Singapore
A Peranakan quarter of pastel facades, then the city-state's last island frozen in the 1960s
Singapore
A journey through intimate Singapore, far from Marina Bay and the skyscrapers: Katong and Joo Chiat, residential districts of Peranakan shophouses covered in colourful ceramic tiles, a legacy of the mixed Chinese-Malay culture that thrived in the Strait of Malacca, then Pulau Ubin, Singapore's last rural island, where wooden villages, secondary forest, and an almost total absence of concrete offer a glimpse of the country before its lightning-fast development.
When
Feb to April | July to Sept
Price
From 1 900€ excl. flights
(based on 2 people sharing)
How long
4 nights
Ideal length
Days 1-2
The first chapter unfolds in Katong and Joo Chiat, residential districts in eastern Singapore that concentrate the city-state's highest density of Peranakan shophouses, pastel facades adorned with ceramic tiles imported from England and finely carved wooden motifs. This architecture bears witness to Peranakan culture, born from the intermarriage of Chinese merchants settled from the 15th century onward and local Malay populations, whose cuisine, dress, and creole language still endure in the district today.
Day 1
The shophouses of Koon Seng Road
A stroll along Koon Seng Road, discovering Singapore's best-preserved pastel-facade Peranakan shophouses, then a visit to a traditional embroidery workshop.
Day 2
A Peranakan cooking class
A Peranakan cooking class with a local family, preparing traditional laksa and kueh, discovering a cuisine born of Chinese-Malay intermarriage.
Days 1-2
A crossing by traditional motorboat to Pulau Ubin, Singapore's last rural island, deliberately kept apart from the urban development that has transformed the rest of the city-state since the 1960s. With no paved roads or buildings, the island is explored by bicycle along wooden villages inhabited by a handful of families, through secondary forest that has reclaimed former granite quarries and rubber plantations.
Day 1
Cycling through the wooden villages
Bicycle rental to explore Pulau Ubin through its wooden villages, former granite quarries converted into ponds, and secondary forest.
Day 2
The Chek Jawa mangrove reserve
A walk along the wooden boardwalks of the Chek Jawa reserve, discovering six distinct coastal ecosystems, between mangrove, coral reef, and coastal forest.
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