One of the biggest surprises on my first trip to Singapore was Kampong Glam, the city’s Malay-Muslim Quarter. By this point in my visit, I’d already explored Chinatown and Little India. So, it was only fitting that next on the list was a walk through Kampong Glam to learn more about Singapore’s Malay culture to round out my appreciation of the city’s three main ethnic groups.
Kampong Glam, also known as Kampong Gelam in Malay, is one of the most interesting areas I’ve visited on my three trips to Singapore. Every time explored the neighborhood, I loved walking among the colonial-era shophouses around Arab Street and Haji Lane, which are some of the most colorful I’ve seen around the city. And, of course, I can’t forget Kampong Glam’s magnificent centrepiece, the Sultan Mosque. In a city renowned for its modern architecture, this stunning example of Islamic architecture is, in my opinion, a must-see for any first-time traveler to Singapore.
Ready to explore one of the city’s most fascinating neighborhoods? Let’s spend a couple of hours wandering around Singapore’s Malay-Muslim Quarter with this complete Kampong Glam self-guided walking tour itinerary for first-time visitors!
Our recommended Kampong Glam itinerary
Jalan Pinang
On my last visit to Singapore, I decided to venture down to Kampong Glam after eating a filling bowl of seafood laksa at Sungei Road Laksa on nearby Jalan Berseh. And I was glad I did. Approaching the neighborhood from here, I accidentally stumbled upon Jalan Pinang.
This small side street has a few hidden gems, but none is more commanding than taking in its views. Walking south on Jalan Pinang from Victoria Street, the street scene perfectly frames the rear entrance of the Sultan Mosque, with its gleaming golden domes in full display.
Before digging more into Jalan Pinang, let’s fuel up for the journey at Earlybird (17 Jln Pinang). Sit down for a delicious Western-inspired breakfast dish like fried chicken & pancakes with chili maple syrup or barbecue pulled pork with crumbed eggs on sourdough. Or, if you just need a pick-me-up, grab an espresso, iced coffee, or matcha latte to go, and continue on your adventure.
Earlybird opens its doors at 9 am, making it a great spot to start our morning tour of Kampong Glam.
As I walked south along Jalan Pinang, I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful wall murals painted by Singaporean artist Yip Yew Chong on the facade of the Hotel NuVe. Both murals (Kampong Gelam and Satay Club) pay tribute to the history & culture of the city’s Malay population.
(Unsurprisingly, these murals reminded me of those I found scattered around George Town on the island of Penang, the street’s namesake.)
After checking out the murals and admiring the street views, keep walking down Jalan Pinang to North Bridge Road to get closer to our next stop and Kampong Glam’s star attraction.
Sultan Mosque
Once you reach North Bridge Road, swing right and then turn left on Arab Street. At the first left, we’ll stumble through an archway onto Muscat Street. Here, we’ll get the chance to check out one of Singapore’s most stunning buildings: the Sultan Mosque.
Before visiting the mosque, keep an eye out for another of Yip Yew Chong’s murals at the corner of Arab Street and Muscat Street. Like his other artwork on Jalan Pinang, this eye-popping street art walks through the neighborhood’s history from a small seafront village to an important cultural centre for the city.
After admiring Chong’s artwork, walk further down the pedestrianized section of Muscat Street to the front entrance of the Sultan Mosque. As a visitor, you’ll need to enter the mosque grounds through Gate 5.
The mosque is open to visitors from Saturday to Thursday between 10 am and 12 pm and from 2 pm to 4 pm. It’s closed on Fridays.
PRO TIP: As one might expect, the dress code at the Sultan Mosque is strict for visitors. Men cannot enter the mosque without long pants and a sleeved shirt. Women must wear long-sleeved shirts with nothing visible under the neckline, and pants down to the ankles. Clothes must also not be see-through.
Didn’t prep for your visit? Not to fret. I noticed that the mosque also provides free robes for visitors to cover up to the left of the main staircase at the entrance.
If you’re able to get in, take note that non-Muslims are not allowed to wander freely through the main prayer hall. Visitors are restricted to a roped-off section at the back of the hall. It still provides a clear, full view of the interior and the mihrab (the niche pointing to Mecca).
After visiting the mosque, I’d recommend taking a quick breather along Bussorah Street. While wandering down this short pedestrian street, running between Muscat Street and Baghdad Street, I spotted a ton of great Middle Eastern-inspired restaurants, cafes, and shops. (Plus, it’s a fantastic spot for great photo ops.)
Stop in at Ayasofya (51 Bussorah St) for traditional Turkish dishes like their delicious sultan kebab. Or, for a lighter touch, grab a tabbouleh salad at the appropriately-named Tabbouleh (54 Bussorah St).
There’s plenty of interesting shops along Bussorah Street, too. The one that caught my eye immediately was the Grand Bazaar (61 Bussorah St). It’s jam-packed with colorful Turkish lamps, ceramics, and jewelry. (They’ll even bring you a complimentary glass of apple tea while you shop!)
Istana Kampong Glam (Malay Heritage Centre)
After finishing exploring the restaurants and shops on Bussorah Street, walk back up towards the mosque to Muscat Street. Turning right and walking through the Muscat Street Arch, we’ll land on Kampong Glam’s second-biggest cultural attraction: Istana Kampong Glam.
This former Malay palace has a long history, with the original grounds dating back to 1819. The current main palace building was completed in 1843. In 2004, it was converted into the Malay Heritage Centre, a museum dedicated to preserving the history and culture of Singapore’s Malay community.
Since my last visit to Singapore, the Malay Heritage Centre has closed for a major revamp. It’s slated to reopen in early 2026. Until then, I still think Istana Kampong Glam is a quick, worthwhile stop on our walking tour to admire its grounds.
Walking around the palace grounds, try to spot the Gelam trees (paperback trees). These trees gave the neighbourhood its name. Its bark was used by the Orang Laut, the neighborhood’s original sea nomad community, to waterproof their boats as well as to build sails and awnings. On my tour through the area, I also learned that the tree’s fruit was used as a pepper substitute and its leaves were boiled to create an oil used to treat rheumatism.
The palace itself blends a European Palladian architectural style with traditional Malay motifs. The columns at the front entrance were built to mimic the traditional practice of building houses on stilts. (After departing Singapore on my first visit, I saw this architectural style all over Malaysia, such as in Kampung Morten in Melaka and Kampung Baru in Kuala Lumpur.)
After spending some time exploring the grounds and admiring its beautiful skyline views, exit through the southern Sultan Gate. On the way out, look to your left to check out the string of art galleries and artist studios lining Sultan Gate.
If the timing’s right, I’d recommend sliding into The Blackbook Studio (71 Sultan Gate). Their open-air gallery showcases some of the most interesting urban graffiti street art I’ve seen while exploring the city.
(The Blackbook Studio is open from 12 pm to 8 pm from Tuesday to Sunday, save for Saturdays when it opens at 9 am. It’s closed on Mondays.)
Haji Lane
From Sultan Gate to the next intersection and turn right onto Baghdad Street. After walking a few blocks, we’ll reach Arab Street. Keep strolling straight through the narrow pedestrian alleyway. At the next block, we’ll stumble upon one of Kampong Glam’s most famous attractions for first-time visitors: Haji Lane.
By the time I first visited Haji Lane, I’d already wandered around much of central Singapore. But I’d yet to see any spot around the city quite as colorful as this.
What immediately caught my eye on my first visit was the Aztec-influenced mural at Piedra Negra (241 Beach Rd). Painted by Columbia-born graffiti artist Didier “Jaba” Mathieu, the artwork was inspired by the indigenous Aztec art & culture in Mexico prior to the 16th-century Spanish conquest.
Besides large, obvious murals, Haji Lane’s street art scene is dynamic and ever-changing. Over my three visits to Singapore, the laneway never seemed to look the same.
As you walk up and down Haji Lane, keep your eyes peeled for smaller, more temporary artwork like stickers, stencils, and paste-ups. These smaller works by local artists tend to be more “daring” and explore more current social and political issues than the larger, commissioned works around the neighborhood.
I noticed on my visits that the shops, cafes, and bars along Haji Lane only start to come alive in the afternoon. My favourite time to visit, though, is around dusk, when the “golden hour” glow and the evening crowds add a little ambiance to the alleyway.
PRO TIP: Don’t stop your Singapore street art tour at Haji Lane. Walk one block west and check out Bali Lane, too. This open-air gallery started as a way to beautify the metal noise barriers between the laneway and Ophir Road. Today, the 240-metre-long stretch contains works from 17 Singaporean street artists. Keep on the lookout for the QR codes on the murals to learn more about the artwork and the artists.
Arab Street
Once you’ve explored Haji Lane, let’s move one block east to Kampong Glam’s main commercial strip: Arab Street. The avenue has traditionally been known for two things: high-quality textiles and traditional oil-based perfumes known as attar. Wandering around here today, we can still find plenty of both, many run by the same families over several generations.
For a taste (or smell?) of Arab Street’s history, pop into Sifr Aromatics (42 Arab St). The perfumery is run by third-generation perfumer Johari Kazura, who was professionally trained in Grasse, France, the world’s perfume capital.
The traditional attar at Sifr Aromatics was so popular that Singapore’s National Heritage Board commissioned Kazura to craft minyak attar, a traditional oil-based perfume that’s now officially recognized as part of Singapore’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.
For textiles, I’d recommend checking out Toko Aljunied (91 Arab St), one of the oldest and most respected shops along the street. Take a look at their high-end hand-dyed Indonesian batik and songket, a traditional Malay fabric woven with gold or silver threads.
PRO TIP: While prices are often listed at the shops along Arab Street, it’s perfectly acceptable and common to politely negotiate prices. This is a great chance to brush up on your bargaining skills and meet a few locals!
Masjid Hajjah Fatimah
From Arab Street, walk south to Beach Road. Swing left and walk about 10 minutes to our final cultural stop of the day: Masjid Hajjah Fatimah. While it’s lesser known than the Sultan Mosque, this mosque is unique among the city’s Islamic buildings with its European-influenced Neoclassical minaret, onion-shaped Indo-Saracenic dome, Chinese glazed tiles on the parapets, and Neo-Gothic windows.
Unlike many other mosques around Singapore, Masjid Hajjah Fatimah wasn’t commissioned by royalty, but rather by Hajjah Fatimah, a successful trader from Melaka. The mosque was built on the site of her own home after it was targeted by burglars twice and then set on fire.
Fortunately, she wasn’t home at the time of the fire. She attributed her safety to divine protection and built the mosque as an act of thankfulness to Allah.
What’s most peculiar about the architecture of Masjid Hajjah Fatimah isn’t its diversity but its “imperfections.” Scope out the minaret from a straight angle. If you look closely enough, you might notice that it doesn’t appear to poke straight into the sky.
Your eyes aren’t deceiving you. The mosque is known to locals as Singapore’s own “leaning tower.” The four-level minaret is tilted at a six-degree angle, not by design, but because its hand-made brick foundation has sunk slightly into the sandy ground.
(After learning on my first trip that 22% of Singapore sits on land reclaimed from the sea, this wasn’t overly shocking!)
Like the Sultan Mosque, entry to Masjid Hajjah Fatimah is free and requires a strict modest dress code. It’s open to visitors daily from 5 am to 7 am, and from 12:30 pm to 9 pm.
Golden Mile Food Centre
Whew! That was quite a day of sightseeing! Now that we’re ready to wrap up, I can’t think of a better way to reward ourselves than with a tasty meal at the Golden Mile Food Centre. It’s just two buildings over from the mosque on Beach Road, less than 5 minutes on foot.
I didn’t make it to this famous Singaporean hawker centre until my second trip to the city. Up to that point, I’d spent most of my time in Singapore’s city centre hawker centres like the Chinatown Complex Food Centre and Lau Pa Sat. In comparison, the Golden Mile Food Centre offers a wider variety of halal and Malay fare than I’d seen elsewhere in the city.
For something unique, I’d recommend putting Charlie’s Peranakan Food (#B1-30) on your must-eat list. The stall dabbles in Straits Chinese cuisine, with Peranakan favourites like Bakwan Kepiting (pork and crab meatball soup) and Nangka Lemak (young jackfruit curry) filling the menu.
To get a true taste of Kampong Glam, set your sights on Haji Kadir Food Chains (#B1-13/14). Their signature dish, sup tulang merah (red bone marrow soup), is a local favourite, combining tender mutton in a rich, sweet, and spicy stew.
How to get there
Although my first visit to Kampong Glam was on a (very hot) midday walk from Little India via the Jalan Besar MRT, I’ve since discovered that there’s a much easier route.
Instead, hop on a train to Bugis MRT on the Downtown Line (DTL) or East-West Line (EWL). From the Bugis MRT Station, it’s about a 5-minute walk along Victoria Road to the start of our itinerary at Jalan Pinang.
