• Private Tour
• Carbon Neutral

Want to discover an entirely new culture? How about the Chinese Peranakans? Take this tour to find out how these people settled in the Malay archipelago. Get a close-up and personal view of this unique group and how they live life today.

Destination

Singapore

Category

Art Culture Tours

Duration

2.5 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English

Included

• Private guide

Excluded

• Transport
• Meals

What you can expect

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with Joisse.

1. Meeting point

   Meet at 204 East Coast Road - Singapore to start your journey

   View on Maps

2. Itinerary

   This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

3. Meeting Point

   Chin Mee Chin Cafe 204 East Coast Road Katong

4. Stop 1

   Enjoy learning about the history of the Peranakans in Singapore

5. Stop 2

   See colourful architecture and street art

6. Stop 3

   Check out a local Peranakan gallery shop

7. End

   End your tour at Katong

8. Make it yours

   Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

   Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

   Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

I can personalize this tour for you

• Tell me your preferred date and group size
• Tell me your preferences and wishes so I can customize the tour for you
• Wait for my personal offer in your inbox!

Contact me

Flexible cancellation policy

• Feel confident booking

  Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

• Change of plans?

  Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

• Loved by travelers worldwide

  Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

Buzz

7 February 2025

Joisse was a delight. Not only was she knowledgeable, but her personality was infectious. Four of us took her tour of the Peranakan Culture tour and found it to be of great interest. Her family ‘s history added to our understanding and it was good to get out of the Singapore downtown area and into a more suburban community. Join Joisse. You will not regret it. We rate Josse a 12 on a scale of 10

Penny🇦🇺 Australia

28 December 2024

We enjoyed our tour with Joisse. She was informative and very knowledgeable whilst also being great fun. She showed us lots of interesting sights of a part of Singapore that we had never previously visited. We shared yummy food! And a lot of laughs. I would not hesitate to recommend Joisse for any tour in Singapore but this one was particularly great!Fabulous Peranakan tour

A

16 December 2023

Joisse was great— fun and knowledgeable, and she made the tour extra special for us too. Shes been really helpful even after the tour with loads of tips etc. the tour itself gave historical insight into a culture not really covered in the regular tours. The food sampling was nice too. Great alternative tour!

Michael🇬🇧 United Kingdom

14 April 2023

So pleased to have found With Locals on the web. Joisse got in contact and immediately answered all our questions and organised a tour for us around the Peranakan district. She met us on time and was friendly and professional. It was a real pleasure spending time with her. Anyone looking for a private guide need look no further. Thanks again Joisse for everything. Great experience

Clyde🇺🇸 United States

15 January 2020

Joisse impressed me from the very first phone call as someone sincere and eager to provide the best possible experience. The call was initiated by her, despite the 18 hour time difference between Singapore and Hawaii. She made sure that we would be happy with an alternative visit to a Peranakan home and made sure we got the right time and day for us. On the day of the tour she met us at the hotel lobby and escorted us on our first public bus trip in Singapore. She filled us with factual information on the mass transit system, Singaporean way of life, and many other interesting and useful facts of living in Singapore. She thoroughly explained how the majority of Singaporeans owned their own homes, how they financed the flat, where and how the location of the flat was part of a social diversity plan, etc. We had a local lunch together and she explained what the food was, the kind of neighborhood we were in and even took us to her own personal flat to visit! This was the highlight of our tour and an unexpected honor to see firsthand a Singaporean residence. We know that Joisse did not need to do this but she did and we are truly grateful. Joisse made our visit very memorable.WARM and Personable

Deborah🇺🇸 United States

24 May 2019

I loved the Peranakan tour with Joisse. She showed me around like a local, including riding the bus from my hotel to Katong and back. I was able to see the sights with a great view! The history was very informative and I learned a lot. The food was also wonderful! This is a not to miss tour when in Singapore. I plan to retake the tour with friends when I return. Thank you, Joisse!Great tour day with Joisse

Sebastian🇩🇪 Germany

18 January 2025

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. Excellent tailored tour

caroline.streif🇨🇭 Switzerland

5 January 2025

Thank you for a great time in Singapore and all the insights you gave during our walk. It was truly special and I enjoyed all aspects. I appreciate your suggestions for places to see and eat at. I‘ve had a wonderful time 😋 Best regards, Caroline.Great time with Joisse

Lynne🇦🇺 Australia

13 December 2024

what an informative, amazing, and enjoyable tour of Hougang neighbourhood with Joisse. Joisse was such a delight as our guide. So knowledgeable, caring and attentive. All four on our tour said it was one of the best we had done - thank you Joisse!amazing offf the beaten track with Joisse!

Stephen🇺🇸 United States

31 October 2024

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour with Joisse. She customized our tour to skip some of the sights we had already seen and she took us to some new places we would never have found on our own. She was also super friendly and was full of good, useful, and interesting information. Thank you Joisse!Joisse was Outstanding

Charlene

4 October 2024

From the moment I read Joisse's bio I knew I wanted to spend time with her. We were only in Singapore overnight, so we asked if we could adapt the tour as needed. She said yes and off we went. She shared lots of cultural, political and pop culture with us. We even discussed our prior work which intersected with hers. if you are looking for a very friendly knowledgeable tour guide Joisse is your pick! Informative and Friendly!

Annie🇬🇧 United Kingdom

19 March 2024

We had a great tour with Joisse. She took us to some really interesting places, had lots of insights into Singapore, and made it all fun too. She also adapted her plans as we went along, listening to what we had already done, and what we were interested in. I would absolutely book Joisse again - you can’t say better than that!Highly Recommend

Andre🇩🇪 Germany

19 March 2024

We had a great day with Jossie in Singapore. She led us to unexpected locations and great views. She shared her broad knowledge about her hometown and gave useful hints and tips for enjoying Singapore the best way. We loved her stories about Singapore‘s history and the architectural features the town has to offer. We won‘t have been to all the spots Jossie led us to and enjoyed the time with her very much. She showed us how to enjoy a hawker visit and introduced us to some new food experiences. Thanks once again for a time totally opposite of boring. All the best from us.Great day out in Singapore

joani🇺🇸 United States

16 January 2024

Joisse is a fantastic tour guide! Her English is absolutely perfect and she is a pleasure to spend the day with. She was kind and patient and let us rest when we got tired. I highly recommend Joisse if you are looking for an amazing guide!Joisse is Amazing!

Ross🇺🇸 United States

6 January 2024

Joisse is Friendly Warm Knowledgeable Accommodating She took us on a walking tour (in the rain no less) and we did not miss a beat. She helped us plan the rest of our weekend and imparted invaluable information on local ways including GRAB which has given us complete freedom to roam around. Best start to our weekend

Lisa

28 November 2023

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!Hidden gems with a gem of a tour guide!

Denise🇦🇺 Australia

22 November 2023

Enjoyed our morning in the Bay of Gardens.We would not have been able to find the little secrets by ourselves.walking with Joisse

Michael🇦🇺 Australia

21 October 2023

Wonderful to see non tourist areas and learn how real locals live.Great indepth local area tour

Jim🇺🇸 United States

15 October 2023

My wife and I had Joisse for our guide for the Peranakan tour as well as the Gardens by the Bay tour, which she was nice enough to combine into one extended tour for us. Our tour was an exceptional experience. Joisse is an outstanding guide who went above and beyond to make our tour memorable. From the moment we met Joisse, her warm and personable nature put us at ease. She was not only friendly but also highly attentive to our interests and preferences. Her knowledge of the Peranakan history and the Katong neighborhood really helped us better understand and appreciate the complicated (to an outsider anyway) history of Singapore. Joisse shared fascinating insights about the history, food (laksa, in particular) and culture of the Katong area as well as showing us hidden gems that we would have never discovered on our own. She answered all our questions with enthusiasm and made the tour not only educational but also engaging. The Gardens by the Bay tour was equally informative but since there was a heavy rain while we were there it did cut down on the opportunities to stroll around a bit. But while waiting for the rain to clear we learned even more about the history of Singapore. If you're looking for a guide who is engaging, knowledgeable, and dedicated to providing a memorable experience, Joisse is the perfect choice. We would recommend her to anyone looking for an enjoyable way to learn more about Singapore.

Felix🇩🇪 Germany

24 August 2023

We had a blast with Joisse. She organised the tour for us individually and gave us the perfect experience, just with a few informations on what we'd like to see. Joisse even organised a wonderful birthday surprise for my wife. It was great to get some insights on local life, getting to know fantastic food at hawkers center and having a chat with Joisse, she could answer all our questions about Singapore. Lovely Guide with perfect organization

Ozlem🇦🇺 Australia

22 July 2023

We were so blessed to have Joisse as our tour guide in Singapore - we ticked off everything on our list and more! Joisse is truly a very lovely person and amazing at her job - she went above and beyond to not only ensure we got to see and experience everything we wanted but she was also very flexible when the rain started and we needed to adjust our itinerary. I was travelling with my 14 year old niece and Joisse acted as more than a tour guide she was our beautiful local Singaporean friend who genuinely cared about us having the best experience possible. Nothing was too big of an ask - she has the most lovely personality! We cannot recommend Joisse highly enough! Thank you wholeheartedly Joisse for everything you did for us! All we wanted & more! Joisse is the best!

Claudia🇦🇹 Austria

6 May 2023

We booked a privatly guided tour with Joisse, having a six hours stop over in Singapore. Joisse answerd very fast to all our requests and organized everything perfectly in advance. She picked us from the airport, helped to store our bags and then showed us beautiful Singapores most important sights. Joisse is very well informed about history of Singapore and life in the surounding countries. Joisse is a lovley, very well educated personality! Thank you Joisse 🥰 Claudia and Christian Singapore with Joisse Chin Hui Lin

Vicki and Steve🇦🇺 Australia

28 March 2023

Joisse was sweet, bubbly and cheeky. Great company, great sense of humour, very informative and full of intrigue on historical information. Not too taxing as a Walking Tour. Thank you JoisseFUN, CHEEKY AND ENJOYABLE

Sheryll🇺🇸 United States

11 October 2022

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. What a wonderful guide!

simon🇦🇺 Australia

4 September 2022

Having been to Singapore before we didnt want the 'normal' tour so decided on the 'Off the Beaten Track in Singapore: Hougang Tour'. We looked the reviews of the guides and selected Joisse and she was amazing. Great communication prior to the tour and we had a fantastic tour of the 'real' Singapore. Joisse provided us with information that we were unaware of with the highlight being the opportunity to visit the remaining 'village'. A real step back in time. We highly reommend this tour and Joisse.Joisse is a STAR

Erika🇸🇬 Singapore

9 June 2022

Absolutely wonderful tour with Joisse!! She is so knowledgeable about Singapore and generous in sharing her own history and experience here, giving a wonderful local flavor and off the beaten path tour. She accommodated all my requests in tailoring the tour to my interests. Perfect guide for both an intro to Singapore and a unique flavor/more in-depth tour. It was such a delightful day - cannot sing her praises highly enough! Thank you so much, Joisse! :)IDEAL tour with Joisse!!

Melanie🇸🇬 Singapore

31 December 2021

Joisse is a fantastic, thoughtful guide. She has a wealth of knowledge and was happy to answer all our questions. The tour was interesting and fairly relaxed. Joisse even followed up afterwards with some information about our local CC. Highly recommend!Loved this tour!

Shane

22 December 2021

ingrid🇸🇬 Singapore

18 July 2021

Super guide, helemaal custom made voor ons gezin met 3 kleine kinderen.Geweldige ervaring

Margaret🇬🇧 United Kingdom

31 January 2020

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.Fun and knowledgeable

Serge

27 January 2020

Hello, she was professional. She is knowledgeable about the tour … secrets of Singapore . Her English is impeccable and very easy to understand. We highly recommande here.Joisse

Claude🇺🇸 United States

24 December 2019

We did a 3 hour introductory tour with Joisse which was a mistake. We should have done and all they tour of the architecture of both old and new Singapore or some other more in-depth tour because Joisse is an incredibly knowledgeable and wonderful tour guide that I felt her talents, knowledge and abilities were somewhat wasted with this basic tour although she did impart a very thorough picture of the history of Singapore. I recommend her wholeheartedlySingapore with a guide' s guide

Joerg🇨🇭 Switzerland

8 December 2019

Dear Joisse just a short note about our time with you in Singapore: It cannot be better. It was just perfect. Thanks a lot and see you again.a perfect day in singapore

Mandi🇺🇸 United States

22 March 2019

I really enjoyed my tour with Joisse. She was cheerful and easy going. I have been to Singapore before and done most of the usual tours so chose this for a different view of this wonderful city. I was not disappointed. Joisse was very knowledgeable about the area we visited giving facts and figures as well as anecdotes. I would never have found the village of Kg Lorong Buangkok, it really is hidden in plain sight. I will recommend Joisse as a guide to any of my friends visiting the area. It’s one thing to be knowledgeable about the area but to make it seem like a day out with a friend is a real talent. Hidden secrets of Singapore

Franklin

17 February 2019

We like Joisse's tour 'off the beaten Singapore track' a lot. We have been to Singapore many times and she showed us parts that we had not seen before. Also she is very friendly and we talked a lot on life in this interesting city state. Here you can see some pics we took. https://www.flickr.com/photos/franklinheijnen/sets/72157678738522448 Great tour off the beaten track in Singapo

Sara🇶🇦 Qatar

4 January 2019

Joisse was an amazing host, she was so patient answering all our questions and showing us the true Singaporeans singapore that tourists would rarely see. Thank you so much Joisse!!Amazing host

paul🇧🇪 Belgium

9 September 2018

AN EXCELLENT GUIDE, FRIENDLY, DEDICATED & FLEXIBLE WHEN CHANGES IN FORESEEN PROGAM WHERE ASKED. IT WAS A PLEASURE TO HAVE JOISSE AROUND IT MENT AN ADDED VALUE TO MY STAY IN SG. GOOD JOB, WELL DONE JOISSE.REVIEW JOISSE

Astrid🇩🇪 Germany

26 April 2018

Could not have been better. Based on Joisse good knowledge and her concept of what could be of interested she took us around to the places where everydaylife happens. One could follow her explanations very good and she took care to the whole family during the tour. Perfect guide to show us the hidden places

Astrid🇩🇪 Germany

22 April 2018

We were so glad that we have booked this tour with Joisse. Without her tour and her kindness and knowledge concerning local topics we would not have had the chance to see this hidden part of Singapore. Thanks again, Joisse.This tour with Joisse is a MUST

Brima🇸🇬 Singapore

17 February 2018

Although resident in Singapore for some time, with a guest visiting from Italy we wanted to have a structured few hours of sightseeing as a good introduction. From the minute we made contact with Joisse, it was clear she understood what we were trying to achieve, the mix of history and culture without the more touristy traps that are often included. The final itinerary she devised was the perfect mix of brief visits to key ethnic/cultural sites, the important historic 19th and 20th century locations and drive byes important building. On the day, during the six hours excursion, Joisse gave impressive insights into the history and development of the various sites. The whole experience was interesting, informative and totally enjoyable! In summary, Joisse proved to be a superb find for us. Her professionalism, flexibility,highly personable approach with her linguistic elegance made the tour a real success for our visitor and ourselves. Despite living in Singapore, it was not just our visitor that experienced new places and stories. The best tour guide experience we have ever had. Bravo Joisse, a great asset for Withlocals. B McC from SingaporeWonderful Singapore Tour!

Rajesh O.

14 November 2017

Good to find a charming & soft spoken guide. She is really the best in the business. Hidden Local Treasures of Singapore

David

13 November 2017

My tour with Jossie was awesome. I definitely would have never been to these places without her. The trip to the Chinese supermarket was really cool and I even bought some things to try :) it was a great tour to see how the locals really live in the outskirts of the city. Well worth the trip! Hidden Local Treasures of Singapore

G

12 November 2017

So knowledgeable, so enthusiastic and with a great sense of humour, she is able to keep even the most jetlagged visitors happy. She knows the set up so well, she is aware of all the likely problems. She warns you of what is going to happen in such an amusing way that when it does happen, rather than being annoyed, people just laugh!!!!!! Hidden Local Treasures of Singapore

James

8 November 2017

We just wanted to say what a great time we had with you and thank you for helping us see all the things we wanted to see. I got some of the best pictures ever there. I hope to send you more clients in the future and it was a true pleasure meeting you. A customized trip with Joisse

Kerrin

19 October 2017

Great tour guide, very chatty and bubbly. Always smiling. Hidden Local Treasures of Singapore

K.

15 October 2017

Joisse was wonderful... Joisse did everything she could to ensure our comfort and safety... Many thanks for making our stay most enjoyable! Hidden Local Treasures of Singapore

Nergez

7 October 2017

I have been on many tours around the world, but never have I come across such a sweet, caring, hunourous guide. She was also very efficient. When she said good night to us on the bus, we all gave her a clapping ovation. Hidden Local Treasures of Singapore

Arthur

9 September 2017

Our guide was witty, fun & informative. We enjoyed her relaxed style & knowledgeable responses to questions. Hidden Local Treasures of Singapore