Every major city in the world seems to have a Chinatown — London, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco — and Singapore is no exception, except for the idea that it’s a favorite spot for many travelers in this part of the world.  You could easily spend the whole day in Chinatown.  You’ll find many interesting shops, antiques.  Singapore’s Chinatown is next to the Singapore River, which was the core of the city’s distant trading past.  The streets are filled with colorful restored shops/houses, with vivid colors of yellow, blue, green, pink, as well as grocery stores and tea houses, street vendors, restaurants and trinket shop after trinket shop after trinket shop.  It’s a great place to purchase souvenirs, partly because the shop owners will bargain with you about the price.

If you only speak English, don’t worry about that, because most people in Singapore are bilingual.  There’s a number of interesting restaurants here, but do remember to bring napkins or tissues because the local places often don’t provide them.  Definitely try the ice desserts; this is simply ice shaved with toppings of your choice.

You know, at the risk of sounding overly enthusiastic, I think this might be a great place to stay while in Singapore.  There are hawkers and food shops and restaurants around.  Places to shop are all over.  It may also be the best place to purchase gifts for friends and family at home.  And there are a quite a number of hotels, including 5 star Singapore hotels, so there’s something to meet the taste of everyone.

My favorite spot in Chinatown was the Chinatown Heritage Centre over on Pagoda Street.  It’s a museum about the history of Singapore’s Chinatown and shows how hard the early Chinese immigrants’ lives were.  A favorite part of the gallery was the rooms that showed you how early immigrants lived in these small, cramped cubicles.  In another gallery, you’re shown the celebrations Chinatown displayed down through history.  They even have a robot lion, which dances by itself!

If you’re planning a trip this January or February, keep in mind the Chinese New Year, which is celebrated here.  It’s well worth your time.

Chinatown in Singapore is a post from: T For Travel

Related posts:

1. The Chinatown Neighborhood of Mauritius
2. Cats of Singapore
3. The Indian Markets of Singapore