Singapore’s Chinatown is not only a top Singapore attraction on its own, but hosts a number of picture worthy murals, temples, and architectural landmarks, many of which are free to explore.
Singapore Chinatown is the place for cultural immersion as you stroll through the incense filled streets, admire its many murals, and taste local fruit that are new to most Westerners (such as mangosteen, jackfruit and of course, the famous durian). Like the title suggest, many of these Singapore attractions are overlooked, however, a few of these may or may not be familiar to you!
You can spend just about an entire day strolling the streets of Singapore’s Chinatown. Not sure where to start? Visit the Chinatown Visitor Centre open daily 9am-6pm.
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1. Thian Hock Keng Temple & Yu Huang Gong
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📍158 Telok Ayer Street
🗓️ Open Daily 7:30am-5pm
🎟️ Free!
The first Singapore Chinatown hot spot is the Thian Hock Keng Temple paired with the Yu Huang Gong. In 2025, the staff is making a greater effort to attract all members of the public to this religious site and stunning piece of Singapore architecture, soon to offer tours and merchandise. This site is also a Singapore National Monument as it was built back in the 1800s.
2. Nagore Dargah
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📍140 Telok Ayer Street
🗓️ Open Monday-Friday 10am-5:30pm, Saturdays 9am-1pm, closed on Sundays
🎟️ Free!
Near Thian Hock Keng Temple lies the elegant Nogore Dargah Mosque, likewise a Singapore National Monument and centre for Indian Muslims. It is more than a mosque as it is a de-facto heritage centre where you can request a visit through their homepage. I bet you didn’t realize that you’d find this hidden gem in Singapore Chinatown!
3. The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
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📍288 South Bridge Road
🗓️Open Daily 7am-5pm
🎟️ Free!
The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple features many halls, floors, museum, a stunning rooftop, and arguably the Singapore Chinatown hot spot and trademark. The temple best known by visitors for its rooftop garden filled with orchids and the prayer wheel.
Please be aware of their dress code prior to visiting as it can prevent you from entering certain parts of the temples (yes, shorts of any kind are not permitted, be prepared to remove your shoes). There is also an affordable & vegetarian food hall on the temple’s bottom floor.
4. Sri Mariamman Temple
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📍244 South Bridge Road (where Pagoda Street & South Bridge Road intersect in Chinatown)
🗓️ Open daily 6am-Noon & 6pm to 9pm; Friday until 9:15pm
🎟️ Free!
The ever so colorful Sri Mariamman Temple, a Hindu temple in the heart of Singapore Chinatown is the city’s oldest Hindu temple dating back to 1827. According to the official temple website, “the temple is dedicated to Goddess Mariamman, known for her power in curing epidemic illnesses and diseases.”
5. Chinatown Heritage Centre
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📍48 Pagoda Street
🗓️ Open daily 10am – 7pm (last entry at 6pm)
🎟️ S$25 for people ages 13-59, S$20 for children ages 3-12 and seniors 60 & up
The Chinatown Heritage Centre is not only located right within the heart of Singapore Chinatown on the stunning Pagoda Street, but better yet, it is built out across three shop houses and spread out across three stories. The Chinatown Heritage Centre is intended to educate guests about life as Chinese settlers and portray what their life is like.
This Singapore Museum is not to be mixed up with the Chinese Heritage Centre, which is located at Yunnan Park/NTU Campus in Jurong West (northwest Singapore).
6. Kreta Ayer Heritage Gallery
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📍28 Kreta Ayer Road (Chinatown)
🗓️ Open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-6pm, closed on Mondays & Public Holidays; please read more below.
🎟️ Free!
The Kreta Ayer Heritage Gallery aims to preserve Chinese performing arts/opera house. This Singapore museum also showcases puppetry, tea appreciation, and calligraphy. Kreta Ayer Road played a significant role in Chinatown culture since the early 1900s!
Additional closures; during the Singapore school term the Kreta Ayer Heritage Gallery is only open to walk-ins/the public after 4:30pm. If you wish to visit before 4:30pm during school terms, please contact staff via email here. Learn more about the Singapore school year here.
7. Fuk Tak Chi Museum
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📍 76 Telok Ayer Street (Chinatown)
🗓️ Open daily 10am-10pm
🎟️ Free!
The Fuk Tak Chi Museum was once a temple built in 1825. It is now a small memorial that features miniatures; this Singapore museum is also part of Amoy Hotel in Singapore Chinatown.
8. Kreta Ayer People’s Theatre
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📍30A Kreta Ayer Road
🗓️/🎟️ Based on Performance
The Kreta Ayer People’s Theatre focuses on traditional Chinese Opera since the 1960s. Since then the theatre has had over 1,000 performances, evening hosting members of the British Royal Family. Consider yourself lucky if you get to see a show at this Singapore Chinatown staple.
9. The Singapore City Gallery
📍45 Maxwell Road The URA Centre (Next to Maxwell Hawker Centre)
🗓️ Open Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm, closed on Sundays & Public Holidays
🎟️ Free!
The Singapore City Gallery is a great way to not only escape the heat, but also to learn about urban planning, Singapore’s history, and the city’s sustainability efforts. The gallery has an interactive city map and a 3D rendering of Singapore’s downtown area, as well as a number of other exhibits to include a display of books and a cartoon mural map.
The interior (and exterior entryway) is designed very beautifully, with an inner courtyard that connects the gallery’s many floors and corridors. Entering the premises will make you question if this gem is truly free; no need for tickets or checking in, just walk in and enjoy.
10. Kong Chow Wui Koon
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📍321 New Bridge Road
🗓️ Varies by Performances & Events
🎟️ Free! (Classes do have associated fees)
Kong Chow Wui Koon, also known as the Kong Chow Cultural Centre, is “the oldest Chinese clan association” founded back in 1840! This living museum offers a variety of rich Chinese cultural performing arts like Cantonese Opera, Kungfu, as well as traditional dragon and lion dances. There is also a gallery featuring opera clothing displays while outlining the past of the Xinhui people. The gallery is called the Xinhui Clan History Gallery.
11. Ying Fo Fui Kun
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📍98 Telok Ayer Street
🗓️ Open Monday-Friday 8am-4pm
🎟️ Free!
Ying Fo Fui Kun a Hakkan Heritage Centre in Singapore Chinatown that started as a temple in the 1800s. It is associated with the Hakkan Shuang Long Shan Cemetery located in Commonwealth. The ancestral temple can be visited in Chinatown today and also features a Columbarium niche.
12. Ann Siang Hill Park
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📍78 Club Street with additional entry from behind Amoy Street & behind Singapore City Gallery in Chinatown
🗓️ Open 24/7
🎟️ Free!
The quaint and charming Ann Siang Hill Park, tucked away in Singapore Chinatown, is a hidden gem is home to tile art, winding staircases, murals, lush walkways, and even a well. Plenty of cats also call Ann Siang Hill Park their home! The photos really speak for themselves!
13. Telok Ayer Green
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📍186 Telok Ayer Street
🗓️ Open 24/7
🎟️ Free!
Between the Thian Hock Keng Temple and the Nagore Dargah lies the stunning Telok Ayer Green, a tiny street park that tucked away between stunning city architecture. This green space features lush greenery, seating, historical statues, and a small pond great for relaxing and taking photos, a true SG hidden gem and Singapore Chinatown hot spot!
14. Pearl’s Hill City Park
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📍Chin Swee Road & Pearl’s Hill Rd
🗓️ Open Daily 7am-7pm
🎟️ Free!
Did you know that there was an Npark in Singapore Chinatown? On the northeastern edge of Chinatown lies the Pearl’s Hill City Park that is home to a pond, lots of large trees, and walking trails. View a map of the park here.
15. Far East Square
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📍Far East Square (near China Street)
🗓️ Open 24/7
🎟️ Free!
This Singapore hidden gem is only really known by locals. Near Far East Mall lies the Old Wall which as the as the name implies, was once part of the original city wall that was erected back in the 1800s. This little walk way features a variety of businesses beside the Glass Dome and other neat places to take photos!
16. Pagoda Street
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📍Pagoda Street, near Chinatown MRT Station (DT19/NE4)
🗓️ Open 24/7
🎟️ Free to visit!
This iconic Singapore Chinatown spot is something tourists just can’t miss! It is full of souvenir shops, restaurants, and shop houses. Pagoda Street is also home to the Chinatown Heritage Centre, the Sri Mariamman Temple, and the Masjid Jamae (Chulia). Upon walking into the street, you will be greeted with bright neon signs, red Chinese lanterns, and street performers.
You can also find Nail Desu there, an amazing nail parlor and a specialty jewelry shop called Al Shafa Byraz. But where is the pagoda on Pagoda Street? Check out the next entry for that!
17. Chinatown Pedestrian Bridge
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📍Between Pagoda Street & People’s Park Complex (0ver New Bridge Road)
🗓️ Open 24/7
🎟️ Free!
Looking for an actual pagoda near Pagoda Street? Check out the charming Singapore Chinatown Pedestrian Street that crosses New Bridge Road. Also known as the Chinatown Pedestrian Bridge, this bridge is great for enjoying the architecture and flowers, but it is a great spot to take photos and admire the decorated streets during festivals like Chinese New Year. It features old-style Chinese pavilions as well as small trees, bushes, and flowers…so not quite a true pagoda but close to it.
18. People’s Park Complex Rooftop
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📍1 Park Road
🗓️ Open 24/7
🎟️ Free!
Did you know that Coldplay filmed their 2025 “Man in the Moon” music video all across Singapore? There is one iconic spray painting scene on a rooftop in Singapore Chinatown. It is also a a popular photography spots for locals. This former rooftop car park is accessed by entering the complex and taking staircase 11 to the 6th storey.
19. Vanda Miss Joaquim Park + Pavilion
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📍Yan Kit Road
🗓️ Open 24/7
🎟️ Free!
Did you know that the Papilionanthe Miss Joaquim is the national flower of Singapore? There is actually a small part dedicated to this beauty at the Singapore Botanic Gardens near the Sun Garden. However, in Singapore Chinatown, you can enjoy a small park dedicated to this beauty.
20. Singapore Chinatown Murals
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The murals of Chinatown rival that of Arab Street and can be found scattered on and around Temple Street, where you can also take a shot of the iconic.. People’s Park Complex. Take a peek into nearby Smith Street for more iconic murals. Walking around to find these murals is easy, though I caution wheelchair users as streets may be tightly packed with vehicles and uneven sidewalks/bulky curbs.
There are additional beauties on Amoy Street, as well as Far East Square, and on a side wall of Thian Hock Keng Temple. There seem to be a dozen more, so be sure to cross reference a list of Chinatown murals here.
21. Dining in Singapore Chinatown
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Dining options in Chinatown are beyond abundant! But the Chinatown is home to the famous Maxwell Hawker Centre (especially Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice – Michelin Star Stall once visited by Anthony Bourdain), as well as Amoy Street Food Centre (Singapore Style Ramen at A Noodle Story #01-39 is a fan favorite).
Additionally, Fortune Court is one of the best reviewed restaurants in Singapore whilst the following options are also popular; Kura Oyster & Highball (oysters and snow crab), Wang Dae Bak KBBQ (best Korean restaurant in SG) on Cross Street, Good Combo Hotpot & BBQ, and You Fu Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle at Chinatown Complex.
There are three more unique spots listed below!
22. Champion Bolo Bun
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📍92 Tanjong Pagar Road
🗓️ Open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 11am-7pm, Weekends 8:30am-7pm (Closed Wednesdays)
🍽️ Bakery
This Cantonese pineapple bun are soft and fluffy rolls that actually get their name from their appearance, not the taste. They can be served sweet or savory alongside tea or coffee. This is a very popular spot in Singapore Chinatown and beyond!
23. 1939
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📍36 Keong Saik Road
🗓️
🍽️ Fusion
Formerly known as Potato Head, this Singapoer Chinatown establishment serves up a variety of beer, wine, cocktails, and fusion dishes. This is one of the most unique Singapore restaurants in its architecture, stretching across three floors plus a rooftop deck and bar all packaged into a triangular shape. The interior design also makes this place for quite a memorable atmosphere.
24. 99 Old Trees Durian/Stinky Durian Dessert
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📍1 Teo Hong Road
🗓️ Open Daily Noon-10pm
🍽️ Durian Fruit Parlor
Wether you want to take a Durian Confidence Masterclass, a durian party, or some pastries, be sure to stop at Stinky by 99 Old Trees Durian. Their small menu from pastries or ice cream, this place is sure to satisfy your durian craving.
25. How To Get to Singapore Chinatown
Getting to Chinatown is effortless as it is the heart of Singapore’s City Centre. Once there, the neighborhood is very walkable and most top Singapore attractions are easily reachable on foot, especially if you want to scavenger hunt for scenic murals and buildings.
To get to the centre of Chinatown, take the Thompson East Coast Line to the Maxwell Stop (TE18) to get closest to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and the Chinatown Complex Centre; but you can also exit at TE17 (Outram Park) to reach the western end of the neighborhood.
This station (Outram Park) can also be reached via the East West Line (EW16) and the Northeast Line (NE3).
To get to Pagoda Street, take the Downtown Line (DT19)/Northeast Line (NE4).
The Thian Hock Keng Temple can best be reached via the Downtown Line (DT18) or by foot from the Maxwell Station (TE18).
Taking the buses around Singapore is one of the best ways to enjoy the city, especially when you get to sit on the second floor upfront on a double decker bus. The following lines run through Chinatown: 2, 10, 12, 33, 54, 61, 63, 80, 97, 106, 124, 133, 143, 145, 147, 166, 190, 196, 197, 513, 652, 653, 654, 655, 656, 660, 661, 663, 665, 667, 668, 671, 672, 850E, 851, 868E, 951E, 961, 970 and 982E.
Conclusion & Final Thoughts
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Do you feel like you got to know Singapore Chinatown a bit better?! You can truly spend more than an entire day here, plus it is so walkable. Have a safe and fun trip to Singapore! Finally, if you know someone who is planning to travel to Southeast Asia, please consider sending them my blog so they too can enjoy all that Singapore has to offer.
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