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A swag of airlines fly into Singapore's ultramodern Changi international airport - often voted one of the best airports in the world. The departure tax on international flights is US$9.

Lots of visitors to Singapore combine their stay with a visit to Malaysia, which is just a kilometre away across the causeway over the Straits of Johor. You can travel between Malaysia and Singapore very easily by bus or taxi. A second causeway has opened to ease congestion - it links Tuas in Singapore with Geyland Patah - and is known pragmatically enough as the Second Link. It can only be used if you have your own transport.

A vehicle and passenger ferry operates between north Changi and Tanjung Belungkor, east of Johor Bahru, and a daily high-speed catamaran links Singapore with Malaysia's Tioman Island. Immaculate air-conditioned buses link Singapore to almost all large Malaysian cities; fares are generally inexpensive. Singapore is the southern terminus of Malaysia's rail system and there are four trains a day to Kuala Lumpur.

There are no direct passenger ferries between Singapore and the main ports of Indonesia, but it is possible to travel between the two countries via the Indonesian islands of the Riau Archipelago, immediately south of Singapore. Modern ferries link Singapore with the islands of Batam and Bintan in the archipelago. Speedboats link Batam with Pekanbaru in Sumatra, and several ships a week link Bintan with Jakarta.

Money & Costs

Currency: Singapore dollar

• Budget meal: US$3

• Mid-range restaurant meal: US$12-20

• Top-end restaurant meal: US$30 and up
  
  

• Budget room: US$15-30

• Mid-range room: US$30-100

• Top-end room: US$150 and up

Singapore is much more expensive than other South-East Asian countries, which may come as a shock if you are travelling on a shoestring budget. You can still stay here without spending too much money, as long as you can forego the temptation to run amok in the shops or indulge in luxuries you may have craved while travelling in less-developed Asian countries. It's possible to stay in Singapore for US$25 a day, if you stay in hostels and eat cheaply. If you're staying in mid-range hotels and eating at good restaurants, US$80 is a more realistic daily minimum.

All major credit cards are widely accepted, although you're not going to make yourself too popular after a hard bargaining session for a new camera if you then try to pay for it with your Visa card. ATMs are widespread, although it's probably still a good idea to take cash and travellers' cheques for emergencies. You'll find moneychangers in shopping centres all over Singapore.

Tipping is not usual in Singapore: expensive hotels and restaurants may impose a 10% service charge, and a gratuity is not expected in excess of this. Bargaining is falling by the wayside, but tourists should still expect to haggle for luxury items and souvenirs. It is unnecessary to bargain for everyday goods or transport.