From Penny Black to BQ, the bars at the top end of Boat Quay are a world class place to hang out in the early evening.

Where else can you find a place as idyllic as this, just seconds from the centre of the city's financial district? Light rippling off the water, multi-coloured converted "go-downs", old river taxis still plying the river and historical buildings on the other bank?

Yes, the restaurants further down the river really are pure tourist fodder, so you'll want to go somewhere else to eat, and Harry's Bar might be more famous for Nick Leeson than anything else, but don't let the stigma of going to an "expat hangout" divert from a genuine part of Singapore's culture.

The expats have been here since the place began, after all, and you may know someone who works nearby - an ideal excuse to drink in the atmosphere.

If this doesn't appeal, stroll up to The Fullerton, cross the bridge, and head for Indochine and its Opium Bar where you can stare back at Boat Quay from the other bank - and probably get some better food.

Boat Quay, Raffles Place MRT.

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