Nearest MRT: Outram Park
Approximate walking time: 45 minutes
Chinatown: Bukit Pasoh
Singapore’s Chinatown covers a large area and is divided into four smaller sub-zones: Bukit Pasoh, Kreta Ayer, Telok Ayer and Tanjong Pagar. This first walk covers the first two of these, Bukit Pasoh and Kreta Ayer, which were developed in the 1830s, making them some of the oldest parts of the city. Long the hub of Singapore’s Chinese community, the name Kreta Ayer is derived from the ox-drawn carts that used to supply water to the area. Even the name ‘Chinatown’ is translated into Chinese as niu che shui which means ‘bullock water cart’ and has nothing to do with either the Chinese or a town. Home to some of the city’s oldest and most important temples, Chinatown also provides ‘shrines’ of a more modern nature devoted to shopping, from the traditional wet market to quaint stalls selling tourist trinkets. There are also plenty of restaurants (not just Chinese) to sample the delights of the island’s many breathtaking cuisines as well as cafés to catch your breath as you sit back and watch the ceaseless activity in one of the busiest parts of the city.