Singapore/Orchard

Orchard Road is Singaporean consumerism at its most manic, a two-kilometre stretch of interconnected shopping malls, hotels, and hotels with shopping malls catering to all budgets and tastes. North of the Singapore River, to the west of Marina Bay, Orchard Road turns into Tanglin Road to the west and Bras Basah Road as it heads east. Only at the eastern Bras Basah end do the shopping malls briefly peter out, with some fine colonial architecture and a few of Singapore's top museums to be found instead.

Understand


Orchard Road is named after the fruit and nutmeg orchards that used to line it in the 1830s, one of them coincidentally belonging to a Mr Orchard. The manhole covers along the road all depict various tropical fruits. Large trees still shade the road, providing a modicum of relief from the heat. Fortunately, Orchard Road has an extensive network of underpasses that connect many of the malls providing even more shelter from the blistering equatorial heat and, on occasion, rain. Weekends in the area are often packed with locals and visitors alike out to consume en masse.

The Christmas decorations along Orchard are mildly famous and entirely over the top, with reindeers cavorting through palm trees and gingerbread houses topped with fake snow.

Get in
Orchard is centrally located about 30 minutes from Changi Airport by taxi.

Most of Orchard Road is served by the North-South Line, which runs under the eastern section of Orchard Road. MRT stations located in this section comprise of Orchard, Somerset, Dhoby Ghaut and City Hall.

Formerly an area not served by the MRT, the westernmost end of Orchard Road (also known as Tanglin) is now served by Orchard Boulevard on the newly-opened Thomson-East Coast Line. To get there from the rest of Orchard Road, you will need to change trains at Orchard.

Get around
Orchard Rd is walkable, at least allowing plenty of breaks in air-conditioned shopping centres. There is still heavy traffic on the road itself, but there are quite a few underpasses and walkways, and sections of the road starting with Dhoby Ghaut are set to be fully pedestrianized from 2025. You can no longer cross the central Orchard/Scotts intersection on foot: instead, take the air-conditioned underground walkway system that links Orchard MRT/Ion Orchard to Wisma Atria, Ngee Ann City and Lucky Plaza (east), to CK Tang/Marriott (north), and to Shaw House and Wheelock Place (west).

If you're in a hurry, the North-South MRT (red) line runs under the road for most of its length, or if heading east, hop on any bus for a few stops. To head west, you'll need to walk a block over to Penang/Somerset Rd/Orchard Blvd, since Orchard Rd is one-way only.

See
Two of Singapore's top museums are in Bras Basah, within striking distance of Dhoby Ghaut and Bras Basah MRT stations.



Do
It's difficult to find anything more strenuous to do on Orchard than lugging around shopping bags, getting pampered at a spa and watching a movie.



Buy
Orchard Road and neighbouring Scotts Road form Singapore's premier shopping district, with several kilometres of road lined on both sides by practically nothing but shopping malls.

Orchard Road also participates in the annual Great Singapore Sale in June. During this period, street events and late night shopping (till 11PM on Fridays and Saturdays) are held at selected malls, and tourists are entitled to additional privileges.

Malls


While most malls in Orchard are distinctly upmarket, there are one or two that still cater to the average Singaporean wallets. Most of the shopping centres operate from 10AM to 10PM. A selection of malls, from west (Orchard MRT) to east (Dhoby Ghaut MRT):



Eat
Orchard is a good place to sample not just Singaporean food, but food from all over the planet. That said, if you're pinching pennies, prices tend to be slightly inflated by Singaporean standards, but well, at least it's not as bad as Sentosa.

Budget
Almost every shopping mall has its own food court, but for gourmet snacking, it's hard to beat the collection of shops and stands at Takashimaya's basement. Be careful though, those $2 squid balls won't fill you up.



Splurge
Orchard Road is brimming with fiercely competitive restaurants. One easy option is Crystal Jade, a popular chain of Chinese restaurants with outlets in nearly every major shopping mall in Singapore, including Suntec City, Shaw House, and Paragon.



Drink


If you're looking for a caffeinated beverage, you're spoiled for choice in Orchard. Seemingly every franchise in the world ranging from Starbucks to Taiwanese bubble teas like Chicha San Chen and Japanese master brewers Hoshino have outlets in the area, and there are plenty of independent, more quirky shops tucked away in the malls too.

If you're looking for something stronger, Singapore's nightlife is concentrated just south of Orchard Rd by the riverside, but there are still a few notable nightspots. The largest cluster is opposite Somerset MRT, a beautifully restored cluster of shophouse bars. Most bars here require patrons to be 25+.



A few places of interest lurk elsewhere along the strip.

Sleep
Accommodation on Orchard Rd incurs a hefty premium for the location and is uniformly expensive (at least by Singapore standards). Cheaper rates are usually offered only by older hotels in varying states of decay.

Splurge


If you want to splurge, there are two major styles to choose from, colonial hotels, harking back to the turn of the century, and modern hotels, firmly in the present.



Connect
Most shopping malls at Orchard offer free wifi. If you're looking for an old school Internet cafe, you can still find some at Lucky Plaza.