Best Day Trips from Singapore: Johor Bahru, Bintan, Batam and Pulau Ubin

For an easy day, take the bumboat to Pulau Ubin or the ferry to Kusu Island. For a different country, cross the Causeway to Johor Bahru by bus, or take a ferry to Bintan or Batam in Indonesia. Those are the trips the guides agree on. Eight of the 10 that Roam Singapore read name Johor Bahru and Bintan, seven name Batam, and six each name Pulau Ubin, Kusu Island and Sentosa.

The picks below are ordered by how many guides name them. Roam Singapore read 10 guides, all in English except one in Japanese, and left out the tour sellers and ferry-booking pages that fill most search results for this topic. Every timetable, fare and entry rule on this page comes from the operator’s own page or an official body, not from those guides. Ferry times and fares change, so confirm them with the operator before you go.

Then see what’s on at home before and after your trip. The events page lists festivals and concerts from the organisers’ own pages, and the map shows the places in town. Back in the city, things to do in Singapore covers the rest.

The short list

Malacca is named by 8 guides too, but they put it at 3 to 4 hours each way, and one says it isn’t really a day trip. It’s left off this list for that reason.

Johor Bahru

Recommended by 8 of 10 guides read.

Johor Bahru is the cheapest and nearest trip, and the guides pitch it for shopping and food. You’ll go by bus. The Land Transport Authority’s list of cross-border buses, updated on 1 October 2026, shows service 170 from Queen Street Terminal to Larkin Sentral, service 160 from Jurong Town Hall Bus Interchange to JB Sentral, and Causeway Link’s CW1 from Kranji MRT Station to Larkin Sentral.

Two things to sort out first. You’ll clear immigration at both ends, and ICA says all travellers, including visitors coming back by land, must submit the SG Arrival Card within 3 days before they arrive. The card is not needed for Singapore residents using Woodlands or Tuas. Malaysia runs its own Malaysia Digital Arrival Card for foreign visitors, with a section for people arriving at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar and JB Sentral, so check whether your passport needs one.

The RTS Link train between Woodlands North and Bukit Chagar is targeted to start by December 2026, with a journey of about five minutes and immigration done once at the station you leave from. Check whether it has opened before you plan around it. Weekends and school holidays are the busy times at the checkpoints, and ICA posts warnings on its news page.

Bintan

Recommended by 8 of 10 guides read.

Bintan is the beach trip, and it’s a long day, so you’ll want the first ferry. Bintan Resort Ferries sail from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal to Bandar Bentan Telani, and the ferry schedule lists departures from Tanah Merah at 08:10, 11:10, 14:00 and 17:00, with extra sailings on some days. The last return listed leaves Bintan at 18:35, and Bintan time is one hour behind Singapore.

The fares page, effective 12 March 2026, lists an adult economy fare of S$62 one way and S$100 for a regular round trip, including levies. BRF asks you to check in at least 1.5 hours before departure, with a cut-off 40 minutes before, and a passport with at least six months’ validity. That check-in time makes this the one trip where you shouldn’t try to wing the morning.

Batam

Recommended by 7 of 10 guides read.

Batam is closer and more urban than Bintan, and guides call it the cheaper of the two. The BatamFast timetable, effective 1 November 2026, lists sailings from HarbourFront to Batam Centre from about 07:40 to 21:40, and from Batam Centre to HarbourFront from 06:00 to 20:30 Indonesian time, which is one hour behind. Some sailings run on certain days only or are interline trips with Sindo Ferry, so read the footnotes. Guides name the Maha Vihara Duta Maitreya Buddhist temple and the Mesjid Raya mosque.

Pulau Ubin

Recommended by 6 of 10 guides read.

Pulau Ubin is the easiest trip and the closest to old Singapore, and you won’t need your passport. NParks says the bumboats leave from Changi Point Ferry Terminal, at 51 Lorong Bekukong, and usually run on demand from 6am to 7pm. They go when 12 passengers are on board, and the ride takes 10 minutes and costs $4 each way, plus $2 for a bicycle. Buses 2, 29, 59 and 109 serve Changi Village Bus Terminal. From Tanah Merah MRT, take bus 2 from Exit B.

If no bumboat is at the Ubin jetty for your return, NParks says to call its helpline on 1800-471 7300. The island is 1,036 hectares, so a bicycle is how most people see it.

Kusu Island

Recommended by 6 of 10 guides read.

Singapore Island Cruise runs the Southern Islands ferry from Marina South Pier, a one-minute walk from Marina South Pier MRT (Exit A). The standard route goes to Lazarus Island and then Kusu Island and back, and there’s no ferry between Kusu and Lazarus. On weekdays the last ferry from Kusu leaves at 4.15pm. During the Kusu pilgrimage season, which ran from 10 October to 8 November in 2026, the Singapore Land Authority says visitors have to buy a ferry ticket from Singapore Island Cruise, and the island doesn’t allow overnight stays. Check the season dates before you go.

Sentosa

Recommended by 6 of 10 guides read.

Sentosa is covered in things to do in Singapore. It’s the easy half day if you want a beach without leaving the country, and you don’t need a passport. The Sentosa Express leaves from VivoCity, Lobby L, Level 3, with a S$4 entry fee, and runs from 7am to midnight.

Less common picks

Legoland Malaysia (5 guides) and Desaru (4) sit on the Johor side and are a longer trip than central Johor Bahru. St John’s Island (3) is a Southern Islands stop reached from the same ferry as Kusu. Four guides warn about passport and visa rules for Indonesia, so read the visa information on BRF’s site or BatamFast’s immigration page before you book.

Which trip to pick

• Easiest and cheapest: Pulau Ubin.
• A different country, no ferry: Johor Bahru.
• Beach and resort: Bintan, and get the first ferry.
• Cheaper and closer, with temples: Batam.
• Half a day: Kusu Island.

Places in this guide

Photos show the actual places, licensed under Creative Commons and credited to their photographers.

Pulau Ubin Pulau Ubin Photo: Savio Sebastian Universal Studios Singapore Sentosa · near HarbourFront Station Photo: Hotel Kaesong Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve North · near Kranji Station Photo: Allie_Caulfield St John's Island Islands Photo: Kai Hendry