When researching what to do during my long layover flight in Singapore I came across photos of girls twirling in pretty dresses in front of cute and colourful houses.
When picturing Singapore I always thought of shiny new skyscrapers, and these photos contrasted with everything I thought I knew of Singapore.
A quick research brought to light Koon Seng Road, also known as Singapore’s most colourful street. If you’re going to Singapore and want to pay a visit to this beautiful street, this is the guide for you.
From how to find it to what to pack, I’ve put together everything you need to know about visiting Koon Seng Road in Singapore.
Contents
What is Koon Seng Road?
Koon Seng Road is a short street in Singapore famous for its picturesque and colourful houses that line both sides of it.
The beautiful architecture of these houses has roots in Singapore’s immigration history, but today it’s just a popular photoshoot location and a very visited attraction in Singapore.
Koong Seng Road’s history
The area was inhabited by Perankan Chinese, the first Chinese immigrants to come to Singapore from Malaysia. The houses were built in the 1920s and in the early 90s were officially marked for conservation.
Koon Seng Road gets its name from Cheong Koon Seng, one of the first thirteen students at Singapore’s Anglo-Chinese School.
Some of the houses are still inhabited by the original families that moved in during the 1920s, but many of them moved out in the 1950s due to gang violence in the area.
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How to get to Koon Seng Road
The closest MRT stations are Eunos Stn and Paya Lebar, a short 15-minute walk away from Koon Seng Road. There are also a number of bus stops all around Koon Seng Road, some of the buses that arrive close to it are the 33, 16 or 966.
However going to Koon Seng Road from downtown Singapore with public transport can take up to an hour, whilst a taxi will take maximum 10 minutes.
Ubers are fairly cheap in Singapore, I got an Uber from Koon Seng Road to little India for around 10 SGD. You can also rent a bike and cycle there. You can see the exact GPS position of Koon Seng Road here.
What can you actually do in Koon Seng Road?
Besides looking at the pretty and colourful houses, very little else. Koon Seng Road has become increasingly popular online since it’s very photogenic and it earned its position in the list of most Instagrammable places in Singapore.
If you visit this popular street you will find numerous people taking photos in front of the buildings (sometimes with matching outfits for some bonus Instagram points!) but other than that there isn’t much else to do.
There are lots of shops in the street perpendicular to Koon Seng Road so you can always go for a bit of a shopping tour once you’re done with photos.
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What to bring to Koon Seng Road
Besides your camera, a floppy hat (pretty essential to provide some shade in the Singaporean heat, plus it’s a very good Instagram photo prop) and a bottle of water, you don’t really need anything else.
There is a supermarket just round the corner for drinks and snacks and you are still fairly close to downtown Singapore for any additional purchases you might need to do.
Is Koon Seng Road worth a visit?
If it’s your first time in Singapore or you only have limited time, I would say that no, Koon Seng Road isn’t a must-see area of Singapore.
However if you’re there for a longer period of time and are passionate about photography and architecture, then yes I would add Koon Seng Road to your Singapore itinerary.
It’s a very beautiful street and the contrast of these traditional coloured houses with the high-rise skyscrapers you see in other parts of Singapore is really interesting to see.
It’s also a great spot to take photos if you’re into that sort of thing, but I wouldn’t go as far as saying it must feature on your Singapore bucket list.
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Have you been to Koon Seng Road? How did you find it? Let me know in the comments below! This guide to Koon Seng Road is based on my own personal experience.
As a travel blogger and Instagrammer always on the lookout for the best photo spots, I had to pay Koon Seng Road a visit. I enjoyed visiting Singapore’s most colourful street but I acknowledge it’s not an essential must see for everyone.
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