
CHINATOWN, LITTLE INDIA & ARAB STREETS
Take a stroll through these varied and unique pockets of architecture, customs, and colorful festivals. In Chinatown, glimpse the old ways of the Chinese immigrants who shaped and built modern Singapore. Rebuilding and restoring the old colonial shophouses has resulted in increased rents, causing many of the traditional businesses to move out, but it’s still a good place to wander, and contains some of Singapore’s most notable temples. Little India stretches from Rochor Canal to Lavendar Street. The best time to visit is early morning, when you can drop in on the spice merchants, watch colorful flower garlands being made, and visit a “wet market” to see sari-draped ladies haggling for fresh fish. Arab Street is the Muslim center where you’ll find batiks from Indonesia, sarongs, flower essences, hajj caps, baskets, rattan goods, and Singapore’s largest mosque, Sultan Mosque, on North Bridge Road.