Singapore 2-day itinerary

Singapore's art-deco estate: curved 1930s Streamline Moderne flats and a horseshoe-shaped block hiding a WWII air-raid shelter, Yip Yew Chong's bird-corner mural, a century-old hawker market, and Yong Siak Street's indie bakeries and boutiques.

1. 08:00
   Breakfast Tiong Bahru Bakery30m

   The original outpost of a now-citywide bakery chain, reopened in its Eng Hoon Street flagship form in October 2025. Famous for the kouign-amann and buttery croissants; expect a queue on weekend mornings. Not halal-certified.

2. 08:30
   Qi Tian Gong Temple (Monkey God Temple)Temple, 30m

   Singapore's first temple dedicated to the Monkey King (Sun Wukong) of Journey to the West, founded in 1920 and moved to this shophouse in 1938. More than ten Monkey King statues are enshrined inside, some dating to the 1910s. Free entry; dress and behave respectfully as it remains an active place of worship.

3. 09:15
   Bird Singing Corner MuralLandmark, 30m

   A vivid wall mural by local artist Yip Yew Chong recreating the 1980s scene of elderly residents gathering here with their caged songbirds for coffee and conversation — a Tiong Bahru tradition that has since faded. Free to view any time from the street, tucked beside the Link Hotel.

4. 10:00
   Seng Poh Garden & Dancing Girl SculptureGarden, 15m

   A small landscaped pocket garden at the heart of the 1930s Tiong Bahru estate, first laid out in 1972 on what had been an open exercise ground for residents. Its centrepiece is the 1.2-metre 'Dancing Girl' sculpture by Singapore artist Lim Nang Seng, and it's a marked stop on the National Heritage Board's Tiong Bahru Heritage Trail. Free and open-air, all day — a five-to-ten-minute pause rather than a destination in itself.

5. 10:30
   The Horseshoe BlockLandmark, 30m

   Singapore's only horseshoe-shaped public housing block, built 1939-1940 in Streamline Moderne style with sweeping curved balconies — and home to the country's last surviving pre-war civilian air-raid shelter in its basement. The exterior is freely viewable from the street; the shelter itself only opens for occasional heritage-festival tours.

6. 11:15
   Cat SocratesShopping, 30m

   A cosy, cluttered indie shop stocking Singapore-made design objects, vintage-look postcards, notebooks, and quirky homewares — plus a resident shop cat who unofficially runs the till. One of the last true independent stores left on Yong Siak Street after several neighbours, including the long-running BooksActually bookstore, closed in the early 2020s.

7. 12:00
   Woods in the BooksShopping, 30m

   A bright, whimsical children's picture-book specialist and illustration gallery on Yong Siak Street — strong on Singapore-authored titles alongside imported picture books, with occasional in-store illustration workshops and exhibitions. Good for browsing with kids or picking up a distinctive souvenir; closes earliest on Mondays and Sundays (18:00) and latest on Saturdays (20:00).

8. 12:45
   Lunch Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre1h

   A century-old hawker market rebuilt in its current form after a 2025 refresh — come for classic Singapore breakfasts like chwee kueh, chicken rice, and lor mee. Hours and days vary wildly by stall: several of the best breakfast vendors close by early afternoon or take Monday/Tuesday off, so aim for a Wednesday-Sunday morning visit for the full spread.

9. 13:45
   Tiong Bahru PlazaShopping, 1h 15m

   A six-floor neighbourhood mall directly linked to Tiong Bahru MRT (Exit B), with a supermarket, food court, and a mix of fashion, electronics, and service shops — a reliable indoor stop if it rains, or for an ATM, pharmacy, or a quick meal outside the hawker circuit. Entrances have automatic doors and signed step-free access.

10. 15:15
    Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and MuseumTemple, 1h

    A five-storey Tang-dynasty-style temple and museum built in 2007 to house what is venerated as the Buddha's left canine tooth relic, enshrined in a stupa of 320kg of gold on the top floor; lower floors hold prayer halls, a Buddhist culture museum, and a rooftop garden. Admission is free. STRICT DRESS CODE: shoulders and knees must be covered — no sleeveless tops, tank tops, shorts, or skirts above the knee; sarongs/wraps are kept at the entrance for visitors who arrive underdressed, and shoes come off before entering certain prayer halls.

11. 17:30
    Dinner Merci Marcel Tiong Bahru1h 15m

    A French bistro and wine bar on Eng Hoon Street, a few doors from Tiong Bahru Bakery, known for all-day brunch, tarte flambée, and a roadside terrace for an evening apéro. Not halal-certified — wine and cocktails are on the menu. Popular on weekends, so booking ahead is recommended; expect roughly S$25-35 per person for brunch.

The Malay-Arab quarter: Sultan Mosque's golden domes, Haji Lane's murals and boutiques, perfume ateliers and the halal food heartland.

1. 07:40
   Check out of your stay
2. 08:30
   Bussorah StreetHistoric site, 30m

   The palm-lined pedestrian street that runs straight at Sultan Mosque's entrance, and the postcard view of Kampong Glam. The two- and three-storey shophouses along it were built between 1840 and 1900 and still carry the covered five-foot way Raffles mandated, which means shade on one side whatever the hour. Ground floors are souvenir shops, textile sellers and Middle Eastern kitchens with tables out on the street. Free, open at any hour, and busiest in the late afternoon and after dark when the lanterns come on and the restaurant terraces fill; mornings are quiet enough to photograph the mosque framed by the street without a crowd.

3. 09:15
   Sri Veeramakaliamman TempleTemple, 30m

   Little India's earliest Kali temple, founded in 1855 by Tamil migrant workers — an 18-metre rajagopuram tower covered in hand-painted stucco deities marks the entrance on Serangoon Road. Free entry with a donation box inside; remove shoes before entering and dress modestly (shoulders and knees covered).

4. 10:00
   House of Tan Teng NiahLandmark, 10m

   The last surviving Chinese villa in Little India, built in 1900 for sweet-factory towkay Tan Teng Niah — repainted in vivid pink, green and blue during an 1980s-90s restoration. It's a private building today: view and photograph the facade from Kerbau Road, no entry inside. A five-minute detour off Serangoon Road.

5. 10:25
   Tekka CentreMarket, 1h

   A three-storey complex right outside Little India MRT: a working wet market at dawn, a packed hawker food centre for South Indian, Malay and Chinese stalls, and a textile/spice floor above. The building's overall hours are wide, but individual stalls keep their own schedule honestly — wet-market vendors are usually done by early afternoon, and many hawker stalls close on a rotating weekday or once they sell out.

6. 12:00
   Lunch Birds of Paradise Gelato Boutique1h

   A short walk from Haji Lane on Beach Road, this botanically-inspired gelato boutique churns flavours like sea salt hojicha, white chrysanthemum and raspberry lychee, served in house-made thyme waffle cones. A sweet, air-conditioned pause on a hot Kampong Glam afternoon.

7. 13:00
   Mustafa CentreShopping, 1h

   A legendary multi-storey department store a few minutes from Little India MRT — electronics, perfumes, groceries, souvenirs and gold, open around the clock, every day of the year. The gold and jewellery counters keep separate hours and close by 10pm; everything else stays open through the night.

8. 14:15
   Sultan MosqueMosque, 30m

   Singapore's grandest mosque, crowned with golden domes above Kampong Glam — built for Sultan Hussein Shah in 1826 and rebuilt to its present form in 1932. Locally known as Masjid Sultan. Free entry via the main entrance facing Bussorah Mall; remove footwear, dress modestly (cover-up robes are available at the counter), and time your visit outside the five daily prayer windows. Non-Muslim visitors don't enter the main prayer hall.

9. 15:00
   Malay Heritage CentreMuseum, 1h 30m

   The former palace of Kampong Glam's Malay royalty, reopened on 25 April 2026 after three and a half years of redevelopment — six galleries, close to 280 artefacts, and more than 80 percent of them on show for the first time, tracing Malay identity from the wider region to modern Singapore. Galleries open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm with last admission at 5.30pm, closed Mondays; the surrounding compound is open 8am to 9pm on the same days, so the grounds are worth a look even after the galleries shut. Entry is free for Singapore citizens and permanent residents; visitors from abroad pay 10 Singapore dollars, or 8 for persons with disabilities. It sits one street behind Sultan Mosque, so the two pair naturally.

10. 17:30
    Dinner Hjh Maimunah1h 15m

    A Kampong Glam nasi padang institution since the early 1990s and a Michelin Bib Gourmand pick — point and choose your plate from a daily spread of beef rendang, ayam bakar, sayur lodeh and more at this Muslim-owned Malay eatery. Self-service, cash-and-carry canteen style. Open 7:30am-7pm, closed Sundays.