Boat Quay
Just north of Raffles Place, the pedestrianized row of waterfront shophouses known as Boat Quay, almost at the old mouth of the Singapore River, is one of the island’s notable urban regeneration successes. Derelict in the early 1990s, it’s since become a thriving hangout, sporting a huge collection of restaurants and bars. The area’s historical significance may be easier to appreciate through its street names – Synagogue Street nearby, for example, was indeed the site of Singapore’s first synagogue.
Raffles Place
Raffles Place makes a good prelude to a stroll along the south bank of the river to Boat Quay or across Cavenagh Bridge to the Colonial District, but the main reason to visit the Financial District itself is to feel like an ant in a canyon of skyscrapers. To see what things look like from the top of that canyon, the best place to head is One Raffles Place, the complex to the west of the square, with truly stunning views from its rooftop bar, 1-Altitude. The three roads that run southwest from Raffles Place – Cecil Street, Robinson Road and Shenton Way – are all chock-a-block with more high-rise banks and financial houses.