Orchard Road facts for kids
Orchard Road is a famous street in Singapore. It is known for having many exciting shopping centres. You can find it in the southern part of Singapore.
Contents
History of Orchard Road
Orchard Road got its name from the past. Long ago, nutmeg, pepper, and fruit orchards grew all along the street. The area really started to grow and develop in the 1900s.
On June 16, 2010, there was a big flood at the junction with Scotts Road. Heavy rain caused the water to rise. Some shopping malls like Lucky Plaza and Liat Towers were affected. Rescuers helped about 70 people from cars and buses. Luckily, no one was hurt during the flood.
Important Places
At the southern end of Orchard Road, you will find the Istana. This is a very important building. It is the official home for the President of Singapore.
Shopping and Fun
The first shop on Orchard Road was Tangs. It opened in 1932 and moved to Orchard Road in the 1950s. Today, Orchard Road is full of well-known restaurants, coffee shops, cafés, nightclubs, and hotels. It's a great place to visit!
Popular Shopping Centres
- DFS Galleria – This mall is on Scotts Road. It mostly sells fancy, expensive items. You can find brands like Louis Vuitton and Prada here.
- ION Orchard – ION Orchard opened in 2009. It has huge stores for famous brands like Prada and Dior. Its cool glass front can even show giant videos!
- Ngee Ann City – This is the biggest shopping mall on Orchard Road. It opened in 1993. It has luxury brands and a large Japanese department store called Takashimaya. You can also find Books Kinokuniya, one of Southeast Asia's biggest bookstores, here.
- Wisma Atria – Opened in 1986, this mall recently got a new look with a glass front. It has a large food court on the 4th floor. The mall is directly connected to the Orchard MRT station.
- Plaza Singapura – This mall is close to the Istana. It opened in 1974 and has been updated twice. It has a Golden Village cinema and many other shops.
- Lucky Plaza – This shopping mall is a popular meeting spot for Filipino workers on their days off. It gets very busy on Sundays. Many shops here sell products from the Philippines.
- Far East Plaza – Far East Plaza opened in 1982. It is popular with students because it has affordable fashion items. It also has many cheap food places.
- Mandarin Gallery – This mall is inside the Meritus Mandarin Singapore hotel. It has international high-end brands like Hugo Boss.
- Orchard Central – This was Singapore's first and tallest "vertical mall." It opened on July 2, 2009.
- Orchard Point – This mall has a local department store called OG.
- The Paragon – The Paragon is a fancy shopping mall. It sells luxury brands like Gucci and Prada. It also has a Metro department store and a Marks & Spencer. There's even a Toys "R" Us and several restaurants.
- Tang Plaza – This mall is home to the local department store, Tangs.
- The Centrepoint – This mall opened in 1983. It has Robinsons and Marks and Spencer as its main stores. It was updated in 2007.
- The Heeren Shops – Heeren sells items mostly for young people. The building used to be a colonial building.
- Forum The Shopping Mall – Forum mainly sells branded children's clothes and accessories. It has a Toys "R" Us on the third floor. You can also find brands like Emporio Armani here.
- Shaw House and Centre – Shaw House has the Isetan department store. On the fifth and sixth floors, you'll find the Lido 8 Cineplex. This cinema has one of the largest movie halls in Singapore.
- Hilton Singapore – Inside the Hilton hotel, the Hilton Shopping Gallery has luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Cartier. It also includes Club21, a Singaporean company selling high-end items.
- Palais Renaissance – Palais Renaissance was finished in 1993. It mainly has fancy, high-end boutiques like Donna Karan.
- Liat Towers – This building houses international brands such as Zara and Hermès. It once had Singapore's first McDonald's restaurant.
- Scotts Shopping Centre – This centre used to have Singapore's first food court. It was taken down in 2007 to build a new building.
- 313@Somerset – This mall has Singapore's largest Forever 21 and Zara stores. It also has a HMV music store.
- Wheelock Place – This mall has a large Borders bookstore, which is one of the biggest in the country. It also has a big Marks and Spencer store.
Getting Around Orchard Road
Public Transport
MRT Stations
There are three main MRT train stations near Orchard Road. These are Orchard, Somerset, and Dhoby Ghaut stations. These stations are very important for people traveling to the Orchard Road area. The entrance to the Orchard MRT station was moved underground when ION Orchard was built.
Buses
Many bus services go to Orchard Road. These services are provided by SBS Transit [1] and SMRT [2]. You can find major bus stops at places like:
- Delfi Orchard
- Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station
- Lucky Plaza
- Orchard Emerald
- Tang Plaza
Taxis
You can also take a taxi to Orchard Road. There are taxi stands at many shopping malls and hotels. Some places with taxi stands include Forum The Shopping Mall, Lucky Plaza, Wisma Atria, and The Paragon.
Driving Your Car
If you drive to Orchard Road, you usually enter from the west using Napier Road. You can then leave Orchard Road at Bras Basah Road. From the north, cars can enter using Bukit Timah Road and Scotts Road. From the south, you can enter through Orchard Boulevard and Paterson Road.
Images for kids
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ION Orchard
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Facade of Orchard Central
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Plaza Singapura is a major shopping centre in Orchard
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Orchard MRT station
