Different from many other modern cities in Singapore, Chinatown is an old cultural city with low-rise buildings and a variety of temples and pagodas. Here, visitors will have a chance to immerse into the sacred atmosphere of Buddhist and Hindu temples, enjoy delicious foods from street food stalls, see many old shop-houses, and so on. So, what are the most excellent things to do in Singapore Chinatown? Let’s have a look.
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Things to do in Chinatown, Singapore #1: Visiting Sri Mariamman Temple
Being the oldest shrine in Singapore, Sri Mariamman Temple is said to be the most prominent worship place in this country. It was built to honor Goddess Mariamman – the godhead of disease and protection. Nowadays, this temple exists as a proud representation of Hindu culture and an illustration of Dravidian-style architecture of Singapore.
Sri Mariamman Temple consists of six floors with colorful sculptures of Hindu gods. At the base, there is a pair of timber gates, which are embellished with tiny golden bells. From this gate, follow the covered hall; you will enter the main prayer hall of the shrine, where the images of Lord Muruga and Rama are put.
Tourist information:
- Location: 244 South Bridge Road, Singapore 058793, Singapore
- Opening time: 7 am – 12 am and 6 pm – 9 pm every day
Things to do in Chinatown, Singapore #2: Taking a look at Red Dot Design Museum
The Red Dot Design Museum will bring you a different viewpoint of objects in your daily life. Although the museum looks like a small gallery, it is enormous and contains almost everything, from household appliances to packaging or posters. Here, you will see absurd items such as elevated bathtubs and special taps for people with only one arm, pregnancy tests for blind people, a crib shaped like a mother’s womb, and so on.
Tourist information:
- Location: 11 Marina Blvd, Singapore 018940, Singapore
- Opening time: Monday–Thursday from 10 am to 8 pm, Friday – Sunday from 10 am to 11 pm (closed on Wednesday and Thursday)
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Things to do in Chinatown, Singapore #3: Seeing Chinatown from above at people’s park complex
Pay a visit to the 6th floor of People’s Park Complex to enjoy and take photos of the overall beauty of Chinatown, Singapore. It will be an unforgettable experience.
You can enter the complex until 10 pm, so this place is great if you want to enjoy the views of Singapore at night.
Tourist information:
- Location: 1 Park Road, Singapore 059108
- Opening time: From 9:30 am to 10 pm
Things to do in Chinatown, Singapore #4: Visiting Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
This is a famous temple with a stunning main hall, which is emphasized by the high ceiling and large prayer wheel. The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple’s architecture is the combination of Buddhist mandala and Buddhism of the Tang dynasty style. This is also the reason why a cultural and historical tour to this site is always meaningful and memorable.
On the 3rd floor of this temple is the Buddhist Culture Museum, where 300 Buddhist artifacts from all Asian countries are stored. On the 2nd floor is the little teahouse – a beautiful place to relax. Buddha Tooth Relic Temple is a solemn destination, so avoid wearing shorts, mini-skirts, or T-shirts when coming here.
Tourist information:
- Location: 288 South Bridge Road, Singapore 058840, Singapore
- Opening time: From 9 am to 6.30 pm each day
Things to do in Chinatown, Singapore #5: Walking along Chinatown street market
This is home to various cheap and tasty local foods. When Chinatown was renovated, planners added a new roof to the city to make it a pleasant dining place in all weather. They also installed cooling systems and opened more shop-house restaurants and hawker stalls to enlarge the Chinatown street market.
This market also contributes to retaining the authentic flavors of local specialties with foods such as roast duck, kway Teow, satay skewers, stingray, and so on.
Tourist information:
- Location: 335 Smith Street, Singapore
- Opening time: From 11 am to 11 pm every day
Things to do in Chinatown, Singapore #6: Visiting Singapore City Gallery
For historical lovers, Singapore City Gallery is an ideal place as it shows how the Government of Singapore managed all people on a tiny island. This gallery was opened in 1999 with the purpose of showing tourists how modern Singapore was and how city planners continued to develop it. With a scale of 1:400, this 3D miniature version of Singapore will impress most visitors.
Tourist information:
- Location: 45 Maxwell Road, URA Centre, levels 1-3, Singapore 069118
- Opening time: From 9 am to 5 pm Monday – Saturday
Things to do in Chinatown, Singapore #7: Visiting Singapore Coin and Notes Museum
Although this museum is not on the top of must-visit destinations, it still gets great interest from the public. Here, you will see many beautiful coins, including this country’s past and present currency. The most impressive thing is that you can join making these coins by yourself. If you come here with your family or kids, it will be awesome. While your children may love working on colorful Harry Potter coins, you will have a chance to look at the vintage machinery presented here, in the Singapore Coin and Notes Museum.
Tourist information:
- Location: 40 Pagoda Street, Level 1, Singapore
- Opening time: From 10 am until 8 pm each day
Things to do in Chinatown, Singapore #8: Setting feet on Olde Cuban Bar
If you want to search for a luxurious place in Chinatown, Singapore, the Olde Cuban Bar is a smart choice. This bar has a vast collection of whiskeys and more than 200 types of cigars (even some with limited numbers since 2000). Singaporean people consider the Olde Cuban bar the best place for business deals thanks to its intimate setting.
Tourist information:
- Location: 2 Trengganu Street, Outram, Singapore, 58456, Singapore
- Opening time: 11 am – 12:30 am (Mon-Tue, Tue-Wed, Wed-Thu, Thu-Fri, Fri-Sat), 1 pm – 12:30 am (Sat-Sun), 1 pm – 12 am (Sun)
Things to do in Chinatown, Singapore #9: Doing a food tour around Chinatown
Singapore Chinatown is famous not only for unique architecture but also for cheap and tasty street food. This town is filled with a variety of fragrant and mouthwatering food, such as:
- Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle – chickens are roasted in soya sauce and Chinese herbs, creating a deep flavor of the tender chicken with greasy skin. For this dish, you have to pay $2 for a set of chicken rice or $14 for a whole soya chicken.
- Chinese desserts – including Cheng Teng, Yam Paste, chilled water-chestnut cake, etc. are sold in Chinatown with the price of less than $6.
- Char kway teow – this dish is made from crunchy bean sprouts, cockles, egg, and lard. This sweet and spicy charred noodle costs $3 only and is a must-eat food in Chinatown, Singapore.
- Curry chicken – this incredible slurp-worthy dish has a rich broth and attractive smell from spices and coconut milk. A plate of curry chicken may include two pieces of tender chicken, bouncy fishcakes, potato, and tau pok. All cost you $4.50 only.
You can easily explore the Chinatown area plus other attractions in just 48 hours in Singapore.
Above is some useful information about things to do in Chinatown, Singapore. Do not hesitate to ask us any questions about it. I hope you a wonderful trip soon.
Author bio:
I am Emily Pham. I was born in Vietnam – a country with many unknown beaches, historic sites, and tourist attractions. Understanding that Vietnam nowadays is a famous destination, I establish the blog site vina.com with the purpose of introducing the elegant beauty of Vietnam to friends around the world. If you are planning a trip to Vietnam, our blog will provide you with essential information on where to go and what to do in our country.
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