Sentosa

Sentosa is an island of paid peaks and free sand, a short crossing from HarbourFront. Universal Studios, Singapore Oceanarium and Adventure Cove at Resorts World each fill a day and empty a wallet, while the beaches and Fort Siloso cost nothing once you're over. We'd give the day to one side: a beach afternoon, or a single park from opening, since squeezing two big tickets into one visit means rushing both. The free boardwalk from VivoCity is sheltered and the cheapest way in. The Sentosa Express is quicker, and the cable car from Mount Faber or HarbourFront Tower 2 gives you the harbour on the way across. If you'd rather not plan at all, the Sentosa Highlights Tour packs the cable car, a beach and a ride into about six hours.

Palawan, Siloso and Tanjong beaches are free, and a free tram runs along all three from Beach Station. Palawan is the calm family lagoon, with a rope bridge out to an islet billed as the southernmost point of continental Asia. HydroDash floats just off it: more than 30 inflatables at S$31 for an hour or S$52 for two, for ages 6 and up and at least 1.1m tall, and everyone has to swim. When it rains, KidZania at 31 Beach View #01-01/02 is an indoor city where children role-play grown-up jobs, open daily 10am to 6pm, and you'll need to book a slot. Over at Tanjong, the beach clubs and sunset stand-up paddleboarding make the most of the evening light. A guided Segway ride covers the beach path in an hour.

At Resorts World, Universal Studios opens 10am to 8pm on a full day but closes at 6pm on many October dates. Its daytime Trick or Thrills overlay comes with a regular ticket until 1 November. Halloween Horror Nights 14 runs on select nights until the same date, on a separate night ticket, and the Lights, Camera, Action attraction is closed until 31 October. Singapore Oceanarium, the rebuilt S.E.A. Aquarium, has 22 zones and is typically open 10am to 8pm. Its Into the Glowcean season is in a standard ticket until 1 November. Harry Potter: Visions of Magic sits downstairs at WEAVE B1, outside the park, on its own timed ticket. It's open daily 11am to 10pm with last entry at 8pm, from S$39 for children aged 4 to 12 and S$49 for anyone 13 and over.

SkyHelix, at Imbiah Lookout on the ridge between Beach Station and Resorts World, is an open-air gondola at 41 Imbiah Road that lifts you 79 metres for about 12 minutes. It runs daily 10am to 9.30pm, last admission 9pm. The cable car stops here too. Take it for the harbour crossing, and save SkyHelix for an evening without a park. The Skyline Luge starts up here as well. Back down at Beach Station, AltitudeX, the wind tunnel that used to be iFly, is at 43 Siloso Beach Walk. From there, Sentosa Bus A or the beach shuttle runs on to Siloso Point for Fort Siloso, Singapore's only preserved coastal fort and a National Monument, free to wander. The Skywalk lift runs 9am to 10pm, and the exhibits and Surrender Chambers open 10am to 6pm, last entry 5.30pm.

Where to eat

• The food court at VivoCity, before you cross: eat here if you want hawker prices
• Snacks in your bag for a Universal Studios day, because park food is a tax on hunger
• Palawan Beach Village, Palawan Beach: the easy lunch if you're already on the sand
• The beach clubs at Tanjong: a drink with the sunset if you've come over for the evening