Little India

Tekka Centre on Buffalo Road is where Little India does its shopping. Marigold garlands, mutton, gold and tailoring share one building, and the wet market, the fresh-food hall that still feeds the neighbourhood, gets going around 6.30am. Many grocers thin out after 2pm, and some of the popular kitchens rest on Mondays. Walk the floor first, eat afterwards and carry cash for the small stalls. Serangoon Road outside is one of the oldest roads on the island. The cattle trade that once ran along it has gone, but the spice and sari shops have stayed.

From Tekka, walk along Serangoon Road to Sri Veeramakaliamman at number 141, a temple to Kali whose gopuram, the carved tower over the entrance, you'll spot from well down the street. It's typically open 5.30am to noon and 5pm to 9pm, resting in between like most South Indian temples, so we'd go in before lunch. Shoes stay outside, and shoulders and knees should be covered. The pastel House of Tan Teng Niah at 37 Kerbau Road is an eight-minute detour. It's a private home, so admire the colours from the street.

The Indian Heritage Centre at 5 Campbell Lane tells the story of how the community arrived, and it's a cool place to spend the hottest part of the day. It's closed on Mondays, and the English docent tour starts at 11am. If you'd like the lanes explained as well, a walking tour earns its fee for the clan houses and old cattle-trade streets between the shops. On Dunlop Street, Abdul Gafoor Mosque, a restored National Monument with an onion dome and Tamil and Baweanese roots, is a working mosque, so dress modestly and keep clear of prayers.

A few blocks north, Sri Srinivasa Perumal at 397 Serangoon Road is the National Monument where Thaipusam begins. It rests at midday too, open 6am to noon and 6pm to 9pm. A short walk from Farrer Park MRT, Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya on Race Course Road, known as the Temple of 1,000 Lights, holds a 15-metre seated Buddha and was founded in 1927 by a Thai monk. This northern end has more textile shops and fewer tour groups, plus Mustafa Centre, a 24-hour department store laid out like a warren. Come back after dark for the neon and a second dinner.

Where to eat

• Tekka Centre, 665 Buffalo Road: walk the wet market first, then eat. Typically 6.30am–9pm, with each stall on its own hours and some kitchens resting Mondays
• Allauddin's Briyani, Tekka Centre: the Michelin-selected biryani, if you want one named stall to head for
• Komala Vilas, Serangoon Road: the vegetarian banana-leaf institution. Banana Leaf Apolo and Muthu's Curry are louder rooms; pick one full of families
• Sugar-cane or lime juice, Tekka Centre: squeezed fresh at the market and cold enough to carry you to the next temple
• Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh, 208 Rangoon Road: Teochew white-pepper pork rib soup, traditionally a morning bowl. Daily 9am–9pm, last order 8.30pm