Singapore is one of Asia's leading shopping destinations. And shopping in Singapore means Orchard Road!

Sure, you can spend your money in other places in Singapore. But if you're looking for a combination of quality and variety in an environment where you can choose your price range and indulge in other after-shopping entertainment activities, Orchard Road is it.

Orchard Road is named after the spice orchards that populated the area for most of the 19th Century. Nutmeg and black pepper grew well in there, but a disease destroyed the plantations at the beginning of the 20th Century.

Development as a shopping district began for Orchard Road in about 1970. Some of the anchors of the district trace their origins to that time - C.K. Tangs, Plaza Singapura, and the Mandarin Hotel among them.

Today Orchard Road is graced with malls and shopping complexes, some of the city's best hotels, an amazing array of dining venues, and several foreign embassies. Singapore extensive bus system makes it easy to get to the area for a pittance in transportation costs. The MRT stops at three locations along the east half of Orchard Road. And for a few dollars you can easily catch a taxi back to your hotel after you're done shopping.

The Orchard Road area has 12 major shopping venues. From West to East they are: Tanglin Mall, Tanglin Shopping Center, Far East Shopping Center, Wheelock Place, Far East Plaza, CK Tangs, Wisma Atria, Lucky Plaza, Ngee Ann City, the Paragon, the Heeren, and Plaza Singapura. In addition to these, there are numerous smaller complexes and stand-alone department stores like Centrepoint, Delfi Orchard, Far East Shopping Centre, Liat Towers, and shopping areas inside the major hotels.


© Glen Bowman