9 Best Places to Go Shopping in Chinatown Singapore

One of the fastest ways to acquaint yourself with Chinatown is to go on a walking tour of the shops and stalls on these streets – Pagoda Street, Trengganu Street, Sago Lane, Smith Street and Temple Street. These busy streets encapsulate all the sights and sounds that visitors expect of Chinatown, with hundreds of stalls selling everything from silk robes to lucky cats.

There’s also a fantastic range of street food carts amongst the shopping, with fresh dim sum and crispy duck. Remember to haggle with a smile if you want the best price. The market is open during the day, but it looks its most picturesque at dusk, with the lights shining brightly and the sound of hawkers tempting you to check out their wares.

This lovely street filled with old shop houses is an excellent place to shop in Chinatown, with plenty of standalone boutiques that sell something a little more out of the ordinary compared to the mega malls Singapore is known for.

Ann Siang Hill’s shops include plenty of clothing stores. Umbrella shops sell funky womenswear brands from around the globe, and there are boutiques offering colourful party dresses and independent labels from the Asian region. Check out Aston Blake for men who like smart tailored shirts and suits.

This cream-coloured building doesn’t look like much from the outside, but if you are looking for bargains then Tanjong Pagar Plaza is the place to come. The entrance is mainly taken over by beauty salons, manicurists and hairdressers, but with 130 shops here it’s a good place to bag deals on electronics, stationery and even textiles.

If you fancy a bite to eat head up to the impressive second-floor food court with fish soup being one of the specialities (there are five stalls dedicated to it). Tanjong Plaza is set up for locals and the prices reflect this, so if you’re on a budget but love to shop it’s a great experience.

Easily one of the best independent book stores in the city, BooksActually not only have a wide variety of alternative titles, but they also publish their own books, focussing on up and coming Singaporean writers. There’s the whole gamut here, from fiction to history via poetry, kids books and mathematic tomes.

You could easily spend hours here, not only browsing the shelves but also checking out the collection of knick-knacks and stationery which are sold alongside it. The owner's hand selects every book and product on sale and it’s not hard to see why it’s such a success.

With its impressive Chinese façade built at the turn of the century, the legendary city landmark offers a wide variety of reasonably- priced, authentic Chinese products - from tea, herbs and medicines to silks, cheongsams, handicrafts and antiques.

The quality of the goods available at Yue Wa is definitely better than what you will find when browsing the markets, and prices will only be slightly higher. You can also find seasonal promotions especially around the Lunar New Year delicacies: moon cakes, specially imported seafood and much more. Yue Hwa has 7 floors, with zones dedicated to each item.

Chinatown Complex is one of the largest modern shopping spots in Singapore's Chinatown. The complex houses a market, a food centre, and various small shops.

The wet market is known for its fresh food products and the food centre has gained a reputation for its mindboggling array of street food, often at very affordable prices.

Rising just above the Chinatown MRT, OG is a household brand in Singapore known for its fashion, jewellery, cosmetics, watches and toys. It’s modern and distinctly international – with sports brands and a whole host of Korean cosmetics and imported products.

Adjacent to it is the refurbished People’s Park Centre frequented for its textiles, haberdasheries, electrical /electronic goods, streetwear, toiletries and luggage, all priced competitively. It’s a little run down, but great for bargains. The shopping centre is located inside the apartment building so follow the signs and head up the escalator to level 3. There’s also plenty of places to get a massage if you need a break.