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5 Worst Places to Go in Singapore – Guide for Newcomers
Modern architecture, bustling business centres, safe neighbourhoods, and the promise of good food are everything that Singapore could offer. So there’s no doubt why many foreigners travel to this country to spend their holidays or even move for good.
However, no matter how developed The Lion City is, it still has its fair share of bad places that Singaporeans and foreigners alike should take caution of.
So if you don’t know this bit of information yet, make sure to buckle up because we listed the worst places in Singapore and why you should keep your guard up if you find yourself in them.
Is Singapore a safe country?
It’s true that Singapore is generally a safe country. Heck, we have the facts to prove it, such as Singapore earning fourth place in the World’s Safest Countries in 2021.
However, like other places in the world, it has areas that aren’t the best and safest to visit.
So before we delve into the list, we want to highlight that these places were deemed the worst because they could pose a risk to one’s safety, have high police reports, and have rubbish in surrounding areas.
The Worst Places in Singapore
For this article, we ranked the places mentioned in this list according to the average number of crimes that took place in said areas.
| Rank | Neighbourhood | Average Number of Crimes (2012 – 2016) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nanyang | 456.4 |
| 2 | Geylang | 363.6 |
| 3 | Yishun North | 327.6 |
| 4 | Bukit Merah East (Jalan Kukoh) | 260.8 |
| 5 | Bukit Timah (Little India) | 69.4 |
Yishun
From WeifengTheBoss
Many agree that Yishun is one of the worst places in Singapore for a lot of weird reasons. In fact, this place’s tendency to host the strangest events prompted the rise of memes calling Yishun the “Florida of Singapore”.
(For those that don’t get the reference, people on the Internet stereotype Florida as a state with odd quirks.)
And speaking of strange events, just a couple of years ago, a mystery man knocked on locals’ doors asking for their children. The reason for this remains unknown, but it terrified a few families, to say the least.
There are also reports of animal cruelties, particularly cat killings, with the most recent one happening just three years ago.
In terms of criminal occurrences, Yishun is, unfortunately, a hotbed of loan sharks. These people can and will harass locals and foreigners alike.
Anyway, if you happen to find yourself on this side of town, try to keep to yourself. And when someone approaches you, don’t share your personal information.
| Safety Tip: If a stranger asks for your name, give them a fake one. We quite like using our favourite celebrity’s first name. |
Geylang
Dubbed a “centre of sin”, Geylang certainly lives up to its title by being Singapore’s red-light district.
Right off the bat, one should already expect that this is no place for children and minors.
But even as adults, we admit that this place is quite a lot to take in.
Granted, this area is government-regulated and is technically legal. However, with over one hundred brothels scattered all over the area, petty crimes and illegal substances almost always come into the picture.
In the daytime when business is slow, the place is actually pretty decent to take a stroll on. However, some areas will have brothel workers loitering to offer their services; we don’t recommend bringing your children to these areas.
Nighttimes, on the other hand, is when the place gets loud and rowdy. Of course, this is understandable considering that it’s a red-light district.
If you find yourself here at night, take care not to bump into drunk people.
| Safety Tip: If someone approaches you and intrudes on your personal space (walking with you and talking your ear off about their services), look straight ahead and ignore them. They will eventually leave you alone. |
Jalan Kukoh
From Jo Joyjoh Koh
As one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Singapore, it’s pretty explanatory why Jalan Kukoh isn’t the best place for newcomers to dwell in.
A brief look at the worn-down HDBs at Jalan Kukoh is enough to convince one that this place isn’t necessarily an area for leisure.
Since it’s generally regarded as an impoverished area, most of the HDBs in Jalan Kukoh only have a few square feet in them. So families of three or four have no choice but to try to make do.
When we were there, we had to walk carefully on alleyways because they were littered with soiled sanitary pads, diapers, and rotting food waste.
Fortunately, once you get to the main road, the rubbish isn’t as dense.
So unless you have a friend who lives in Jalan Kukoh or an errand to run there, don’t add the area to your itinerary.
| Safety Tip: When visiting Jalan Kukoh, avoiding narrow passageways is a must. More often than not, these alleys have a lot of garbage that was thrown over the balconies or windows of nearby HDBs. Locals also find used drug paraphernalia in these areas as well. |
Nanyang
From Michael Chua
Nanyang is one of the neighbourhoods in Singapore with a high number of crimes. And according to the Singapore Police Force, unlicensed money lending, in particular, is what generally ails the place.
In fact, when we were passing through the area, a middle-aged man handed us a flyer with minimal detail about a company promising a “fast approval and highly confidential” money lending slash payment scheme.
Not only that, Nanyang has a considerable number of molestation cases which peaked in 2016.
So although the overall crime rate has decreased by 61%, the mere fact that these crimes frequently took place in Nanyang is enough reason to be wary of the area.
| Safety Tip: If someone approaches to hand you a flyer, just ignore the person and walk straight ahead. Furthermore, if you’re a woman, we advise that you carry some sort of self-defense kit with you such as pepper spray. Unfortunately, creeps lurk in this area and it’s best to stay prepared at all times. |
Little India
From Jane O’Neill
Albeit considered a cultural wonderland, we find Little India to be one of the worst places in Singapore in terms of cleanliness and order.
First and foremost, a lot of pathways to various stalls have a lot of rubbish.
We do understand that Little India is always full of locals and excited tourists, which can be the reason why the place would accumulate a lot of waste.
At one point, we even witnessed rats (plural!) the size of kittens scurrying around rotting food waste.
There’s also this issue with double parking, which makes wading through Little India extra difficult, especially when it’s already crowded with people in the first place.
However, we do recognize the significance of Little India in Singapore’s culture and why people flock to the area. Therefore, if you really want to go there, it’s best that you take note of everything we mentioned so you can prepare for them.
| Safety Tip: If you don’t want to lose any valuable items while walking through Little India, we advise that you keep your bag in front of you at all times. It may ruin your OOTD, but at least you’re not a victim of pretty theft. |
