About this experience
Some trades don't retire quietly — they disappear.
Behind Chinatown's photo-ready shophouses, a handful of craftsmen still work the old way — not for show, not for tourists, but because it's the only way they know.
On this 3-hour walk, step past the souvenir stalls into Kreta Ayer's working streets. Inside Chinatown Complex, meet one of Singapore's last hand-press cuttlefish stalls, grilled over charcoal, and taste fresh sachima, a fried-dough pastry bound in malt syrup — then sock-brewed Nanyang kopi at a coffee stall.
Visit a joss shop serving the neighbourhood's temples for generations, and an apothecary hand-blending medicated oils since the early 1900s, trusted by Chinatown families for generations.
A chartered bus takes you to Tai Seng, where a bakery still shapes and bakes bread by hand — no conveyor belts, no mixers, just flour, water, and decades of practice.
Taste, touch, and hear the stories of the people keeping these trades alive.
Come before they're gone.
At a glance
- Duration: 3 hr
Plan your experience
Set aside 3 hr for the experience itself, with additional time to reach your meeting or pickup point.
Before you go
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
What is included
- Food smell and tummy-full experience
Itinerary and highlights
Visit 2 traditional and disappearing trades of Sachima (granola-bar type of hand made asian snack) and
cuttlefish hawker
Step inside a generations-old joss and prayer goods shop on Banda Street, and a Chinese medicine shophouse since the early 1900s, famed for its house-blended medicated oils
Learn how bread was made the old fashion way.
Meeting and pickup information
- Start/end: Chinatown MRT Exit A (outside Bee Cheng Hiang) (69 Pagoda St, Singapore 059228)
Languages and tickets
- cmn — Guide
- English — Guide
- Mobile Only
Tour operator
- Tribe Tours
Meeting points and locations
Accessibility and practical details
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Questions about this experience
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