Chinatown & Little India

The old ethnic quarters, three kilometres apart on the North East MRT line, with the cheapest good hotels in central Singapore. Chinatown has the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, Sri Mariamman (the island's oldest Hindu temple), shophouse streets and Maxwell Food Centre. Little India, round Serangoon Road, is where Indian travellers feel at home: the Sri Veeramakaliamman and Sri Srinivasa Perumal temples, flower-garland stalls, Tekka Centre, the Indian Heritage Centre, the late-night Mustafa Centre, and pure-vegetarian South Indian restaurants such as Komala Vilas and Ananda Bhavan. Kampong Glam's Sultan Mosque and Haji Lane are a walk away.

Highlights

• Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
• Sri Mariamman Temple
• Maxwell Food Centre hawker lunch
• Chinatown shophouse streets
• Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple
• Vegetarian banana-leaf thali on Serangoon Road
• Tekka Centre and the flower-garland stalls
• Shopping at Mustafa Centre
• Sultan Mosque and Haji Lane

Things to do

• Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Sri Mariamman TempleMorning · 2h
• Chinatown heritage walk and Maxwell Food Centre lunchAfternoon · 2h 30m
• Little India walk: Sri Veeramakaliamman, Tekka Centre, Serangoon RoadMorning · 2h 30m
• Vegetarian thali at a Serangoon Road restaurantAfternoon · 1h 30m
• Indian Heritage CentreAfternoon · 1h 30m
• Mustafa Centre shoppingEvening · 2h
• Kampong Glam: Sultan Mosque and Haji LaneEvening · 2h

Tours & tickets

When to go

Best time: February – April

• Chinese New Year (Chinatown light-up and River Hongbao) — Singapore's biggest festival. For weeks before it, Chinatown's streets are hung with lanterns and the festive market sells sweets and decorations; the River Hongbao fair on the bay has lanterns, food and fireworks. On the two days themselves many hawker stalls, small shops and some restaurants close, often for three or four days, while malls, attractions and hotels stay open. Chinatown is packed the evening before.
• Thaipusam procession — Hindu devotees carry kavadis and milk pots on foot from Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple on Serangoon Road to Sri Thendayuthapani Temple on Tank Road, from before midnight through the next day. Watch quietly from the side of the road; it is a vow, not a show. It is not a public holiday in Singapore.
• Hari Raya Puasa and the Ramadan bazaars — The end of Ramadan. In the weeks before it, Geylang Serai and Kampong Glam (by the Sultan Mosque) hold night bazaars and light-ups with food stalls after sunset. On Hari Raya itself Malay families visit each other and some Malay stalls close.
• Vesak Day — The Buddha's birth, enlightenment and passing. The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in Chinatown and the Buddhist temples across the island hold prayers, candle processions and free vegetarian meals; visitors are welcome if dressed modestly.
• Mid-Autumn Festival (lanterns) — Lanterns over Chinatown's streets and lantern displays at Gardens by the Bay, with mooncakes sold everywhere. Free to walk through in the evenings.
• Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix · 9–11 Oct (with a sprint) — The night race on the Marina Bay street circuit, with concerts in the circuit zones. Hotel prices across the city jump for the week, roads round Marina Bay close for days before and after, and Gardens by the Bay's and the bay's viewing spots are partly fenced off. A thrill if you have tickets; otherwise a week to avoid (alerts.ts).
• Deepavali in Little India · 8 Nov (holiday 9 Nov) — Little India is lit with arches of lights along Serangoon Road for about a month before Deepavali, with a festive bazaar selling sweets, saris, rangoli colours and diyas. The streets are packed on the weekend nights before; restaurants on Serangoon Road fill up, so eat early. On the day, the temples hold special prayers.

Part of a longer route

Chinatown & Little India is a stop on a curated circuit through Singapore.