The Marina Bay Street Circuit (otherwise known as the Singapore Street Circuit) is a street circuit around Marina Bay, Singapore, encompassing the planning areas of Downtown Core (Turns 4 to 23) and Kallang (Turns 1 to 3). It is the venue for the Singapore Grand Prix. The track is 5.063 km (3.146 mi)[5] long in a harbourside location similar in style to the Circuit de Monaco and the Valencia Street Circuit.
Accommodation:
If you want to save money, get a hotel outside the city centre. Sleep with the prostitutes (literally!). Staying in the red light district (Geylang) is much cheaper. There is a lot of restaurants and cheap hawker stalls for great food. The area is very safe and only an 8 minute ride on the MRT to the city centre and circuit entry points.
Hotels in Orchard may be expensive, but it is only 4-6 minutes to City Hall for the circuit. Chinatown is also a good choice, with many places open after midnight, and is ideal for backpackers.
Getting to the track:
The MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) is the best way to get around, it's cheap, reliable, fast and safe. Be warned that queues can get long at the gates, and stations will be extremely crowded at times, particularly after concerts. The MRT will run till late (after 1am) over the three days. Stops around the track include City Hall and Raffles Place for zone 4, Nicoll Highway, Promenade and Bayfront. After the events, the walkways to the MRT stations can be a gridlock, especially if leaving from gate 3. Any gate of the circuit can be used to exit the circuit.
Many buses will be on diversion and may become very crowded. It is advisable to avoid them and take the train instead, but if you intend to take the bus, alight at Bras Basah Road (in front of Raffles Hotel), Stamford Road or along North Bridge Road. Night buses may be useful once the MRT finishes, but they do not run after the race so may not be as useful. Take them from the bus stop along North Bridge Road.
Uber surges are commonplace after each day and many taxi stands, particularly around the track will be closed. Those that are open will charge an extra SG$5 per ride, and usually have long queues. It is possible to walk further out to Bugis/Chinatown however in under 20 minutes.
Seating:
*Connaught Drive is a fantastic Grandstand. It is situated after the back straight at the right-hander of Turn 14. The great part about this seat is that you can see both Turn 7 and Turn 8 aswell that meet with Turn 14. You are also right behind the Padang where the main stage, small stages, food and plenty of grass to chill out during the night is situated. You also have great access yo a good spot and the end of the day for all the great concerts they have. We sat in the Bay Grand stand. The cars are in and out of view very quickly, it's a narrow part of the track so don't expect to see overtaking, you will see people overshoot their braking point and hit the wall before going under the stand though so that can be exciting. * With zone 4 walkabout tickets, if you want to see some action at the front get to the viewing stand early. It can become very crowded, and as the viewing stand is small, the top deck of it may be too crowded. * Turn 3 is the best for seeing a lot of action, since you're sitting opposite the pit land exit, and you can also see the action from Turn 2, and obviously into Turn 3.
Food:
You shouldn't have any issues finding something to eat. Weather you want a cheap meal from a hawker stall, or an upmarket restaurant meal, everything is in very close proximity to the track.
There are many options around the circuit. Hawker fare is available from Lau Pa Sat, a 10-minute walk from Raffles Place station - expect SG$5 for a meal. There are plenty of food courts in malls, such as in Raffles City or malls in Somerset, and they are air-conditioned, but may not be cheap - SG$5-8 for a meal. Marina Bay Sands has a food court at the basement and is easily accessible from the track.
Restaurants are numerous near the track. Arabic food can be found along Arab Street, decent food options and fast food from Raffles City or Bugis Junction. Little India is further but has good Indian food. Cafes are also dotted around the city, although they tend to be expensive at SG$4-6 for a latte. MBS has very upmarket restaurants that can cost upwards of SG$200.
What to avoid:
Stay hydrated, it get very warm during the day and if the heat doesn't get you the humidity will.
Do not take alcohol outside of the circuit park. There are public drinking bans in place from 10.30pm-7am, and although this may be rarely enforced in certain areas (such as the neighbourhoods), with the extra police forces outside the circuit, it is almost certainly impossible to drink outside the circuit without being warned or fined.
Misc:
Gates into the circuit are located in or near the cities many shopping malls. Note that some gates may have restricted opening times, or is entry/exit only; Check the race guide for details.
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