Classic to Ultra-modern
Architecture Walking Tour: Classic to Ultra-modern
The tour has 2 options to choose from:
- 3 hour morning stroll, ending in time for lunch
- 2 hour evening walk, ending at a venue suitable for pre-dinner drinks
Included is your knowledgable personal guide and small audio listening sets for social distancing.
Singapore is a feast of architectural styles and heritage, from classic European influences to ultra-modern designs inspired by great minds in Asia and the Middle East. Join this popular architecture walking tour to stroll along the downtown area and learn about one of the most eclectic skylines in the world.
Starting at the civic district, we explore the legacy of our first architect, Irishman George Coleman, who designed much of the infrastructure of Singapore in the early 19th century. We then move on into the early 20th century to meet R. A. J. Bidwell, the star of the firm Swan & Maclaren.
Next we’ll explore a conservation area of shophouses along the Singapore River contrasting with the glass-and-concrete towers of the central business district. You’ll spot a few remaining Art Deco buildings on the way and we’ll discuss the style and impact on our modern architecture.
Before ending our architecture walking tour at the famous Lau Pa Sat hawker centre, you will also learn about the latest modern developments and art pieces by international artists cleverly placed on the streets for the appreciation of the general public.
Saris, Sultans & Shophouses: Little India & Kampong Glam Walk
The tour has 2 options to choose from:
- 3 hour morning stroll, ending in time for lunch
- 2 hour evening walk, ending at a venue suitable for pre-dinner drinks
Included is your knowledgable personal guide and small audio listening sets for social distancing.
Singapore’s dynamic ethnic neighbourhoods with enduring traditions showcase a vibrant past, but also thrive on reinvention. Discover history, heritage, art and architecture as your guide walks you through narrow lanes, awakening your senses.
This tour takes you to two very different old quarters of Singapore—Little India and Kampong Glam. These two neighbourhoods were conceived in Sir Stamford Raffles’ 1822 Master Town Plan created to help the immigrants from different communities settle and thrive in a new land.
Little India – Be mesmerised by the vibrant colours of the silks and gold, the wafting smells from the incense and curries, and hypnotic clangs of the temple bells. You’ll discover that this was actually the second place Indian immigrants settled after abandoning their first allotment next to Chinatown. Why? Join us and find out!
Kampong Glam – It was envisioned as a Malay enclave divided into three sections in Raffles’ Town Plan: one for the Sultan, one for the Arab traders, and one for the Bugis settlers. Today, Kampong Glam retains much of its traditional flavour. But, the area has also grown to become one of Singapore’s most bohemian and hippest areas bursting at the seams with cafes, bars, and clubs sitting alongside the golden Sultan mosque and adjacent heritage centre.
Highlights
- Join your guide 15 mins before the tour starts
- Meet at The Arts House, 1 Old Parliament Lane
- Victoria Concert Hall & Theatre
- Cricket Club & R.A.J. Bidwell legacy
- National Gallery
- ACM – former Empress building
- Singapore River
- Cavenagh Bridge, Fullerton Hotel & Bank of China Building
- Raffles Place, Ascott Building & The Quadrant
- CapitaGreen & public art
- End at Lau Pa Sat Market
Drop Pin
Meet your guide at The Arts House, 1 Old Parliament Lane, Singapore 179429