Where we'd start
Any of these makes a good first stop.
- The cafes and bars of Lorong Mambong after 6pm
- Holland Village Market, 1 Lorong Mambong, from Exit B
- Chip Bee Gardens and Tiong Bahru Bakery at #01-74
- Museum of Ice Cream, 100 Loewen Road, Saturdays from 1pm
- Candlenut, 17A Dempsey: lunch to 3pm, dinner from 6pm
- Tanglin Halt Market, 48A, from Commonwealth Exit A
- Margaret Drive Hawker Centre, 38A, Queenstown Exit B or C
- Holland Drive Market & Food Centre, 44 Holland Drive
- One-north Park, 24 hours, part closed until March 2027
- Holland Village MRT: Exit B, or Exit C for the only lift
Holland Village is where Singaporeans come for an evening out, at the cafes and bars along Lorong Mambong and Lorong Liput. Walk both streets and sit wherever looks good, rather than booking a chain ahead. Breakfast is at Holland Village Market and Food Centre, a hawker centre (a hall of small cooked-food stalls) at 1 Lorong Mambong. Behind the village, off Holland Grove and Jalan Merah Saga, Chip Bee Gardens is a quiet pocket of black-and-white houses that most first-timers never find. Walk it in the late afternoon, once the cafes have peaked. Wessex Estate, further south toward Portsdown, has more black-and-white colonial bungalows on quiet roads and sometimes a gallery open. People live in both, so take your photos from the street.
Dempsey Hill, ten minutes away in the old British army barracks off Holland Road, is the long-lunch end of the area: conserved black-and-white buildings, antique shops and tables you book ahead. We'd book Candlenut at 17A Dempsey Road, the first Peranakan restaurant anywhere to earn a Michelin star. Museum of Ice Cream at 100 Loewen Road is the indoor option. Book a timed slot ahead and bring a card, since it's card only. Tickets start at S$43, or from S$53 for premium, and under-2s go free.
For grass, One-north Park is an 8.9-hectare lawn behind the village, free and open 24 hours. A section is closed for improvement works until March 2027, so check NParks' notices for the open path. If the park is the point, one-north or Buona Vista MRT gets you closer than Holland Village does. The Rail Corridor's 1.6-hectare Buona Vista community node is in one-north too, nearer Buona Vista station. HortPark and the Southern Ridges lie further south, nearer Labrador Park MRT, and they're a better walk from the HarbourFront side.
Queenstown's breakfasts start at Commonwealth, one stop along the East-West Line from Buona Vista. Tanglin Halt Market at 48A Tanglin Halt Road is still on NEA's hawker list, though HDB has selected the estate for SERS, its scheme for redeveloping older blocks. Two of the early stalls there keep their own days off. Wei Yi Laksa & Prawn Noodle at #01-18 is usually open from 5.30am to noon and closed Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. Tanglin Halt Original Peanut Pancake at #01-17 is usually open from 3.30am to 11.30am on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, and it's best before 10am. Margaret Drive Hawker Centre at 38A Margaret Drive is a separate building that opened in 2022 after the old Tanglin Halt Food Centre closed. Next door, at 38 Margaret Drive, Margaret Market is a conserved 1956 wet-market hall (a market for fresh meat and vegetables).
Getting there
Holland Village MRT (CC21), on the Circle Line, has Exit B for Lorong Mambong and the only lift at Exit C. Dempsey is a bus or taxi ride from Napier (TE12) or Botanic Gardens (CC19). One-north Park is nearer one-north (CC23). On the East-West Line, use Commonwealth (EW20) Exit A for Tanglin Halt and Queenstown (EW19) Exit B or C for Margaret Drive.
Best time
Hawker breakfast starts around 6am, and the fried bee hoon is usually gone by 12.30pm. Cafes get going late morning. Book Dempsey for lunch, or come for drinks at golden hour. Lorong Mambong fills up in the evening, less so on weekdays. Walk Holland Road early or late, and take a taxi at midday.
Where to eat
- Holland Village Market and Food Centre, 1 Lorong Mambong (277700): fried bee hoon at #01-11 for breakfast, then laksa and nasi lemak at #01-15 until about 8pm
- Holland Drive Market & Food Centre, 44 Holland Drive: a bigger centre, where New Lucky Claypot Rice at #02-19 cooks over charcoal and has a Bib Gourmand
- Tiong Bahru Bakery, 43 Jalan Merah Saga #01-74, Chip Bee Gardens: pastries from 7.30am on weekdays and 8am at weekends, until 7pm
- Margaret Drive Hawker Centre, 38A Margaret Drive: about ten minutes from Queenstown MRT, and Queenstown Lontong at #01-27 is the bowl people come for
- Candlenut, 17A Dempsey Road: Peranakan cooking in the old barracks, lunch daily from noon to 3pm and dinner from 6pm to 10pm. Book ahead
Holland Village & Dempsey questions
Which Holland Village MRT exit should I use?
Exit B, heading north on Holland Avenue, is two minutes from Lorong Mambong and three from the food centre at 1 Lorong Mambong. Exit A comes up on the southbound side, beside the dual carriageway, and it's the one for Chip Bee Gardens, Raffles Holland V and ACS International rather than the restaurants. Exit C, on Lorong Liput, is the only one with a lift and the one to use for Holland Drive Market.
Holland Village or Dempsey?
Holland Village suits a walk-up evening at the cafes and bars, with seats outside. Dempsey suits a booked table in the old barracks. They're a short taxi apart, and you can walk Holland Road between them, though it's a hot walk. We'd pair a Dempsey lunch with a Holland V evening and save the hawker breakfast for another morning. If you only have time for malls and a spa, stay on Orchard instead.
Can I combine Holland Village with the Botanic Gardens?
Yes, Holland Village and the Botanic Gardens make one easy day. Tanglin Gate, by Napier MRT, is the garden entrance closest to Dempsey. Walk the gardens in the morning, have lunch at Dempsey and spend the evening in Holland Village. That's a full day already, so leave MacRitchie and Bukit Timah for another trip.
Where is the Holland Village hawker centre?
Holland Village Market and Food Centre is at 1 Lorong Mambong, three minutes from Exit B. Holland V Fried Bee Hoon at #01-11 is usually open from 6am to 12.30pm and closed Mondays and, on some lists, Wednesdays. 363 Katong Laksa / Holland Village Nasi Lemak at #01-15, a different shop from 328 on East Coast Road, is usually open from 8.30am to 8pm and closed Wednesdays. Holland Drive Market at 44 Holland Drive is bigger and a walk from Exit C, and Ghim Moh Market at 20 Ghim Moh Road is a short bus away.
Chip Bee Gardens or Wessex Estate?
Chip Bee Gardens, off Holland Grove and Jalan Merah Saga, is an eight-minute walk from Exit A. Tiong Bahru Bakery is at 43 Jalan Merah Saga #01-74, among the black-and-white houses, and there's sometimes a gallery open. Wessex Estate is further south toward Portsdown and quieter. Both are residential and free to wander, so take photos from the street. We'd start at Chip Bee for a pastry and carry on to Wessex if you want a longer walk.
Museum of Ice Cream or a Dempsey lunch?
They're different outings. Museum of Ice Cream at 100 Loewen Road is the indoor stop with the sprinkle pool, open 10am to 6pm, except Saturdays, when it opens at 1pm. You book a timed slot, and tickets start at S$43. It's too far to walk from Lorong Mambong. Candlenut at 17A Dempsey Road is a booked Peranakan meal, with lunch from noon to 3pm and dinner from 6pm to 10pm. We'd give each its own afternoon. For a shorter Dempsey stop, Mr Bucket runs a one-hour chocolate factory tour, for ages 12 and over.
Holland Village or Queenstown for breakfast?
Holland Village if you want the fried bee hoon and a Circle Line day. Queenstown, on the East-West Line, if you want Tanglin Halt Market at 48A Tanglin Halt Road, on an estate HDB has selected for redevelopment. From Commonwealth MRT, take Exit A toward Tanglin Halt Road and Faith Methodist Church, and it's four or five minutes on foot. We'd choose one centre per morning, because two hawker breakfasts in one morning is a lot, even for Singapore.
Which Queenstown MRT exit for Margaret Drive?
Take Exit B or C, on the eastbound side of Commonwealth Avenue, toward Margaret Drive and Dawson. Princess House is in the same direction. Margaret Drive Hawker Centre at 38A Margaret Drive is about ten minutes from there. Exits A and D are on the westbound side by the swimming complex, toward Mei Ling and Stirling, and they're the ones for Mei Ling Market & Food Centre at 159 Mei Chin Road, up the hill.
What is there for children near Holland Village?
Children can burn off energy at the free COMO Adventure Grove on the Gallop side of the Botanic Gardens, open from 7am. For a wet afternoon, book a timed session at The Artground at One Holland Village, inside One Holland Village.
Which free stops are near Dempsey and Holland Village?
Past Dempsey, the Gallop side of the Botanic Gardens has the free Forest Discovery Centre, a small gallery on Singapore's forests in a bungalow built in 1898. The Ulu Pandan Park Connector runs 14.8 km along the canal from Ghim Moh, and grey herons and kingfishers work its banks.
Where can I see contemporary art on Dempsey Hill?
REDSEA Gallery shows contemporary art in a former army barracks on Dempsey Hill, open until 9pm.
Things to do in Holland Village & Dempsey
A handful to start with. Tap one for the price and how to get there.
FreeHolland Village
Cafes, a wet market and late bars
2 hours·Holland Village·Free
FreeHolland Village Market & Food Centre
Upstairs hawker, downstairs wet market
1 hour·Holland Village·Free
TicketsMuseum of Ice Cream Singapore
Sprinkle pool and unlimited scoops at Dempsey
1.5 hours·Dempsey·From S$38
FreeTanglin Halt Market
Old Queenstown, stalls people still cross town for
1 hour·Queenstown·Free
Freeone-north Park
Biopolis lawns, a designed tech-campus green
45 min·Kent Ridge·Free
FreeDempsey Hill
Old barracks turned restaurants and antique shops
2 hours·Dempsey·Free
Things to do in Holland Village
Holland Village is cafes, a market and two hawker centres around Holland Village Way, with the Ulu Pandan Park Connector for a walk.
FreeHolland Village
Cafes, a wet market and late bars
2 hours·Holland Village·Free
FreeHolland Village Market & Food Centre
Upstairs hawker, downstairs wet market
1 hour·Holland Village·Free
FreeGhim Moh Market & Food Centre
A residents' breakfast hawker near Holland Village
1 hour·Holland Village·Free
Chuan Kee Boneless Braised Duck
Boneless braised duck at Ghim Moh Market
1 hour·Holland Village·Free
The Artground at One Holland Village
Arts play space for families
75 min·Holland Village·From S$8
Things to do in Dempsey
Dempsey Hill is old barracks turned restaurants, wine rooms and galleries, with the Museum of Ice Cream and Burnt Ends in the same few blocks.
TicketsMuseum of Ice Cream Singapore
Sprinkle pool and unlimited scoops at Dempsey
1.5 hours·Dempsey·From S$38
FreeDempsey Hill
Old barracks turned restaurants and antique shops
2 hours·Dempsey·Free
TicketsWine Tasting in Dempsey
Wine masterclasses at Dempsey
2 hours·Dempsey·About S$75
TicketsBurnt Ends
Dave Pynt's wood-fired grill, one Michelin star
2 hours·Dempsey·From S$180
Nowhere Baths
A modern bathhouse on Dempsey Hill
2 hours·Dempsey·From S$55
Mr Bucket Chocolate Tour and Tasting
An hour in a Dempsey chocolate factory, with tastings
1 hour·Dempsey·From S$20
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