Planning a visit to the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel Singapore means navigating the gap between the hotel’s official smart casual recommendation and what actual visitors wear. Drawing on official policy from the property itself, independent bar reviews, and aggregated traveller reports, this guide separates the stated rule from the real-world practice to help you dress confidently.

Last checked: 2026-06-22

Venue: Long Bar at Raffles Hotel Singapore · Recommended attire: Smart casual · Prohibited items (according to TripAdvisor): Sportswear · Jeans: Apparently permitted (no official ban) · Shorts: Apparently permitted (visitor reports) · Official source: Raffles Hotel Singapore website

Attribute	Detail
Venue	Long Bar at Raffles Hotel Singapore
Official recommendation	Smart casual for seamless hotel access
Common visitor question	Can I wear jeans? — no outright ban reported
Men’s recommended attire (per TripAdvisor)	Dress shorts and collared shirt; no sportswear
Shorts	Apparently permitted, per visitor reports
Jeans	No official ban
Formal dress code claim	No formal dress code exists, per Travelfish (2017)

What is the dress code at Raffles Long Bar?

The official answer, published on Raffles Hotel Singapore’s Long Bar page, states: “smart casual attire is recommended to ensure you have seamless access to the entire hotel.” That phrasing is notable for being both a recommendation (not a strict rule) and a hotel-wide blanket statement, not a bar-specific policy. Asia Bars, an independent review platform, describes the Long Bar’s dress code as simply “relaxed – casual attire OK,” directly contrasting the more formal image many travellers associate with Raffles.

The difference between official wording and actual practice matters because the Long Bar occupies a unique position within the property. Asia Bars notes it is located on the first floor of the Raffles Hotel shopping arcade, accessible directly without passing through the main lobby. That physical separation from the hotel’s core reception areas reduces the practical weight of any hotel-wide dress expectation. The bottom line: the official smart casual advice is a suggestion, not a gatekeeping rule.

Official recommendation from Raffles Singapore

Raffles’ own site frames the guidance around seamless access — the hotel wants guests who move between the bar and other parts of the property (restaurants, shops, lobby) to look appropriate. But the Long Bar page does not list any refused items, does not mention footwear rules, and does not differentiate between day and evening. The same page, however, does cryptically suggest visiting at “11:00–11:30 AM or mid‑afternoon (2–3:30 PM) for minimal waiting times” — a tip that implicitly acknowledges daytime visits are more casual and less crowded.

What visitors say about the dress code

A TripAdvisor Singapore forum thread summarises the consensus: “smart casual will work everywhere at Raffles,” but adds that at the Long Bar, “seemingly anything goes.” Multiple TripAdvisor answers from visitors indicate that people are admitted in shorts and t‑shirts. One popular contributor summarised: “Smart casual, dress shorts and collared shirt are okay for men. No sports wear.”

The Scoot YouTube guide to the Long Bar says it plainly: “the dress code is actually quite relaxed (casual is fine!), which surprises most people for a luxury hotel like this.”

One TripAdvisor answer advises against sportswear; dress shorts and collared shirts are okay for men. (TripAdvisor)

Can I wear jeans to Raffles?

Jeans are one of the most frequently asked items. No source — official or community — states an outright ban on jeans at the Long Bar. TripAdvisor answers and forum posts consistently place jeans within the smart casual category, meaning they are acceptable as long as they are not ripped, heavily faded, or paired with extremely casual tops.

A Facebook travel group discussion about Raffles Hotel overall noted that “there are effectively no strict dress rules for entering the property” and that “neat and tidy streetwear is enough to blend in.” That aligns with the general pattern: Raffles’ Long Bar accepts jeans, but the kind of jeans matters. Dark wash, no distressing, paired with a collared shirt or a neat top — that fits the observed norm.

What about trainers?

Trainers (sneakers) are not mentioned as prohibited in any source. The TripAdvisor summary that prohibits sportswear targets items like gym shorts, track jackets, and athletic shoes worn in a sporting context — not clean, everyday trainers. Multiple visitor reports from the TripAdvisor FAQ describe people wearing trainers without issue. The pattern: if your trainers are clean and not obviously gym-only, they are very likely fine.

Does the Long Bar have a formal dress code?

No. Travelfish, a long-running independent travel site, stated in 2017 that “no formal dress code exists” at the Long Bar — a claim that has not been contradicted by any subsequent source. The absence of a formal code is not the same as an absence of any expectation. A TripAdvisor answer from a Singapore-based user summarises the implicit limits: “Smart casual, dress shorts and collared shirt are okay for men. No sports wear.”

Item	Status
Jeans	Permitted — no official ban
Shorts	Permitted — visitor reports confirm
Trainers	Permitted — clean trainers fine
Sportswear	Discouraged — per TripAdvisor
Flip-flops	Implicitly not recommended — seen but may feel under-dressed

Formal vs. smart casual

The single strongest point of comparison comes from within Raffles itself. Writers Bar, another bar in the same hotel, has a published dress code: “casual chic. Gentlemen are encouraged to wear collared shirts, trousers and appropriate footwear. Dress shorts are permitted during lunch.” That language — encouraged, permitted during lunch — is more directive than anything on the Long Bar page. If you compare the two bars, Long Bar looks more relaxed because its official guidance is simply smart casual, without any of the specific clothing mentions Writers Bar includes.

What to avoid wearing

The most commonly cited item to avoid is sportswear. A TripAdvisor answer specifically names “sports wear” as the one category that is not okay. A separate Facebook group comment notes “no flip flops, sandals with a strap is fine” — implying that while flip-flops are not explicitly banned in writing, they are the kind of footwear that may feel out of place. One visitor reported feeling “under-dressed compared with others” when visiting in shorts and a t‑shirt, even though they were admitted without issue.

Why is Raffles Bar so famous?

Long Bar’s fame is not incidental to its dress code. Created in 1915 as the birthplace of the Singapore Sling, the bar is a designated heritage attraction. Raffles’ own site positions it as “the birthplace of the Singapore Sling” and “a historical landmark.” Tourism — not formal cocktail culture — drives the majority of visits. Asia Bars notes the bar has 140 seats in the main bar and 96 in the upper level bar; those numbers reflect a high tourist throughput, not an intimate membership-style venue.

“The Long Bar is located in the Raffles Hotel shopping arcade and can be accessed directly without passing through the main lobby.”

— Asia Bars

History of the Long Bar

Forbes published a list of ten surprising facts about Raffles Hotel, and the Long Bar features as the site where the Singapore Sling was invented in 1915 by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon. That origin story — a national cocktail, a historical bartender, a century of continuous operation — explains why the bar draws crowds that treat it more like a museum than a cocktail lounge.

Notable facts about Raffles Singapore

Raffles Hotel Singapore has been through a major restoration (completed 2019), after which the Long Bar was restored to its original 1915 appearance. The bar’s official website still states “smart casual” as the recommended code, but the restoration did not introduce any stricter policy. One TripAdvisor forum thread notes that “smart casual will work everywhere at Raffles” and that the Long Bar is “seemingly anything goes” — a statement that has held true across multiple trip reports.

Alternatives within the same property

If you are concerned about dress and want a clearer rule set, Writers Bar at Raffles Hotel Singapore publishes a more detailed code: “casual chic” with specific guidance on collared shirts and trousers. That code is stricter than Long Bar’s, but it also allows dress shorts during lunch. For travellers who want to visit both, the practical advice is to dress for the more formal venue first — then Long Bar will feel very relaxed by comparison.

A second alternative is the Raffles Hotel’s main dining rooms, which operate under the same smart casual guidance as the wider hotel. Those restaurants do not have separate dress codes published on the website, but visitor reports suggest enforcement is slightly stricter at dinner than at lunch.