East Singapore: Ten Places to Go and Ten Things to Do

If Singaporeans could choose where to live regardless of price, a great many would choose the east. It is lower-rise, closer to the sea, slower in temperament, and it eats better than anywhere else on the island. For a second-visit traveller, the east is the answer.

Ten places to go in the east

Place	What it is	Verdict
1. Katong & Joo Chiat	Pastel Peranakan shophouses, laksa shops, traditional bakeries, cafés	The single best neighbourhood walk in Singapore. Go in the morning
2. East Coast Park	15km of coastal park: cycling, barbecues, seafood, sea breeze	Worth it for the activity and the food, not for the swimming
3. Old Airport Road Food Centre	One of the deepest concentrations of veteran hawker stalls anywhere	A pilgrimage for anyone serious about food. Go hungry, go at 11:30
4. Changi Village & Beach	Sleepy village atmosphere, famous nasi lemak, quiet beach, ferry point to Ubin	Feels like another decade. The most restful corner of the island
5. Pulau Ubin	Ferry-accessible island of dirt tracks, granite quarries and kampong life	Singapore before 1970. Rent a bike at the jetty. Unmissable
6. Geylang Serai	Malay cultural heart: market, food, and a spectacular Ramadan bazaar	Best during Ramadan, excellent year-round for Malay food
7. Marine Parade & the Sunday markets	Mature estate, sea-facing, with a strong neighbourhood identity	Where the east actually lives. Good hawker, good people-watching
8. Pasir Ris Park	Mangrove boardwalks, a large playground, horse riding nearby	Underrated family park with genuine nature attached
9. Jewel Changi & Changi Airport	The Rain Vortex, indoor gardens, and the world's most enjoyable airport	Worth a deliberate visit, not just a transit stop
10. Tampines & Bedok hawker centres	Heartland eating at heartland prices	The honest version of Singapore food culture

Ten things to do in the east

Eat Katong laksa, then walk it off among the shophouses photographing tiles and terrazzo.
Cycle East Coast Park at dawn and stop for satay at the Lagoon Food Village.
Take the ferry to Pulau Ubin and ride the dirt tracks — the most fun day out in Singapore.
Queue for nasi lemak at Changi Village; the queue is the review and it is correct.
Have a seafood dinner on the East Coast — chilli crab with the sea beside you.
Explore Geylang Serai market for Malay kueh and textiles.
Walk the Pasir Ris mangrove boardwalk at low tide and count the mudskippers.
Do a Peranakan museum-and-lunch morning in Katong, then buy tiles to take home.
Watch planes land from Changi Beach Park at dusk — a genuine local pastime.
Eat breakfast at Old Airport Road and let the stall queues decide your order.

The Honest Answer

The east is where I send every second-visit traveller, and increasingly where I send first-timers with more than four days. Katong and Joo Chiat give you the most photogenic, most characterful walk in Singapore; Pulau Ubin gives you the island as it was fifty years ago; and the food is simply better out here. If your trip is short, do Katong. If it isn't, give the east a whole day.

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Singapore renovates relentlessly and venues change. Everything here was verified for this edition (August 2026), but confirm opening days and hours before making a special trip — and if you find something has changed, tell me and the next edition is corrected.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the east of Singapore known for?

Food, beaches and Peranakan heritage. Katong and Joo Chiat hold the pastel shophouses and the laksa the east is famous for; East Coast Park runs 15km along the sea; Changi Village serves the island's most-queued nasi lemak; and Old Airport Road Food Centre is where serious eaters go. It is also the most relaxed part of Singapore, and where many locals would live given the choice.

Is East Coast Park worth visiting?

For a beach in the Caribbean sense, no — this is man-made sand with cargo ships on the horizon. For everything else, yes: 15km of car-free cycling and running path, barbecue pits, seafood restaurants, the Lagoon Food Village, and sea breeze at dusk. Locals go for the activity and the food, not the swimming, and so should you.

How do I get to Katong and Joo Chiat?

The Thomson-East Coast Line now serves the area directly, and buses run frequently from the city. It is roughly 15–20 minutes from Marina Bay by car. Once there, everything is walkable — the pleasure is wandering between shophouse streets rather than travelling between sights.

Four notes a year

Katong and the east change quietly and often. Four times a year I write a short note on what has actually changed in Singapore — what is on, what has closed, what is worth booking now and what has quietly stopped being worth it. It is the same honesty as the guides, sent before the dates matter rather than after.

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