Orchard

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An endless stretch of shopping centres, hotels, and restaurants, Orchard Road is the shopaholic heart of Singapore. The name originates from the fruit and spice orchards that lined the street during the early British colonial days, but the plants died and the district was redeveloped as a commercial and residential zone for Singapore's elite.

Not a city that clings to its past too tightly, the colonial buildings were demolished during Singapore's boom to make way for modern mega-malls. A few historical buildings remain – the Goodwood Park Hotel, the Istana, and the sprawling Thai Embassy grounds -- but no one goes to Orchard Road for a history lesson. It's all about the shopping.

Orchard Road is a shrine to consumerism. It measures 2.2 km long, yet there is hardly a gap between the malls. By our count, it's home to at least 25 shopping centres, 15 luxury hotels, 4 cinemas, 11 Starbucks, and hundreds of places to eat (and, somehow, they are always busy).

Like most things in Singapore, Orchard Road is not cheap. Your best season for bargain-hunting is during the much-hyped Great Singapore Sale across June and July, when malls extend their opening hours and a 'tourist privilege card' gets you discounts at shops and restaurants. The privilege cards plus maps, brochures, and other info can be obtained at the Singapore Visitor's Centre.

Even if you lack the budget or backpack space for a real shopping spree, it's still fun to walk along Orchard Road and window shop. Or, for some Singapore-style role-playing, put on your nicest clothes, join the queue outside Louis Vuitton, and pretend you're an expat banker browsing for a new piece of luggage for an upcoming business trip to Shanghai.

Factoring in a couple of breaks inside the air-con comfort of a mall, it's possible to walk Orchard end to end in a couple hours. Orchard is very pedestrian-friendly with benches, crosswalks, underpasses, and wide footpaths to accommodate the hordes of shoppers plus street musicians, sidewalk vendors, and random promotional displays.

 

An Orchard tradition is to buy an ice cream (S$1) from one of the sidewalk vendors. Flavours include everything from tin roof brownie to durian and you can have it on a wafer, cone, or bread.

Once you've had enough of the shopping frenzy, change pace with a visit to the Botanic Garden or simply descend to one of the three MRT stations.

Orientation
You're never far from accessing your money on Orchard Road. International ATMs are everywhere -- as are exchange booths and money changers.

Orchard is a one-way street running from west to east. At its western end it curves into Tanglin Road, a popular expat district, and eventually passes the Botanic Garden. To the east, Orchard becomes Bras Basah Rd which leads into the Central Business District (CBD). There are 3 MRT stations on Orchard Road -- Orchard, Somerset, and Doby Ghaut. Orchard MRT is the westernmost and is connected to Ion, Wisma Atria, and Tangs malls. Somerset MRT is roughly in the middle of Orchard, opposite Centrepoint Mall and Emerald Hill Rd. Doby Ghaut Interchange is beside Plaza Singapura at the road's eastern terminus and connects to all 3 MRT lines.

You'll find the Singapore Visitor's Centre at the junction of Orchard and Cairnhill Rds, Open 09:30-22:30 daily.

Text and/or map last updated on 6th October, 2009.


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