Top 10 Weekend Getaways from Singapore

1Bintan

The easiest beach escape from Singapore: about an hour by ferry from Tanah Merah to the Lagoi resort area, where the big resorts have their own beaches, pools and activities. You can leave on Saturday morning and be on a sunlounger by lunch.

Insider tipBook a resort package that includes the ferry transfers and meals. Lagoi is spread out, and there's little to do between the resorts.

Skip it ifYou want local life and street food. Lagoi is a resort bubble.

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2Batam

Bintan's busier, cheaper neighbour. Singaporeans come for seafood dinners, massages and spa days at prices that feel like a different decade, and some come just for a day trip.

Insider tipFerries go to several Batam terminals. Pick the one nearest your hotel or spa, since Batam's traffic can eat up an hour.

Skip it ifYou want a beautiful beach. Batam is about food, massages and value, not scenery.

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3Johor Bahru

Just across the Causeway. JB is where Singaporeans go for cheaper food, shopping, massages and Legoland Malaysia. It's getting easier, too: the RTS Link train between Woodlands North and Bukit Chagar is targeted to start by the end of 2026, cutting the crossing to about five minutes.

Insider tipUntil the RTS Link opens, avoid crossing on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons. The jams at the checkpoints can take hours.

Skip it ifYou want to feel like you've gone on holiday. JB feels more like an extended neighbourhood.

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4Desaru Coast

A stretch of beach resorts on Johor's south-east coast, with big international hotels, a water park and a golf course. It's a proper beach weekend without a flight, if you don't mind the drive.

Insider tipDrive in via the Second Link at Tuas, which is usually less jammed than the Causeway.

Skip it ifYou don't have a car. Getting there and getting around without one is hard.

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5Malacca

A UNESCO World Heritage city of Peranakan shophouses, Dutch and Portuguese history, and food you'll talk about for weeks: chicken rice balls, cendol and Nyonya cooking. The Jonker Street night market is a weekend institution.

Insider tipGo on a weekday if you can. Weekends are crowded with day-trippers, and the old town gets jammed.

Skip it ifYou hate long coach rides. It's about 3–4 hours by road.

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6Kuala Lumpur

A short flight to a much bigger, louder city: rooftop bars, the Petronas Towers, the Batu Caves and some of the best food in Malaysia, at much lower prices than home.

Insider tipStay around Bukit Bintang for food and nightlife, and use Grab rather than driving. KL's traffic is no joke.

Skip it ifYou want to relax. KL is for eating, shopping and exploring, not resting.

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7Penang

George Town is a UNESCO-listed old town of shophouses, street art and clan temples, and many people's pick for the best hawker food in Malaysia. Char kway teow, assam laksa and nasi kandar are the reasons to go.

Insider tipStay inside George Town's heritage area, so everything is walkable, and plan your trip around meals, not sights.

Skip it ifYou want beaches. Penang's beaches aren't its strength.

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8Langkawi

Duty-free islands with rainforest, a cable car up the mountains and quiet beaches. Langkawi is a calmer, greener, cheaper beach break than Phuket or Bali.

Insider tipRent a car on arrival. It's the easiest way to get around the main island.

Skip it ifYou want nightlife. Langkawi goes to bed early.

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9Phuket

Thailand's big beach island, under two hours away by plane. Whether you want parties at Patong or a quiet villa in the south, there's a beach for it, plus great Thai food and island-hopping day trips.

Insider tipStay away from Patong unless you want nightlife. Kata, Karon and the south of the island are calmer and prettier.

Skip it ifYou only have two nights. The transfers eat into a short trip.

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10Bali

The furthest on this list, at about two and a half hours, but still very doable for a long weekend. Rice terraces and temples in Ubud, surf and sunsets in Canggu or Uluwatu, and villas with private pools for less than a Singapore hotel room.

Insider tipPick one area and stay there. Bali's traffic means moving between Ubud and the beaches can take a big chunk of a short trip.

Skip it ifYou want a quick, easy weekend. Bali works best with three nights or more.

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Before you go

• Passport and entry rules. Check what's needed for your nationality, including any online arrival forms.
• Long weekends fill up early. Ferries, flights and hotels for public holiday weekends sell out weeks ahead.
• Staying in Singapore instead? See our top 10 staycation hotels.