Kampong Gelam

Kampong Gelam, also spelled Kampong Glam, is the smallest and most charming of Singapore's heritage quarters, and the one where old and new mix best. In the colonial town plan it was allotted to the Malay community and the Sultan of Johor's family, and Arab, Bugis and Javanese traders settled around it, which explains the names: Arab Street, Bussorah Street, Baghdad Street. The centrepiece is the Sultan Mosque, Masjid Sultan, with its huge golden dome and the base of each dome ringed with glass bottle ends donated by poorer worshippers when it was rebuilt in the 1920s. Visitors are welcome outside prayer times, with robes provided at the entrance. Bussorah Street, the palm-lined pedestrian street leading to the mosque, is the classic photograph and lined with cafes and restaurants serving Malay, Turkish, Lebanese and Indonesian food. Arab Street is the place for textiles, batik, carpets and perfume oils. Two streets over, Haji Lane is the hip side: a narrow lane of colourful shophouses with murals, independent fashion boutiques and small bars that come alive after dark. The Malay Heritage Centre, in the former Istana Kampong Gelam palace, tells the story of the Malay community and has been undergoing renewal; check before you visit. The area is small, so two to three hours covers it, and it is lovely in the early evening when the heat drops, the shops are still open and the bars begin to fill.

The quarter has reinvented itself several times. Once the seat of the Malay sultanate's family and a hub for pilgrims setting off for Mecca, it declined after independence and was restored as a conservation area in the late twentieth century. Today the mix is the attraction: conservative textile shops and family-run nasi padang restaurants beside third-wave coffee, tattoo studios and craft-cocktail bars. North Bridge Road has long-running Indian-Muslim restaurants famous for murtabak, the stuffed savoury pancake, and the area as a whole is one of the best places in the city for halal food.

During Ramadan, which in 2027 falls in the early part of the year, the streets around the mosque host a busy evening bazaar where people break their fast; it is lively, crowded and delicious, and visitors are welcome. During prayer times, especially Friday midday, the mosque is closed to tourists and the area is busy with worshippers. Dress modestly to visit the mosque; robes are lent free at the entrance. Photography is fine in the public areas but be respectful inside.

Getting there: Bugis MRT station is a five-minute walk, and Little India is about fifteen minutes away on foot, so the two pair perfectly. A good plan: Little India in the morning, lunch at a Malay or Middle Eastern restaurant on Bussorah Street, the mosque and Arab Street in the early afternoon, then return to Haji Lane in the evening for its bars, live music spots and murals. Bugis Street market and the Bugis Junction mall are next door if you need air conditioning. The National Gallery and Marina Bay are a short MRT or taxi ride away, so Kampong Gelam also works as a starting point for an evening at the bay. For a souvenir with a story, look for the perfume and attar shops on Arab Street, some run by the same families for generations, which will blend a personal scent while you wait, and the textile merchants who still sell batik and songket by the meter. Late at night, when the shops close, the lanes stay lively with diners and drinkers until well after midnight.