Day 4

Time certainly flies when you’re having fun… For today, we were set to explore the Chinatown area of Singapore. Now you might wonder, what to see and do in Chinatown Singapore? Isn’t it the same everywhere in the world? No, no, no! No matter where we go, Chinatown is ALWAYS a stop for us, for a couple of reasons…

• It’s cool to see how Chinatowns across the world differ, but stay remarkably similar in certain aspects
• Chinatown is ALMOST ALWAYS CHEAP. If you want good food at decent prices, or even just souvenirs – Chinatown is the way to go!

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What to see and do in Chinatown Singapore

• How to get there: MRT (Chinatown) or Bus
• Seniors / Child friendly? MAYBE [lots of walking, not enough seats – but good shopping]
• Where to eat: Maxwell Food Center (Michelin star chicken rice!!) / Chinatown Seafood Restaurant [chili crab!!]

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Maxwell Food Center

After a tiring day at Universal Studios, we decided to have a late start – starting with lunch at the Maxwell Food Center (one of the oldest and cheapest hawker centers around). We got there via bus!

• What to try (everything we tried!): Tian Tian’s chicken rice (one Michelin star!!), Zhen Zhen’s porridge, Shanghai Special Tim-sum’s steamed dumplings + hot and sour soup, Ye Lai Xiang’s chicken chops, Jin Hua’s fish head bee hoon, Lao Ban’s soya beancurd
• When to go: Again, NOT during peak hours (11:00 – 14:00). We went right before 11:00, and there was still a ~10mins queue for Tian Tian’s chicken rice!
• Price: $

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Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

From Maxwell Food Center, Buddha Tooth Relic Temple is ~10mins walk away. Again, you’re allowed to enter the temple and take photos as long as there’s no flash and you’re respectful. I’m heading to Sri Lanka in the coming months – and am super excited to see the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple at Kandy too – I’ll let you guys know how this one compares to the real thing 😉

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Chinatown street market

Exit the temple at the back and you’ll end up in the Chinatown street market! I’d advise you to conduct your souvenir shopping here because it’s the cheapest you’ll find within the whole city of Singapore (even cheaper than Bugis!!) Of course, do scout a bit before buying because other stalls will probably sell the same thing, but perhaps at a cheaper price or with more variety

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Sri Marianman Temple

The Hindu equivalent of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple – it’s just a ~5 mins walk away. Unfortunately, we didn’t reach here as we spent too much time shopping – hope you do though!

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Bugis

• Seniors / Child friendly? MAYBE [lots of walking, not enough seats – but good shopping]
• Where to eat: Wing Seong Fatty’s [black pepper prawns!!]

Head on over to Bugis Street Shops to check out their wares! Hope you’ve already done your souvenir shopping at Chinatown the day before, because it’s more expensive here… Having said that, clothes are sold here as well, at quite cheap prices if I may say so myself – so girls, you might be very very happy

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And that’s a wrap for Day 4 – hopefully you now have a better idea of what to see and do in Chinatown Singapore! For my other days of travel, feel free to click the links below to read more on specific parts of my 6-day Singapore journey:

• Everything you need to know about Singapore as a first-time tourist
• Day 1: Botanic Gardens – Orchard Road
• Day 2: Gardens by the Bay – Marina Bay Sands – Esplanade – Merlion
• Day 3: Universal Studios
• Day 5: Hipster and off-the-beaten path (Sultan Mosque – Haji Lane – Tiong Bahru)
• Day 6: Hipster and off-the-beaten path (Haw Par Villas – Japanese Chinese Garden)
• Eating my way through Singapore – top picks!
• Top 5 Recommended Food Souvenirs from Singapore