See & Do

Chijmes

Chijmes (pronounced “chimes”) stands for the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, a Neo-Classical style building which houses some of Singapore’s most exciting dining and entertainment venues. Just beside the Raffles Hotel, Chijmes is a rustic version of London’s Covent Garden, with green lawns, marble waterfalls and spatial courtyards that give this landmark a magical, old-world charm.

Designed by George Coleman (who also designed the Old Parliament House), Chijmes began as the Caldwell House – the residential home of a Senior Magistrate’s clerk. Later, it housed the nuns’ sanctuary and Mother Superior’s house before expanding into two more buildings – the Orphanage and a Gothic-style chapel with beautiful stained glass windows. Look out for The Gate of Hope, which still stands on Victoria Street where babies born in the year of the Tiger used to be abandoned.

Currently home to a slew of boutiques, restaurants and bars, Chijmes is one of the most well-known lifestyle enclaves in Singapore, and is the perfect chill-out destination with joints like Harry’s Bar and Insomnia for ample drinks and entertaining live music.