Marina Bay

Marina Bay is the postcard, and unlike most postcards, much of it is free. Merlion Park, Helix Bridge and the Spectra show at Event Plaza, in front of Marina Bay Sands, cost nothing. So do the outdoor gardens at Gardens by the Bay, open from 5am to 2am, where you can walk between Supertree Grove and Dragonfly Lake or slow down in the Heritage Gardens. Further round the water, Marina Barrage keeps its public areas and lawn open 24 hours, green roof included, and the Sustainable Singapore Gallery inside is open 9am to 6pm with a break from noon to 1pm, and closed on Tuesdays. Bridge works between Bay South and Bay East close the Waterfront Promenade to bikes, so cyclists heading to the Barrage should ride the Bay South perimeter. Walkers get through with a short diversion.

For a first evening, start at the Merlion in the late afternoon, cross Helix Bridge and walk through Marina Bay Sands to the gardens over Dragonfly or Meadow Bridge. Garden Rhapsody, the free show in Supertree Grove, runs twice a night. We'd catch the 7.45pm show, then walk back to Event Plaza for Spectra, the light show over the water, at 9pm. If you've done all this before, skip the queues and book a sunset sail instead, and see the same skyline from the water. On Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays the grove also has Borealis, a free aurora-style light installation.

The paid layer is worth it if you choose one or two things rather than the whole catalogue. We'd pick Cloud Forest, one cooled conservatory, open 9am to 9pm with last admission at 8pm. Flower Dome, the OCBC Skyway and Floral Fantasy are paid too, and all four close one day a month for maintenance, so check the calendar before you buy. Around the bay, the SkyPark deck and the Singapore Flyer both charge for entry. ArtScience Museum is open daily from 9am to 6pm, with last entry at 5pm, and its Friday and Saturday After Hours evenings run until 9pm, with last entry at 8.15pm. Hours shift with the programme, so check the museum's page before you go. Gardens by the Bay also runs free guided nature walks on weekends, and you sign up on the Gardens' page first. From late November, the Christmas Train Show sends miniature trains through a floral version of Santa's hometown inside Flower Dome, on Flower Dome admission.

For dinner, walk away from the hotel prices. We'd go to Satay Street at Lau Pa Sat for satay grilled on the road, or, if you'd rather have the bay in front of you, to Gluttons Bay in the Esplanade Mall annexe. Esplanade itself, the theatres on the bay at 1 Esplanade Drive, is open from 8am until 11.30pm or half an hour after the last show. The bay is also where the city's biggest nightlife sits, 57 floors up. The views are wide and the dress codes are enforced, so check the bar's dress code before you head up.

Where to eat

• Lau Pa Sat, 18 Raffles Quay: a Victorian iron market open 24 hours, though each stall keeps its own hours. Raffles Place MRT Exit B is a short walk away
• Satay Street, Boon Tat Street: satay carts take over the road beside Lau Pa Sat once it closes to cars, and cash still comes in handy
• Makansutra Gluttons Bay, 8 Raffles Avenue #01-15: satay and oyster omelette facing the bay, open 4pm–11pm, until 11.30pm Fri–Sat, from 3pm Sundays
• Marina Bay Sands food court: fine if you're already upstairs, otherwise save your appetite for Lau Pa Sat or Gluttons Bay