The Best Things To See & Do In Singapore's Chinatown

If you’re visiting Singapore from out of town, it can be intimidating to look at the extensive list of hotels in the area. For budget accommodations, head to one of the Beary Hostel locations, or if you’re looking for something slightly more upmarket, check out the Porcelain Hotel on Mosque Street. The rooms are tiny but modern, immaculately clean and you’ll have a private bathroom.

Beary Best: 16 Upper Cross St, Singapore 058331

Porcelain Hotel: 48 Mosque St, Singapore 059526

Porcelain Hotel: 48 Mosque St, Singapore 059526

Chinatown has a seemingly endless number of places to eat; it would take a long time to eat at every single one of the restaurants, cafes and hawker stands that are in the neighbourhood. To experience Singapore hawker fare, visit Chinatown Food Street on Smith Street. This large outdoor hawker serves traditional hawker food and the street is covered so you don’t have to worry about rain. Recently, the Michelin guide visited Singapore and in a move that shocked the culinary world, awarded stars to two hawker centres of which one is located in the Chinatown Food Complex. Expect to queue for an hour or more, and with rumours that the owner is canvassing for buyers of his Michelin-worthy recipe, those queues are not likely to get shorter anytime soon.

If you are after a slightly more upscale meal, head to Yum Cha, a dim sum restaurant located on the second floor of a shophouse on Trengganu. They have a standard dim sum menu but it’s all very fresh and delicious.

20 Trengganu St, #02-01 Chinatown, Singapore 058479 +65 6372 1717

When you’re ready for some sightseeing, you don’t even have to leave the neighbourhood. Chinatown is the epitome of the racial harmony that Singapore is recognised for. Within a few square blocks, there is a Buddhist temple, a Hindu temple and Muslim mosque. On Mosque Street you’ll find the Masjid Jamae, which stands out because of its beautiful teal colour as much as its eclectic architecture. Established in 1826 by Tamil Muslims, Masjid Jamae was one of the earliest mosques to be built in Singapore. Down the street on South Bridge Road you’ll find Singapore’s oldest Hindu Temple, the Sri Mariamman Temple, which was founded originally in 1827. Much of what is seen today was built later, including the eye-catching gopuram (entrance tower) built in 1925. The newest of the three, the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum, was opened in 2002. You can view the relic from the fourth floor of the temple, just be sure to grab a sarong on your way inside to cover your legs.

Once you’ve had your fill of sightseeing and eating for the day, be sure to check out Chinatown’s thriving bar scene. In this small neighbourhood you’ll find an upmarket speakeasy that claimed first prize as Asia’s Best Bar, a grungy karaoke dive bar and a hawker stall serving craft beer.