Clarke Quay (Singapore)

...last visit in the 1980s. Clarke Quay, quite simply, is an area which is almost unrecognisable these days. Named after Andrew Clarke, the second governor of Singapore, and sometime governor of The Straits Settlements in the late 19th century, it was once, along with nearby Boat Quay, the epicentre of Singapore's world of commerce. River trade moved out of town a long time ago, however, and the area, much polluted by the late 20th century, underwent ...
...(warehouses) have been renovated and Clarke Quay is now a leisure based complex.

Aesthetically it's a pleasing environment, although hardly "authentic Singapore". Its London equivalent would probably be St Katherine's Dock - reminiscent of days gone by but very much a development for the tourists. There's contrasting traditional and innovative features: the godowns have been preserved, although painted in a myriad of colours, ... more

I was fortunate enough to spend a number of weeks working in Singapore earlier this year. Having spend some of my childhood there, I was consistently amazed throughout my trip at how much the city has changed since my last visit in the 1980s. Clarke Quay, quite simply, is an area which is almost unrecognisable these days. Named after Andrew Clarke, the second governor of Singapore, and sometime governor of The Straits Settlements in the late 19th century, it was once, along with nearby Boat Quay, the epicentre of Singapore's world of commerce. River trade moved out of town a long time ago, however, and the area, much polluted by the late 20th century, underwent an extensive period of regeneration throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Over recent years the 19th century 'godowns' (warehouses) have been renovated and Clarke Quay is now a leisure based complex.

Aesthetically it's a pleasing environment, although hardly "authentic Singapore". Its London equivalent would probably be St Katherine's Dock - reminiscent of days gone by but very much a development for the tourists. There's contrasting traditional and innovative features: the godowns have been preserved, although painted in a myriad of colours, and giant translucent "umbrellas" cover some areas to provide dry cover in the rainy season. We visited the area on a few occasions and I have to say it's riverside location makes it a very pleasant place to while away a little time and, like the rest of the city centre it is scrupulously clean and litter free. If you're on a short stopover trip to Singapore, however, I'm not sure I would dedicate much time to Clarke Quay other than to take a boat trip: there are simply so many more exciting things to do in Singapore such as visit Chinatown or see the world famous orchid collection at The Botanic Gardens, so, pleasant as it is, I wouldn't necessarily put it on the top of the "must visit" list unless you've got more than a couple of days in the city. If you have, however….. then fill your boots.

How do I get there?
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Clarke Quay is located on the north bank of the Singapore River, right in the centre of the city, by the Read Bridge. One of the most straightforward ways to reach it on public transport is via the MRT (Mass Rapid Transport) system which is basically the underground system. Personally I think the MRT is a tourist attraction in its own right and certainly IS on my "must visit" list. The Clarke Quay MRT Station is on the North-East line (the pinkish coloured one on the MRT map) and this means it's on the same line as Chinatown, Dhoby Ghaut (Orchard Rd) and Little India which should help put together a good day out. By the way, don't eat or drink on the MRT - there are fines for that. Note that if you do use the MRT, you will have to cross the river upon arrival.

If you're staying in a riverfront hotel you can approach Clarke Quay via one of the riverfront paths, although at times of intense humidity this might not be an attractive option. Failing this many hotels run shuttle buses or you can use the SIA Hop On Bus on its City Loop Route. Taxis in Singapore are plentiful, unless it's raining stair rods, and are air-conditioned and inexpensive. Local bus services serving Clarke Quay, which are cheap and easy to use, include the numbers 54, 32 & 195.

So what's there?
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Predominantly places to eat and drink, if you're visiting during the day. There's more information on that below. There are a number of shops as well although I have to say nothing really jumped out at us. Actually I tell a lie: the one shop which did jump out at me, for all the wrong reasons, was some sort of German shop selling the kind of Christmas tree decorations and gingerbread houses that I would expect to see at the Christmas market in Munich! I imagine there is a certain amount of passing door trade for the shops here at Clarke Quay but in my opinion you'd be mad to do your shopping anywhere other than the big malls on Orchard Road or at SunTek or at the markets in Chinatown, Little India and The Arab Quarter. If you visit Clarke Quay on a Sunday, however, I am told there is a flea market, and certainly weekends and public holidays are quite lively times here, unlike midweek during the day when it is very quiet indeed.

A number of nightclubs are based here as well, most notably Ministry of Sound. Queues to get into clubs should be expected at the best venues city wide but at least once you get in you should find it, by law, a very smoke free and scrupulously sanitary experience! Clarke Quay's central location also means that it's easy to get back to most hotels in the wee hours of the morning, even on foot. I regularly walked around at night, sometimes alone, and at no point felt unsafe. I wish I could say the same for South East London.

In terms of actual leisure activities here at Clarke Quay there are companies offering "bumboat" trips along the river, something I did sample and would wholeheartedly recommend (more below) and the new G-Max reverse bungee ride, something I'm afraid I could not bring myself to sample, even in the name of research. Boat trip tickets can be bought at the kiosks by the waterfront. G-Max is based next to the Coleman Bridge and prices start at S$40 (that's £13.30) for a single ride.

In terms of basic amenities at Clarke Quay, toilets are free of charge, clearly signposted and clean and pleasant to use. This seems to be standard in Singapore (there are fines for unflushed loos in this country, you know). I didn't see any ATM machines in the complex but I imagine you wouldn't have to venture far outside of the complex to find one. Generally speaking I found debit and credit cards were accepted anyway. Disability access seemed to be good with the area completely pedestrianised, paths wide and clear, and many facilities at ground floor level.

Eating and Drinking at Clarke Quay:
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There are numerous restaurants here and most tastes are catered for. If you're looking for authentic Singaporean fare you may well find it here somewhere but my advice would actually be to head south to Chinatown to Lau Pa Sat or north to Little India instead, where you will find it at a fraction of the price. What you will find here, however, is quite a selection of Western style and fusion food and I can appreciate that if you have kids or faddy eaters in tow then this may be just what you're looking for. Eateries range from cafes and bars to more formal restaurants and children are bound to be happy to see Haagen-Dazs, although maybe not so intrigued with the Green Tea Flavour ice cream. Some of the restaurants are tucked away in the interior of the complex and so benefit from air conditioning but there are numerous opportunities to eat al fresco with quite a number of eateries offering riverside seating. All of this is under awnings (which you will be very grateful for given the high UV and regular mid afternoon torrential rainstorms so common this close to the equator) although the seats nearest the river can still be in something of a suntrap.

At the time of our visit we had already been in Singapore for several weeks, had dined native (and very well, thank you) on numerous occasions and so were quite happy to opt for a Western style restaurant for a change. Having trudged along the river in the midday sun and somewhat oppressive humidity for the last half hour, we chose to flop down at The Coffee Connoisseur which serves a variety of hot and cold sandwiches, snacks, main courses and desserts and (the clue is in the name) a very comprehensive range of frilly coffees. Based at Block 3E of Clarke Quay this is one of the venues offering riverside seating, which we took advantage of. Incidentally, smokers should not assume that outdoor tables permit smoking. By law, you can only smoke outdoors at restaurants when seated at a table specifically allocated for smokers, so do ask before you're seated. Breaking rules in Singapore is an expensive business, I'm told!

We chose to sit at a table right next to the river hoping to take advantage of the breeze. Our restaurant directly overlooked the jetty for one of the river boat excursion companies so we had a view of the bumboats, most of them covered in decorations for Chinese New Year, chugging to and fro. This itself was rather lovely, although the ambience was periodically punctuated by one of the boat captains "hoiking" and spitting into the water for a good half hour or so. We each ordered a soft drink, a gourmet style sandwich (chicken & mushroom for my companion, chicken ham and cheese for me) and a coffee. Tap water, safe to drink all over the island incidentally, came to the table as a matter of course (this is common here and absolutely necessary in these weather conditions) and was regularly topped up. The service was polite but slow. We did not find this to be the norm elsewhere in Singapore, I have to add. My sandwich in particular took a long time to come but we weren't in a hurry so it really wasn't that much of an issue. The food itself was tasty enough and pretty much as we expected. The total bill, including tax and service charge as is the norm here, came to S$41.20 which worked out as £13.73. Very reasonable for a light lunch for two, but if you're on a tight budget you'll find good food a lot cheaper elsewhere in Singapore. My main quibble with this restaurant was the plastic moulded seats - be prepared for a wet bottom when you get up!

River Boat Excursions:
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Our main reason for coming to Clarke Quay was to take a boat ride and I really do feel this is one of the best reasons to visit the complex. We bought tickets at the first kiosk we came to which was for trips run by The Singapore River Cruise and Leisure Pte Ltd. Ticket prices are S$12 (£4) for an adult and S$ 6 (£2) for children. Access to the boats is via a little wooden pier. I wouldn't think it would present too much of a problem for someone with a baby buggy but it might be more of an obstacle for someone in a wheelchair. If this is an issue for you I would make enquiries at the tourist counter as, with Singapore being very geared up towards mobility access, there is bound to be an alternative.

Obviously we were completely delighted to find that our boat captain was Mr "Better Out than In" whose spitting had accompanied our lunch so well. Actually he took the whole tourist guide thing very seriously and, in between clearing out his lungs, jumped about shouting "Left !Left!" and "Right! Right!" if he thought we weren't facing in the appropriate direction. The boat trip took approximately 30 minutes and took us west along the Singapore River, allowing us the opportunity to see various familiar sights from a different perspective. We had walked past The Supreme Court at street level on numerous occasions, for example, but had never realized that it was also the same Starship Enterprise shaped building we had admired on the Singapore skyline. After passing government buildings and the Raffles Landing Site on the north side of the river and Boat Quay (Clarke Quay's big sister) on the south side, we took in the financial district with its imposing and ever growing skyscrapers, glowering down on Chinatown, before being taken around the Merlion, perhaps one of Singapore's most famous landmarks, and The Esplanade Theatres on the Bay, a stunning feat of modern architecture housing Singapore's largest theatre and concert hall as well as various other arts venues. For these last two sights, a trip along the river affords the best photo opportunity: short of having an aerial view you won't find a better vantage point on land.

There is a recorded commentary on board the boat, which is triggered as it approaches each notable landmark, preceded by some very cheesy 1970's lounge music. Our boat captain did get a little upset if we didn't look at the building being pointed out to us in the commentary, but we were often trying to take pictures of other things so left him to his exasperation. A nice touch was that there were pictures alonside the interior of the boat depicting the Singapore River over the decades. The boat excursion is a round trip and drops you back at Clarke Quay. I should, incidentally, point out that the boats, which are open sided, are covered on top
but this won't keep you dry in a good old fashioned Singapore rain storm so do check the weather forecast first ( or at least glance skywards before embarking...)

While you're in the area…
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Fort Canning Park is just on the other side of River Valley Rd (running behind Clarke Quay) and a great place for kids to let off steam and Chinatown is one stop south on the MRT line.

In Summary:
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I would very much class a trip to Clarke Quay as a "tag on" excursion. It won't take a whole day, it won't even take a half day. Best plan it around a meal time if going during the day and maybe go there en route to somewhere else. Don't miss the opportunity to take a boat trip, available daytime or evening. If you're looking for somewhere to eat in the evening consider the restaurants at Boat Quay on the north bank as well as, to my mind, there's a little more ambience there.

Useful Links:
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www.clarkequay.com.sg
www.smrt.com.sg
www.riverc ruise.com.sg

Pictures to be uploaded, could we all just cross our fingers please?
 

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