Disappearing Trades
4.7

Disappearing Trades

By Tribe Tours
Recommended by 97% of travellers
97% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Free cancellation • Full refund if cancelled up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time).
Reserve now & pay later • Secure your spot while staying flexible.
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Ages 7-80
Duration: 4h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: Chinese, English
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Highlights

  • Food smell and tummy-full experience
  • Entry/Admission - Singapore


Start:
  • 69 Pagoda St, Singapore 059228
    Start/end: Chinatown MRT Exit A (outside Bee Cheng Hiang) (69 Pagoda St, Singapore 059228)
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point.

    • Not wheelchair accessible
    If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 121553P2

    • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
    • Most travellers can participate
    • This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
    • This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
    • This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

    • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

    If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 121553P2

    From
    £82.30
    per adult
    Select date and travellers
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    Similar experiences

    Itinerary
    • 69 Pagoda St, Singapore 059228
      Start/end: Chinatown MRT Exit A (outside Bee Cheng Hiang) (69 Pagoda St, Singapore 059228)
    • 1
    • 2
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    About the operator
    Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
    • Tribe Tours
      4.9 of 5 bubbles937
      Singapore, Singapore
      Joined in October 2014
    • ah tee s
      0 contributions
      4.0 of 5 bubbles
      An inclusive community space not solely for people with disabilities
      I visited the Enabling Village while on my way to my co-work office at Bukit Merah. The Village is located at Leng Kee. It was formerly the Bukit Merah Vocational Institute and reused to be an inclusive space that integrates retail, training, education, work and lifestyle connecting people with disabilities and the society. I also used the gym located at the first floor of the village. For Seniors aged 65 and above, we have free access to all ActiveSG gyms and swimming pools. At this Enabling Village, the gym has been retrofitted to accommodate the needs of the seniors as well as people of disabilities. Strength training is important to seniors as it helps to develop muscles tissue reducing blood glucose level, preventing and reversing pre-diabetes and diabetes. I like the seated row, shoulder press and the lat pull down machines as it helps to tone up the muscles of the upper body. After a few sets of the exercise, I left the Village for my co-work office. At lunch break, I returned to the Enabling Village to attend a Tech Refresh event by a company named Hypercom. The company introduced some of the latest innovative AI gadgets and devices for public address system, audio and video system using video analytics, cloud storage system and security and surveillance systems. Very informative and mind stimulating for innovative solutions. Really appreciative of the company's invitation. After the talk, I walked around the Village. There are few F&B social enterprises operating in the village staffed by cooks and service staff with disabilities. You’ll find eateries such as Professor Brawn Bistro which serves up affordable Western fare, Cafe @ The Nest and Soul Food which offers healthy options. I also visited the Art Faculty. The Art Faculty sells products made by people with disabilities. People with disabilities need no sympathy but empathy and to be treated with respect and dignity. This Enabling Village is an inclusive community space that connects them to society and values their contributions.
      Written 12 April 2024
    • kc382
      0 contributions
      1.0 of 5 bubbles
      Jewel Canopy bridge walk
      Paid extra for the bridge walk and it’s not worth the money as you can see good views from other perspectives. You’re not allowed to take wheel/cabin luggage with you, you have to deposit it on level 1 before going to level 5, we were not informed of this until we met the miserable ticket attendant at the bridge entrance.
      Written 24 October 2023
    • lee_y_leow
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      An insta-worthy tour!
      We received free tickets for this tour from Singaporewards.com (currently running a campaign where tourists are able to claim one free tour or experience per person). All of the Tribe staff on this tour were lovely and friendly. Boon shared very interesting tidbits of historical and cultural information while guilding us around and Rosa shared her tips and tools for taking great pictures of the buildings and pictureqsue spots. All in all it was a fun experience and we definitely learned a lot!
      Written 21 March 2023
    • Mulowayi
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Impressive Jewel by Kenneth
      Impressive Kenneth, the tour guide. Jewel is a work of art. Such a wonderful time well spent. The guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. I am glad we learned the story behind the stories
      Written 29 December 2022
    • Raditya A
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      IT WAS A BLAST!
      10/10 would recommend! The tour guide, Androus lead the tour really well. The activities were engaging and one of my friends single-handedly brute forced the puzzles!
      Written 27 December 2022
    • cherrylollita
      0 contributions
      4.0 of 5 bubbles
      Experience the magnificent view of Singapore Jewel whether in the broad day light or catching the lights at night!
      This place is a must if you ever go to Changi Airport as there will be no other airport like Changi Airport in this world
      Written 14 December 2022
    • nanana214
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Andros
      It was fun! The background history of Chinatown is good. Would recommend to try Good luck Hurray Yes
      Written 31 August 2022
    • KatrinaLu16
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Instagrammable places in Singapore
      It was so much fun and we all had great time finding hidden gems in Singapore.The tour guide is very knowledgeable and the influencer is so friendly share the tips of taking fantastic photos. Highly recommend!
      Written 26 August 2022
    • elly0418
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Amazing Jewel Heist Game Tour !
      Puzzles were really tough and require lots of thinking! But overall great experience and fun!^_^ Andros was great. !! Jewel canopy park as final mission was really interesting :)
      Written 24 August 2022
    • martinhampson
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      A different perspective of Singapore
      The visit to the Old Parliament Chamber room at the end of the tour was an unexpected bonus. Although it’s dubbed a walking tour there isn’t much walking so don’t be deterred by the title, it’s an interesting perspective on Singapore.
      Written 5 August 2022
    • hH9742
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      A great way to explore!
      Amazing tour! Incredibly informative and a perfect way to take in some history and capture great memories of Singapore
      Written 24 July 2022
    • 631aimn
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Amazing tour
      Good tour to learn about the history of Chinatown and at the same time having fun in solving puzzles
      Written 4 July 2022
    • luoyuxii
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Very fun puzzle tour :)
      The experience was very fun and challenging. We enjoyed solving all the puzzles and learning about the history of Chinatown.
      Written 4 July 2022
    • WendsNus
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great family challenge!
      Great fun and we finished the challenge - whoop whoop! Andros was a great guide and would definitely recommend to anyone up for a fun challenge in a different location. Will do another for sure!
      Written 19 June 2022
    • qiyut2018
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great game, awesome guide
      Andros was a great guides and shared many interesting facts about Chinatown. The games were fun and and engaging and it's definitely a worthwhile experience, even if you are a local!
      Written 12 June 2022
    See all 937 reviews
    These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

    Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.


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    4.7
    4.7 of 5 bubbles124 reviews
    Excellent
    92
    Very good
    29
    Average
    2
    Poor
    1
    Terrible
    0

    Cindy
    16 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jun 2021 • Family
    Our guide, Boon, is very knowledgeable and attentive to the needs of my elderly parents during the trip. He is flexible and able to adapt and change his itinerary accordingly to ground situations. Good recommendation for traditional hawker food at the Chinatown complex.
    Written 10 June 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Thank you for the positive review and for spending a morning with us to learn the lesser known facts about Singapore!
    Written 12 June 2021
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    RLTT99
    Singapore, Singapore28 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Apr 2021 • Friends
    Iris, our guide, thank you. You spoke clearly, had good enunciation, with no strong local accent but still accentuated your speech with suitable Singlish.

    Iris did good introductions to the disappearing trades: from mentioning family names, to the manufacturing process, to how the businesss are run today and their uncertain futures, to peppering with other tidbits and anecdotes of other disappearing trades. (Trying not to do spoilers here). She also tries to engage the people in the tour group (18 of us on today's tour) by asking questions in her narratives.

    The stops are:
    1) black as soot coffee factory at Depot Road
    2) shachima and grilled cuttlefish snack stalls at Chinatown Complex while sipping a kopi/teh
    3) traditional bread bakery in Tai Seng
    4) paper house (and other paper items meant for burning for ancestors) maker at Ang Mo Kio

    Comfortable, clean, big coach bus to drive us all over Singapore. Very basic audio guide given, and earpiece provided but suggest you bring your own so it doesn't keep dropping out of your ear.

    Was of course a little disappointed that we were unable to enter the coffee factory and see the machinery and work in progress close up. The uncles were in "do not disturb" mode, and, while not unfriendly, they certainly had no engagement with the group.
    Bringing us to Chinatown Complex to a random stall in the hawker center to make up for the absence of on-site, immediate coffee tasting was an appreciated gesture. But I think I would rather they bring us to Nanyang Coffee at the junction of Smith Street, rather than anyhow bringing us to a coffee stall where the auntie was rather loud and rude, and the kopi and teh was lackluster.

    Use your Rediscover Singapore voucher on this, just nice!
    Written 27 April 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    thank you for such a thoughtful review. Indeed, these are business and trades that we hoped more people will be aware of before it is faded into history. Noted on your feedback regarding the coffee.
    Written 28 April 2021
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Pingggggrockz
    Singapore, Singapore423 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A short yet rich experience for half a day. Boon is knowledgeable and clearly personally proud of sharing these lost trades in Singapore.

    A rare visit behind the scene

    Transport in a comfortable air con bus is well appreciated
    Written 18 March 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Neil D
    Melbourne, Australia160 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Really interesting trip and a great way to see a part of Singapore many won’t. We met very interesting people all willing to share their stories. Andros was a great guide with lots of information and stories. Recommend this trip and encourage you to purchase the coconut roll at the bakery yum!
    Written 24 September 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Hi Neil, Thank you for joining us in Disappearing trades! Happy to hear you had a great time learning about these stories with us, indeed we can't miss out our favourite coconut roll! 😋
    Written 30 September 2021
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Zara
    22 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Apr 2021 • Family
    Absolutely loved the tour. Our guide, Kenneth, was extremely knowledgeable and answered every single question we had. A definite must-do for every singaporean! We learnt so much on the tour and had so much fun. One of the best tours I've ever had.
    Written 30 April 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Thank you for such a thoughtful review. Indeed, these are business and trades that we hoped more people will be aware of before it is faded into history. do share this tour with your friends and encourage them to join us!
    Written 12 May 2021
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Eisabess
    9 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Dec 2020 • Friends
    Disappearing Trades was a simple but meaningful & enriching morning tour that taught us a lot about things we take for granted, like kopi and bread. One of my favourite persons on the tour was Mr Toh of Antiques Handicraft, who continues to plies his trade of traditional paper house offerings. Seeing these sunset businesses in real life has given me a lot of insight into which parts of our heritage should be valued even as we progress as a society into a more technological age.
    Written 4 December 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Soh
    33 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Dec 2020 • Family
    Boon and Veronica, our guides, were friendly and patient. They listened to our questions and gave answers that they could answer. When they realised they had gave us hot Milo, they corrected the mistake and gave us iced Milo instead, which was our order
    Written 7 December 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Your review brightens our week and month! It was such a pleasure having you guys on our tour too. Hope to see you again!
    Written 9 December 2020
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Sherlyn
    10 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jan 2022 • Couples
    The tour was superb and our guide Andros was very knowledgeable with a good sense of humour. We learnt a lot about SG’s disappearing trades and it was really interesting to hear all the stories behind these trades and the men behind them that persevered and changed with the times. Highly recommended!
    Written 20 January 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Hi there, thanks for joining us in Disappearing Trades! Glad you found it fun and interesting, we look forward to welcoming you back soon! =)
    Written 19 February 2022
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Symond L
    13 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jun 2021 • Family
    Fantastic guided tour. Boon was very engaging and was constantly feeding us information and history behind the places we visited. So many hidden gems in singapore that would not have been known unless you join such tours!
    Written 15 June 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    thank you for such a thoughtful review. Indeed, these are business and trades that we hoped more people will be aware of before it is faded into history. do share this tour with your friends and encourage them to join us!
    Written 27 June 2021
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Alice S
    Singapore, Singapore3 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Apr 2021 • Family
    The whole tour was enjoyable and comfortable.. i think Boon the guide did a very good job ..to talk about the history of coffee beans etc..if not for his well prepared 'homework' and frequent interactive talk; the tour may be a bit simple and may be boring . On the whole its relaxing and nice.
    Could make it a bit more old school eg.to show cutting of bread crust etc..
    Written 18 April 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Thank you for the positive review and for spending a morning with us to learn the lesser known facts about Singapore!
    Written 21 April 2021
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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    *Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.

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