Singapore: Chinese, Indian & Arabic Quarters, Culture & Food Tour
Description
Your host is a friendly Singapore Chinese Peranakan with a strong passion to share real life experiences about growing up in Singapore since the 70's. He’s also licensed by the Tourism Board and an academic historian. His in-depth experience of the different ethnic neighbourhoods and hawker markets promises an adventure of discovery the vibrancy of the local streets and street food now run by 2nd or 3rd generation family members, the people and the diverse communities. You will be introduced to a wide variety of locally popular street food favourites and get to know better your host and the country through his eyes and life's experiences. This fun and engaging Mixed Group adventure is for those who want to experience unique traditional street food in the UNESCO inscribed hawker centres located in the ethnic neighbourhoods of Chinatown & Little India. This unique culture has been deeply embedded in the Singapore way of life since the colonial days of early 19th century until today.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The experience starts off with an exploration of Chinatown where you will get to soak in the sights of the Chinatown neighbourhood. Stories will be shared of it's history capturing the struggles of early Chinese immigrants, their trials and tribulations of making ends meet in a rough neighbourhood filled with vices like opium, gambling, prostitution, and death. These buildings still stand today. Old images will be shown where you will see the quick transformation of Singapore's development from the past to the present day. We will also be visiting a hawker centre and get to sample locally popular Singapore Chinese street food cuisines, and at the same time experience the local way of life that has been around for the past decades.
In Little India, you will be brought around the area where the vibrancy of colour from street stalls selling fresh fruit & vegetables, flower garland markets, traditional clothing stores, and incense shops will charm your senses. It is due to these trades and other opportunities that had inspired the early Indian community to move from the original Little India near the old seafront, up here where water buffalos used to roam the swampy area. We will be visiting a hawker market here and get to sample a variety of Pakistani, North Indian & Indian Muslim street food cuisines, and experience the exciting vibrancy of the Indian community having their daily meals here.
Over at the Malay Quarter of Kampong Glam, we will be exploring the quaint streets of old. You will learn more about its people and history, especially how this place came to be and that Malay royalty used to rule the island. Be enthralled by the grand Sultan Mosque that still continues to attract Muslims from all over especially during the fasting period of Ramadan where the grounds are transformed into vibrant street markets. Over here, you will introduced to a dessert at an independently run shop, and at the same time marvel at the colourful graffiti walls that are adorned all over the neighbourhood shophouses.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We will advise you further on the location to meet either at your Hotel lobby or MRT Station, so as to enhance convenience to all our guests. If you require hotel pickup, kindly indicate your hotel location. Please take note that it is available for centralised locations in the city only.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Not recommended for travellers with gluten intolerance
- Not recommended for travelers with dietary restrictions
- Not recommended for travelers who are vegetarians as experience will be compromised
- Not recommended for travelers with children in prams or strollers
- Not recommended for travelers with Personal Mobility Aids / Devices
Reviews(910)
I love travel and I love guided tours going deeper than the traditional tourist offering. Gerry has a gift, he invites his guests into loving Singapore through storytelling. His stories range from confronting historical facts all the way through to personal family anecdotes, delivered with honesty and also with a great sense of humour. The three areas we visited were each really enjoyable on their own, but together were even better, of course woven together by Gerry’s stories. I appreciated Gerry’s connection to the local vendors, he seemed to know everyone everywhere, but also reminds us that our tour goes towards supporting their livelihoods. Th Chinatown food tasting remains in my memory as my best breakfast ever , experienced as a local in the food hall and sharing as a group. The Little India curries were superb, the kadai chicken the best curry I’ve eaten. Finishing off with a local ice cream was a nice way to close out the day. I said to my wife after our tour that this was better than our food tour in Paris
What a fantastic day out with the wonderful Gerry! The tour was everything we had hoped for and more. So many wonderful food options to try from places where local talented cooks gather to share their art. We got to try a huge variety of dishes from Chinatown, Little India and dessert in the Arab quarter. Gerry was the MOST generous host who not only shared his food knowledge, but also an insightful look into the history of all the areas visited & their contributions to what Singapore is today. Definitely don't eat before your trip - there were so many delicious options. We highly recommend this as the perfect day out to start your holiday!
Gerry was great. Very organized, punctual, friendly, engaging. Introduced us to authentic Chinese and Indian food we would have never tried in our own. Delish. In addition to food, he showed us parts of the city we would have never seen, including history, culture, non-touristy things. Do much more th as n just a food tour.
Gerry was an excellent guide and very passionate about the history and food of Singapore. Gerry only takes small groups that makes it a very personal experience
This was our fourth food tour in Asia in the last 2 weeks (the other 3 were private food tours through Japan) and this was by far, the best. Tried food we would have never tried on my own. Saw places and learned a lot about Singaporean history (the good and bad), so interesting. Gerry was friendly, organized, on time, entertaining, and truly loved his community and culture. So much delicious food. A definite must do at beginning of your stay as he explained so much more than just food.
We had a great private tour with Gerry. We were traveling with three little kids, including a baby, and he made it a fun and manageable experience for all! He picked us up and dropped us off at our hotel which was really convenient. We had a feast in Chinatown and enjoyed meeting some of the locals. He provided a lot of interesting facts and history along the way, even getting the little ones engaged and asking questions. Glad we found this tour and would recommend!
Gerry was an exceptional guide, very attentive, and interactive. Food was abundant tasty and as much as we could eat! Gerry provided history, photos and engages the whole family to make it a enriching food tour.
Well worth the price and time commitment, we loved the whole experience with Gerry and other tour attendees learning about systems in Singapore, including hawker markets, history of the country, social cohesion, housing, health, education, and more.
Excellent experience with a very friendly, helpful and informative guide. I have had many food tours worldwide and Gerry definitely raised the bar. The food selection was a perfect display of the diversity in Singapore and the vibe was unforgettable. Do not hesitate to take this tour
This is a very worthwhile tour blending history with food tasting. Be warned, don't eat too much prior!!
