5 Best Sights in Singapore

On this street of specialty shops, you'll find an eclectic mix of cafés and restaurants with trendy retail spots mixed in with shops that sell fabrics: batiks, embroidered table linens, rich silks, and velvets. 

The heritage houses that line Blair Road are a sight to be seen with their beautiful Peranakan floor tiles, mint green facades, and French-style shutters. They were built in the 1900s in response to the increasing demand from well-to-do Chinese merchants who wanted new homes for their families. Nowadays, they look too pretty to live in, but some people are lucky enough to call them home—which means you can't go inside and should be conscientious with your photography. Still, just strolling the street outside is enough to give you a taste of what it might be like to live here.

In its younger years, Bugis Street was the epitome of Singapore's seedy, but colorful nightlife, famous for the skimpily garbed cross-dressers who paraded its sidewalks. The government wasn't delighted, though, and the area was razed to make way for the Bugis MRT station. So strong was the outcry that Bugis Street has been re-created (but not really) just steps from its original site, between Victoria and Queen streets, Rochor Road, and Cheng Yan Place. The shophouses have been resurrected, and hawker food stands compete with casual-dining restaurants. Closed to traffic, the streets in the center of the block are a haven for bargain hunters after fast fashion or made-in-China trinkets. Across the road is Bugis Junction, a shopping center packed with mid-range dining options and clothing stores.

You'll struggle not to pull out your camera as you walk along this road. The 220 shophouses that line the street have been restored to an idealized version of their 19th-century appearance—a collection of brightly-colored facades standing in symmetrical unity. The buildings contain tea houses, calligraphers, mahjong tile makers, shops, bars, and restaurants, and although there is no one house that is especially worth visiting, the road itself makes for a pleasant stroll as you admire the striking architecture.