Jaclynn Seah is a Singaporean who has spent most of her life in the little red dot. An avid solo traveller, she loves jetting around the world for new adventures, but has learned to appreciate the beauty of returning to Singapore, and enjoys sharing about her home country in writing and in person.
Jaclynn is a licensed tourist guide in Singapore who conducts tours in English. She is an established travel writer who co-wrote the 2023 edition of Lonely Planet Singapore and writes about Singapore and her travels for various publications.
My Tours
Keen to explore Singapore with me? Here are some tours that I do.
About this tour:
Learn about Singapore’s neighbourhoods through the street art on its walls. Pick an area that you are curious about, and I’ll show you the coolest murals there and tell you the hidden stories behind the art as we see the sights. You’ll also learn about the artists/crews behind these works and the unique evolution of the Singapore street art scene despite the country’s strict laws and obsession with cleanliness.
I love street art because it tells you so much about its surroundings and has led me to so many interesting places I wouldn’t find on my own. I first encountered Singapore’s street art while working in the arts sector and have been documenting street art on my blog and on Instagram @singaporestreetart for many years.
Locations available:
- Chinatown
- Little India
- Kampong Gelam
- Katong/Joo Chiat
- Others – I can do custom and corporate tours
Some neighbourhoods to explore:
Tour includes:
- 3 hours of walking in one location
- English speaking guide providing tour commentary on site
- Group size: 1-4 pax (additional cost for larger groups)
Tour does not include:
- No transfers and transport provided
- No meals provided
Reviews:
I first came across Jaclynn through her IG account a long while back and was amazed to see how much street art there was to be found all around Singapore which she had so wonderfully captured. I had been to Singapore before and located some of the murals but never did I imagine that there was so much more to see. During my next trip to Singapore, I was super happy to find out that Jaclynn was actually offering street art tours, so I went ahead and booked one with her. And what can I say?
It was absolutely marvelous! She didn’t only know all the murals’ locations, which in itself was a massive time saver, but she was also a true treasure trove of knowledge not only about the street art scene, its artists and the stories behind the murals’ creation but equally about the history of Singapore and its districts. On top, she also knew great places for ice cream and traditional Singaporean “kopi” too. I can highly recommend exploring Singapore’s street art with Jaclynn.
Alex (Wanderlust Walks)
Private Street Art Tour
About this tour:
Looking for a customised tour? I’m happy to plan something for you to cater to your specific needs.
Prices will depend on specific requirements, but my typical rate is S$60/hour:
- Half day walking tour (4hrs) on weekend – starts from S$250
- Full day walking tour (8hrs) on weekend – starts from S$490
Tour includes:
- Customised itinerary based on your requirements
- English speaking guide providing tour commentary on site
- Group size: 1-3 pax (additional cost for more pax)
Tour does not include:
- No transfers and transport provided – can be arranged and charged separately
- Any admission tickets are charged separately
- No meals provided – can be arranged and charged separately
Reviews:
We feel so lucky to have found Jaclynn through her website. We had been to Singapore a number of times before and seen all the major attractions, but were hoping to find someone to give us an insider’s view of local culture. We told her we had loved The Intan and Haw Par Villa and she immediately understood what we were looking for. She took us to places that showcased the young and vibrant art scene we knew was there but never would have found on our own. Thank you, Jaclynn – we’ll be back for more!
Daniel Castor
Private Tour (4 Hours) – Tiong Bahru, Pearl’s Hill, Chinatown
I’m so glad to have you as our tour guide for two local walking tours in November. I’m happy to meet you as a new friend in our first destination and see more street arts. […] I would like to visit Singapore again to see more other neighborhoods.
Tiffanie
Private Walking Tour (4 Hours) x 2 – Chinatown and Katong
- Tours will go on rain or shine, with amendments made to itinerary as required by circumstances on tour date at discretion of guide.
Rescheduling
- If guest reschedules tour more than 7 days before original tour date, no additional payment is required.
- If guest reschedules tour less than 7 days before tour date, additional payment of S$50 will be required to confirm the new tour date.
- All rescheduled tour dates will be at the discretion and availability of the tour guide.
Cancellation
- If guest cancels tour more than 7 days before tour date, 50% deposit will be refunded in full (100% refund). Any service/transfer fees will be deducted as required.
- If guest cancels tour less than 7 days before tour date or no show on tour date, deposit will NOT be refunded (0% refund).
- Any other cancellation/refund decisions will be at the discretion of the tour guide.
My Guiding Journey
I love taking walking tours in new cities that I visit, but never thought I’d be the one guiding tourists around. Here’s how I became an officially licensed Singapore tourist guide in 2024.
Volunteer art walks
I had my first taste of proper guiding as a volunteer guide for OH! Open House, an independent art organisation that led art walks in various Singapore neighbourhoods. I guided walking tours around Joo Chiat (2015), Emerald Hill (2018) and Kampong Gelam (2024).
These art walks are a great combination of things that I love: site-specific art installations inspired by its surroundings and telling stories about offbeat corners of Singapore with local secrets.
Creating my first audio tour
My first experience curating and creating my own walking tour came in 2016 when I was introduced to Voicemap, an immersive audio tour app for self-guided audio walking tours. I knew immediately that I wanted to create a tour around some of my favourite things: street art and murals, and my favourite neighbourhood Kampong Gelam where I spent a lot of my early working life.
The result? I curated and recorded Street Art Hunting in Kampong Gelam, which has since been overhauled in 2024 as the streets and artworks changed.
Pandemic virtual tours
I’m an avid traveller and the pandemic was the longest period of time I went without travel as an adult, for almost 2+ years! I turned to creating and hosting virtual tours on Amazon Explore with Fourwinds from 2021-2022, showing an international audience the tourist sights that they couldn’t visit, like Chinatown, Fort Siloso and the Singapore River.
It gave me a chance to talk to foreigners when I wasn’t able to travel and made me ponder whether to get my tourist guide license or not. Unfortunately, this beta programme on Amazon was shut down in 2022 after two years, but I treasure the experience and training I received in this short period.
Taking the plunge
I’ve always been an occasional traveller, juggling a love for travel with my full time job which pays the bills for travel. In mid 2023, I was unfortunately retrenched from my day job. Now I finally had the time and motivation to commit to getting my Tourist Guide license to tide me over in case finding a new job took awhile, and give me more options as my age/salary puts me on the frontline when it comes to retrenchment. You can read more of my story on CNA Women.
I’m happy to say that I passed this notoriously tricky test on my first try, earning my big red badge in 2024, woohoo!
Freelance guiding
I was lucky enough to find a new full-time job, so guiding is something I do on weekends and evenings for now.
Tourist guiding in Singapore largely consists of freelance gigs. I do private tours for people who reach out to me directly, but also work with several cool tour companies on their tours – check out my guest reviews and keep a look out for me around Singapore.
Guest Reviews
Don’t just take my word for it – here’s what people I’ve guided have to say about me and my tours.
Jaclynn made my first trip to Singapore amazing! On our first day, she gave my parents and I a tour of Chinatown, and I’m so glad we started our trip with this. It was really grounding. She’s very knowledgeable about the history of Singapore, and even shared her own family’s history, which we really appreciated. She’s open, honest, and direct, which helped me to have a better understanding of Singaporean culture. If you’re coming to Singapore, I highly recommend you connect with Jaclynn and schedule a tour with her.
Will
Private Customised Tour
I would thoroughly recommend doing this tour, it far exceeded my expectations. Jaclynn was our guide and was excellent! I learnt so much about the history of Chinatown, and visited some wonderful places there.
JMurray65
Signature Chinatown Walk – free walking tour (Indie Singapore)
Absolutely fantastic group. We took two tours with them, one with Wei and the other with Jaclynn and both of them were really good. They are both really knowledgeable not only on historical facts but also the contemporary landscape.
I wish all our tour guides were like them!!
Signature Chinatown Walk – free walking tour (Indie Singapore)
We did the Friday tour of Chinatown with Jaclynn, and we loved it!! Jaclynn is very close and passionately conveys very interesting information about this part of Singapore. Fully recommended.
Signature Chinatown Walk – free walking tour (Indie Singapore)
[…] enthusiastic story tellers as they love and are proud of their city. Jaclynn guided us a group of 8 through the Chinatown neighbourhood. Walk the walk. Talk the talk. And so presented a good narrative of the history and geography of the city […] So many questions she answered. (3.5 hours). My friend and I were inspired to spend the afternoon at the National Museum of Singapore to get an even fuller story.
Signature Chinatown Walk – free walking tour (Indie Singapore)
What an amazing, personalised, highly informative and non-generic tour of Chinatown and Little India. PS and Jaclynn have a wealth of knowledge and we were treated to all the best food at the two hawker markets, with interesting bits of local insights given along the way. I would highly recommend this tour over and over again. Thank you PS and Jaclynn.
Cathy De Dominicis
Everyday Street Art & Street Food Tour (Everyday Tour Company)
[…] Such great info, and with local stories and perspectives. I could really see her love of her country shining through. At one stop I wanted to know the price of the dried lizards at a Chinese medicine shop and she walked in and asked for me. I learned so much.
Signature Chinatown Walk – free walking tour (Indie Singapore)
Tour guides […] and Jac were great storytellers, very engaging and knowledgeable about the content they were presenting. Not only that, they constantly injected their personality into the tour by sharing their own personal anecdotes and stories. 100/10 experience, highly recommended
Audience Member
OH! Kampong Gelam: Palimpsest (OH Open House)
I had the best tour guides. Having tour guides that interjects their own anecdotes, stories and experiences really makes the entire tour more engaging. Bonus points for being super knowledgeable about the history and context of the place.
Audience Member
OH! Kampong Gelam: Palimpsest (OH Open House)
This is the 2nd tour we’ve done with Jaclynn, and it was awesome again! She really feels like a friend who’s showing you around, and does well with engagement. This was a great look at Little India, and there’s plenty of street art and brightly colored buildings to keep you interested.
She does a good job of pointing out interesting oddities that give a better look into what life is like there, which makes it feel different from other tours. You get a bigger picture of the area, which gives a deeper appreciation. And it’s just cool to wander around (ok she knows where she’s going) and take in the sights while getting tidbits of culture and history. Overall, really awesome tour, will book another!
Murals & History in Little India (Amazon Explore)
This was my second tour with Jaclynn and I really enjoyed it. She makes you feel as though you are right there and does a great job of weaving together history and fun facts, occasionally interjecting helpful maps or pictures to really hit home a point. […]
Jaclynn will suffer through the incredible heat for you so you can enjoy Singapore without even breaking a sweat. I knew virtually nothing about Singapore before these tours but have learned alot and enjoyed these tours very much. Someday, I hope to see it in person, but this is definitely the next best thing.
Sultans & Street Art in Kampong Gelam (Amazon Explore)
This was my first Amazon Explore tour. What’s the big deal, I thought. I can just see and learn stuff on the internet. However, I was very pleasantly surprised by the experience. Our tour guide, Jaclynn was fabulous. She invited us to ask questions, which we did. […]
She molded the tour based on our questions and made the 1 hour tour a really good experience. I had my computer video output connected to our big screen TV. There were 4 family members in the room, all sitting on our comfortable couch and experiencing some of the sights and sounds of Singapore!
Shrines & Shophouses of Telok Ayer (Amazon Explore)
Amazon Explore reviews were archived before the platform was removed.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have a full-time job, so typically I’m NOT available on weekdays during working hours. However, I do have some off days and flexibility so if you contact me with enough time to plan, I may be able to do a weekday morning/afternoon tour, just check in with me!
I am mostly available on:
- Weekends (Saturdays/Sundays)
- Weekday Evenings (5pm onwards)
- Singapore Public Holidays
Typically my tourist guide rate is S$60/hour for a walking tour.
Note the following is NOT included in this fee:
- Cost of transportation
- Cost of food/drinks consumed
- Cost of attraction/entrance fees
My tours tend to be walking-only and make use of public transport (pay your own way) or Taxi/Rideshare (I book and pay first, total expenditure is added to final cost paid at the end of the tour).
If private transport is required, the total guiding fee (my guide fee + transport fee) will go up to S$120/hour.
I require at least 50% payment to confirm the tour booking.
For overseas guests, Payment can be made via Paypal, Stripe (credit cards accepted), or transferred via Wise or Revolut.
There will be a platform fee of S$10 or S$20 (above S$500) added on to the guiding fee for online payments to cover fees charged by the platforms.
Singaporean guests are welcome to pay via Paynow or Bank transfer.
Detailed payment instructions will be provided via email upon confirmation of availability/itinerary.
My tours tend to be walking-only and if there are multiple locations, rely on on public transport like bus/MRT (pay your own way) or Taxi/Rideshare (I book and pay first, total expenditure is added to final cost paid at the end of the tour).
For tours that go to more remote locations, involve larger groups or require quick transfers, I typically work with other partners to provide private transfers – note that there will be an additional transport cost added to the overall fee.
My tours are conducted in English which is what I grew up learning and speaking at home.
I can converse, read and understand Mandarin/Chinese well because of my ethnicity and learning the language as a mother tongue in school, but I typically don’t conduct tours in Mandarin. I’m happy to do a quick translation mid-tour or help you talk to a local hawker though.
I studied a little Spanish on my travels in South America and took classes in Singapore for several years, but I’m probably at an A2 level where I can understand and speak simple phrases quite slowly – there just isn’t a lot of opportunity to practice in this part of the world!