Neighbourhoods
Four areas we walk every week, with the hours that matter and the detours worth taking. Written by the person who leads the route, not by a copywriter.
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Chinatown & Maxwell
The temple on Buddha Tooth Relic Road is free and quiet before nine. The food market next to Maxwell station is where the guide eats on their day off; the souvenir stretch on Pagoda Street is where nobody does.
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Bukit Timah
Start at the old railway bridge while it is still cool and the jungle is loud. The summit path is steeper than the photographs suggest; the reward is breakfast at a coffee shop five minutes from the trailhead.
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Katong & Joo Chiat
The pastel Peranakan facades face west, which is why photographers arrive at four. Two kueh shops close by three, so buy first and walk after. The laksa argument between the two famous stalls has no winner.
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Lavender & Jalan Besar
A working neighbourhood that turns into a food one after dark. The hardware shops on Jalan Besar are worth a look in daylight if you like old signage. The bakery on the corner sells out before noon.