The Mega Singapore Guide for First-Time (and Return) Travellers

Here is an hour-long brain dump of my random Singapore guide, made for a friend. It’s very subjective and based on lived experience in Singapore a decade ago, so some of it will be outdated (sorry in advance). If you tell me what’s changed, I will update it here. Good luck and have the best time in Singapore!

Little India (Little India / Farrer Park MRT)

My fave neighbourhood in Singapore. I used to live here during my stint in Singapore.

Things to do in Little India Singapore

• Check out at least one of the three temples. The Sri Mariamman style temple is my fave. I went there plenty of times when I lived in Singapore, and the temple always managed to calm me down. If you go to a temple, you can ask for a prayer band to be tied around your hand for protection, wish-granting or good luck
• Check out the beautiful murals all over Little India
• Check out the Indian Heritage Centre museum in the area
• Watch a Tamil or Indian movie at Rex Cinema
• Immerse yourself in Indian culture
• Get henna on your hands
• Buy designer gold
• Get the blouse stitched in less than an hour in Indian traditional attire
• Fix your eyebrows
• Collect trinkets for your home
• Pray at the Hindu temple
• Visit the cultural centre
• Buy cheap electronics
• Buy Indian sweets to bring home
• Get your fortune read by a bird
• Talk to the locals
• Check out the red-light area on Dorset Road
• Purchase some colourful spices and groceries
• Enjoy the music playing from the stores
• Chill at the Prince of Wales bar
• Stay in the hostels
• Eat at the hawker centre
• Check out the colourful HDB
• Stock up on Indian accessories
• Watch the latest Indian blockbuster at Rex
• Eat Indian food
• Buy a Saree

For shopping: There are many fun stores in Little India. My faves:

• Hanifa for saree shopping
• Jyothi for bindi, eyeliner, home decor, incense sticks, etc
• Mustafa is the one-stop shop for many Singaporeans and tourists. I am not a fan of going to Mustafa during normal hours, but you can check it out for a crazy experience. Btw, you can also exchange money and extend your visa here
• Tekka Market, a mix of a food court on the first floor and clothing stores (cheaper than other stores, but the collection is not great IMO)
• Gold stores. Singapore gold stores have such beautiful collections; check them out even if you don’t plan to buy anything

To Eat in Little India, Singapore

• Gandhi’s is the most authentic South Indian food experience
• Erode Amman
• Muthu’s, a fancier version of Gandhi’s
• Swadhist for Kerala food, a Kerala restaurant whose fish wrapped in a banana leaf is to die for
• Spice Junction for Idiyappam and fish curry and kappa
• Ananda Bhavan, just for their appam (a must-try dessert!)
• Komala Vilas, if you feel like vegetarian food and a good dosa
• Usman for Pakistani food. Please order their achari chicken
• Anjappar

Chinatown (Chinatown / Maxwell / Outram Park MRT)

Singapore is a trifecta of cultures: Indian, Chinese (the largest), and Malay, so going to Chinatown is a must IMO.

To eat:

1. Chilli Up my fave restaurant in Singapore. It’s Hunan food and absolutely spicy and delicious.
2. Maxwell chicken rice. You must eat chicken rice while in Singapore; you might as well eat at one of the best ones. It’s located in Maxwell Food Court
3. There is also a Michelin-starred food stall in Chinatown. I can’t remember the name, but you can easily Google it
4. Eat Singaporean dessert. There are a few dessert stores in Chinatown. I don’t know the names, but they’re on the same row as Chilli Up
5. Have a local coffee and breakfast at Nanyang Coffee
6. Have traditional tea in one of the traditional tea houses, the one that Queen Elizabeth visited

Things to do in Chinatown:

1. Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. It’s such a unique Buddhist temple
2. Buy souvenirs and small trinkets from the roadside stall vendors
3. Take a cooking class
4. Walk to the Duxton area and explore the beautiful bookstore (I want to say Littered with Books, but check with me), and there’s a second bookstore too, plus many cool cafes in Duxton. It’s Fafa’s fave neighbourhood
5. Check out the museum in Chinatown

Arab Street (Bugis MRT)

My third must-visit neighbourhood in Singapore. (Ask the taxi driver to drop you in front of Haji Lane if you take a taxi.) This place was very near my old office, and I have explored and loved it plenty.

To eat:

1. Rumah Makan Minang. It’s the best Malay food in Singapore (also Sari Ratu for Indo food)
2. % Arabica coffee. I don’t think the coffee is that good, but it’s a great spot to people-watch in the evening
3. Piedra Negra for drinks and, I want to say, South American food
4. A sushi restaurant with a flight setting that all Indo Gen Z seems to love. Food is OK, not amazing
5. There is a restaurant on the corner of the junction that sells Malay food, but I can’t remember the name
6. Bhai Kadai, a super small store that sells the best prawn vadai. Please have it with a teh tarik

Take a pic of the mosque!

Must-try drinks in Singapore:

1. Teh tarik
2. Milo dinosaur
3. Bandung

Things to do around Arab Street:

1. Stroll down Haji Lane and take photos
2. Check out the Malay Heritage Centre museum
3. Browse the souvenir stores for a carpet or a Moroccan lamp
4. There is one store on Arab Street that can make customised perfume. Please visit; the store is so beautiful and calming, and the owner/seller is so zen-looking

Bugis area: This is a bit of a walk from Arab Street, but it has the best dessert place in Singapore, Ah Chew. Order the watermelon sago (I had a couple of other faves from Ah Chew too, but I can’t recall them right now; I’ll check my notes). Also hit Bugis Market for snacks and souvenirs, and there’s a Hong Kong-style grilled fish restaurant nearby.

Other things to do, eat, and experience in Singapore, in random order:

1. Clarke Quay / Boat Quay used to be THE epic drinking spot in Singapore. It’s still a pretty cool place to walk around, filled with restaurants
2. Eat at the open-air food courts. The most famous one is Lau Pa Sat. My faves: Newton or Serangoon Gardens
3. Check out the Singapore National Museum; it’s worth it
4. Eat nasi lemak
5. Take a bus to just explore the city. I recommend bus no. 135 or 65, essentially a random city bus that goes to the city centre
6. For a rich-people-amazing-malls experience, go to Orchard Road
7. Sentosa Island for a day at the theme parks
8. Marina Bay Sands: see the MBS light show
9. Gardens by the Bay
10. Explore Jewel Mall near the airport. Maybe take a few extra hours to go to the airport before your flight home. It’s not worth doing in your free time in Singapore
11. If you want to learn about Peranakan culture, go to Joo Chiat / Katong. It’s filled with old vintage-style houses, and there is a house museum there (must book in advance). This area is a bit out of the city centre, so it’s only worth it if you’re into exploring that specific culture
12. Geylang is Singapore’s red-light district. Just FYI, don’t go here at night by yourself. But do eat durian and frog porridge; both are the best in Geylang
13. If you like crab, Singapore chilli crab is a must-must-must. Google what the current good restaurants are. One recommendation: No Signboard Seafood. Beware of tourist-oriented places as they tend to mark up the chilli crab price. Order mantou on the side!
14. If for some reason you eat McDonald’s, please try their epic chilli sauce
15. Get a tattoo, because why not?!
16. Try KOI bubble tea, the best bubble tea in the world
17. Ramadan bazaar / Deepavali bazaar, though not at this time of year. Not sure whether there’s a Christmas bazaar
18. Drink German beer at Paulaner
19. Try Hoegaarden beer
20. Get an ice cream sandwich from a roadside stall, usually in Orchard
21. Peranakan Museum
22. Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre

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