Maritime History
The Vanished Shore of Beach Road
This 3 hour walking tour takes you on a journey along a coastline that has disappeared, and the many forgotten stories and people hidden behind today’s skyline. What looks familiar now was once a shifting edge of sea, rivers, trade and migration, an edge constantly remade by nature, commerce and planning.
Along the way, uncover stories of kampongs, shipyards, markets, hawkers, resettlement and urban renewal, and meet the communities who shaped this coast in different ways: Orang Laut sea people, Bugis traders, Hainanese settlers, Arab landowners, migrant workers and everyday residents.
If you think you know Beach Road, this walk will change how you see it forever.
This tour is part of the Best of Both collaboration with Jane’s Tours and the Urbanist Singapore
Highlights
- Meet your guide at Kallang Riverside Park.
- Golden Mile
- Hajah Fatimah Mosque
- Kampong Gelam
- Haji Lane
- DUO residences
- Gateway
- Hainanese Hwee Kuan building
- The tour will end at Raffles Hotel
Maritime History of Telok Blangah
In this 3 hour walking tour we will dive into the Maritime History of Telok Blangah, one of the most historic areas of Singapore, of which records of inhabitation exist from as early as the 14th century. Offering a deep water port along the Old Singapore Strait, Telok Blangah Bay was used for centuries by Singapore’s indigenous sea nomads as well as seafarers from across the region and beyond. From the seat of a 19th century Malay ruler and a notorious pirate nest it became Keppel Harbour, an important part of the colonial Singapore port offering dry docks, shipyards, a coaling station and much more to passing ships.
A modern marina and several condominiums have been built around the old harbour, but who looks closely can find remnants of the area’s notable nautical past. We will climb Mount Faber for an overview of the Old Singapore Straits and all its ships, to see with our own eyes how this ancient crossroads between East and West is still one of the busiest seaways in the world.
Highlights
- Meet your guide at Labrador Park MRT Station.
- Berlayer Creek
- Longyamen en Berlayer Rock
- Bukit Chermin Boardwalk
- Keppel Harbour dry docks
- Keppel Island
- Pender Road colonial estate
- Mount Faber Point
- Mount Faber Deck
- Harbourfront Centre
- The tour will end at Harbourfront MRT station.
The 3-hour tour is a serious walking tour which covers 6-7kms and includes a walk to the top of Mount Faber, which is only 106 meter high, but a fairly steep climb. It is possible to do a lighter 2-hour version of the tour which excludes Mount Faber Point and Deck. For the more adventurous we can add a trek into the jungle to see an old bunker, the overgrown Keppel Hill reservoir/ swimming pool and a Japanese Tomb.
The Lost Anchorage: Telok Ayer to Padang
Walk the old edge of town where land met sea, and where traders, communities, and rulers shaped early Singapore. From Telok Ayer to the commercial waterfronts, we will trace clues in street names and reclamation lines that show our early relationship with the sea. The route connects temples, markets, and maritime stories, and helps you “see” the shoreline that still lives beneath today’s streets.
This tour is part of the Best of Both collaboration with Jane’s Tours and the Urbanist Singapore
Highlights
- Meet your guide at Tanjong Pagar MRT Station.
- Telok Ayer Street
- Al-Abrar Mosque
- Thian Hock Keng Temple
- Nagore Dargah (former)
- Clan association along Telok Ayer Street
- Market Street
- Raffles Place Green
- Padang
- The tour will end at City Hall Green