AngelaIn 2025, Singapore’s urban skyline may be gleaming and ever-evolving, but tucked away beyond the high-rises lie pockets of history and heritage that few pedestrians ever notice. From forgotten temples shrouded in foliage to the last vestiges of kampung life, these hidden corners offer a rare glimpse into the island’s past: Stories of community, culture and quiet resilience that risk being lost beneath the march of modernity.
Also read: Hidden Gems at Kranji: Exploring Singapore’s Countryside
1. Hidden Temple Lau Sua at Bukit Brown Cemetery
Image credit: CK Photography
Bukit Brown Cemetery is fast becoming a tourist attraction as more tour guides put them on the travel itinerary. Despite the high traffic volume swarming into the area, few know about the hidden temple right behind this historic cemetery.
2. Kampung Lorong Buangkok
Image credit: Jonathan Sim
The last remaining of Singapore’s kampung at its original state, Kampung Lorong Buangkok has become a prominent backdrop for many photography lovers to pose and snap photos.
3. Tanglin Hill Brunei Hostel
Image credit: Laura | Flickr
For many, this hostel is a place unheard of until it has been rediscovered as an abandoned building lying under the shadows surrounded by rumpled shrubbery, forgotten with each passing time. The Tanglin Hill Brunei Hostel once housed Brunei students from rich and powerful, possibly billionaires families.
Rediscovering Singapore’s Forgotten Gems
Whether you trace the winding paths of Bukit Brown’s secret shrine, wander among the wooden homes of Kampung Lorong Buangkok, or peer through the overgrowth at the Tanglin Hill Brunei Hostel, each site rewards the curious with echoes of a Singapore long before glass towers and MRT lines.
So, pack your camera, lace up your walking shoes and set out to explore these tucked-away treasures: you might just uncover a side of the nation that feels as timeless as it is surprising.
Also read: 5 Unique Places in Singapore That Even Some Locals Don’t Know About
