Singapore is a country rich in culture and history and its traditional souvenirs reflect this. Traditional Singapore souvenirs are a great way to remember your time in this beautiful country. From traditional handmade items to unique food items, everyone will find something to take home with them as a reminder of their trip. Let’s see what there is to choose from!
Peranakan painting
A peranakan porcelain or sarong, decorated with traditional Indian or Peranakan handicrafts, is a distinctly Singaporean souvenir. You can buy them at the True Blue Shoppe in the Peranakan Museum, for example.
Mooncake
Mooncake is a traditional Chinese dessert with different fillings. They are usually eaten and given to each other with good wishes during the Mid-Autumn Festival. But you can also just give them as gifts to friends. They are sold year-round in all supermarkets.
TWG Tea
Singapore’s national tea brand has about 1,000 varieties of the drink. And no wonder – the English tradition of afternoon tea is firmly rooted in the country, and it’s loved and understood here. There are beautiful gift sets, and for an expensive gift, the famous “golden” tea, precious in every way: the rare variety, the particles of gold inside and, of course, the price… There are several TWG tea boutiques, one located inside the Marina Bay Sands resort.
Singapore Sling Marmalade
Singapore Sling Marmelade will remind you of the taste of the famous cocktail, but won’t get you intoxicated.
Orchid Cookies
Check out The Cookie Museum. There are orchid cookies of the Miss Joakim’s Wanda variety, and even sweets flavored with Peranakan laksa noodles.
Kaya paste
The sweet green coconut paste is a must for the classic Singaporean breakfast. Spread it on toast and top it off with a soft-boiled egg and coffee and you’re transported back to Singapore morning or to your friends and family for a moment. Available in all supermarkets.
Orchids in gold RISIS
Fine gold jewelry that will leave a good memory of Singapore for years to come. The live flower is processed according to a special technique, creating a multi-layered coating that allows the jewelry to be sufficiently durable and yet exquisite. The last layers of 24-carat gold and rhodium, a platinum group metal, are applied. You can get a brooch or a necklace with such an orchid. A more budget option is earrings. However, they usually do not use fresh flowers, otherwise the jewelry will be too fragile. One of the most famous manufacturers of orchids in gold is called RISIS (www.risis.com), its stores can be found all over the city, as well as at the airport.
Singapore Sling Cocktail
This traditional cocktail was invented by a Chinese bartender in the early 20th century. The drink was conceived as a date drink to be served to beautiful ladies. The legendary cocktail consists of gin, cherry brandy, pineapple juice, lime juice, grenadine, liqueurs Benedictine and Quantro. Sling bottles are available, for example, at the Raffles Hotel or at the airport. It will be a delight to open such a bottle at home and treat your friends while you reminisce about your trip to Singapore.
Tax Free: Goods Tax Refund
In Singapore, all goods are subject to a 7% GST tax, which tourists can refund before departing from Changi International Airport. To get your tax refund, you must spend a minimum of S$100 in one store that has a “Tax Free Shopping”, “Premier Tax Free” or “Tax Refund” sign at the entrance.
The actual refund amount will be less than 7% because a service charge is deducted from that amount. You can find out the exact amount from your refund receipt, which you will receive in the store.
Use the eTRS self-service kiosk at the airport, which will automatically give you a complete list of all your purchases made in Singapore after scanning your receipts.
Until you have processed all your tax refund paperwork, do not check items in your luggage, as they may be required for physical inspection. The eTRS self-service machines located in the Departure Hall are available in several languages, including Russian.
The terminal will give you a receipt with a notice, on which you will find the status of your tax refund. If it says “Approved,” then you can check in for the flight, put the items in your luggage, and go through immigration control, after which you will receive the money. If the receipt says “Not approved,” it means that you need to have the goods inspected by an officer. If you are required to pay by mail, you may be asked to show the original receipts.
You can choose how you would like to receive your tax refund: directly to your bank card at an eTRS self-service terminal or in cash. If you choose to receive your refund in cash, you can go to the central tax refund counter in the departure lounge (after passing through immigration control – GST Refund) to receive your money.
