Shopping on Singapore’s iconic Orchard Road is a must-do experience for any traveler visiting the city.
Iconic Orchard Road is the commercial heart of Singapore, and a visit can mean only one thing: shopping. This famous shopping street — one of the most well known in the world — got its start and its name as an area filled with plantations and orchards. While you won’t find any farms these days, what you will find are mega malls, restaurants, high-rise hotels and nightlife hot spots catering to nearly every type of traveler.
The 1.4-mile (2.2-kilometer) expanse of one-way boulevard is home to a staggering 22 malls and six department stores, with more than 5,000 brands represented. Whether you’re looking to buy or just to window shop, start exploring Orchard Road with a visit to TANGS, one of the road’s oldest department stores, which opened up shop in the area during the 1950s. It’s the Singapore equivalent to Bloomingdale’s in New York.
Now that you’ve visited Orchard Road’s roots, visit one of its most cutting edge malls, ION Orchard. This eight-level complex features more than 330 stores. Among its high-end offerings are six luxury brand flagships, including the largest Prada flagship in the Asia Pacific region.
If you’re more interested in forward-thinking Singaporean street fashion, pay a visit to The Hareen, a sizable shopping complex that caters to the city’s edgy 20-somethings. If you’re traveling to Singapore with kids, you’ll find a slew of specialty retailers at Forum the Shopping Mall, while brides-to-be will find all the fixings for their perfect day at Delfi Orchard.
All that shopping is sure to work up an appetite, and luckily, Orchard Road is also a wonderful place to eat. While you’ll find plenty of sit-down restaurants scattered throughout the shopping centers, one of the best places to eat on Orchard Road is the Newton Food hawker center, where you can sample all the Singaporean specialties on the cheap.
-Lydia Schrandt
