3 Best Sights in East Coast Park, Katong, and Joo Chait, Singapore

East Coast Road

East Coast Park Fodor's choice
One of the earliest delineated thoroughfares in Singapore, East Coast Road is also one of the prettiest, with more than 800 heritage buildings from the early to mid 1900s, a time when the area served as a seaside retreat for the wealthy. Today, a stroll along this spirited enclave will give you a taste of the country’s diverse culture—the stretch is dotted with colorful Peranakan shophouses, museums, and quaint stores, as well as eateries that serve up everything from traditional rice dumplings to Thai mookata and Greek-influenced wood-fired breads.

East Coast Park

East Coast Park

This breezy, 460-acre seaside park isn’t just one of Singapore’s largest beaches, it’s also the most popular, with a plethora of dining and recreational activities. There’s fun for the whole family here, whether you choose to cycle along the bike-dedicated paths, go waterskiing, have a seafood dinner, or even camp overnight, though if you do want to camp, remember to apply for an electronic camping permit first ( nparks.gov.sg). A cable-ski park, Wake Park ( singaporewakepark.com), is set up around a lagoon for wakeboarding enthusiasts. You can also go windsurfing, winging, sailing, or simply take a dip in the sea. Aloha Sea Sports Center ( www.alohaseasports.com) offers rentals, storage, and courses, and also organizes occasional races. Further away along the wide, well-manicured park are public barbecue pits, 7.5 km (4.7 miles) of sandy beaches, and a hawker center. Before the upcoming Thomson–East Coast MRT Line connects the park with other parts of Singapore in 2024, a taxi or public bus is your best bet for getting here. Amenities: food and drink; parking; toilets; water sports. Best for: swimming; walking; windsurfing; winging.

The Intan

Joo Chiat
"Intan" refers to the rose-cut diamonds popularly used in Straits Chinese jewelry, and this privately owned, by-appointment-only Straits Chinese museum is a gem in its own right. Owner Alvin Yap amassed a vast collection of Peranakan paraphernalia in his quest to find out more about his culture, and then decided to open his home to the public so others could learn more about it, too. In this intimate space, you experience the Peranakan life as Yap takes you on a personally guided tour of the artifacts he’s collected.

Recommended Fodor's Video