The Lion City has come a long way since 1819, when British statesman Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles declared the tip of the Malay Peninsula a prime location for a trading station. Back then, one could hardly have imagined that from the swampy shores of the Melaka Straits a cosmopolitan metropolis would rise to become a global financial centre and one of the world's leading commercial hubs. And yet between the shadows of slick high-rises, traces of Singapore's fascinating past — a history of spices and cocktails, and colour and tradition — still linger. Here are some of our favourite haunts, old and new.
The streets around Kampong Glam, the old Malay quarter, are a haven for the city’s creatives.
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At 714 sq km, Singapore is a small island (Hong Kong is 1,104 sq km). Urban planning would be vital for an efficient city, Raffles realised, so he set up a development plan that included separate areas for different ethnic groups. Kampong Glam, once a fishing village at the mouth of the Rochor River, was allocated among Hussein Mohammed Shah, the Malay sultan of Singapore, and Malay and Arab traders. It soon became a thriving merchant village, and its colourful character remains today, with many of the old buildings restored and converted to vintage-inspired fashion stores, family-run restaurants, fabric stores and hip places that attract the peckish late into the night. kampongglam.org.sg
Singapore now: The Bayfront
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The Bayfront is an ultra-chic area built on reclaimed land. Explore the Shoppes at Marina Bay, a high-end mall; view Singapore from the Skypark Observation Deck; and wander through the exquisite Gardens by the Bay. Bayfront Avenue, marinabaysands.com
