Tiong Bahru walking tour & city guide

The estate

The low-rise white flats with spiral staircases and rounded balconies were built in the 1930s. Murals by local artists show scenes of old Singapore life.

Food

Tiong Bahru Market's hawker center upstairs is one of the city's favorites, and the streets are full of bakeries and coffee shops.

Good to know

Tiong Bahru is a residential neighborhood, so walk quietly and respect the people who live there. Mornings are the best time to visit, when the market is at its busiest and the bakeries have fresh croissants and pastries. The area is just a short walk from Tiong Bahru MRT station.

Look out for the bird singing corner, where residents once hung birdcages for singing competitions, and the air-raid shelter beneath one of the blocks, built before World War II and now visited on guided tours. The neighborhood's heritage trail has markers explaining its history.

A morning walk

Start with breakfast upstairs at Tiong Bahru Market, where queues form early for chwee kueh and lor mee, then browse the wet market downstairs. Walk along Eng Hoon Street and Seng Poh Road to admire the streamlined Art Deco blocks, built by the Singapore Improvement Trust in the 1930s as some of the first public housing in the city. Independent bookshops and design stores on Yong Siak Street are good for a browse before a coffee in one of the corner cafés.