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Our Guide to Singapore’s Neighbourhoods

From Wikimedia Creative Commons

CBD

Image by Jason Goh from Pixabay

Singapore’s Central Business District is the sky scraping, glitter and lights-fest that covers the financial heart of town, around Raffles Place, Shenton Way, Robinson Road, Cecil Street, Collyer Quay, Marina Bay and surrounds. This is where you’ll find all the major business headquarters and financial institutions, but these days it’s also becoming a bit more touristy; there are more theatres, restaurants, bars and shops, as well as museums and galleries. Some parts of the CBD command incredible water views, while other boast historic areas to uncover: old colonial municipal buildings and religious buildings of all sorts. Bars and restaurants in the most business-centric areas tend to be busier in the week, but there are some parts of the CBD — those with the theatres and shops — that are busy on the weekend too. There’s a huge range of accommodation options here, reams of places to eat and drink, and great transport links.

Marina Bay

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Marina Bay is one of Singapore’s waterfront districts: 38 hectares of reclaimed land, adorned with skyscrapers, and grand statements in contemporary architecture. This is a luxurious area, with hotels, shops, restaurants and bars, theatres, incredible gardens and an observation wheel for starters. Marina Bay is also home to the ArtScience Museum, and some other indoor attractions. All the accommodation options here are high-end, so this is not an area to consider if you're visiting Singapore on a budget.

Colonial District 

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Singapore’s Colonial District crosses over into other neighbourhoods like a Venn diagram, so parts of the CBD and Marina Bay are part of the Colonial District. This area is where you’ll find the majority of Singapore’s colonial architecture, and many of the civic buildings, galleries and museums that were established during the colonial period. This is also where you’ll find many of the old and graceful colonial hotels — some of them the luxurious in Singapore, as well as being the most historic. Sightseeing highlights include the Gardens by the Bay, the National Museum of Singapore, the National Gallery, the Peranakan Museum, the Battlebox Museum, St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Fort Canning Park and Raffles Hotel. 

Chinatown

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Singapore has a large Chinatown, adjacent to the CBD, and the Singapore River. It started to develop in the middle of the 19th century, and these days it’s a friendly, colourful place to visit and stay, with a fantastic street market. Chinatown is also where you’ll find the Maxwell Food Centre, and the Sri Mariamman Temple.  The area is a great pick for foodies — you’ll find everything from street food to Michelin stars here, and plenty of produce to explore. You can also take food tours, or cooking classes. It’s also fantastic for shoppers; the markets are well known, but there’s also a fantastic department store: Yue Haw, and bakeries, tea sellers, herbalists…Chinatown has its own museum too, with model streets that will appeal to young and old. There are plenty of hotels, both big and small, and aparthotels too. 

Robertson Quay 

By Wzhkevin - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Right on the bank of the Singapore River, Robertson Quay is an upstream spot, developed over the last few decades into a tourist and entertainment district, with lots of hotels, restaurants and things to do. Sometimes these curated entertainment districts feel a bit sterile, but Robertson Quay has grown and developed organically as well, and has a great following among locals, as well as tourist appeal. There are large art galleries and museums, but smaller ones have opened up too, as well as shopping malls and boutique shopping stretches, plus indie cinemas and small theatres. There’s an international flavour to the area, as well as to the restaurant choices, and lots of alfresco dining opportunities. You can even take a supper cruise. There are good transport links to the rest of the city, and a great range of accommodation.

Orchard Road

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In Singapore, Orchard Road is the very heart of shopping. It has the malls and the shopping streets, and the market. It’s got the high-end international brands, couture, quick fashion, discount outlets, and locally made lines. The road proper runs two and a half kilometres through Central Singapore, lined with shopping, entertainment and dining all the way. It’s busy at almost all times of the day and night. Emerald Hill Road is an atmospheric part of the area to explore, with its colourful, traditionally Chinese-looking houses, and cafes, bars and pubs. Cuppage is a good area to check out if you’re looking for a smaller dining establishment.  There’s plenty of accommodation in this part of Singapore — the large hotels for the luxury shoppers, as well as boutique hotels, five-star options, and aparthotels. 

Kampong Glam

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Kampong Glam is traditionally Singapore’s Arab quarter, but it’s now also a hip district, with trendy cafes, boutiques and galleries, and street art. It has its artisans, who have been here for decades, but also its brand new enterprises. It’s even got a bourgeoning nightlife scene, which you may not expect from a neighbourhood that’s home to one of the city’s major mosques. Part of the appeal of Kampong Glam is its look — there are a lot of Art Deco period shops, which have been carefully maintained, and brightly painted, and it feels like an exciting place to be. This isn’t a traditional pick for accommodation, but there’s quite a lot here now, including boutique hotels, and smaller-sized properties.  

Sentosa Island

Photo by Ravish Maqsood from Pexels

Sentosa Island is an island resort within the city of Singapore! It’s just off the south coast of the main island, and this is where you’ll find Universal Studios, Madame Tussaud’s, a Butterfly Park, and several water parks and theme parks. The island also has two golf courses and a long stretch of beach. Sentosa used to be a British military base, which you can still visit today; it’s called Fort Siloso, and it’s now a military museum.  The island is accessed via a cable car or on buses along the causeway from the main city.

Little India

By Just a Brazilian man from Brazil - Little India, Singapore, CC BY 2.0

Little India is a particularly colourful neighbourhood, with bustling streets, a market atmosphere, colourfully painted buildings and great street art and murals. It’s a colourful shopping neighbourhood too, known for fabrics and fashion, and jewellery. As well as smaller shops, stands, and boutiques, Little India also has its own malls, including the Tekka Centre and Tikka Mall. When it comes to local sightseeing, you have some fascinating religious buildings  —mosques as well as a number of Hindu temples. Little India is fantastic in the lead up to festivals like Deepavali and Pongal. Little India is on the east side of the Singapore River, across from Chinatown, neighbouring Kampong Glam;  so it’s a central spot, within easy public transport rides of most of Singapore’s major sights.