Singapore/Chinatown

There are several MRT stations around this area. Exit A (Pagoda Street) Chinatown station (North East and Downtown lines) will deposit you right in the heart of the action. Outram Park (North East line), Tanjong Pagar and Raffles Place (East West and North South lines) as well as Telok Ayer (Downtown line) are also all within walking distance, as is Clarke Quay (North East line) and the Singapore River to the north.

Chinatown's primary attraction is the town itself, composed as it is of restored shophouses full of strange little shops selling everything from plastic Buddhas to dried seahorses. Wander at random and see what you can find!
Chinatown is at its busiest and most colourful in the month preceding the Chinese New Year (Jan-Feb), when the streets are decked with festive decorations. Street markets are thronged with people, shows entertain the crowds and the drums of lion dances echo into the night. The festivities in a 24:00 countdown and a roar of firecrackers atop People's Park Complex, showering flaming confetti down below (steer clear!) — and for the two following days virtually everything is closed.

Temples and mosques

Held up as a shining example of racial and religious tolerance in "National Education" classes, Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim places of worship can all be found within a few hundred metres of each other in Chinatown.

• Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

  address: 288 South Bridge Rd
  Towering above southern Chinatown, this four-storey temple was completed only in 2007. The imposing main hall hosts a 27-foot statue of Maitreya Buddha, and the sacred relic itself, reputedly one of Buddha Shakyamuni's teeth, can be found on the fourth floor (visible only during daily ceremonies at 09:00-11:00, 14:00-15:30, 18:30-20:00). On the roof is the 10,000 Buddhas Pagoda, hosting a large Tibetan-style prayer wheel.

• Jamae Mosque

  address: 218 South Bridge Rd
  One of Singapore's oldest mosques, built in the 1830s by Tamil Muslims in an Indian style. Note the stepped minarets outside.

• Sri Mariamman Temple

  address: 244 South Bridge Rd
  Singapore's oldest and most important Hindu temple and worth a visit for the intricately carved gopuram (statuary above the entrance), which gave adjacent "Pagoda Street" its name. This is an active temple, so take off your shoes and don't disturb the worshippers. The Thimithi fire-walking festival is held here one week before Deepavali, usually Oct-Nov.

• Thian Hock Keng Temple

  phone: +65 6423 4616
  address: 158 Telok Ayer St
  The oldest Hokkien temple in Singapore, dating back to 1821, although the structure was thoroughly refurbished in 2000. The brightly colored, elaborate facade was constructed with ironwork from Scotland, tiles from England and the Netherlands, and dragon-ornamented granite pillars from China. The temple's main claim to fame is the presence of a plaque inscribed with the Chinese characters "波靖南溟" (lit. Gentle Waves over the South Seas), which was presented by to the temple by Emperor Guangxu of China in 1907.

Museums and galleries

• Singapore City Gallery

  phone: +65 6321 8321
  address: 45 Maxwell Rd
  3-storey visitor gallery with large scaled models of the entire country (ground floor) as well as the city centre (incredibly life-like), which provide good orientation of the country for first-timers. The gallery tells the history of Singapore's urban planning, various planning, design, and conservation strategies adopted to create a good living environment, sustainable development, and many others. Learn the story of Singapore's transformation from 3rd to 1st world, play games on land planning, and the expanse of land reclamation done on the island country. There are also wonderful images of old-new Singapore to browse, free walking maps to unique districts like Joo Chiat to pick up. It is in an office building. Just walk in and take the escalator up to 2nd floor for permanent exhibits.

• Chinatown Heritage Centre

  address: 48 Pagoda St
  An excellent museum chronicling how Chinatown came to be and the privation suffered by early migrants. The centre is on the left if you walk straight from the Pagoda St exit of Chinatown MRT station.

Parks and gardens

• Ann Siang Hill ParkA nice hidden park with few visitors, connecting Telok Ayer and Ann Siang Hill. Hard to brave the heat and climb the multiple stairways though, to one of the highest geographical points in Chinatown.

Viewing deck

• Pinnacle@Duxton Skybridge

  address: 1G Cantonment Rd
  Singapore's tallest public housing project has a 50th-storey viewing deck that offers some of the best city views around at a fraction of the cost of the Singapore Flyer. $5, but payment must be made by ez-link card; enter via Block 1G, Level 1 (next to bus stop). As of 2016 the EZ-link self-service kiosk is not working and the entry fee has to be paid at a counter at level 3 of block 1G.

Probably the most strenuous activity in Chinatown is avoiding touting tailors — which, incidentally, is illegal and can be reported to the police.

• Bath Culture Foot Therapy

  phone: +65 6226 6289
  address: 59 Temple St
  A massage parlour focused on foot massages. Uses traditional techniques and herbal remedies with natural ingredients and plays oriental music during the massage.

• Toy Factory Theatre EnsembleA theater group that constantly pushes the limits of free expression in Singapore. Performances at the Attic (21 Tanjong Pagar Rd, 4F) and the Theatrette (17A Smith St).

The central streets of Chinatown around the pagoda are packed with near-identical stalls selling all sorts of Chinese trinkets aimed squarely at tourists. There is also a cluster of (expensive) antique shops on South Bridge Rd. For Chinese handicrafts, antiques, fashion items, home accessories and Chinese medicine aimed more at the locals, poke into any of the numerous shopping malls.
Chinatown is made up of pre-war shophouses, home to merchants who have been hawking the same wares for years – bales of fine silk, traditional handicrafts, and gold and jade jewellery. At the junction of Eu Tong Sen Street and Upper Cross Street, a large Chinese emporium Yue Hwa stocks an array of Chinese products such as tea, medicinal herbs, food, household items, antiques and traditional Chinese clothes such as the cheongsam.
During Chinese New Year, the Chinatown Food Market buzzes with activities like lion dances and other street performances. A large variety of stalls are set up on Pagoda, Smith, Trengganu and Sago Streets during the festive season, selling traditional snacks and customary decorations.
In shophouses on Ann Siang Road and Club Street, local designer boutiques such as Asylum and Style:Nordic can be found amidst traditional Chinese clan associations. A popular haunt for today's hipsters, this area of Chinatown blends traditional Chinese heritage with contemporary threads, quirky cafes and chic restaurants.

Shops

• Tea Chapter

  address: 9 Neil Rd
  Covered under Drink, this store also retails a wide variety of not only Chinese tea itself, but all the paraphernalia needed to brew it.

• Yue Hwa

  address: 70 Eu Tong Sen St
  Prominently located in central Chinatown, this stately building was built in 1936 as Chinatown's top hotel. Today, it's a six-floor emporium of Chinese products, from traditional medicine on the first floor, complete with deer horns and dried bats, to porcelain and furniture on the sixth. The sweeping lobby on the second floor now houses an amazing array of Chinese tea, ranging from $1.40/100g loose leaf and $3 cups to pedigreed $18,000 pu erh and $80,000 teapots.

Among the Chinese, the obligatory souvenir is some sweet red bak kwa (barbequed pork), available both fresh off the grill and in convenient vacuum packs.

• Bee Cheng Hiang

  phone: +65 6500 0888
  address: 71 Pagoda St
  Bee Cheng Hiang is the most famous bak kwa brand internationally, with many outlets throughout the country and in many other Asian countries.

• Fragrance

  address: 205 New Bridge Rd
  Fragrance is another famous brand of Bak Kwa (Chinese Pork Jerky).

• Lim Chee Guan

  phone: +65 6227 8302
  address: 203 New Bridge Rd
  While Bee Cheng Hiang may be the more famous brand internationally, Lim Chee Guan is without a doubt the most popular bak kwa brand among Singaporeans, with 3-4 hour queues (with news crews filming this event from time to time) around the Chinese New Year period. Tastier than the competition, but harder to find as it has only three outlets.

Boutiques

• The Tintin Shop

  phone: +65 8183 2210
  address: 56 Pagoda St
  One of only seven others in the world, the Tintin Shop celebrates the beloved Belgian characters from Hergé. Looks more like a small gallery, but you'll be able to find all sorts of authentic Tintin books and collectibles.

Malls

• People's Park Complex

  address: 1 Park Rd
  Has numerous shops selling electronics, clothing, clocks, Chinese medicine and jewellery. Also, there are many massage parlours and travel agents. Head to the rooftop carpark on level 6 for a viewpoint of Chinatown and join in on the regular events held by the active mod-Sin Lepark bar.

• People's Park Centre

  address: 1 New Market Rd
  It has a large food hawker centre selling local food on the first level. 2nd and 3rd level sells clothes and discount retail store selling cosmetics, skincare, beauty products, and toiletries.

• Chinatown Point

  address: 133 New Bridge Rd
  A shopping mall that mainly sells handicrafts, along with gifts and watches as well as beauty salons.

• OG People's Park

  address: 100 Upper Cross St
  Sells a wide range of department store merchandise, well known brands such as Adidas, Giordano and Billabong have counters in the building. On the fifth floor, there is a food section selling mainly Korean products, with a Westlake cafe on the third floor.

In Chinatown there is, needless to say, plenty of Chinese food to go around! But if you hanker for something different, Tanjong Pagar is also Singapore's unofficial Korean district and there are a large number of very good Korean restaurants too, plus a sprinkling of European fine dining establishments around Club St and Duxton Hill.

Budget

Smith Street is a single row of fancy stalls with the nicest ambience of the lot and quite decent food too, although open for dinner only. Connoisseurs may also wish to check out the 2nd floor of the newly renovated Chinatown Complex, which hosts one of Singapore's largest hawker centres with over 200 stalls, but this labyrinthine warren of concrete and fluorescent lighting is both hard to navigate and not exactly a treat to the eyes.

• Ah Balling Peanut Soup

  address: Smith St
  Top off your meal with a bowl of Chinese peanut soup and rice balls, filled with your choice of peanut, sesame, yam or red bean paste.

• Akbar Restaurant

  address: 2 Lim Teck Kim Rd
  At the southernmost tip of Tanjong Pagar, this busy but friendly 24-hour coffee shop (don't be fooled by the name) serves up a wide variety of Malay and Muslim Indian food, with the roti prata being the star of the menu.

• Da Dong

  address: 39 Smith St
  The dim sum in the restaurant inside are only mediocre, but the best eats here are the steamed buns (bao) from the stall outside. Most bao are 60-80 cents, but the aptly named Big Bao ($2.50) stuffed with chicken, mushrooms, sausage and more is a meal in itself.

• Mei Hong Yuen

  address: 67 Temple St
  Specializes in Chinese desserts, notable for a whole range of soups and puddings. Try the mango pudding ($3), which comes with chunks of fresh mango plus sprinkles of pomelo, tapioca, and ice.

• Tong Heng

  address: 285 South Bridge Rd
  Chinese bakery famed for its freshly-baked egg tarts ($1.90), best washed down with a bottle of water chestnut juice. Tong Heng now has many other outlets, including one at Changi Airport, but this is the original.

• Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle

  address: 78 Smith St
  Renowned as the world's first hawker stall to earn a Michelin star. Chef and owner Chan Hong Meng makes incredible tender chicken rice. Expect long queues.

One of Singapore's best food hawker centres,

Maxwell Food Centre

at 2 Murray St, is just across the road and a few minutes walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT. It is open 24 hours. Most dishes are less than $5, although seafood can get considerably more expensive.

• Day & Night Herbal Soup

  address: Maxwell Food Centre #01-12
  This is the place to try out the Chinese herbs sold by medicine shops nearby. If pig brain soup ($5) is too Fear Factor-y, try the milder six flavour chicken ($6), good for whatever ails you.

• Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice

  address: Maxwell Food Centre #01-10
  Described by the New York Times as a "chicken rice shrine", this humble stall is considered by many as the best in Singapore and is easily distinguished from its many imitators by the long queue snaking in front. The chicken is meltingly smooth, and don't forget to try their trademark chili sauce.

• Zhen Zhen Porridge

  address: Maxwell Food Centre #01-54
  Famous not so much for their rice porridge (from $2.20) as for their raw fish salad (from $2), served up with spring onion, sesame, ginger, garlic, and a drizzle of lime. Prepare to queue.

Mid-range

• Han Kook Gwan

  phone: +65 6224 2881
  address: 26 Tanjong Pagar Rd
  Swish-looking two-floor Korean eatery that offers both expensive bulgogi barbeques and more reasonably priced rice and noodle dishes. Try the dolsot bibimbap (rice with toppings in a sizzling stone bowl), $9/14 lunch/dinner.

• Hometown Restaurant

  phone: +65 6372 1602
  address: 9 Smith St
  Serves up authentic Sichuan food, meaning fearsome quantities of dried chili, tingly Sichuan pepper, salt and oil. The tea-smoked duck ($10) and mapo doufu ($6) are both excellent, while bowls of dan dan noodles go for just $5.

• Jing Hua Xiao Chi

  phone: +65 6221 3060
  address: 21 Neil Rd
  Well known for its dumplings, above all the Beijing-style jiaozi, but the Shanghai-style xiao long bao aren't bad either.

• Tian Jin Fong Kee

  phone: +65 6532 3319
  address: 2 New Market Road
  It began as a dumpling shop from northern China, but this low-key eatery at the corner of the massive People's Park hawker center has developed, in a very Singaporean way, into the favorite hangout of sailors and their Filipina/Thai girlfriends from the nearby KTV lounges, drinking San Miguel until early morning and ordering off their extensive second menu of Filipino food. Chinese eats are cheap ($5-10), Filipino dishes far more expensive ($25+), but they're huge and meant to be shared. Fun people watching.

• Tiong Shian Porridge Centre

  phone: +65 6221 1596
  address: 265 New Bridge Rd
  Always-packed eatery in the heart of Chinatown, specializing in rice porridge and claypots, with a sideline in seafood dishes. Try their famous frog claypot (from $8), but the squeamish may want to avoid the hoon chang — large intestine — dishes. Note your table number, then order and pay at cashier; there's more seating on the 2nd floor if the street level is full.

Splurge

• Blue Ginger

  phone: +65 6222 3928
  address: 97 Tanjong Pagar Rd
  Possibly Singapore's best-known (and most expensive) restaurant for very authentic Peranakan food. One of the most popular dishes is ayam buah keluak, a chicken curry dish made with candlenuts.

• Esquina

  phone: +65 6222 1616
  address: 16 Jiak Chuan Rd
  A tapas bar set up by Jason Atherton (of Pollen Street Social), with purposefully rundown decor to give an edgy underground atmosphere. There's spectacular food like the Iberico pork and foie gras burgers and sangria ice cream for dessert.

• Da Paolo

  phone: +65 6224 7081
  address: 80 Club St
  An authentic and popular Italian restaurant known for its home-made pasta. Open daily for lunch and dinner, reservations recommended on weekends.

• Korea Garden

  phone: +65 6221 7153
  address: 34 Tanjong Pagar Rd
  The decor is grungy, staff are harried and prices are steep, but the place is often packed with Korean expats hankering for authentic home cooking.

Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar have a vibrant nightlife. As you'd expect, karaoke boxes and their dodgier cousin the KTV lounge predominate, but the area around Club St and Ann Siang Hill has many upmarket wine bars catering to expats and moneyed locals. Many of the second-floor bars and clubs in the area cater to Singapore's gay community, so look out for the rainbow flags.

Bars and pubs

• Beaujolais Wine Bar

  phone: +65 6224 2227
  address: 1 Ann Siang Rd
  Cozy, romantic yet unpretentious shophouse with friendly staff, a huge wine list and generously sized eats ranging from cheese platters ($10-16) to chili con carne ($14). Wine by the glass from $10.

• Breeze

  address: 33 Erskine Rd
  True to its name, this outdoor bar atop the Scarlet offers cool breezes and is an oasis of lush foliage, only with peeping skyscrapers to remind you that you're in the heart of Singapore. Remarkably long drink list and the self-proclaimed best mojitos in town.

• Club Street Social

  phone: +65 6225 5043
  address: 5 Gemmill Ln
  Cosy bar that serves coffee, cocktails and sandwiches. The drinks are pricey but the food, decor, and service are impeccable. Also good for an all-day breakfast and free Wi-Fi.

• Cow & Coolies Pub

  address: 30 Mosque St
  One of the very few drinking holes in the area that's neither posh yuppie hangout nor dodgy hostess lounge, this low-key pub draws an eclectic crowd of both gay and straight locals and backpackers, especially those hankering to sing a song or two on the heavily-used karaoke machine. The pub also has basic backpacker accommodation upstairs, from $25/night.

• Jess Pub

  address: 58 Temple St
  One of many hostess pubs where the girls will be waiting for you and ask you to buy them a drink. They aren't too pushy though, which is nice. They have karaoke if you want to sing. The drinks are average price. Around $12 for cocktail and $10+ for a ladies drink.

• The Toucan

  phone: +65 6223 5950
  address: 15 Duxton Hill
  Archetypal Irish pub complete with garden teleported straight out of Ireland, including even a wishing well. The $7.50 lunch deal (11:00-15:00 daily) is great value: try their famous fish & chips or lamb shank. Pint of Guinness from $11.10.

Tea

• Tea Chapter

  address: 9 Neil Rd
  Try this excellent tea house and shop for a spot of tea drinking Chinese style. A basic pot of tea and an introduction on how to brew it right starts at $8, although some of the fancier brands (how about some Phoenix's Shrubbery?) cost much more. Plain seats on the open 3rd floor are free, raised and partitioned seats on the 2nd cost an additional $5 per head. Be warned, although the setting is gorgeous, the tea is mediocre.

• Yixing Xuan Teahouse

  address: 30/32 Tanjong Pagar Rd
  The shop is divided into two: there is a dining area set up like a simple Chinese restaurant, and a separate area where lessons on tea are held, and tea leaves and paraphernalia are sold. The ambience is not really there, but the tea is of the very highest quality. Ask to try the house tea, Beauty of the East.

While there are a few ordinary hotels, the most interesting accommodation options in Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar are in renovated shophouses.

Budget

• A Beary Good Hostel

  phone: +65 6222 4955
  address: 66A/B Pagoda St
  An airy hostel in a renovated shophouse.

• Beary Nice!

  phone: +65 6222 4955
  address: 46B Smith St
  Sister hostel to the popular A Beary Good Hostel. Friendly and very nice.

• Wink Hostel

  phone: +65 6222 2940
  address: 8A Mosque St
  High style and high tech converge at Wink Hostel, the flashpackers’ travel accommodation of choice. Featuring "pod" style custom-designed beds, Wink's designer concept indulges guests with their private sleeping sanctums, while allowing for socialising as well. 3-min walk to the train station.

Mid-range

Keong Saik Road, at the western edge of town, is a former red-light district which still retains more than its fair share of dodgy karaoke lounges — as well as a number of cheap, largely identical shophouse hotels, which look rather attractive from the outside but are all quite cramped, stuffy and dingy inside.

• Hotel 1929

  phone: +65 6347 1929
  address: 50 Keong Saik Rd
  Time Asia's Boutique Hotel of the Year in 2004, this renovated super-stylish shophouse is best known for its extraordinary collection of chairs, covering the gamut from designer masterpieces to a barber's chair a century old. Head and shoulders above the other hotels in Keong Saik, the rooms feature all mod cons including flat-panel TVs and free broadband internet in every room, but the "superior" rooms are tiny and steeply priced for what you get; you might want to consider splurging on one of the rooftop suites complete with outdoor hot tub.

• Hotel Re!

  phone: +65 6827 8288
  address: 175A Chin Swee Rd
  Former primary school repainted with eyeball-blistering fluorescent shades and thus now a 12-storey, 140-room "retro boutique" hotel. Located on a hilltop (Pearl's Hill Park) and a 5-10 min walking distance to Outram MRT station. Restaurant offers a variety of international cuisine and daily international-themed set meals from $18.80.

• Inn at Temple Street

  address: 36 Temple St
  Feels slightly shabby and uncared for: cramped rooms, peeling wallpaper, antiquated air conditioning. The upside is a great location.

• Keong Saik Hotel

  phone: +65 6223 0660
  address: 69 Keong Saik Rd
  Probably the least bad of the midrange shophouse lot, the main draws here are pricing and location. All rooms have air-con and attached bathrooms (shower only). Ask to see your room before you check in though, as some of the cheapest ones are windowless and dank.

Splurge

• Amara Hotel

  phone: +65 6879 2555
  address: 165 Tanjong Pagar Rd
  Classy, modern business hotel with its own large shopping mall.

• M Hotel

  phone: +65 6421 6120
  address: 81 Anson Rd
  Stylish business hotel in the commercial heart of Tanjong Pagar. The gym features a miniature climbing wall.

• The Scarlet

  phone: +65 6511 3333
  address: 33 Erskine Rd
  Beyond mere boutiqueness, this "personality hotel" in a stretch of converted shophouses is stuffed with more red plush and gold trim than a Parisian boudoir and does its best to encourage all 7 deadly sins with restaurant Desire, bar Bold, spa Sanctum and gym Flaunt. Rooms are small but comfortable, good location right next to Maxwell Food Centre and the heart of Chinatown.

• Parkroyal on Pickering

  phone: +65 6809 8888
  address: 3 Upper Pickering Street
  Hotel with beautifully green facade due to trees. Very good online ratings.

For more culture, head to Little India or Kampong Glam. Chinatown lost a bit of its soul after receiving various makeovers, with some local activity shifting over to the Bencoolen area centred around Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple in Bugis. Recent Chinese immigrants have gravitated towards Geylang in the east. The nearby Riverside is an easy walk north, while neighbouring Tiong Bahru, the very first Singaporean public housing estate, has also undergone a similar revitalisation, spurring the opening of boutique eateries and shops.