A walk down Chinatown’s narrow streets with their picturesque shophouses, now repurposed as shops, hipster joints, restaurants and offices, reveals Singapore’s rich Chinese heritage as well as the country’s journey from a small fishing village to one of the world’s most progressive economies and trading ports.  Chinatown offers visitors an interesting and harmonious mix of cultures, where the Hindu temple Sri Mariamman is on the same stretch as the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum. Visitors will appreciate the religious and cultural melting pot evident within the area.

Travellers can easily spend up to a day exploring shops and family-run businesses, selling everything from traditional pastries to Chinese teas and medicinal concoctions to the latest electronic gadgets and local independent designs. The precinct – which encompasses the Telok Ayer, Bukit Pasoh, Tanjong Pagar, Kreta Ayer and Ann Siang Hill neighbourhoods – is also home to some of the best food on the island, from Michelin-starred restaurants to famed hawker stalls. Visitors can sign up for a variety of ticketed or free tours in the area.