Orchard Road, Singapore’s bustling shopping belt is a wide one way street flanked by iconic shopping malls, restaurants and hotels. Apart from being a major tourist’s attraction and the most popular shopping area in Singapore, it is also where the locals go to hang out with their friends. Whether you are a first time visitor or a seasoned shopper there’s perhaps no better place to start your Singaporean shopping spree than in Asia’s most famous shopping street, Orchard Road.
Home to specialist stores, shopping malls and loads of other lifestyle choices, Orchard Road is definitely the place to go for some fantastic retail therapy. Designer labels, fast fashion, electronic gadgets, upscale restaurants, household brands, art galleries and ethnic wear, are all available here, in fact retail, dining and entertainment choices for every taste and budget can be found in Orchard Road. With so much on offer, tourists in Singapore must make it a point to pay the much talked about shopping hub, a visit, for some great shopping and good food.
Stretching from Wheelock Place to Plaza Singapura, the 2.2 kilometre shopping strip is best explored on foot. With malls packed back to back, tourists will definitely be spoilt for choice when here. Plaza Singapura, Ngee Ann City, Lucky Plaza, ION Orchard, Far East Plaza, Tanglin Mall and Wisma Atria are just a few of the malls that can be found along Orchard Road. Since Orchard Road and Scotts Road are designed with underground tunnels, shoppers will find that these tunnels provide easy access to shopping centers on either side of the street.
Muslim tourists will also find shopping at Orchard Road a fantastic experience. Being able to find top international brand, local designer labels as well as other consumer items, all in the same area is definitely an advantage. First time visitors concerned about finding Muslim-friendly facilities in Orchard Road need not worry as the street indeed caters to the needs of the local Muslim population along with its many Muslim tourists.
Locating prayer facilities in Singapore is not difficult, as the city is home to over 60 mosques. Muslim tourists at Orchard Road could use the facilities at Al Falah Mosque, located in Cairnhill Place if needed. While this is the only mosque in Orchard Road, there are several other mosques locate nearby. Masjid Al Gafoor, Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka and Anguillia Mosque are some of the other prayer facilities located nearby that can be used if required.
Muslim tourists will be quite thrilled to know that locating Halal food in Orchard Road is not a problem. With most of the shopping malls housing food courts and restaurants within their palatial multistoried buildings, shoppers looking to get a snack or meal after or between their shopping sprees will find plenty of options while at Orchard Road. Muslim tourists will find numerous Halal restaurants at Orchard Road. Mackenzie Rex Restaurant, Ayam Penyet Ria, Warung M Nasar, Es Teler77, JTown Cafe, Puncake Best Noodles, Ayam Bakar Ojolali and Pastamania are some of the many Halal restaurants in Orchard Road.
While locating facilities like mosques and Halal restaurants in Orchard Road is quite easy, Muslims hoping to stay in a hotel at Orchard Road will find that it is actually possible to find Muslim-friendly hotels at Orchard Road as well. Royal Plaza on Scotts is one such hotel in Singapore that caters to the needs of many Muslim travelers. Not only does it house a Halal restaurant, but it also has rooms that are marked with the Qiblah direction.
