Markets Singapore – market guide
Chinatown has vibrant street markets
There is no disputing Singapore’s claim as the shopping capital of Southeast Asia, resplendent with dazzling multi-storey modern shopping malls as far as the eye can see. However shopping in Singapore is not just restricted to air conditioned fashion emporiums and fancy department stores.
While you may not quite experience the pure chaos and colour of Bangkok or Jakarta street markets, it is still a refreshing change from the rather sterile environment of mega mall shopping. Flea markets and street bazaars are the last bastion in Singapore for bargain hunters looking to practise haggling skills and great deals abound with a little time and patience. Better still, this is where you will find some weird and wonderful gifts and knick knacks that conventional shops and department stores simply do not stock.
The most rewarding shopping comes from a myriad of atmospheric street markets which dot the suburbs and city centre. This is where you will find an eclectic range of ethnic gifts, retro fashions, cheap and cheerful souvenirs and everything else under the sun.
The days of dirt cheap pirate CDs and fake Rolex watches are virtually at an end in Singapore nowadays, having been eradicated by Trading Standards Police. There is still no shortage of decent bargains for souvenirs, traditional Chinese handicrafts and exotic batik textiles which are among Singapore’s best buys and make light-weight, stylish gifts for friends back home. Not only that, the market browsing experience is priceless even if you have no intention of parting with your hard earned cash. It is also a great place to try some of the city’s most tantalising street snacks for next to nothing.
Recommended Singapore markets
Bugis Village has scores of fashion stalls
A good introduction to Singapore market life is at the cavernous Bugis Village (4 New Bugis St, opposite Bugis MRT, Tel: +65 6826 5590, open weekdays 24 hours) and the largest daily market in town. It is a labyrinthine maze of stalls offering kitschy gifts, jewellery and plenty of retro fashion boutiques. Continue on to the open air section at the rear for more of the same along with exotic fruit and vegetables, pungent spices and colourful Chinese masks and silk garments.
It is unashamedly geared towards tourists but a great experience all the same, if only for its irrepressible street entertainment. Singapore’s famously rich ethnic mix ensures lots of rewarding browsing in the suitably exotic surroundings of Chinatown, bustling Little India and the Malay enclave of Kampong Glam with imposing mosques and brilliant eateries.
The latter hosts a vibrant flea market and car boot sale every third Sunday in the month but is a happy hunting ground at any time for cheap haberdashery, silk and chiffon garments and exuberant Batik textiles. Stroll around and breathe in the aroma of scented sheesha pipes and haggle for fanciful gold jewellery and exotic Islamic artwork. Kampong Glam is also just a short walk from Bugis MRT. More on Kampong Glam.
Unforgettable Little India is definitely not to be missed. Little India Arcade (48 Serangoon Road, Tel. +65 6295 5998, open daily 10:00 to 21:00) is where the frenzied action takes place all under one roof. It is filled with sari shops, deafening Bollywood music, pungent spices and all manner of handicrafts and jewellery. Recommended cheap buys include DVDs, ayervedic oils and jasmine garlands. Close by on Sungei Road, the famous Thieves Market still does a roaring trade with tourists and locals alike and there is nowhere better to enjoy some spicy South Indian savoury snacks.
Singapore's famous Thieves Market
No visit to the ‘Lion City’ would be complete without an evening spent among the twinkling red lanterns and pagodas of Chinatown street market. Surrounded by timeless shop houses and noisy hawker food centres, browsing for bargains here is always entertaining, as long as you can avoid the wily attentions of the ever persistent tailor shops. Good value buys include traditional Chinese silks, elegant calligraphy and masks.
Singapore’s flea markets are enjoying a renaissance, as much for the atmosphere as the opportunity to pick up dirt cheap bargains. The largest is the weekend market at Stadium Cove (2 Stadium Walk, Tel: +65 6344 2660), located in the Kallang district, but perhaps the most colourful shopping experience of all is to be found at the Malay market of Geylang Serai (Aljunied MRT, open daily 10:00 to 20:00). It is a haphazard maze of stalls packed to the rafters with aromatic spices and fruit, household items, cheap electronics and intricate Islamic wood carvings.
Even Singapore’s gleaming shopping malls have jumped on the bandwagon by offering a quintessential street market atmosphere in air conditioned comfort. Upscale Tanglin Mall (19 Tanglin Road between St Regis & Orchard Parade Hotel, Orchard MRT, tanglinsc@anysituation.com.sg Open Mon-Sat 12:00 - 18:00) hosts a twice monthly Saturday morning flea market extravaganza that is certainly worth a browse. You can make a full weekend of it by heading to fashionable Clarke Quay which holds a vibrant Sunday market.
