Here's our ultimate Singapore layover guide for this season!
Having a multi-racial heritage means we are BIG on our festive celebrations! Chinese New Year is just around the corner on 25th Jan 2020 and the city is bustling with exciting festivities in every corner of the island.
If you happen to be transiting in Singapore this period, do join our celebrations as My Travel Kakis Singapore has planned 4 itineraries for you - perfect for your layover of 24 hours or just 3.5 hours.
Important Transit Tip:
Read our Transit Guide: Singapore Changi Airport for your Singapore layover and transit planning. You can find information on how to get around the transit area of Terminal 1, 2, 3, and 4; and tips on minimum time required for transit, Visa application requirements, baggage storage, and Singapore's public transport.
Starting with our 24 hours layover and counting down...
1. FOR A 24 HOURS LAYOVER
Visit the 3 Most Popular Local Chinese New Year Markets
(Each Unique of Its Own)
Orchard Road is no doubt Singapore's shopping paradise for tourists. But, for visitors, when it comes to shopping for Chinese New Year goodies, it takes a back seat compared to the more advertised Chinatown. Chinatown is great, but locals don't actually buy all our festive goods at Chinatown. Why? Because each festive market has its own unique buys and things worth visiting.
So, here's our recommendation on what's worth your visit at Takashimaya Chinese New Year Food Fair, Albert Centre Market & Food Centre at Waterloo Street, and Chinatown; as well as when is the best time to go.
Takashimaya Chinese New Year Food Fair
Itinerary Time: 1.5 hours
Nearest MRT Station: Orchard Station (North South Line)
Date: 29 Dec 2019 to 23 Jan 2020
For decades, it's a part of the locals' festive shopping culture to visit Takashimaya's Chinese New Year Food Fair at Ngee Ann City, B2, Takashimaya Square. One can expect a lively atmosphere of over 50 food stalls.
You'll get to taste some of the best traditional and artisan festive cookies, snacks, and goodies - gathered from renowned hotels, bakeries, and local manufacturers around the island.
What we like most is the aroma of the freshly baked pineapple tarts that filled the air as we stepped into the event's atrium. What's better? You'll get to try all the goodies (that you sinfully desire) across almost all the stores, for FREE!
In fact, you don't have to ask for samples. Amidst the bustling crowd, staff from the food stalls would be literally pushing their food samples to all that walked past their stores.
So, you'd be popping morsels of sweet/savoury cookies and snacks throughout your food tour. This...
this...
this... and that... YES!
This is why we'd recommend to start your morning at Takashimaya and to keep your stomach empty before visiting.
From the traditional Kuih Bangkit (light delicate coconut cream cookies) and Kueh Lapis (buttery multi-layered baked cake) to the artisan Champagne Lychee Cookies or the uniquely savoury Singapore Nasi Lemak Cookies inspired from our local coconut milk and pandan leaf frangrant rice, you'll experience why Chinese New Year's snacks are such a big hype in Singapore's food culture.
The cookies are also reasonably priced in the range of under S$20/bottled from bakeries and under S$30/bottle from hotels - perfect as gifts to share your fondest memories of Singapore with your friends and family back home.
Tip:
You can expect heavy discounts and freebies during the last few days of the fair.
How To Go:
From the Airport:
Take a taxi/Grab/GoJek (click here for Singapore’s Public Transport Tips) down to Ngee Ann City (45 mins journey).
Alternatively, take the MRT Train (1 hour 15 mins journey + 10 mins walk). From Changi Airport Terminal 2 or 3, take the East West Line to Tanah Merah Station and transfer on the East West Line (towards Tuas Link Station). Reaching City Hall Station, transfer on the North South Line (towards Jurong East Station). Alight at Orchard Station and take the exit towards Wisma Shopping Centre. Walk straight across Wisma Shopping Centre (Basement 1) to Ngee Ann City and take escalator down to Basement 2, Takashimaya Square.
Albert Centre Market & Food Centre (Waterloo Street)
Itinerary Time: 2.5 hours
Nearest MRT Station: Bugis Junction Station (East West Line) or Bencoolen Station (Downtown Line)
Date: Till 23rd Jan
While the Chinese New Year Festive Market at Waterloo Street is smaller to that of Chinatown, it's definitely worth a visit. Why? It's next to the iconic Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple - one of Singapore’s must-see cultural sites that locals visit during the festive period.
Furthermore, just a 3-min walk away, you can visit the wholesale market at the Albert Centre Market & Food Centre (level 3). This wholesale market is where locals, like us, shop for reasonably-priced Chinese New Year snacks and ingredients.
You can spend your afternoon picking up authentic festive snacks such as the Hae Bee Hiam Rolls (Spicy Dried Shrimp Rolls) or traditional Chinese New Year dishes' ingredients such as fish maw, canned abalone, dried shiitake mushrooms, dried longans/red dates and Chinese herbs for your Asian soups recipes.
Besides shopping, do drop by the gigantic God-of-Wealth to have your 2020 fortune read according to your Chinese Zodiac signs.
How To Go:
From the Airport:
Take a taxi/Grab/GoJek (click here for Singapore’s Public Transport Tips) down to Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple (40 mins journey).
Alternatively, take the MRT Train (50 mins journey + 12 mins walk). From Changi Airport Terminal 2 or 3, take the East West Line to Tanah Merah Station and transfer on the East West Line (towards Tuas Link Station). Alight at Bugis Station. From exit C, cross the road and walk through Bugis Street Village. Thereafter, cross the road again and you will see Albert Centre Market & Food Centre on your left. To go to Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple, walk straight ahead (2-min) and turn left when you see the gigantic God-of-Wealth. Thereafter, walk straight (2-min) and temple would be on your right.
From Takashimaya (Orchard):
Walk 10 mins to Orchard Station. Take the North South Line (towards Marina South Pier) to City Hall Station. At City Hall Station, transfer on the East West Line (towards Pasir Ris Station) to Bugis Station. From exit C, cross the road and walk through the Bugis Street Village. Thereafter, cross the road again and you will see Albert Centre Market & Food Centre on your left. To go to Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple, walk straight ahead (2-min) and turn left when you see the gigantic God-of-Wealth. Thereafter, walk straight (2-min) and temple would be on your right. (15 mins journey + 22 mins walk)
Chinatown Chinese New Year Celebrations
Itinerary Time: 4.5 hours
Nearest MRT Station: Chinatown Station (Downtown Line)
Date: 4 Jan to 22 Feb 2020
Chinatown Street Light-Up
Time: 7.00pm – 12.00mn (Daily); 7.00pm – 6.00am (Chinese New Year Eve)
Venue: Eu Tong Sen Street, New Bridge Road, South Bridge Road and Garden Bridge
One of the main draw in Chinatown during the Chinese New Year is the Chinatown Street Light-Up. Hence, evening is the best time to visit.
This year, the light-up features handmade sculptured lanterns of the 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals, anchored with a 12-metre centrepiece of the victorious Golden Rat nested amidst a bed of gold coins, pink peonies and a massive ingot.
We would advice to start the tour from Eu Tong Sen Street/New Bridge Road (Chinatown Mrt Train Station Exit C). From there, you can cross over to the main Festive Street Bazaar at Pagoda Street via the Garden Bridge. At the Garden Bridge, you'll have an overview of the streets festive lighting.
Alternatively, if you wish to have a close-up photo with your favourite Chinese Zodiac (lanterns), you can cross the road to Pagoda Street via the traffic junction.
As you shop along the Festive Street Bazaar, your lantern tour will end towards South Bridge Road.
There, you'll be greeted by one of Singapore’s famous cultural sites - the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum, a five-storey temple known for its extensive collections on Buddhist culture and history.
Festive Street Bazaar
Date : 3 – 24 January 2020 Time : 6.00pm – 10.30pm (Daily); 6.00pm – 1.00am (Chinese New Year’s Eve) Venue : Pagoda Street, Smith Street, Sago Street, Temple Street and Trengganu Street
Nestled along the narrow streets of Chinatown's historical five-foot-ways (Wu Jiao Ji -五脚基) shop houses at Pagoda Street, is an exciting line-up of shops and pop-up stalls selling the traditional Chinese New Year goods.
You certainly cannot miss out on shopping for the iconic Spring Festival Couplets (Chun Lian - 春联) - composed of a pair of poetry lines written in golden characters on red paper to be pasted on both sides of the front door. This tradition dated back to the Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC), is widely kept by Chinese all over the world from the rural areas to modern cities like Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Singapore.
Along with the couplets (S$3.80 - S$4.80 a pair), you'll also be dazzled by hundreds of Chinese festive decorative items from cushion covers (3 for S$10) to hanging ornaments (S$1 - S$20) that express wishes for a better new year.
Next, skip the usual touristy gift shops and join the locals in sampling the festive sweets, jellies, and preserved fruits.
Sweets and Jellies
Don't miss out popular snacks such as the flavoured roasted peanuts and melon seeds from King of Melon Seeds, and Bak Kwa (Chinese sweet BBQ pork jerky) from Bee Cheng Hiang.
Roasted peanuts, Melon Seeds and Other Snacks
Bak Kwa
Local Hawker Street Food
With the shopping done, one of the best local hawker food to try in Chinatown is the Liao Fan Hawker Chan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodles. There's always a queue as it's one of the cheapest Michelin Starred food in the world. You can have a meal for 2 under S$10!!! The dishes at the original store at 335 Smith Street (Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre, #02-126) would be sold out by 3 pm; hence, the alternative would be their store at 78 Smith St.
There are also several outdoor eateries (mainly visited by tourists) nested in the festive market where you can dine while enjoying the vibrant festive atmosphere.
Hawker Street Food at Chinatown Food Street
Chinatown Seafood Restaurant
Nightly Stage Shows
Date : 4 – 24 January 2020 Time : 8.00pm – 10.30pm (daily) Venue : Kreta Ayer Square
Ending the night, just around the corner of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum and Festive Street Bazaar, at Kreta Ayer Square, you can catch the lively and vibrant Chinese New Year performances by local and overseas artistes and performing groups.
How To Go:
From the Airport:
Take a taxi/Grab/GoJek (click here for Singapore’s Public Transport Tips) down to People's Park Complex at Eu Tong Sen Street (40 mins journey).
Alternatively, take the MRT Train (1 hour journey). From Changi Airport Terminal 2 or 3, take the East West Line to Expo Station and transfer on the Downtown Line. Alight at Chinatown Station ( Exit C for the Chinatown Street Light-Up or Exit A to go directly to the Festive Street Bazaar).
From the Albert Centre Market & Food Centre/ Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple:
Walk 5 mins to Bencoolen Station. Take the Downtown Line (towards Bukit Panjang Station) to Chinatown Station (10 mins journey + 5 mins walk).
From the Takashimaya (Orchard):
Walk 10 mins to Orchard Station. Take the North South Line (towards Jurong East Station) to Newton Station. At Newton Station, transfer on the Downtown Line (towards Bukit Panjang Station) to Chinatown Station (25 mins journey + 10 mins walk).
2. FOR A 12 HOURS LAYOVER
Have Your Pick on 2 of the 3 Most Popular Local Chinese New Year Markets.
Which to pick depends on your interests.
If historical culture and sightseeing is more your thing or if you wish to hunt for local ingredients for your Asian recipes, Albert Centre Market & Food Centre at Waterloo Street, and Chinatown would be perfect.
For foodies who would love to uncover Singaporeans' Chinese New Year food culture and would like to bag some of our local traditional cookies and snacks back home, we would recommend visiting Takashimaya Chinese New Year Food Fair and Chinatown.
Refer to the 24 Hours Layover Itinerary above for more information on the destinations and transport guide.
3. FOR A 6 HOURS LAYOVER
Join the Daily Free Singapore Tour (organised by Changi Airport)
Free Singapore Tour (Heritage Tour)
Select the Heritage Tour that will take you past the bustling Chinatown where you can catch the Chinatown Street Light-Up featuring gigantic handmade sculptured lanterns of the 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals along with hanging lanterns of gold coins and pink peonies.
Free Singapore Tour (Jewel Tour)
After the Heritage Tour, if you have more than 2 hours till your connecting flight, you can choose to remain on board the tour bus and join the Jewel Tour. The tour bus will make a stop at Jewel Changi Airport after Terminal 3.
At the end of the Jewel Tour, depending on your schedule, you can choose to follow the tour guide back to Terminal 3 transit area, or stay for some Chinese New Year shopping for traditional savoury snacks and nuts from Tong Garden and the famous Lim Chee Guan's Bak Kwa.
Tip:
Registration for the Free Singapore Tour is based on a walk-in, first-come, first-served basis. There's always a queue, so, do make your way to the nearest Free Singapore Tour Booths (within the transit area) before the registration ends for the day. Singapore Airlines and SilkAir passengers can pre-book the tour (do check with your carrier). The operating hours for the booths are 7:00 am – 6:15 pm (Terminal 2) and 7:00 am – 6:30 pm (Terminal 3). You may only join either the Heritage Tour or the City Sights Tour because transiting passengers can only enter and exit Singapore once.
4. FOR A 3.5 HOURS LAYOVER
Stay in the Transit Area
You'll be surprised that you can also find hundreds of traditional Chinese New Year snacks in
the transit area of Changi Airport - bringing you the taste of Singapore's festivity goodies.
You can buy the most popular festive delicacies - the Pineapple Tarts - from one of the oldest traditional bakery chain in Singapore, Bengawan Solo.
Those who wish to indulge less sinfully would love the organic, eggless, and gluten-free cookies options from Celede Cafe.
A must-have snack to bag home is the Bak Kwa from Bee Cheng Hiang. The Salted Egg Fried Fish Skins from Irvins Salted Egg is another addictive snack to have during the festive season.
Before your flight, do catch the instaworthy walk-in Chinese New Year decorations set-up throughout the transit area.
Click here to plan the time you need to travel across terminals.
Whichever itinerary you pick, I would recommend to stay at least a day to experience the Chinese New Year festivities. PS: Our sunny island has so much more to offer for a 2-3 days stopover.
My Travel Kakis Singapore Travel Blog - Singapore Layover Guide for Chinese New Year Season