Step back into the romantic past as you enjoy a local breakfast or brunch for two at Tekka Centre. To help you plan your Little India walkabout, download a companion guide to equip yourself with fascinating facts about the area’s early settlers and trades. Tekka Centre, for instance, was first built in 1915—its original location was known as tek kia kha in the Hokkien dialect, which means “the foot of the small bamboo.” The market and food centre was also referred to as the “Kadang Kerbau Market”, a Malay term for cattle sheds, once the mainstays of the area.

When ready, pop on your shades and sunscreen, and start walking. Love conservation shophouses? This is the place to appreciate them. In fact, you can learn how local shophouse architecture evolved between the mid-1800s and the mid-1900s, by visiting these shophouses:

• 60 Buffalo Road: Early Shophouse Style (1840–1900). Shophouses from this era are low, with one or two windows on the upper floor.

• 39 Campbell Lane: First Transitional Shophouse Style (early 1900s). These shophouses are less squat than their predecessors, and feature light ornamentation.

• 47 Desker Road: Late Shophouse Style (1900–1940). The most visually striking shophouses, which incorporate cultural influences such as Peranakan decorative tiles.

• 23 Cuff Road: Second Transitional Shophouse Style (late 1930s). These shophouses bear elements of the Late Shophouse Style, with a hint of Art Deco motifs such as geometric designs. 

• 35 Cuff Road: Art Deco Style (1930–1960). Shophouses from this period have a clean and streamlined look, with an emphasis on columns and arches. 

• 74 Serangoon Road: Modern Shophouse Style (1950–1960). During this period, frills were abandoned in favour of a more functional look. 

Along the way, pause for a photo op at the House of Tan Teng Niah, a standout in Little India for its wildly exuberant, polychromatic paint job. Built by local businessman Tan Teng Niah in 1900, this sole surviving Chinese villa in Little India has its own enduring love story—the nameplate on the entrance bears a calligraphic inscription (“elegant pine” in Mandarin), which some believe is a reference to Tan’s wife, for whom he built the eight-room villa.

Foiled by sweltering or inclement weather? Stay indoors at the Indian Heritage Centre, where you and your significant other can spend an hour or two learning about the history and diversity of Indian culture. If you prefer a guided tour, this is available at 11.00am on weekdays (Tuesdays to Fridays) and 2.00pm on weekends and public holidays.

Keen to spend a weekend in an eclectic enclave? Learn about traditional perfumes, be a graffiti artist for a day, and cuddle up with cats over coffee—anything is possible in our Kampong Glam itinerary for couples.

Spend a quality morning with your dream date, teasing out the stories behind Kampong Glam’s meandering streets. Download the Kampong Glam Heritage Trail guide for three suggested walking routes, and take Trail One, which begins at the Malay Heritage Centre. 

Malay royalty once lived in this exact spot, although their sovereignty was not always recognised during colonial times. But within the Kampong Glam community, there was reverence for the Malay royal family, and the area around Pahang Street (formerly known as Kampong Dalam or “inside village”) would be cordoned off whenever they held their ceremonies. 

The trail also takes you to the best-known nasi padang (rice with dishes) eateries in Singapore—Warong Nasi Pariaman, Rumah Makan Minang, and Sabar Menanti—where you can make a pit stop for lunch.

Other trail stops include Jamal Kazura Aromatics, where you can discover the art of attar (making non-alcohol perfumes from high-grade essential oils), and Mesra Enterprises, one of the last remaining shops in this area specialising in the traditional trade of setting stones in silver and copper. 

Prefer a tour less steeped in tradition, or wish to let an experienced guide lead the way? Try Tribe Tours’ Instawalk in the area—especially if you want souvenir couple shots—or Colours of Kampong Glam by Culture Curious, a street art tour and graffiti workshop rolled into one.

For free-spirited couples who intend to discover Kampong Glam on their own terms, a stroll down any of its streets should yield intriguing surprises. Hope to snap memorable portraits and couple selfies? Check out Gelam Gallery (an outdoor street art “museum”) and the Vintage Camera Museum for an out-of-the-ordinary visual experience.