Little India

Kampong Glam is Singapore's historic Malay-Muslim quarter, located north of the Singapore River. You come here for the Sultan Mosque, the fabric shops on Arab Street, the murals in Haji Lane, and the murtabak eateries along North Bridge Road. Following the 1819 treaty between the East India Company, Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor, and Temenggong Abdul Rahman, the Sultan settled here with his entourage. The 1822 town plan allocated the area to the Sultan's court and to Malay, Arab, and Bugis traders; street names like Arab Street, Bussorah Street, and Muscat Street serve as a reminder of this.The golden domes of the Sultan Mosque are the focal point, surrounded by restored shophouses housing cafés and boutiques. The Malay Heritage Centre in the former Sultan's palace reopened in April 2026. Kampong Glam is a few minutes' walk from Bugis MRT station.

The Civic District on the north bank of the Singapore River is Singapore's government and museum quarter. You come for the National Gallery, the Asian Civilisations Museum, and the colonial buildings around the Padang, including St Andrew's Cathedral and the Raffles Hotel. The city's history began here: a port settlement existed by the river as early as the 13th and 14th centuries, and in 1819, the British settled at the same spot. The Padang, a sports field fronting the colony's former administrative buildings, was declared the 75th National Monument in 2022.The National Gallery occupies the former Supreme Court and City Hall, while the Asian Civilisations Museum is situated directly by the river. Fort Canning Park, located on the former King's Hill, is green and shady. Key MRT stations are City Hall (North-South and East-West Line), plus Esplanade on the Circle Line.

The Singapore River is the city's historic lifeline. Along its banks today, the three quays, Boat Quay, Clarke Quay and Robertson Quay, brim with restaurants, bars, and clubs. You come here to stroll along the promenades and historic bridges, take a bumboat ride, and dine and drink by the water in the evening.In the 19th century, the river served as Singapore's port: in the 1860s, Boat Quay handled three-quarters of all ship trade, with lighters transporting goods to warehouses upstream. After a ten-year cleanup from 1977 to 1987, trade and pollution disappeared. The warehouses and shophouses were placed under conservation and repurposed starting in 1989. Three colonial-era bridges have been national monuments since 2019.

Orchard Road is Singapore's most famous shopping street, stretching approximately 2.5 kilometers through the city center. You'll come here to shop at malls like ION Orchard and Ngee Ann City, and for the Peranakan terraced houses of Emerald Hill right next door. The street presumably owes its name to the nutmeg, pepper, and fruit plantations that the dirt path led to from the 1830s onwards. After the decline of the plantations, villas and residential buildings emerged, but the major development into a shopping mile only began in the 1960s.Away from the main street, you'll find quieter corners: the terraced houses of Emerald Hill Road, the restored shophouses of Peranakan Place, and at the southeast end, the Istana presidential palace with Istana Park. You can reach the street via several MRT stations, including Orchard, Somerset, and Dhoby Ghaut.

Chinatown is Singapore's historic Chinese quarter southwest of the Singapore River. You come for its temples of three religions, the restored shophouses, and the Maxwell and Chinatown Complex Hawker Centres. Raffles' 1822 town plan allocated the area to Chinese immigrants; the Chinese name Niu Che Shui, 'Bullock-Cart Water', recalls the water carts that supplied the district in the 19th century. Since 1989, it has been a conservation area; the urban planning authority URA divides it into four districts: Kreta Ayer, Telok Ayer, Tanjong Pagar, and Bukit Pasoh.Standing close together are the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, the Hindu Sri Mariamman Temple, and the Masjid Jamae Mosque. The district is accessible via Chinatown and Maxwell MRT stations.