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Orchard Road is packed with shopping
centres and you will find almost everything here: from the trendy
and fashionable to the expensive and chic. Some of the major
shopping centres which you should visit are:
Wheelock Place
known for its Borders bookstore, one of the largest bookstores
in Singapore, and Marks and Spencer line of elegant ladies and men
fashion.
Home-grown restaurant, Olio Dome is located at the same
premises.
Shaw House
From Wheelock Place, make your way through the underground pass to
Shaw House and its main tenant Isetan, a large and popular Japanese
department store. There is also a well-stocked supermarket packed
with Japanese snacks, noodles, sushi and other delicious items.
Designer shops like Max & Co and Trussardi share the same premises,
along with one of Singapore's most popular cineplexes, Lido.
Tangs
Connected via an underground pass from Shaw House is Tangs.
Founded in 1932, Tangs was one of the first few successful
shopping centres in Singapore and has always positioned itself as an
Asian Lifestyle Store with an International Appeal.
Mainly catering to the upper
middle-class, you will find chic fashion in Tangs, as well as a wide
range of household products.
The silk and batik outfits are particularly popular with
visitors looking for gifts to take home.
The main attraction of Tangs is its
unique chinese yet modern architectural design. Take some photos of
this Orchard Road landmark!
Lucky Plaza
Just next to Tangs is Lucky Plaza. Find cheap and bargainable
electrical items here, from watches to cameras to leather goods to
kimonos. You will also find one of the best rates for currency
exchange amongst the many money changers here.
Wisma Atria
From Lucky Plaza, use the underground pass to cross the road to
Wisma Atria. You'll find designer boutique Anteprima and favorite UK
fashion stores Topshop and Warehouse have made their home here. The
main attraction of this shopping centre is a large aquarium with its
diverse ecology of fishes, stingrays, turtles and even a small
shark! Watch out for the feeding times as a diver swims into the
aquarium to feed the aquarium's occupants.
Ngee Ann City
From Wisma Atria, walk over to Ngee Ann City, home of
Takashimaya Shopping Centre and the most popular shopping centre
with Japanese tourists and expats in Singapore. You will find two
tall towers housing office space flanking the main shopping complex.
Library@Orchard, Kinokuniya's largest bookstore outlet and many
other famous designers such as Tiffany, Hugo Boss, Chanel and Louis
Vuitton, Timberland, Guess?, Spain's Zara and Mango fashion labels
and Australia's Country Road are also located here.
This massive centre has won itself the Tourism Awards 2002,
Best Shopping Experience - Shopping Centre. Its complex also houses
many of the finest restaurants under its roof, including the little
Harrod's tea room, Chinese Crystal Jade and Indonesian Sanur.
There's also a full-facility sports centre, an art gallery and a
culture centre you can visit.
While you are at Ngee Ann City, dont forget to stop by outside of this building to buy an ice cream from the ice cream man! You can see him with his "cart" of ice cream almost everyday - try some local flavoured ice cream, such as red bean, corn or for the more adventurous: durian!
Paragon
Across the road from Ngee Ann City, you will find the Paragon.
Metro, Singapore's local department store is located here, along
with Singapore Airlines downtown office, where you can buy a air
ticket on SIA, make a reservation or enquire about the best air
route to many parts of the world via Singapore's flagship air
carrier. Also find well-known fashion houses such as Ferragamo,
Gucci, Versace, Dunhill, the Metropolitan Art Museum shop, and Marks
and Spencer. A great selection of restaurants await at the basement
of Paragon, so this is also a good place to have your lunch or
dinner. Come early for lunch or dinner as the restaurants get filled
up very quickly!
The Heeren
Down the road from Paragon, The Heeren's star attraction is
music mega-store HMV, the largest music superstore in South East
Asia with the largest collection of CD titles in town.
Found in this shopping mall is also the Japanese One.99 Shop
where all products are attractively priced at that price. Take a
look on levels 4 and 5 where you’ll find the Annex, Singapore’s
answer to Harajuku in Tokyo or Island Beverly in Hong Kong. Check
out the restaurants on Level 5 which offer a mouthwatering selection
of Asian food ranging from Peranakan to Japanese cuisine or head
down to Movenpick Marche at basement one which offers a spectacular
array of pastas, rosti and grilled food.
Take a short detour...
At Emerald Hill, which is between The Heeren and the next
stop: Centrepoint Shopping Centre, you can find quaint short houses which were built before the 1980s. Check out the unique architectural designs of these Peranakan buildings, which were built by the descendants of the early Chinese immigrants who inter-married with local Malay women. There is also a cafe located here, so you can take a short rest while enjoying the tranquility of Emerald Hill amidst the hustle and bustle of Orchard Road.
Centrepoint Shopping Centre
From The Heeren, walk down orchard Road to Centrepoint. Robinson's,
the main tenant, offers five levels of delight for shoppers, with
each level dedicated to different cause. This is a good place to
pick up good, yet reasonably-priced items.
Robinsons was the winner of the Tourism Awards 2002, Best
Shopping Experience - Retail Outlet. There are also stores
specialising in classical music, casual clothing, optical equipment,
electronics, furnishings, Oriental rugs, sporting goods, fine arts,
Asian antiques and artefacts, a major bookshop and much much more.
Istana - home of the President of Singapore
After Centrepoint Shopping Centre, make your way down Orchard
Road to the Istana, the home and residence of the President of
Singapore. During certain period of the year, such as Chinese New
Year,
the Istana is open to the public to explore its presidential
grounds. While you on your way to the next stop: Plaza Singapura,
dont forget to stop by the Istana main gate to take a few photos
with the Guards of Honor.
If you are here on the first Sunday of every month, catch a
glimpse of the changing of guards from 5.45pm to 6.15pm.
Plaza Singapura
Next stop from Centrepoint Shopping Centre: Plaza Singapura,
the first multi-storey shopping mall to be built in Singapore
in 1974. Through the years, it has been popular amongst tourists and
locals alike. This one-stop lifestyle shopping mall features cinema
entertainment, fashion, music, home furnishing and a wide range of
food and beverage outlets.
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