10 Free Things to do in Singapore Chinatown

Singapore

10 Free Things to do in Singapore Chinatown

While Singapore is my favorite city in the world, the city’s Chinatown district is an area I have decidedly avoided for many years.

Sadly the beautiful colonial Chinese shop-house buildings lining the main streets are buried behind a dense horde of tacky, chaotic souvenir stalls that clog up the roads, turning them into jam-packed narrow paths that visitors have to push and shove their way through. The whole time visitors are inundated with loud yelling salesmen, blaring music and noisy pedestrians. In short, it’s a nightmarish tourist trap.

main shopping streets of Chinatown – Singapore

I visited Chinatown once years ago. After exploring the neighborhood’s interesting variety of temples and restored historical buildings and then wandering through the shopping maze, I kept my distance. In fact, I’ve avoided Chinatown like the plague ever since.

This year, however, I decided to give Chinatown another chance… The main shopping streets are still as horrid as ever. But outside that main drag, I discovered that Chinatown really offers many worthwhile places to visit. In fact, visitors could easily spend two to three full days exploring the district’s many charms in depth.

Even better, most of Chinatown’s best attractions are entirely free! Here are 10 I recommend:

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum – Singapore

1. Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum

Wander through Chinatown and you can’t help but notice this massive, traditionally designed Chinese temple looming over the southern end of the shopping district.

This 5-story structure is easily one of Singapore’s most intriguing and elaborate temples. If you’re going to visit only one temple in Singapore, this is it. Every floor is decked out with thousands of glowing lanterns, Buddhist images, gilded decor, elaborate statues and other religious accouterments.

Two entire floors are dedicated to the temple’s museum, which has an impressive collection of Buddhist statues from all the Asian Buddhist nations including Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Japan, Sri Lanka and India.

The top, fifth, floor is a rooftop garden bursting with gorgeous colorful orchids. In the center of the roof, housed in its own room, rests the world’s largest cloisonne prayer wheel, Tibetan style.

If you’re into temples, Buddhism or museums, you could easily spend a couple hours or even a half day at this massive temple.

Chinatown Visitor Center – Singapore

2. Chinatown Visitor’s Center

Right next door to the Buddhist Tooth Relic Museum is Chinatown Visitor’s Center. Although the staff aren’t especially friendly, the center does offer a variety of free Singapore maps, including an excellent map of Chinatown. Most of the district’s attractions are not marked on regular Singapore maps. You’ll need the Chinatown map to explore in depth.

The Visitor’s Center also has several well-designed displays with explanations of the history of Chinatown. In addition, they sell many beautiful books about Chinatown and Singapore.

3. Guided Walking Tour

A free guided walking tour of Chinatown starts every day at 2 pm. Meet at the Chinatown Heritage Center, 48 Pagoda Street, at the north end of central Chinatown.

URA city model – Singapore

4. URA – Urban Redevelopment Authority ‘City Gallery’

If you’re at all interested in architecture, design, city planning, or history, get yourself to URA, at the southern edge of Chinatown on Maxwell Road.  They showcase cool, room-size 3-D models of both Singapore city center and the entire Singapore nation, as it is currently, and as it’s planned out for the future.

Their Singapore City Gallery presents two floors of extensive, sleek displays about all aspects of Singapore’s development. They also have a library full of design, planning and architecture books. The main floor of URA has changing exhibitions such as the annual architecture, design, and urban planning awards.

Red Dot Design Museum – Singapore

5. Red Dot Museum

Located directly across Maxwell Rd from URA’s City Gallery, the interesting Red Dot Museum is housed in Chinatown’s former traffic police headquarters. It’s a huge brick building that’s been restored and turned into a collection of art galleries. Most of the art and special exhibitions displayed are of the unconventional and underground type.

Inside the vast building there’s also a cafe and a chic bar/restaurant. 

restored shop houses – Chinatown – Singapore

6. Self-guided Walking Tour of Restored Colonial Chinese Shop-houses

If you love colonial architecture or Chinese shop-houses, you’ll love the Tanjong Pagar neighborhood, located on the south end of Chinatown, quite close to Red Dot Museum and URA.

Wander along the following roads to get a full dose of gorgeously restored 3-story shop-houses: Neil Road, Keong Saik Rd, Craig Rd, Duxton Rd, Duxton Hill and Tanjong Pagar Rd.

Pearl’s Hill City Park – Singapore

7. Pearl’s Hill Park

On the western edge of Chinatown, just across New Bridge Road, sits this lovely hillside park. Stroll over if you want to escape city noise and bustle, relax in nature, or get some exercise. Many stairs lead up onto the hill where you’ll find plenty of sidewalks, benches and landscaping. A small pond adds more charm to the leafy green park.

Indian Hindu Temple – Chinatown – Singapore

8. Temple Hopping 

Surprisingly, Chinatown has a huge variety of temples, representing many different religions. Among them are Indian Hindu temples, an Indian Muslim Mosque, a Methodist Church, a Durgha Shrine, a Malaysian Muslim Mosque and several different styles of Chinese Buddhist temples.

They are all marked on the Chinatown Map, so you can simply use the map to wander around from temple to temple. Visitors are allowed to enter most of them, but be sure to check protocol. Generally, you’re required to take off your shoes and to cover your shoulders and knees. Signs at the entryways explain. If you’re still unsure, watch what others are doing and follow suit.

9. Self-guided Clan House Walking Tour 

Chinese clans are community centers that historically have helped out mainland Chinese immigrants from their own particular region of China or those with a particular dialect or trade. Clans also help educate and support members in various ways.

Today, many original clans are still active in their communities. Many clan houses have been restored to former glory. Those of note are marked on the Chinatown map. Simply use the map to wander around and marvel at the beautiful clan house buildings.

To western eyes, some clan houses look pretty much the same as Chinese Buddhist temples. But if you examine them more closely and compare, you’ll start noticing differences. Other clan houses in Chinatown look distinctly different from temples.

main shopping streets of Chinatown – Singapore

 10. Chinatown’s main market streets

Last but not least…

Although I personally deplore the chaotic, noisy main shopping streets of Chinatown, perhaps other travelers such as yourself might enjoy exactly that kind of exotic Asian market. Maybe some would describe it as fun and exciting. Who am I to judge?

Your choice: avoid Chinatown’s main drag or else plunge right in and see for yourself. You will certainly find a huge variety of souvenirs, Chinese snacks and merchandise there.

But don’t claim you haven’t been warned.

(p.s. My Singaporean friends warn to watch your handbags while cramming your way through the crowded aisles)

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You might also find the following posts in my ’10 Free Things to do in…’ Series useful: 

Free Activities in Singapore installment 1 , installment 2,  installment 3

at Singapore’s Changi Airport

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You might also enjoy:

10 FREE THINGS TO DO AT SINGAPORE’S CHANGI AIRPORT 10 FREE THINGS TO DO IN SINGAPORE TRAVEL TIPS: 10 MORE FREE THINGS TO DO IN SINGAPORE (pt 2) 10 More Free Things to do in Singapore (pt 3)