Orchard Road

Orchard Road is Singapore's retail spine, a roughly 2.5-kilometre strip lined with shopping malls such as ION Orchard, Ngee Ann City and Paragon. The street takes its name from the fruit orchards that covered the area in the 19th century before British colonists and wealthy merchants built the first villas. At the southern end stands the Istana, the official residence of Singapore's president designed by John McNair, opened to the public only on a handful of days each year. Today the boulevard offers air-conditioned comfort instead of street life: sweeping atriums, food courts and elevated walkways between malls. In December a kilometres-long Christmas light-up turns the avenue into a ritual for families and selfie-snapping tourists.