Towered over by the new Singapore skyline, these remaining ethnic enclaves are relatively untouched by modern development. Some of their tiny, terraced shophouses are still in operation ? the shop operates from the front downstairs rooms, while the inhabitants live behind and above. Not surprisingly, traditional paces of worship remain most evocative of times past. The Sri Mariamman Hindu Temple, with its exuberant carvings; the graceful domes and dignified interior of the Sultan Mosque; and the Than Hock Keng Chinese temple are especially atmospheric and picturesque

View Photos of , and

A shining example: most of the bigger animals are kept in huge enclosures, separated from visitors by deep moats. Also on offer is a brilliant Night Safari for viewing nocturnal animals

View Photos of

Head for the food courts, lines with numerous stalls selling their own specialties; you put your meal together from whichever stalls take your fancy. The surrounding at these places may be pretty uninspiring, but the range of Asian cuisines on offer is amazing, from Malay satay to Indian biriyanis via Thai tom yam soup. Those missing more familiar tastes will be pleased to find that Singapore also offers everything from Italian and French to Mexican, and American coffee-bar chains have hit the only big-time

View Photos of

The luxurious atmosphere of this colonial-era institution is still much in evidence, and a visit is considered a must for tourists, though much of the site has been turned into a shopping arcade. You can even have a Singapore Sling at the very bar where the cocktail was created ? though it'll cost you more than a night in one of the city's budget guesthouses

View Photos of

Singapore's number-one hobby. The island's shopping malls are certainly on a grand scale, and boast aggressive air-conditioning ? useful if the heat gets too much. You'll find the greatest concentration of malls along Orchard Road. If you're on a wider trip through Asia, though, you'll usually find better prices elsewhere

View Photos of

This offshore-island amusement park has plenty of rides, exhibitions and museums. Underwater World, where a moving walkway carries you through a transparent underwater tunnel with sharks and other sea creatures swimming around outside, is hard to beat, as are the views of the city's skyscrapers you get as you side the cable car here.

View Photos of

In the west of the main island, the park contains over six hundred species of bird, including, remarkably, Antarctic penguins. There's also a gigantic walk-in aviary so visitors can stroll among the birds

View Photos of

A chance to see the city's fabulously modern high-rises, gentrified warehouses and Chinese shophouses from a different angle

View Photos of

Singapore's highest peak (at a mere 162.5m) is home to the island's last pocket of primary rainforest, the habitat of macaques, butterflies and flying lemurs. It's said there are more plant species here that in the whole of North America

View Photos of

So high up in the stratosphere, you can see as far as Indonesia to the south and Malaysia to the north

View Photos of

Just 7km and 2km wide, this tiny island tucked into the waters between Singapore and Malaysia gives a glimpse into a rural Singapore long gone elsewhere, with Malay stilt houses and little racks

View Photos of

If you're looking for inspiration for the next leg of your journey you'll surely find it here, in this stylish, perfectly judged introduction to the cultures, arts and faiths of Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, China and Islamic Asia

View Photos of

Singapore's high profile entertainment complex is a must, not least for the startlingly futuristic design

View Photos of