Little India

Just north of Chinatown, this is another lively enclave filled with brightly painted shophouses, colourful street art, temples, and mosques. One of our favourite ways of taking it all in is an art trail walk to see murals that relay the story of the neighbourhood’s proud heritage – including parrot astrologers, dhobi (washermen), and other labourers. Among the Indian specialities to sample here are rotis, fish head curry, and murtabak (a multi-layered Keralan pancake).

Joo Chiat-Katong (also known as Katong-Joo Chiat)

This residential conservation area in the east of Singapore has won various architecture and heritage awards from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and others. It’s a Peranakan enclave (the Peranakans being the descendants of the first waves of southern Chinese settlers) and you can see Peranakan artefacts including pots and jewellery in The Intan private museum. This is naturally one of the best places in the city to sample Peranakan cuisine, such as Katong Laksa, a spicy Chinese noodle soup. There are also lots of interesting indie boutiques to peruse.

Other off-the-beaten-track neighbourhoods

There are more fantastic sights, sounds, and dining opportunities in other Singapore neighbourhoods including Balestier, Bukit Timah, Holland Village, Hougang, Jalan Besar, Queenstown, Redhill, Siglap, and Toa Payoh.

To take just one of these, Balestier was named after the first American consul to live in Singapore and now mixes its Chinese-Baroque style shophouses and cultural venues with fashionable eateries and bars serving everything from authentic Singaporean pepper pork-rib soup and old-school coffee to global cuisine.

Or for a green escape, try Bukit Timah with its eponymous Nature Reserve, popular with nature lovers and fitness buffs, and the Green Corridor with its Neram trees.