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(901)
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!!
Gerry was exceptional in every way!!! He knew every aspect of Singapore and shared so many interesting facts. He has a fabulous personality and makes every attempt to make sure everyone has a great time.The food was out of this world! If you can only do one tour in Singapore, THIS IS THE ONE!! Highly recommend.
The food tour was the highlight of my trip. It serves extremely well in the beginning to orientate oneself in the diverse food culture of Singapore. Gerry has been a perfect guide, always chatty and funny, very interested in the group but also sharing insights into Singapore and his personal life. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone coming to Singapore.
We had a fantastic day with Gerry. We learned so much about Singapore - not just about the food but its history, culture, past and current practices and especially interesting to me was the effect that gentrification is exerting on the traditional ways of the ‘aunties & uncles’ in the hawker markets. Gerry is lots of fun and his care for fellow Singaporeans and foreign workers is very clear to see. If I had just wandered around Chinatown and Little India without him showing us the truly local flavour, rather than just tourist spots, I would have been disappointed. He’s very generous with food and drinks and you won’t need dinner that night.
My family and I were lucky enough to go on the best food tour in town. We 3 were in Singapore for 1 week in July and decided to use a food tour to introduce us to the variety and richness of Singapore's diverse culture of cuisine. How grateful I am that we had Jerry as our guide. He picked us up at our hotel in a van and took us to the first stop, Chinatown. His full descriptions of the neighborhood, the chnages over the years and the poeple that make up the core if this vital part of Singapore brought it to life. Then there was the food, oh my! What a feast. Satay, Fried Carrot Cake, Laksa, Popiah, Hainanese Chicken Rice and more. Some stalls have Michelin approval. Cold beers, fresh juices. And nothing went to waste, Jerry made sure that any leftovers went to those in the community that may need a helping hand. We were stuffed and wasn't past 10:30 and we had two more delicious stops to go. Nest was Little India, another feast in a traditional old school Indian restaurant. Chicken Briyani, Masala Lamb, Kadai vegetbles, Roti Prata, Fish curry and many other dishes leaving us filled with the warm flavors of the subcontinent. All the while Jerry was explaining in detail why the community os there and the rich history of its place in Singapore's history. Walking and using the public transport between stops helped to disgest. Final destination was The Islamic quarter and gelato. A cooling stop on a hot day. In total the tour lasted until well past 3:00 PM. Jerry was the bomb. And I had to cancel our dinner resrvations because there was no way we could eat after that. Take this tour. Ask for Jerry. Eat yourself silly.
My daughter and I had the best time on this food tour with Gerry. Not only did we enjoy incredible food in Chinatown, Kampong Glam, and Little India, but we also learned so much about Singapore along the way. Gerry’s deep knowledge of Singapore’s history, combined with stories from his own family who have lived here for generations, brought each neighborhood to life as we explored. He’s clearly been doing this for a long time, seems to know everyone in the neighborhoods, and is absolutely hilarious. If you’re looking for a food tour that goes far beyond the food, I can’t recommend this experience highly enough!
Best tour ever! Gerry is awesome. He made sure everyone in our group felt taken care of, was very kind & was a lot of fun to hang out with. Along with providing a great food tour, he also shared about the history & culture of the city, which we greatly appreciated. Sometimes the hawker centers can feel overwhelming, but after the tour with Gerry, we felt comfortable & excited to try new foods. If you’re considering this tour - do it! You won’t regret it. Plus, you’re supporting a local business, & someone who truly cares about supporting & respecting the history of this beautiful city!
I have been on many food tours in many countries and this was one of my favorites. I can't recommend this enough. I loved that it was a small group tour that ran at a leisurely--there was plenty of time to enjoy and savor the seemingly endless parade of dishes, get to know the other participants, and hear Gerry's wonderful stories and background information. I felt as if we were able to experience authentic Singaporean experiences that I would not be able to find easily on my own. Gerry was amazing and went out of his way to make everyone comfortable and provided so much choice and options that were tailored to our group. This is definitely not a cookie cutter tour. I also really appreciated that Gerry picked me up at my hotel and made sure I made it back to my hotel at the end of the tour. This was a great experience that I would recommend to anyone looking to experience good food while learning about Singapore's history and culture.
