Off The Beaten Track In Singapore: Private City Tour

So much knowledge was shared by Phil who obviosly is very passionate about his home and country. The information shared during this tour was inspiring and something that you would never see without a local that knew the area well.

Needed to get to Serangoon to meet the guide. Interesting day to non tourists places. Guide Stefan was informative . Lot of walking in the heat. Helps to be familiar with buses and MRT to get back at the end of tour .

This tour was very off the beaten tourist path and more of the daily life of a local Singaporean. Guide Ron Chew was insightful and educational, touring through essentials of living and habits of the residents. Ron was friendly and spontaneous. We enjoyed the different perspective.

We learned about daily life in Singapore. Monica showed us a couple neighborhoods and we toured a Taoist temple. She was a wealth of information. Spoke very good English. Made sure we were always comfortable and fed. It was the highlight of our trip.

Stefan was an extremely knowledgeable local! On this tour you will get in depth details about the local relgions by visiting a Buddhist, Taoism, and Hindu temples, walk through an HDB building to understand how most of the locals live, and finally visit one of the last remaining Kampongs (local village). While this tour is not long, nor is auctioned packed like the city tours, if you want to see a more local side of Singapore with in depth detail, then this tour is for you!

Stefan was an extremely knowledgeable local! On this tour you will get in depth details about the local relgions by visiting a Buddhist, Taoism, and Hindu temples, walk through an HDB building to understand how most of the locals live, and finally visit one of the last remaining Kampongs (local village). While this tour is not long, nor is auctioned packed like the city tours, if you want to see a more local side of Singapore with in depth detail, then this tour is for you!

This is a great tour for nature-lovers and those who want to see the suburbs of Singapore. Richard taught me so much about urban life and the superb quality of life in Singapore.

Really interesting look at a different side to Singapore. Stefan was informative, spoke well to our questions and kept things simple and light hearted. It was a hot day but Stefan helped us stay cool and adapted to the situation when one of the temples was under renovation. Offered us transport cards to aid short bus rides on the tour which was appreciated too. A good experience.

A great way to see the “real” Singapore. Our guide (Joyce) was fantastic! We learned so much about the local culture.

We had a great time with Monica who was a knowledgeable and friendly guide on our trip around parts of Singapore most visitors do not see. We ended up spending 3 hrs with her on our booked “2 hr” tour. The highlight was a wander around the last remaining kampong in Singapore. Monica also bought us locals coffee and some welcome water. We recommend this 5 star tour.

Joisse gave is a wonderful tailored tour. We wanted to see real life in Singapore, no sights, and Joisse took us to a village and public housing where tourist normally don’t go. Communication before and during the tour was great. All expectations were fulfilled. We learned a lot, all questions were honestly answered and we loved the little stories. Joisse is a caring, wonderful person with humor and it was a pleasure to get known to her. Thank you very much. We can absolutely recommend her as a tour guide.

A sneak peek at how the locals live, wonder the markets, see children at play, feel the sense of community and gain a better appreciation of how public housing and associated infrastructure (transport, community spaces and goods and services) has been designed and developed. Very enlightening and Monica, our guide, was an absolute delight. Monica is chatty, easy going, knowledgeable, informative and loves what she does. Our small group of 4 throughly enjoyed the experience.

Monica was friendly , on time and had a great plan for our tour . She is well read and has a sense of humour. She showed us the real life side to Singapore which involved visiting a neighbourhood where people of modern Singapore live, this gave us an insight in to the day to day life locals live .including the local temples, eating areas, shops and hobbies. She took us to the only traditional neighbourhood preserved and protected from new builds . This tour is one you would never get on the commercial tourist trail. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour. It’s the first we have arranged through ‘with locals’. This app will now be our ‘go to’ for future holidays however Monica has set the bar high and so we will be lucky if we ever get another tour guide as friendly and informed as she is . Thank you Monica !

This tour is really something special and shows Singapore from a different side. Our kids were thrilled until the end and our expectations for a city tour were more than exceeded. This was one of the best tours we have experienced. This was not your typical tourist attraction. So if you want to experience something new, book the tours with WITHLOCALS and especially with Richard.

We did 2 tours with Monica : Singapore Highlights and Hidden Gems. 2 very complementary tours that allowed us to have a genuine impression on the city. Monica was very knowledgable on city and its history and shared anecdotes and informations with good humor and in a perfect English. Highly recommended!!

We were delighted with our tour, Monica was knowledgeable and friendly. The tour was more than we hoped it would be, privileged to experience how many of the wonderful people of Singapore live, the food markets and different religious places. thanks Monica, great experience x

If you want to get away from the city, away from the typical tourist stops, and experience how the locals live, Richard is your guide. Full of historical knowledge, a deep appreciation of nature, and a very friendly nature, Richard's tour was engaging and thought provoking. I can't recommend Richard highly enough. Thank you!

Monica was the tour guide extraordinaire!! She is passionate, dedicated and has a great sense of humor. Our family of 5 adults , thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her. We learnt so much about life for ordinary Singaporeans. Having visited Singapore several times we were unaware of so many facts. Even our friends who are 3rd generation Singaporeans were surprised at how much we learnt !! Monica made the tour so interesting- we learnt about Taoism and experienced how locals live and spend their time. We highly recommend Monica….you will have a lot of fun and appreciate the tour.

Monica is one of the best and kindest tour guides that we have met! She took us on a special journey of how the local Singaporeans live. Due to the hot weather, Monica was able to navigate our tour by alternating walking with a few comfortable air conditioned bus rides. We would not be able to explore these interesting but less traveled districts without Monica’s expert guidance. In addition, she was so kind to share her helpful food suggestions, special landmarks, and a “secret” air conditioned underground passage to the Merlion statue. If you are seeking a knowledgeable guide in Singapore, Monica has my highest recommendation.

Monica was a fantastic guide and we learned so much walking around with her. Make sure to bring lots of water and wear cool clothes, we thought we did but we got quite over-heated. Monica took good care of us and we had a great time!

This was a great tour. Richard was a great guide, he was articulate, tried to connect with each of us, showed us cool tricks, shared interesting facts about both the past of Singapore and its present, and made great jokes. Richard was a great guy, showed us how he lived, gave us refreshments while talking about the housing situation of Singapore, and gave us fun facts that even the average Singaporean might not know. Over all, 10/10 tour. Tip. Bring water.

Monica was the perfect guide for us, kind, thoughtful, happy and informative. She gave us a wonderful insight to how the locals live. We rode by public bus and subway, visited two temples, the oldest village in Singapore, had refreshments with the locals in a coffee shop, walked through a public housing development and saw so much more. Monica answered all our questions and was enthusiastic about sharing her knowledge. For something a little different and a great experience we would definitely recommend doing the “Off the Beaten Track in Singapore” tour especially with Monica.

Had an unbelievable experience with Richard! Saw a part of Singapore that I did not know existed! Had a great time! Experienced plants that I was unfamiliar with and learnt snippets of history…great tour.

Highly recommend the tour if you want to see a different side to Singapore. Richard is passionate about Singapore and shares his wealth of knowledge in an easy to understand and highly informative manner. We loved this tour so much!

Richard was a very attentive, enthusiastic and very knowledgeable host with a true passion to preserve his heritage. We were taken back in time to a simpler way of life, living off the land in simple homes following a trail through the local community. We were introduced to several species of plants and fruits, which we tasted with Richard’s guidance and knowledge. During our tour we came across many birds, insects and even saw Turtles in the local river. Our journey ended in a modern community, where Richard explained the interaction on all levels of how people live today. We finished our journey with a very tasty local meal. Needless to say this was a fantastic experience off the beaten track not to be missed.

Monica was just great! She led us through a tour of her own neighborhood, giving us a glimpse of what real life in Singapore is. She answered all our questions and conversation was always interesting. She really has a passion to tell and show others a little bit of real Singapore. We highly recommend her tour and herself as your friendly guide in Singapore.

On a recent trip to Singapore, my daughter and I were keen to see a little of the local life in the suburbs of this beautiful city. We booked an ‘off the beaten’ track tour with Monica. We are so glad we did, it was fabulous. We meet Monica at the MRT station and, by bus and on foot, we explored the neighbourhood - visiting temples, markets and Kampong Lorong Buangkok, which is the last surviving kampong in Singapore. It was an excellent tour and Monica was terrific, giving us a number of tips for other must-do activities in Singapore. She recommended that we have a Singapore Sling at Raffle’s Long Bar and that is a must-do experience for any tourist in Singapore! Thanks Monica.

Honestly, this tour with Richard was probably the best tour I've been on and my parents who I'm travelling with also think the same. My recommendation is that if you're a traveller with more curiosity than the average tourist, than Richard is the best guide. We went to amazing spots and learned so much about Singapore, and Richard is just an amazing person overall. If we're ever back in Singapore, we'd love to visit Richard again.

One of our favourite days in Singapore was our tour with Joisse. It was easy to communicate with Joisse beforehand to customize this tour to meet the needs of the four women in our group. Joisse is extremely knowledgeable and has a very kind nature. It was so wonderful learning about the history of Hougang in contrast to the HDB style of living predominant today. Joisse also gave us an introduction to Hinduism as we made our way to visit the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple in Little India before she dropped us at the Banana Leaf Apolo for lunch as requested. We would definitely book another tour with Joisse! She was delightful!

Richard led us on a fascinating walk through the real Singapore - the last Kampong. He took us back to his childhood showing us how to use nature for games and explaining all the edible flora that surrounds the wonderful city. The walk was capped off with lunch at one of his favourite suburban cafe. It was a most memorable and enjoyable 3 hours. Thanks Richard

We enjoyed our walk in Hougang thoroughly, discovering life and culture first hand in a HDB precinct. Richard was a great host, very knowlegeable, entertaining and gracious, even inviting us to his own home. Thank you Richard for a great ecperience!!

This is our third Singapore visit, with each having been enjoyable. However, this time especially so, because.....This time we made a more determined effort to leave the confines of what we call "the tourist trap" - Richard proved to be superb for these purposes. Richard truly went the "extra mile" for us. We not only share some of his personal interests, cycling, photography and nature, but also enjoyed learning from each other, discussing comparatively, the varying means by which different people go about seeking and celebrating that which all humans share a need for... Same, same, but different! So....if you want to find out about Singapore, beyond its trappings as a modern, globally significant city....hire Richard. We had three tours with Richard giving us time to truly benefit from his vast experience founded knowledge and caring/sharing attributes. Thank you, Richard. Your love for Singapore, your home town, is infectious, so we are leaving with a deeper affection, appreciation and understanding for this part of the world.

Spent a wonderful morning in Serangoon with my excellent guide Monica she gave me a wealth of information on the living conditions of the people.She also looked after my wrlfare in the heat.Serangoon metro is about 20 mins or less from the city centre. Please ask the station info desk for exit E.. I believe he sent me to D then I turned left outside and bus stop E is there with the taxi rank a few yards on.i met Monica and we caught a local bus to a housing complex we walked around the estate visiting various shops visiting the community temple and saying hello to the very friendly locals. They even explained the different types of Birds nest varieties. Stopped at the main cafe for kaya toast many food options available. Continued our walk trough the shops including the many pet shops.We then took a bus to the last of the old time villages in Singapore and had a pleasant stroll around..We then caught a bus back to Serangoon metro where I said goodbye to Monica. Setangoon has a very modern shopping mall above with many food shops so you can cool down before getting back on the metro Thanks so much Monica. .

This tour delivered everything I was hoping for and more. Richard our tour guide was a great source of information. We were not rushed and showed the past and present living conditions. We had our lunch at one of the public housing complex. I think this is a must.

Richard is so much more than just a tour guide. He combines his extensive knowledge, his passions for wildlife and photography and provides such wonderful historical insights from his personal experiences. He has a wonderful sense of humour, is a fabulous storyteller and passionate about Singapore. We loved every minute of our experience and felt we had spent time with a good friend. We cannot recommend him more highly. You are in for a treat of a day with Richard and you will develop a sense of the rich history of Singapore, whilst being outdoors and having so much fun. When we are in Singapore again we will most definitely book another tour with Richard.

We had such a great time with Monica, her passion and knowledge of Singapore was extensive and informative. We will definitely recommend a tour with Monica, she goes way beyond your regular tour guide.

This is a fantastic tour especially if you’re interested in seeing another part of Singapore. Richard is informative, very knowledgeable, entertaining and terrific company. Thanks Richard for a great insight in to a part of your city that many tourists don’t experience.

Richard’s tour was perfect. An excellent insight into how Singaporeans lived in the past contrasting with how they live now. He was brought up in the old way and now lives in the new way. To me they are both enviable ways of living. Singapore seems a good place to live! Richard himself is an excellent storyteller who has a wealth of experience having travelled all over the world. His knowledge of his hometown and it’s history is impressive. We met as strangers and left as friends. Thanks Richard!

What a fantastic experience! Richard is a wonderful story teller and so knowledgeable. After a short, interesting bus trip, we were shown around an area that has so much history and wildlife. We were entertained with stories of the area and imparted with interesting facts about the flora and fauna. Later on, we were taken to an apartment complex and invited to taste the local food. Delicious! We had such a good time and will remember this experience as being the best in Singapore. Thankyou Richard, you are a fabulous guide.

My guide Richard Koh gave a very inspiring, informative and memorable tour with Hougang as the starting point. Richard is knowledge, a true nature lover and committed. Upon request he gave me a customized tour which was both spot on and included surprise visits to interesting places I would never have found on my own.

Joisse was a pure joy to meet and work with. We loved learning more about Singapore 's unique housing policies and getting to ask a local aaaallll the questions. We definitely walked away with a better understanding of this unique city-state. Joisse is a real asset to WithLocals. We would book another tour with her again, without hesitation.

Had a great walk around Singapore. Meng Teck was a very knowledgeable host, very friendly and he easily adapted our needs to the days plan. He communicated with us before the trip advising us of the latest news of the coronavirus and what to expect. Not many tourists but everything we planned to see was open so a great time to travel.

Our guide Richard took us on a journey in his local neighborhood and it was a true pleasure. We learned so much about the 'hidden side' of Singapore and the culture and we experienced many things we would not have come close to ourselves. Richard was fun and a great host of this tour. His whole approach was very personal witch we enjoyed a lot!

Joisse has a wonderful sense of humour and a good knowledge of Singapore and the people who live there. She was patient giving us lots of time to ask questions. At 74, I was a little worried about the duration of this walking tour. I needn't have been. We went at a leisurely pace. Joisse looked after us extremely well pointing out steps etc so we didn't trip or slip.....I am a little prone to this!! I would thoroughly recommend this tour if you want some insight into how the locals live away from the bustling city.

We could see how the locals live in Singapore. If we hadn’t met Richard, we couldn’t have seen it.Richard understood exactly what we wanted to see.He is friendly and knowledgeable.We would highly recommend this tour.Thanks Richard!

RICHARD was friendly and informative and showed us a side of Singapore that we would not have seen otherwise. Very interesting and intriguing tour. I would highly recommend touring with RICHARD!!

Surprising insight in the public housing system of Singapore. My guid Richard did an outstanding job. He had great knowledge in all things we can across during this very interesting day.

My husband and a friend spent 6 hours touring Singapore with Ronnie as our guide and Louie as our driver on Nov. 23rd, 2019. Ronnie was very personable and extremely knowledgeable and accommodating. He balanced his planned itinerary and our desires nicely to make this a fun day and interesting day. We saw several of the classics in Singapore (Merlion Park and Gardens by the Bay) but also stopped for local snacks in one of the many Hawkers establishments and in China Town.Ronnie also offers walking and subway tour, but Louie's car was luxurious and saved us from too much walking.

Our guide, Joyce, met us at our hotel lobby. She was extremely kind, knowledgeable, and happy to cater to our needs. We learned so much about Singapore, especially the history and cultural information which we both enjoyed. She provided us with MRT cards, so we could take the metro, and city buses. We observed a part of Singapore that we wouldn't have ordinarily seen, and had lovely conversations with her about life and society in Singapore. I highly recommend one of these tours.