monster walking tours singapore

Dania Experiences

Travel • dining • lifestyle, review: chinatown walking tour, monster day tours (singapore).

As an Ascott Star Rewards member (a free-to-join loyalty programme), I received an email about Ascott’s partnership with the award-winning Monster Day Tours offering complimentary walking tours of Singapore’s cultural heritage neighbourhoods (eg. Chinatown, Kampong Glam, Little India). These guided tours are available to guests staying at participating Ascott properties until 31 December 2021, so do sign up if you’re interested! With our reservation at Ascott Raffles Place Serviced Apartments (more on that experience here ), we booked ourselves a Chinatown Walking Tour that happens every Sunday at 2pm. There were only two other people in our tour group so that made for a more customized and intimate experience. Our tour guide was the lively and personable Jamie, who is very much a history buff. We learned so many things from her that day! To start us off, she set the context for our trail by giving us a brief history of the Chinese immigrants who came to Singapore. Our first destination was the Thian Hock Keng Temple, where people back then came to pray for or thank Mazu, a sea goddess, for a safe journey across the sea. She also shared some background stories of the various deities within the temple. Right behind this temple is an extensive wall mural depicting the Chinese immigrants’ journey from humble beginnings right up to their later contributions to Singapore’s society.

On the way to the next destination, Jamie pointed out one of the last remaining water wells left in Chinatown (it has long been boarded up and not in use, of course). We then stepped into one of the Chinese clan associations along Ann Siang Hill, where Jamie explained how the functions of these clans have evolved over time. The weather was really hot and humid that day so we rested for a short while at Maxwell Food Centre with sugarcane drinks in hand and tried the traditional snack “orh nee” or yam paste. Next, it was time for a stroll in the heart of Chinatown, which unfortunately is more of a tourist attraction these days instead of an actual authentic lived space. Jamie brought us to key landmarks like the Lai Chun Yuen Opera House that have since been conserved, although repurposed, and expounded on the activities that were held there back in the day.

Our tour ended at the enormous Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, built just recently in 2007. Jamie compared the architecture of the two temples we visited and elaborated on how these fascinating differences in construction and design came about. Thanks to this tour, we really felt like we learned a lot about the history behind these important places in Singapore, with a ton of trivia bits thrown in too (:

My overall rating of the experience: 4 out of 5 stars . The trail we took was largely open-air and didn’t have much cover. Thankfully it didn’t rain, but on the flip side, we did have to walk in the sweltering heat (although I’d prefer the sun over rain any day). Our guide, Jamie, was impressively knowledgeable and able to tailor her information based on the profile of her clients. She also took good care of us by having us stay in the shade while she pressed the traffic light button, as well as choosing shadier spots for us to congregate at while she fed us little nuggets of information. One thing I thought could’ve value-added to this experience would be some type of hands-on DIY activity, like folding dumplings or tea-tasting (random ideas off the top of my head, heh). Other than that, our 2-hour journey was truly enriching and we were even given a cute local food postcard as a memento at the end!

If this post helped you in some way and you’d like to buy me a coffee, I’d be incredibly grateful (:

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The Original Singapore City Tour

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Experience The City Attractions of Singapore with the Best Storytellers!

Civic District 

Singapore River

Merlion Park

Adult: S$35

Child: S$20

(6 - 12 years old)

Meet Your Storytellers

The “Entertainer”

Introducing our most entertaining guide - Bas! With a passion to share his knowledge of Singapore, Bas never fails to inject more than a dose of humour as he takes you through his tours!

Byron is a very passionate guide, who would charm your tourism experience with unpretentious eateries and sites. Exploring Singapore with Byron is like having a local friend showing you his way of life. 

Colin is our walking encyclopaedia on all-things-Singapore. Besides having some of the best behind-the-scenes and fun low-downs of our city, guests just love Colin's infectious and effervescent personality.

The “Spice Girl”

Meet our sweet, bubbly and energetic guide - Dani! Not only is Dani well-versed in both the English and Malay languages, she is also touted as one of the best storytellers on our team!

Now, enter our chirpy and enthusiastic guide - Isabelle! Besides her love for meeting new people and making friends, Isabelle is a keen observer, who loves showing enthusiastic visitors the wonderful, hidden gems of Singapore. 

The “Connoisseur”

Yap's superbly inquisitive nature has taken him to all corners of Singapore in search of only the most exciting of activities to be a part of. When it comes discovering the best, you can certainly depend on Yap to go the distance!

Why Our Guests Love us!

5.0 out of 5.0 (147 opinions)

Evette Wessels

Guest from South Africa

Yap was the most amazing tour guide I've ever had! Thank you @monsterdaytours - my day in Singapore was incredibly informative and so much fun. The walking tour was great value for money . We walked through the older parts of the city and experienced the vibrant history of this multicultural state. I would recommend you to every tourist visiting your beautiful country!!

4.7 (29 Google reviews)

Guest from Canada

We did the city tour with our guide - Byron and it was an amazing time, what a great guy and I think this is the best way to get to really  know the city.  The tours are relaxed and very informative and they include local experiences, totally worth it! One recommendation, tip generously, these tours are easily worth much more than it costs!! Thanks Byron!!!

3979 followers, 740 posts

Brian Gilbert

Guest from United Kingdom

Here is a photo of our guide Bas with one of our regular guests who never fails us to impress us with his zest for life and his witty humour!  Travelling is not limited by age . It is limited only by one's thirst to explore the wonders of the world. Thank You Brian for being such a great inspiration! We hope to see you back in Singapore soon.

Awards & Media Coverage

NEW YEAR PROMOTION! BOOK TODAY to enjoy 15% off our Signature City Tour 

LIMITED TIME ONLY UNTIL 31 MAR'20

Tours runs daily from 5:00pm - 8:00pm

ENJOY FULL FLEXIBILITY WITH OUR FREE CANCELLATION POLICY! 

©2016 - 2020 BY MONSTER DAY TOURS 

Managed by Woopa Travels Pte Ltd Travel Agent License No. 02699

The Perpetual Saturday

A Cost-Conscious Malaysian Blog

Free Singapore Walking Tours by Monster Day Tours Review

In the world’s most expensive city, it’s nice to give the old wallet a reprieve and enjoy a free activity. There are many organised tours all over this city, but Monster Day Tours elevates themselves above the rest with the most accessible free walking tours in Singapore that you don’t need to pre-book.

What To Expect

Monster Day Tours operates three different free walking tours that focus on the ethnic quarters: Chinatown, Little India and Kampong Glam . Each of these runs year-round, several times a week. Rain is a common visitor in Singapore, but if you’re there in the torrent, so will Monster Day Tours’ passionate tour guides. A decent number of tourists make it out to their twice-daily tours. We had around 15 people on the tours we took, but that number can swell as high as 45 people.

Some meeting points are more crowded than others and there may be other tours gathered around. The Chinatown tour meet-up spot is a prime example of this. Look for someone dressed in a purple and yellow golf shirt – this will be your guide for the day. Tours will hang around the meeting spot for about ten minutes while the guide makes introductions and talks about this stop, so if you’re only a bit late, you won’t be left behind.

Guides use microphones to make it easy for everyone to hear, but they will not use them when the group stops in a housing complex so that residents aren’t disturbed. Visual aids are frequently used at route stops to get you really immersed in the information and history. As you’re walking along, it will be noted by the guide that the streets of Singapore are filled with street art. While these not the focus of the tours, there will be mini-stops here where you’ll be given a couple of minutes to snap a picture.

Tours are advertised as two and a half hours , and they mean it. While this may sound like a long time to be walking around, all of the tours will include a rest about halfway where a little snack will be provided, which is awesome and the first time I’ve seen such a thing on a free walking tour. At this pit stop, there will always be a place to sit and a bathroom around (it’s like this tour was made just for me!). Despite this, it is still a fair distance that the tour will cover, and during the Chinatown tour, involved an ascent up a couple of flights of stairs. It can be tiring, but what’s even worse sometimes is the standing still while you listen that can batter your feet. If you’ve had a long day that already included a lot of walking, your feet will get very tired so don’t make it any more difficult: wear appropriate shoes!

Tour Pit Stops & Complimentary Nibbles

Chinatown tour.

The Chinatown tour will make a rest stop at a local indoor hawker centre. The guide will organise the group at a table before fetching the complimentary snack for this tour. During this time, you can use the bathroom and get a drink at any of the many stalls around. There are a couple of hawkers that specialise in drinks, so try to seek these out so you can get something local, exotic and interesting. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck getting a boring Coke from a food stall. The stalls tend to look the same and it can get disorienting in here if you wander off. Before moving too far from the group table, get a mental snapshot of the stalls in the immediate area so you’ll know you’re on the right track when heading back. Getting food wouldn’t be a good idea, as you’ll never finish it before it’s time to move on. The tasty snack provided on the Chinatown tour is popiah, a spring roll with a soft exterior but crunchy interior. The guide will get enough so everyone can have a one-inch piece with a few leftovers – don’t be greedy and think this is some sort of gastronomic tour!

Kampong Glam Tour

The Kampong Glam tour will deposit you at the Malay Heritage Centre. This is an outdoor pit stop, with the bathrooms at the far end of a manicured courtyard. There is a small covered gazebo that the guide will ask you to wait at while they gather the snack for this tour: karipap (curry puffs) filled with potato. I’m fairly certain the guide will always make a point to get vegetarian curry puffs regardless of the diet practices of the group just to be safe; for the same reason, they will also get them non-spicy to cater to what are probably European tourists (Mark protested vociferously but playfully at this injustice, knowing how much better the spicy curry puffs are!). There is, unfortunately, nothing to drink here, but later in the tour (depending on the time and queue), the guide will take you to the famous Bhai Sarbat tea stall where you can get something – ideally their teh tarik, the supposed best in Singapore.

Little India

We sadly ran out of time and were unable to do the Little India tour. However, Monster Day Tours was kind enough to inform me that the snack on this tour is either Thosai or Indian sweets!

Tour Experience

We chose Monster Day Tours free walking tours over all the other tour companies because of its great reviews and its very informative website. Everything you need to know about when a tour is, where to meet, and where the tour goes is provided in an easy to understand layout.

We did the Chinatown and the Kampong Glam tours, and our guide or “storyteller” for both was an adorable local named Bas. He was an affable fellow who was regularly chatting with members of the group in-between route stops. I’ve had guides from other tour companies that gave off a “please don’t talk to me” aura and would force cringey small talk that seemed like they were only doing to make it less awkward. Bas, on the other hand, was pretty good at remembering all of our home countries, asked relevant questions and seemed genuinely interested in getting to know the group.

Those with crippling social anxiety, take note: at the start of the tour, the guide will ask you to introduce yourself and announce where you’re from to the entire group. Bas also asked a lot of trivia questions to the group and encouraged people to volunteer answers (with the postscript of “ don’t be shy, there are no wrong answers! ”). I’m pretty outgoing so I liked this engaging interaction and built-in icebreaker with my tour group members. If you’re a total introvert, however, you may emotionally crap your pants and forget your own name when twenty strangers are staring at you.

If you take more than one of their tours, you’ll notice some overlapping information. Singapore’s public housing procedures are unique and have become such a success that Singaporeans kind of like showing it off. During both tours, we were taken to two different apartment complexes where Bas explained how it works. It’s a very different system than what is in your home country and is an insider peek at the real Singapore behind the luxe and gloss that the city is known for. Questions naturally arose, and Bas answered them with extensive knowledge on the subject.

Something that I really appreciated: there was never any hint of panhandling . I know tips are always optional, but whenever a guide makes the spiel at the end of a tour about how basically “they get paid in tips,” I always feel deeply obligated to recompense their time and efforts. Even if I was going to tip them anyway, the fact that the guide had to subtly beg for it makes me feel less good about giving it – like I “had” to, as opposed to I “wanted” to. Monster Day Tours removes this awkwardness by simply giving a fun and informative experience that visitors actually want to give their money to.

There is nothing to dislike about these walking tours, in my opinion. A bonus for those who are completely clueless about what to eat is that they can dip a toe into the exotic world of Singaporean food thanks to the complimentary snacks. If you’re ever in Singapore and want an entertaining, in-depth tour with lots of interesting tidbits, take a free walking tour by Monster Day Tours .

Monster Day Tours

https://www.monsterdaytours.com/free-walking-tours

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Chinatown Walking Tour (By Monster Day Tours)

• Tour Listing

Free (Tips are appreciated)

Tour Duration

Tour Frequency

Thu & Sun: 09:30-12:00 Tue & Fri: 16:30-19:00

Starting & Ending Point

Chinatown MRT Station Exit A, Telok Ayer MRT

Major Stops

Pagoda Street, Sri Mariamman Temple, Chinatown Food Street, Chinatown Complex, Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, Club Street/ Ann Siang Hill, Thian Hock Keng Temple

Nearest MRT (Starting Point)

Telok Ayer MRT Station

Wheel Chair Friendly / Child Friendly

Join us on a Chinatown walking tour, and let your tour guide take you back in time with amazing stories of the early Chinese immigrants, as they braved many obstacles to build a life in Singapore. 

TOUR AGENCY DETAILS

Tour Agency

Monster Day Tours

Tour Agency Operating Hours

Daily: 09:00-18:00

+65 8749 7346

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Monster Day Tours – Free Walking Tours in Singapore

101 Cecil Street, #13-12 Tong Eng Building Singapore 069533

+65 9151 7567

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Monster Day Tours

Managed by Woopa Travels Pte Ltd. Monster Day Tours is a popular Private & Walking Tour operator in Singapore. Focuses on local authentic experiences, hidden gems and exploring off-the-beaten paths in Singapore. Provides Private Tours, Food Tours, Adventure Tours, Night Tours and Party Tours etc. Travel Agent License No. 02699

Free Walking Tours in Singapore Duration : 2 hours 30 minutes Cost : FREE What to see : Little India, Chinatown, Kampong Glam, Marina Bay Sands & Gardens by the Bay, Civic District & Singapore River, Bugis & Bras Basah!

Free Tour of Kampong Glam The original FREE walking tour of the Malay ethnic quarter of Singapore with a local guide. Cost : Free!, Tips-based.

Signature Themed Tours

TOUR 1 : The Original Singapore City Sightseeing Walking Tour Suitable for : First-time visitors / Explorer / History buff. Duration : 3-hours Time : available daily. 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm Cost : Adult SGD 35, Child SGD 20 Booking : Buy tickets Here .

TOUR 2 : A Taste of Michelin 1-Star Chicken Rice & Local Hawker Food Tour Suitable for : True Foodies / Experiential travellers / Culture lovers / Anyone who lives to eat! Duration : 3 hours Time : available daily. 10:00 am – 1:00 pm Cost : Adult SGD 130, Child SGD 60

TOUR 3 : Tiong Bahru Hipster “Old Town” Heartland Tour Suitable for : Explorers / Culture lovers / Foodies / Expereintial travellers Duration : 3 hours Time : available daily. 10:00 am – 1:00 pm Cost : Adult SGD 130, Child SGD 60

TOUR 4 : Singapore After Dark Local Street Food & Nightlife Tour Suitable for : Socialisers / Adventure-seekers / Foodies / Night owls Duration : 3 hours Time : available Wed – Sat. 6:30 pm – 09:30 pm Cost : Adult (above 18 years old) SGD 160

TOUR 5 : Crazy Rich Asians: Singapore Icons & Filming Locations Car Tour Suitable for : Crazy Rich Asian movie fans / History buffs / Culture lovers / Photo-enthusiasts Duration : 4 hours Time : available daily. 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm Cost : Adult SGD 220, Child SGD 100

TOUR 6 : Asia 101 – A Mix of Chinese, Malay, Indian & Peranakan Cultural Tour Suitable for : Culture-shapers / Foodies / Experiential travellers / Adventure seekers Duration : 5 hours Time : available daily. Morning tour : 10:00 am – 3:00 pm Afternoon tour : 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm Cost : Adult SGD 180, Child SGD 80

Address : 101 Cecil Street, #13-12 Tong Eng Building, Singapore 069533 Phone : +65 8749 7346 (Tours & Bookings) +65 9231 3858 (General Enquiry) Website : www.monsterdaytours.com

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