It took me a year of living in Singapore for me to truly appreciate it. It probably didn’t help that I left every chance I could because it was so easy: a 20-minute drive to the airport and then all of Southeast Asia at your fingertips. But once I cracked what a beautiful addition it was to any country in SE Asia, it’s been my go-to addition ever since, when I am in the area. I’ve come to realize that equator heat is best enjoyed in short doses, rather than longer/full-length stays.
I’ve combined Singapore with most countries throughout North/South Asia: Japan/Singapore: too long. Maldives/Singapore: pushing it but works. Thailand/Singapore: so easy, say no more
But the one that works best is always Malaysia.
With Singapore’s immediate proximity to Malaysia (and my sister living there), I was able to visit frequently for day hikes just past the border of Johor Bahru, visits to the Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, and weekends spent in the jungle of Borneo. Since it takes so little time to get between the two destinations, time saved in transit can be used to explore, which works especially well for a place like Penang, where George Town, the UNESCO-listed historic capital, is the spotlight.
Singapore is, hands down, the easiest airport to fly in and out of in Asia (Hong Kong comes in pretty close to second). You can be at your hotel within 40 minutes of touching down, making it my go-to for anybody looking to add on another country (well, city-state in this case) in a short amount of time. Penang’s George Town neighborhood is a grittier version of Singapore’s shophouse-focused neighborhoods, because both are small (Singapore as a whole & George Town as a neighborhood), they fit easily into a short amount of time.
Note: There’s more to Penang than just George Town, but that will be the focus for this combo feature.
Days per stop
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