Singapore City was founded in 1819 by Sir Stamford Raffles of the British East India Company, who recommended that different areas of the town be set aside for the various ethnic groups. There are still fascinating pockets where more traditionally exclusive enclaves exist, principally in Chinatown, Arab Street, Serangoon Road (focus of the Indian community) and Padang Square with its very strong colonial associations. The best way to experience the remarkable diversity of the city is on foot: the traditional architecture, customs and cuisine of the various ethnic areas are in fascinating contrast to the lavish luxury shopping arcades of Orchard Road and Raffles City.
Orchard Road is the ‘Fifth Avenue’ or ‘Oxford Street’ of Singapore, and just as bustling, with its vast luxury malls, shops ranging from megastores to vendors of souvenir tat, as well as cafes and restaurants. The corner bar of the Singapore Marriott Hotel, itself a landmark, is the prime spot to watch the world go by.
Arab Street is the center of the Arabian quarter of Singapore, and a great place for shopping. Other streets with excellent shopping opportunities are Baghdad Street and Bussorah Street, while Sultan Plaza is a center for cloth traders. The golden domes of the Sultan Mosque, Singapore’s chief Muslim place of worship, dominate the area; nearby are two historic Muslim burial grounds.
Chinatown, though somewhat overwhelmed by the growth of the Financial District, is a bustling and colorful area with shops, teahouses and restaurants, and also several temples such as the Fuk Tak Ch’i in Telok Ayer Street and the Temple of the Calm Sea. Ancient crafts of calligraphy, papermaking and fortune-telling are practiced, and traditional goods and foodstuffs can be bought. The characteristic domestic architecture of Singapore – the shop-house with a molded front, shuttered upper floor and an arcaded street front – is much in evidence.
Serangoon Road is the center of Little India, the Indian quarter stretching from Rochar Canal to Lavender Street. The Zhu Jiao Center, at the southern end of Serangoon Road, is a particularly vibrant example of Little India. Other attractions in the area include the Sri Veeramakalimman Temple, the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hall in Race Course Lane and Farrer Park.
No trip to Singapore would be complete without a visit to the Raffles Hotel, one of the most famous hotels in the world. A ‘Singapore Sling’ in the Long Bar is almost de rigueur; alternatively, drop into the Writers’ Bar which provided inspiration for, amongst others, Noel Coward, Somerset Maugham and Joseph Conrad. The CHIJMES complex near the Raffles Hotel was developed out of the former Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, whose Gothic shell is the basis for a series of plazas housing chic shops, restaurants and bars. A statue of Sir Stamford Raffles has been erected on the banks of the Singapore River on the spot where he is believed to have first set foot in Singapore. Nearby is Parliament House, the oldest government building in the country, the core of which dates back to the 1820s. Boat Quay and North Boat Quay, flanking the river on both banks near the Raffles statue, has now become one of Singapore’s most popular bar and recreation areas, with traditional shop-houses converted into restaurants and clubs. Clarke Quay forms a triangle defined by a bend in the Singapore River. It is a complex of colonial ‘godowns’ (eastern term for warehouses) converted into a maze of bars, outdoor eating places, clubs, souvenir shops and mobile stalls that present the ‘Old Singapore’ tourist experience at its most concentrated, if occasionally tacky. Riverside Walk, on the opposite riverbank, extends the zone further, and the whole area is a must-see for visitors. Mohammed Sultan Road, west of Clarke Quay, is Singapore’s classiest bar and club strip.