Singapore: Stories and histories beneath the surface walking audio tour

Singapore: Stories and histories beneath the surface walking audio tour

On this walking tour, modern buildings shine alongside heritage sites as new and old Singapore come together. We'll cover lots of ground, venturing where the younger generations eat, play and study.

Beyond the monuments in front of your eyes are histories hidden in plain sight. You’ll dive into the lives of former communities, but also learn about the unique cultural context of Singapore today.

Together, we're going to uncover the incredible stories simmering beneath the surface of this island-city.

This is a one-of-a-kind tour for the curious traveller, especially because we're exploring areas in which tourists don't usually find themselves. Prepare for ghosts, naked buttocks, and convent schools to reveal themselves to you.

The tour is ready whenever you are and the audio plays automatically at exactly the right time and place using your smartphone's GPS and the VoiceMap mobile app, which also works offline.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Pass By: 93 Stamford Road National Museum of Singapore, Singapore 178897 Singapore

The National Museum of Singapore began as a proposal by Sir Stamford Raffles. Unlike many of the repurposed buildings in Singapore, the National Museum is a piece of heritage that stands in its original skin.

Pass By: 3 River Valley Road Clarke Quay Nearest Train Stattion: NE5 Clarke Quay MRT and DT20 Fort Canning Station, Singapore 179019 Singapore

Clarke Quay is a historical riverside quay in Singapore, located within the Singapore River Planning Area. The quay is situated upstream from the mouth of the Singapore River and Boat Quay. Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarke_Quay)

Pass By: Fort Canning Park, River Valley Rd, Singapore 179038 Singapore

Before Fort Canning Hill got this name, it was Government Hill, and before that, it was Bukit Larangan. That's the Malay name for Forbidden Hill.

Pass By: 30 Victoria Street Chijmes, Singapore 187996 Singapore

The CHIJMES chapel was built by the nuns who ran the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus from 1854. At the beginning, the convent was a single wooden bungalow.

Pass By: Singapore Art Museum, 61 Stamford Road #02-02, Stamford Court, Singapore 178892 Singapore

After 1996, the St. Joseph’s Institution school relocated and the building was converted to become the Singapore Art Museum. Today, it houses the world’s largest public collection of contemporary Southeast Asian art.

Pass By: National Library of Singapore, 100 Victoria Street National Library Building, Singapore 188064 Singapore

The National Library of Singapore is curved, tall and white with lots of glass. While this 16-story building was only opened in 2005, the National Library has a longer history. It reaches back to 1823, as Singapore’s first public library.

Pass By: Bras Basah Complex, Blk 233 Bain St, #04-11, Singapore 180231 Singapore

Bras Basah gets its name from the Malay term for ‘wet rice’, which was once laid out to dry on the banks of a nearby river. Back then, the Bras Basah neighbourhood was designated as a European area by the British colonial planners.

Pass By: Singapore Management University, Singapore

Singapore Management University, founded in 2000, is Singapore’s third public university with 7,500 undergraduates. When the school day is over, SMU students take advantage of their proximity to Singapore’s downtown and nightlife district in Clarke Quay.

Pass By: Old Hill Street Police Station, 140 Hill St, Singapore 179369

Old Hill Street Police Station may look new with its shiny glass ceiling and polished floors, but it’s history is long and supposedly haunted. Its official address is 140 Old Hill Street Police Station.

Pass By: St Joseph's Church, 143 Victoria Street St. Joseph's Church, Singapore 188020 Singapore

In 1825, there was only one Catholic priest in the British colony of Singapore, who served a small group of European settlers. Under his care, the Catholic community in Singapore grew and in 1906, the original St. Joseph’s Church was demolished and a Gothic-style one was built in its place.