A black myna bird stands on a red box in a food centre full of people eating lunch

A Singapore Travel Itinerary: Part I

Visiting Singapore? Here are a few recommendations who like to travel Zuihitsu-style.

It's perhaps an odd hobby, but I do enjoy putting together travel itineraries for friends, especially for cities that I am familiar with. Now that I've been back in Singapore for a few years, I feel confident in setting out my ideas for readers who share our Zuihitsu travel sensibility. This is Part I and covers one full day. Look out for Part II and Part III in future posts.

10 am Peranakan Museum

Not many outside of the region know much about Peranakan culture. It is a hybrid culture that developed when Indian, Chinese, and Arab merchants in S.E. Asia married local Malay women and established families here. The resulting children from these mixed marriages grew up with the cultures of both patrilineal and matrilineal lines, creating a unique style of dress, food, and language. The Peranakan Museum is a good introduction for the uninitiated.

11:30 am Head to lunch

Catch a glimpse of the Myanmar migrant community in Singapore by wandering in Peninsula Plaza. Readers will already know my enjoyment of vintage malls and this is one of the older ones in the area. It has also become a hotspot for Myanmar migrant workers, of which Singapore has a considerable number. I recommend lunching at Mandalay Style Myanmar Restaurant in the basement, and then checking out the shops on other floors. If you enjoyed your meal, you might be interested in purchasing some ingredients for yourself.

Alternatively, head to Hong Lim Food Centre in Chinatown and eat at one of the numerous food stalls within. This place was built in the 80s and has a high concentration of excellent vendors. You’ll find that many a stall will have a long snaking line. It is incredibly busy at lunch time and you will have to share a table with others. There is a method to securing a seat (known in Singapore parlance as 'chope-ing'). The first thing you need to do is find a table with the number of seats you require. Once identified, you can place a packet of tissue or a water bottle or umbrella for each of the seats required. This is the Singaporean way of reserving seats at hawker centres. Or you could leave your companion at the table to hold the seats for you. Then go and queue at your chosen stall and bring your food back to the table. It will be crowded, hot, and a touch chaotic, but this is the quintessential hawker food centre experience.

An office worker orders his meal at a stall in a food centre — Customers lining up at a stall in Hong Lim Food Centre ©Wendy Gan 2025

2 pm Wander through the streets of Chinatown

These are the streets I’d recommend exploring: Mosque Street, Pagoda Street, Temple Street, Smith Street, Ann Siang Hill, Club Street, Amoy Street, Telok Ayer Street (make a stop at the Thian Hock Keng temple)

You might also want to track these Yip Yew Chong murals I’ve written about here as you meander the streets. Looking for these murals will land you in unusual alleyways, which is something I have also written about here.

3 pm More meanderings

Head towards Tanjong Pagar for a pit stop at Birds of Paradise on Craig Road to cool down and enjoy some artisanal gelato focusing on regional plant and fruit flavours. After you have revived yourself a little, wander around the area, making sure to take in Neil Road and Duxton Hill. You might want to stop at Say Tian Hng on Neil Road, an old family business that focuses on carving Taoist deities. The younger members of the family conduct tours and workshops explaining the various gods and the craft and business of carving them, so if this something that intrigues you, do book in advance.

Two gelato scoops in a cone — Gelato from Birds of Paradise ©Wendy Gan 2025

If the heat hasn’t sapped you completely, you can keep walking towards Everton Road and Blair Road. You’ll get a good sense of the pre-war shop house architecture that has been preserved in this area. Many Peranakan families also lived in this area. If you skipped the Peranakan museum in the morning or want to know even more about Peranakan culture, make an appointment to visit the Baba House on Neil Road run by the National University of Singapore.

On your way to the MRT, make a stop at the Pinnacle@Duxton. Believe it or not, this is public housing, though most Singaporeans do not live in blocks as stylish or as tall as these. If you wish, you can (for a fee) access the sky garden on the fiftieth floor for panoramic views of the city.

5 pm Head back to your lodgings to rest and freshen up

7:30 pm Dinner at Seroja

If you want to experience at least one luxurious, fine dining meal in Singapore, then 1-Michelin-starred Seroja has to be it. Chef Kevin Wong and his team rework regional classics and historical recipes into delicate and delectable dishes. The techniques may sometimes be borrowed from French cooking, but the results are delicious and refined distillations of our local food. It will be a memorable meal and you are unlikely to eat fare like this made with such finesse outside of Singapore. Bookings are essential.

In the foreground is a neat pile of green noodles. In the background staff work in an open kitchen. — A noodle dish adapted from a historical recipe at Seroja ©Wendy Gan 2025

Seroja is very expensive though, so if this isn’t your thing, then try Coconut Club on Beach Road. Coconut Club is best known for their artisanal nasi lemak (coconut rice served with a meat of your choice and various condiments). It is traditionally a breakfast dish, but you can eat it here for lunch as well as dinner.

After dinner drinks

Nearby is the Atlas Bar: housed in the lobby of a Gothic, Art Deco-styled skyscraper. You might think you have walked into Batman’s Gotham City. It is a curious space indeed. The bar itself is ranked amongst the world’s Top 50.

You may also want to saunter down Bali Lane and Haji Lane to get a small glimpse of Singapore's night life.