Singapore may look small, and geographically speaking it is, but this tiny island city-state is jam packed with a myriad of things to do, see, buy and devour. The sleek and efficient public transport system makes zipping around a breeze, allowing you more time to dip your toes into this melting pot of cultures, religions, food and architecture. With just 48 hours on your clock, here’s an itinerary to make sure you experience the best that the Lion City has to offer.

A traveller walking through Chinatown © Tapsiful / Getty

Day One

Morning

Begin your Singapore adventure with an early morning trip to one of the city’s wet markets. At the Chinatown Wet Market, ensconced in the basement of the Chinatown Complex, you’ll be greeted by the raucous sounds of enthusiastic home cooks and high-end restaurant chefs haggling for the finest and freshest produce. There’s a mind-boggling array of colourful fruits, vegetables and seafood, plus more exotic offerings that include black chickens and bullfrogs. To take a taste of Singapore home with you, visit Anthony the Spice Maker – his meat rendang blend is a showstopper.

Recover from the sensory overload with a traditional Singaporean breakfast at nearby Nanyang Old Coffee. The ‘breakfast set’ comes with two runny eggs, kaya (coconut jam) toast and a cup of caramel-noted kopi (coffee). Mix the eggs with a swirl of soy sauce and dash of white pepper, and use the toast to scoop up the creamy goodness.

A traditional breakfast enjoyed in Singapore © ThamKC / Getty

Finish off the morning by delving into the area’s colourful history at the interactive Chinatown Heritage Centre, then go temple hopping down South Bridge Road. Must-stops include the imposing Tang-styled Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, the colourful and ornately decorated Hindu Sri Mariamman Temple and the mint green Jamae Mosque.

Afternoon

If you’re feeling peckish after a full morning, make your way to Maxwell Food Centre and join the queues for lip-smacking hawker grub. Worthy mentions include Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice and Rojak, Popiah & Cockle. Make sure to chope (save) your seat before ordering by laying a packet of tissues on the table in front of a vacant spot. As is the case at all hawker centres, it is customary to share tables, which also gives you an opportunity to mingle with locals.

Once refuelled, spend the afternoon wandering through the Colonial District, dipping in and out of some of Singapore’s best museums, including the Asian Civilisations Museum, National Museum of Singapore and the Peranakan Museum. Take a moment to stand at the landing spot of Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore, and ponder the view over the Singapore River. Here, the towering skyscrapers dwarf the line of riverside heritage shophouses, a testament to the Lion City’s incredible journey from fishing village to world-renowned financial powerhouse.

Singapore skyline from the water © Bee-Teerapol / Getty

Evening

After freshening up from your day of exploring (Singapore is notoriously hot and humid), pull up a seat at one of the city’s chic rooftop bars. For a sky-high view, head to trendy CÉ LA VI perched atop Marina Bay Sands Hotel, or the microbrewery Level33, which lays claim to being the world’s highest craft brewery. For a lower vantage point, but no less spectacular view, Lantern at swanky Fullerton Bay Hotel, and sophisticated cocktail bar Smoke and Mirrors located above the acclaimed National Gallery of Singapore fit the bill. From each of these locations, you’ll get a knockout view of the nightly Marina Bay Sands’ light and laser show, Spectra.

Cocktails downed, it’s time for dinner. Singapore’s iconic chilli crab cannot be missed, and Jumbo Seafood at Riverside Point serves up one of the city’s best versions. Don the complimentary bib and don’t be afraid to use your fingers. Order a side of mantou (fried buns) to mop up every last bit of the sublime sauce.

If you’ve still got fuel in the tank, the DJs and dance floors of mega-club Zouk are just steps away. Otherwise, a wander along the Quays of the river will help you digest your dinner before falling into bed after a full day in Singapore.

Colourful hanging decoration in Little India, Singapore © Candy Yam / Getty

Day Two

Morning

On your second day, leave the buzz of the city behind and spend the morning at the spectacular Unesco World Heritage Site, the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Here, hours can easily slip away as you discover themed gardens, sprawling lawns and dense rainforests. When you’ve finished ambling through the greenery, head for a coffee at local expat favourite, Cluny Court, opposite the Botanic Garden MRT.

Take the MRT a few stops to frenetic Little India. Armed with an empty stomach, slip into the Tekka Centre and order buttery roti prata (dough-flour pancake) and murtabak (savoury stuffed pancake). Happily sated, head to the second level of the Tekka Centre for a bird’s-eye view of row upon row of brightly coloured saris on display. Then, head out into the surrounding lanes to discover the area’s aromatic spice stores, colourful temples and burgeoning street art scene.

Afternoon

Move on from your morning in Little India and hurtle at full pelt into the future at space-age Gardens by the Bay. The two cooled bio-dome conservatories offer both tropical and dry environments to explore, as well as a welcome respite from the midday heat. Together with the towering high-tech Supertrees and surrounding art-studded gardens, this urban planning masterpiece is an awe-inspiring sight to behold.

If you’ve got time and energy to spare, spend the latter part of the afternoon exploring the brightly painted laneways of Kampong Glam. Here, hip boutiques share the scene with traditional oriental carpet and textile shops, with many live music venues and cocktail dens hidden along the way.

A white tiger at the Singapore Zoo © Lau Yan Wai (c) / Getty

Evening

If you’re looking to splash out, Singapore is not short on world-class fine dining restaurants. Among the most renowned are Waku Ghin, Odette and Whitegrass. Slightly easier on the wallet are trendy hotspots Ding Dong, Neon Pigeon, Artichoke and Cheek by Jowl. For budget-friendly chow, head to smoky Satay Street, where the melt-in-your-mouth satay pairs perfectly with a jug of ice-cold Tiger beer.

Cocktail connoisseurs can spend the rest of the evening ducking in and out of the hidden drinking dens of Amoy Street, or seek out the neon pink ‘Psychic’ sign that marks the entrance to Employees Only, or go bar hopping along trendy Club Street.

If the nightlife scene isn’t your thing, instead get up close and personal with nocturnal critters at Night Safari, next door to the acclaimed Singapore Zoo. Enjoy being whisked around in an open-sided shuttle tram through what feels like a wild, animal-filled jungle. Don’t worry, there are hidden barriers between you and the more dangerous beasts.

Finally, if you’ve got room for one last meal on the island, head to late-night institution Swee Choon, where delectable dim sum has been dished up for over 40 years.

Lonely Planet has produced this article for Singapore Airlines. All editorial views are those of Lonely Planet alone and reflect our policy of editorial independence and impartiality.

In 1997, Italy’s five beautiful Cinque Terre villages were awarded Unesco World Heritage Site status in recognition of their rugged and remote coastal location and traditional way of life. But the secret was out – these once peaceful and idyllic villages soon saw a rapid influx of visitors from around the world, filling their narrow streets and dinky harbours with thousands upon thousands of tourists each day.

Nowadays, if you’re looking for an unspoiled idyll on the Italian Riviera you’re better off looking elsewhere, but you don’t have to venture far. This article features five beautiful villages in the immediate vicinity of the Cinque Terre that haven’t been ravaged by mass tourism.

With its pastel-painted tower-houses and seaside setting, Porto Venere could easily be part of the Cinque Terre © Deb Snelson / Getty Images

Porto Venere

Just few kilometres further down the coast, Porto Venere is the closest thing to a sixth Cinque Terre village. Unesco included it as part of the World Heritage Site, and it shares many of the qualities that make the Cinque Terre so attractive, including pastel-coloured waterfront houses and a picturesque seaside location.

Originally founded by the Romans, Porto Venere has an impressive location at the end of a promontory, with the Cinque Terre coast on one side and the bay of La Spezia on the other. The village is heavily fortified, topped by the Castello Doria fortress and flanked by watchtowers. Even the multicoloured seafront tower-houses once formed an enormous defensive wall several stories high. Only later, when the danger from pirates had receded, were windows eventually created.

The area is also famous for its association with the Romantic poets, and it’s not hard to see why the likes of Byron and Shelley were drawn here, as the views are spectacular in all directions. To the west are the distant white peaks of the Apuan Alps, where Carrara marble is quarried, and to the south is the rocky, wooded island of Palmaria, separated from Porto Venere’s harbour by a narrow strait. The gothic church of San Pietro sits on a rocky outcrop, lashed from all sides by the deep turquoise waters of the Mediterranean Sea. To the north, the rocky terraces of the Grotta di Byron provides dramatic views north up the Cinque Terre coastline.

Getting there: Porto Venere has no train connection, but you can catch buses and boats from La Spezia.

Tellaro’s small harbour, with the pink Chiesa San Giorgio at the far end © Béla Török / Getty Images

Tellaro

Standing beside Tellaro’s harbour it’s easy to imagine that a little piece of the Cinque Terre broke off and floated down the coast, before becoming lodged here in the Bay of Poets. As Tellaro is still pretty much off the tourist trail, wandering its maze of little streets is a great way to get a feel for what visiting the Cinque Terre would have been like before the international hordes descended.

The seaside village is almost unbearably quaint, with a scattering of tiny fishing boats pulled up on the slipway and balconies decorated with potted prickly pear cactuses overlooking the glittering sea. Exploring brings a tantalising sense of discovery, as you poke your nose into an arched tunnel that conceals a row of majestically decayed doorways or turn a corner to find a tiny whitewashed chapel flanked by lemon trees. The focus of the seafront area is the pastel-pink Chiesa San Giorgio, where legend has it that one night, a giant octopus rang the bell, alerting the village’s inhabitants to an impending pirate attack.

Getting there: You’ll need your own wheels to reach Tellaro, which is about 15km east of La Spezia.

Wandering through the narrow streets of Montemarcello © ShopPix2 / Getty Images

Montemarcello

If even Tellaro isn’t far enough off the tourist trail for your liking, then venture a few kilometres further to Montemarcello. Perched atop the Caprione promontory, it has spectacular views in all directions of the Bay of the Poets, the Magra River valley and the marble mountains of Carrara. Imbued with a wonderful sense of calm, it’s the perfect place to nurse a coffee on a small outside table and take deep, heady breaths while you contemplate the way the cafe’s dark green shutters contrast with its peeling coral-orange paintwork.

The village’s history goes back to the Roman era, as evidenced by the grid layout of its tightly packed houses and shady narrow alleyways, and you can walk along the vestiges of its 15th-century walls. A short scenic walk out of the village brings you to a windy viewpoint with panoramic vistas all the way to Porto Venere on the far side of the Bay of Poets. Longer hiking trails snake across the peninsula through olive groves, pine trees and Mediterranean shrubland, and also connect Montemarcello with Tellaro on the coast below.

Getting there: A few kilometres further on from Tellaro, you’ll also need a car to reach Montemarcello.

Framura is a collection of tiny hamlets © Ladiras / Getty Images

Framura

Less a village, and more a collection of tiny hamlets tumbling down the hillside towards the sea, Framura has an ethereal, fairytale quality – seemingly frozen in time by a mystical spell. Crumbling palaces adorned with decorative sculpture and frescoes are draped in cascades of purple wisteria. The delicate scent of the wisteria blows on the breeze, mixing with the aroma of rosemary, sage and thyme from herb gardens. Each of the three main settlements – Costa, Setta and Anzo – boasts a picturesque collection of watchtowers, churches and villas dating from the 9th, 12th and 16th centuries.

If you’re up for an adventure then getting here can be half the fun. An old railway track that connected Framura with Levanto has been converted into a 5km-long trail for pedestrians and cyclists. Much of the flat route runs through historic tunnels, with occasional arched openings providing breathtaking glimpses of the sea. Halfway along, the trail emerges in the pretty seaside town of Bonassola, which has a long sandy beach and plenty of cafes and gelaterias that are perfect for a refreshment break. The roads that lead up into the hamlets of Framura are quite steep, so if you don’t fancy a workout it’s a good idea to hire an e-bike, or leave your bike at the bottom and stroll up.

Getting there: Framura station is on the train line between La Spezia and Sestri Levante, with hourly services in each direction. If you want to cycle the trail, catch the train to Levanto and hire a bike from there.

A view over Sestri Levante’s picture-perfect Baia del Silenzio © Catasinuti / Getty Images

Sestri Levante

Dramatically poised on a peninsula halfway along the coast between the Cinque Terre and Genoa, Sestri Levante has a wonderfully refined air, its pastel-coloured villas and palaces ornamented with trompe l’oeil architectural features. Each side of the spit is flanked by golden sands, and at the tip of the peninsula a storybook castle crowns a craggy outcrop that was once an island. The two beaches are completely different in character: Baia delle Favole to the north is a long, luxurious swathe of sand, whilst Baia del Silenzio is a perfect dinky cove on the other side.

Unsurprisingly, it’s a popular summer getaway for Italians, and can get busy, particularly at weekends. Between the two beaches, the narrow streets of the old town are tightly packed with souvenir shops and restaurants serving the deliciously fresh and intense pesto pasta that originates from nearby Genoa. To escape the bustle and enjoy perfect views over the town and the rest of the coastline, hike the Punta Manara trail – a two-hour loop through olive groves that starts from the Baia del Silenzio.

Getting there: Sestri Levante station is on the train line between Genoa and La Spezia, with frequent services.

Anna Tyler travelled to the Italian Riviera with support from In Liguria. Lonely Planet contributors do not accept freebies in exchange for positive coverage.

Bulgaria’s capital usually brings to mind associations with hearty Balkan cuisine that is best washed down with an invigorating glass of rakia (local fruit brandy). But Sofia’s food scene has undergone bold transformations in recent years. Blending imagination, tradition and laid-back spirit, the taste of Sofia is ever-evolving and waiting to be rediscovered.

Black Label Coffee House and Bakery has a selection of over 20 types of arabica © Victoria Stoyanova / PhotoWonders

Evolving coffee culture

When you think of speciality coffee, Bulgaria rarely comes to mind. But local tastes are changing: a number of hip coffee shops have sprung up to redefine local coffee culture. The daily cup of joe is no longer a mundane and bland-tasting necessity, it’s an experience – a passion for the perfect brew, sipped slowly to satisfy the senses and add to a relaxed conversation with a friend.

For a next-gen coffee paired with reimagined local classics like mekitsi (deep-fried dough usually eaten with cheese and jam), head to one of the two locations of Fabrika Daga. The place is a popular social hub for local millennials, so you might need to plan in advance; Saturdays are especially busy, as brunches are considered by some to be the best in town. The menu is written on a chalkboard and the vibe is bohemian.

Black Label Coffee House and Bakery is another small but sleek-looking place. With a speciality selection of over 20 types of arabica, imaginative cold brew options and exotic tea types, the coffee shop caters for the pickiest coffee lovers. Not to mention the alluring smell of beans freshly roasted in front of visitors’ eyes. Baristas are friendly and knowledgeable, ready to help you choose a single-origin coffee suiting your taste. If you think speciality coffee is best combined with exquisite Italian gelato and homemade chocolates, Gelato & Latte is definitely worth a visit. Take the metro as you’ll have to leave the city centre – but the quality of flavour compensates for the extra effort in getting there.

Polenta with Brunza cheese, porcini mushrooms, tomato confit, cheese espuma and milk skin at Cosmos restaurant © Cosmos Gourmet

Reinvented Bulgarian cuisine

Bulgarian food is hearty and diverse, inspired by rural traditions and Balkan influences. Grilled meat, bread, yoghurt and cheese are found in most dishes. Don’t miss local favourites like banitsa (flaky cheese pastry), shopska salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers and onions with crumbly cheese), katyk (fermented milk product, usually from sheep’s milk and added cheese) and lutenitsa (conserved vegetable chutney, including tomatoes, paprika, carrots and garlic).

Contemporary upscale restaurants like Cosmos successfully reinterpret local flavours with sophisticated techniques and passion. From meatballs made of horse meat paired with exquisite grilled peppers puree and farmers’ katyk to roasted garlic with a mixture of edible flowers, the food is layered and original. Finish the evening with a Bulgarian rose dessert: vanilla sponge cake with yoghurt ice cream, pink pepper, strawberry-and-rose sorbet and rose meringue. Complemented by friendly service, the atmosphere is fresh and inviting.

For a more budget-friendly but flavourful experience, go to Crazy Diamond. The menu offers choices like homemade dips with marinated eggplants and tomatoes, Provençal soups, and colourful meat and vegetarian stews. Made in Blue is another trendy alternative in the heart of Sofia. Go for a roasted cauliflower steak with mushrooms or a bowl of fish soup with saffron; alternatively, try ‘grandma’s meatballs’ which are served straight from the pan. The cosy design contributes to the overall home-like feeling.

Vegetarian tortilla with basmati rice served at Sun & Moon restaurant © Yoana Hristova / Lonely Planet

Creative vegan options

The traditional Bulgarian diet is predominantly meat-based, but these days there’s no shortage of inventive vegetarian and vegan dishes being cooked up by Sofia’s hip eateries.

The team at Soul Kitchen swears by their fresh and unrefined ingredients with pure origin – options are either raw or with minimum thermal treatment. Start with the exquisite pink hummus with roasted red beets, sesame tahini and kim, or try the replica of the traditional tarator (chilled cucumber and yoghurt) with cashew yoghurt, cucumbers, walnuts, dill and garlic. For the main course, the broccoli and shiitake pizza covered in cashew garlic sauce and spicy chilli flakes definitely tingles the tastebuds.

With its two restaurant locations, Sun & Moon is a good choice for a nutritious vegetarian lunch or dinner. The menu includes filling stews and soups, prepared with fresh, seasonal ingredients and warm oriental spices; more than 15 types of organic wholegrain bread are baked on the premises every day. Order their healthy and imaginative variations of banitsa (the authentic one with cheese or imaginative spin-offs with lentils and imperial rice). Speciality coffee and Indian-spiced tea lattes are also available.

Bulgarian craft beer, Divo Pivo, at Halbite beer house in Sofia © Yoana Hristova / Lonely Planet

Chilled-out beer hangouts

Bulgaria’s capital will surprise you with its outrageously cheap beer, starting from about €1.50 for a pint. This explains why after-work beer hangouts are so deeply ingrained in local culture. More than a dozen beer houses in Sofia are powering this tradition by serving a wide selection of beers, accompanied by snacks like French fries and spicy sausages.

Head to Halbite for a wide selection of local and imported beers. Opt for Bulgarian craft varieties like Glarus pale ale, Mursalski red ale, Recipe #7 from Ah! Brewery, or the praised white stout, White Stork. Reach bliss point by ordering ‘the cannibal’, a massive mixed grill containing pork ribs, chicken wings and wurst sausages.

If a beer tab on your table sounds fun, pay Ale House a due visit. Their unfiltered ‘live beer’ has an excellent flavour – pour it yourself and refill as many times as you want. Alternatively, order any of the imported beer varieties complemented with homemade chips and local lutenitsa. Other pubs famous for their beer choice and laid-back vibes include Luciano and The Egg Bar.

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