Self-guided walking tours of Singapore
Seven narrated heritage trails through the heart of the city, walked at your own pace. No guide, no group, no booking: you pick a trail, and each stop opens with its story as you reach it, playing as audio so your eyes can stay on the street. The first three stops of every trail are free.
Where the seven walks are
All seven sit in central Singapore, close enough to one another that whichever you pick is a short ride from most hotels or neighbourhoods. The shaded areas are the ground each walk covers. Click any trail to preview it.
- Into the Heartlands of Tiong BahruTiong Bahru · 2.7 km · 2h
- The Nanyang Passage through ChinatownChinatown · 2.5 km · 2h 15m
- Malay Footprints, from Kampong Glam to Geylang SeraiKampong Glam & Geylang Serai · 3.1 km · 3h 30m
- The Enclave that Became Little IndiaLittle India · 2.8 km · 2h 30m
- One City, Many CulturesBras Basah & Bugis · 3.2 km · 2h 30m
- City in NatureTanjong Pagar to Fort Canning · 4.2 km · 3h
- A Little Red DotMarina Bay & Civic District · 4.9 km · 3h 15m
Which one should you walk first?
All seven are narrated, self-guided, and begin within a few minutes of an MRT station. What separates them is how much of the day you have and what the weather is doing.
- If you only have a morning
- Chinatown is the shortest walk at 2.5 km, and Tiong Bahru the gentlest: flat, shaded streets the whole way. Either fits before lunch.
- If the day is yours
- A Little Red Dot runs 4.9 km from Marina Barrage across Gardens by the Bay and round the promenade to the civic heart, scenic and mostly waterfront. It asks 3h 15m, the longest of the seven.
- If it is hot and bright
- City in Nature climbs Pearl's Hill and Fort Canning over 4.2 km, and it is the greenest of the seven: Duxton Plain Park, the river, and a hilltop garden at the end. Bring water and sun cover for the open stretches.
- If rain is about
- One City, Many Cultures keeps its 24 stops within a few streets of one another, down Waterloo Street and Bencoolen and back through Queen Street. Museums and places of worship cluster close together here, so cover is never far.
- If you are walking on a weekend
- Little India is liveliest then. The lanes either side of Serangoon Road fill up, and the temples are open to step into.
- If you want the most in one walk
- Malay Footprints carries 34 stops, more than any other trail here, across two neighbourhoods joined by a short bus ride the app walks you through. Give it 3h 30m.
Is a self-guided walking tour for you?
A guided tour comes with a set day, a set hour and a fixed duration.
Tanken lets you set your own, which is also why a Tanken trail can hold 18 to 34 stops. Tanken trails are built for the curious and the unhurried.
You like to take things slow
Take as much or as little time as you like at each stop. Break for lunch anytime, or pick it up again another day.
You want to know the story behind a place
Each Tanken trail is written as a story, with each stop building on the ones before it. The place comes alive as you read or hear it, right where the history happened.
You like to be present
Tanken maps out the exact path between points, with 162 navigation markers placed along the way to take out the guesswork, so you can focus on taking in your surroundings in full.
You value your memories
Every stop you reach is kept in your passport as an illustrated card, exactly as you first revealed it. Open any of them again, in full, whenever and wherever you like, long after the walk is done.
Ready to walk?
Tanken is free to download, and the first three stops of every trail are free to walk. One one-time purchase opens every remaining stop on all seven. No subscription.