The quickest answer is this: leave the car at the Aliwal Street multi-storey car park (W462) or the open-air Bali Lane–Ophir Road car park (W463), then walk. Both sit within a few minutes' stroll of Arab Street, Haji Lane and Kandahar Street, where we are. Street spaces exist but are scarce, and on weekends and festival evenings they disappear early.
We're Cicheti, at 52 Kandahar Street, so we watch guests circle the block more often than we'd like. This guide collects what we know about parking around Arab Street and Kampong Glam, what the official sources say about paying and where you may stop, and how to time a dinner so the car park doesn't dictate it.
TL;DR
- The most useful public car parks for Arab Street and Haji Lane are Aliwal Street (W462) and Bali Lane–Ophir Road (W463), with Jalan Sultan Complex (W464) as another option.
- Street parking is limited, especially in Haji Lane, which is a narrow alley. Park in a car park and walk the last stretch.
- A guide rate for the URA car park on Arab Street (A0010) is S$0.60 per 30 minutes, but rates can change, so read the sign at the entrance.
- Use Parking.sg for coupon car parks, and a stored-value card for gantry car parks.
- Weekends and festival evenings fill the area quickly. Arrive early, or use a mall car park nearby as your back-up.
Table of Contents
- Where to park near Arab Street, Haji Lane and Kampong Glam
- What parking costs around Arab Street
- On-street parking: possible, but don't plan around it
- How to pay for parking
- Overnight and season parking
- When to come, and how to make parking easy
- Eating at Cicheti once you've parked
- Perspective: why we tell guests to park first and decide later
- FAQ
- Sources
Where to park near Arab Street, Haji Lane and Kampong Glam
Kampong Glam was laid out long before anyone worried about where a car would go. Streets are short and narrow, shophouses sit shoulder to shoulder, and the pavements are busy with people looking up at murals. So the sensible approach is to choose a car park first and let the walk be part of the evening.
The Visit Kampong Gelam guide names the car parks most visitors use:
- Aliwal Street, W462. A multi-storey car park near Aliwal Arts Centre, within easy walking distance of Sultan Mosque. It is our first suggestion if you're coming to Kandahar Street, because it's the closest of the group in character and distance.
- Bali Lane–Ophir Road, W463. An open-air car park described as best for reaching Haji Lane and Arab Street.
- Jalan Sultan Complex, W464. Another public option on the Jalan Sultan side of the district.
- Nearby malls. Golden Landmark, Bugis+ and Bugis Junction all have car parks, and they're a reasonable fall-back when the smaller lots are full.
There is also the URA car park on Arab Street itself, listed as A0010. Season-parking listings from URA show A0010 alongside Aliwal Street (A0004) and several backlane car parks, including Arab Street–Jalan Pinang and Baghdad Street–Muscat Street. That listing is about season parking, so it tells you these lots exist and are managed by URA. It doesn't tell you the short-term visitor tariff, and the 7am to 7am operating period shown there shouldn't be read as a visitor rule.
Other lots people mention for the area include Jalan Pinang (J0022), Queen Street (Q0002), Baghdad Street (B0002) and Jalan Pisang (J0012), according to a local area guide. That guide gives a rate only for Arab Street A0010, so check the others on arrival.
Which car park for which destination
| Where you're heading | Car park to try first | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cicheti, Kandahar Street | Aliwal Street (W462) | Multi-storey, close to Aliwal Arts Centre and Sultan Mosque |
| Haji Lane | Bali Lane–Ophir Road (W463) | Described as best for Haji Lane and Arab Street |
| Arab Street shops | Arab Street (A0010) or Bali Lane–Ophir Road (W463) | A0010 is on the street itself; W463 is the open-air alternative |
| Sultan Mosque and Jalan Sultan | Jalan Sultan Complex (W464) | On the Jalan Sultan side |
| Weekend or festival night, everything full | Bugis Junction, Bugis+ or Golden Landmark | Larger mall car parks, then a walk |
We haven't listed walking times in minutes, because they depend on the pace of the group and the crowd on Arab Street. As a rule, if you can see Sultan Mosque's dome, you're close.
What parking costs around Arab Street
URA car parks in this area are the cheapest way to park, and the figures are modest. RoadKaki lists Arab Street A0010 at S$0.60 per 30 minutes for both 8.30am to 5pm and 5pm to 10pm. It describes this as a guide, and warns that rates can change and that you should check the signs at the entrance.
That caution is worth taking seriously. LTA's own rate pages say the information is a guide only, that rates may change without advance notice, and that GST may not be included. LTA also publishes car-park-specific rates by weekday, Saturday and Sunday or public holiday, which is the place to look if you want a figure for a particular lot.
Mall car parks work differently. They tend to charge more, with different weekday, evening and weekend structures, and sometimes reduced rates when you spend in the mall. Rates change often, so check the mall's own parking page or entrance board before you rely on a number. For a two-hour dinner, a URA car park is usually the lighter option, and a mall is the better insurance policy when the area is packed.
On-street parking: possible, but don't plan around it
LTA says vehicles may only be parked in stipulated areas, and parking elsewhere may be an offence. In practice that means reading the markings and signs on each street rather than assuming a gap is a space.
There is some open-air public parking nearby. Aliwal Arts Centre's visitor guide mentions limited parking in front of the centre and along Aliwal, Kandahar and Pahang streets. It also points visitors to the Jalan Sultan car parks at Textile Centre, Sultan Plaza and Keypoint, where charges apply. That guide dates from 2023, so treat it as a pointer to where to look, not a promise of free spaces.
Haji Lane is a different matter. SmartSinga notes that street parking there is very limited because it's a narrow alley, and suggests the Aliwal Street car park or the public car park along Sultan Gate, followed by a walk. We'd go further: don't drive into Haji Lane hoping for a gap. The lane is for pedestrians, and the slow crawl will cost you more time than the walk.
A practical rule for the whole district: if you can't tell at a glance that you're allowed to stop, you're probably not. Move on to a car park.
How to pay for parking
The method depends on the type of car park, and LTA lays out three systems:
- Parking.sg for coupon-parking car parks. Start and end your session in the app, and you pay only for the time you use. The Visit Kampong Gelam guide also mentions it as useful for checking availability and pre-paying.
- Physical parking coupons, displayed for the full parking duration, where you aren't using the app.
- Stored-value cards at gantry car parks. LTA lists the NETS CashCard, and says EZ-Link CEPAS and NETS FlashPay are accepted at CEPAS EPS car parks.
The point is to know which kind of car park you're in before you walk away from the car. Look for a gantry, or for coupon-parking signs, at the entrance. If you're unsure, a quick look at the entrance board will tell you.
LTA also says its Parking Guidance System provides real-time availability information. Its examples are around Marina Centre, Orchard and HarbourFront, so don't expect a roadside panel in Kampong Glam to tell you whether Aliwal Street is full. Parking.sg, and your own eyes, are the better guide here.
A note on ERP
The Visit Kampong Gelam guide says ERP charges may apply on the roads around the district. If you're coming from the city side, check your route and your in-vehicle unit before you set off, so a charge doesn't come as a surprise.
Overnight and season parking
Season parking is not for visitors. URA says residential car season parking is for the first vehicle of nearby residents. Other car season parking is for motorists working nearby, second or later vehicles of nearby residents, and eligible heavy-vehicle season-ticket holders. If you're visiting for dinner, you'll be using short-term parking, and a late finish is fine as long as you've paid for the full duration. Check the entrance sign for overnight conditions at the lot you choose, since they differ from car park to car park.
When to come, and how to make parking easy
Parking in Kampong Glam has a rhythm, and it helps to plan around it.
- Weekday evenings are the easiest. You'll usually find a space in Aliwal Street or Bali Lane without circling.
- Friday and Saturday evenings are busier. Visit Kampong Gelam says parking fills quickly at weekends and during major festivals, so aim to arrive earlier than your booking, with ten minutes in hand for the walk.
- Festive periods around Ramadan and Hari Raya bring crowds to the district. If you're coming then, consider a mall car park or a ride-hail drop-off.
- Larger groups should agree where to meet. One driver parks, everyone else goes straight to the table.
If you're coming for a family-style dinner, the extra time is rarely wasted. Sharing a table of plates is a slow pleasure, and we'd rather you arrived unflustered. Our guide to ordering family-style Italian dining in Singapore explains how to pace it.
Eating at Cicheti once you've parked
Cicheti is at 52 Kandahar Street, in the Arab Street area. We cook wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas and Venetian-style small plates, the kind of food that suits a table where everyone reaches across. Pizza is the obvious start, and the food menu shows what's on offer. The wood fire is not decoration. It cooks a pizza quickly at a very high heat, which gives a blistered, slightly charred edge and a soft centre that a conventional oven struggles to match.
If you're coming with a group, two set menus are worth knowing about, both with published per-person prices on our festive feasts page:
- Feast of the Seven Fishes, $95 per person.
- Cicheti Family-Style Menu, $85 per person.
For wine, the Sommelier Selection of the day ranges from $19 to $90. We lean towards lesser-known Italian varietals, which pair well with cicchetti-style small plates. Ask the team what's open that day, and they'll guide you.
For birthdays, team dinners and larger gatherings, our private events page covers handmade pasta, family-style sharing set menus, pizza making workshops and wine tasting classes. Pricing for these isn't published, so enquire directly. If you'd like a table on a busy night, book ahead and allow time to park: BOOK A TABLE through our website.
Perspective: why we tell guests to park first and decide later
We've learnt, over many Friday evenings on Kandahar Street, that the car park sets the mood for the whole meal. A guest who has circled for twenty minutes arrives apologising and a little frayed. A guest who parked at Aliwal Street and strolled past the mosque arrives curious, and ready for the first plate.
That's why we'd always rather you treat parking as part of the plan. Pick the car park before you leave home. Pay with Parking.sg if it's a coupon lot. Give yourself a margin on weekends. Our kitchen team is local, the menu is built for sharing, and the pace of the table is meant to be unhurried. We'd like the journey in to match.
We can't hold a car park space for you, and we don't operate one, so we haven't given you anything we can't stand behind: the lots named here are public, and their rates are set by their operators. What we can do is make sure that once you've found a space, the table is ready.
— Cicheti
FAQ
Is there free parking near Arab Street?
We wouldn't count on it. The car parks in the district are paid, and street parking is limited and restricted to stipulated areas. Aliwal Arts Centre's guide mentions limited open-air spaces in front of the centre and along Aliwal, Kandahar and Pahang streets, but look at the signs before you leave the car.
Where should I park for Haji Lane?
The Bali Lane–Ophir Road car park (W463) is described as best for Haji Lane and Arab Street. The Aliwal Street car park (W462) is another good choice. Haji Lane itself is a narrow alley with very little street parking, so walk the last stretch.
How much does it cost to park on Arab Street?
A guide rate for the URA car park Arab Street A0010 is S$0.60 per 30 minutes, for both 8.30am to 5pm and 5pm to 10pm. Rates can change without notice, so check the sign at the entrance. Mall car parks nearby have their own tariffs.
How do I pay at a Kampong Glam car park?
Coupon car parks use Parking.sg or physical coupons displayed for the full duration. Gantry car parks use stored-value cards such as the NETS CashCard, and CEPAS EPS car parks also accept EZ-Link CEPAS and NETS FlashPay. Check which system the entrance uses before you leave the car.
Can I use season parking for a night out?
No. URA season parking is for nearby residents, people working nearby and certain other categories. As a visitor, use short-term parking and pay for the time you stay.
Sources
- Getting Here: Public Transport, Walking Routes & Parking, Visit Kampong Gelam
- LTA: Parking
- LTA: Parking Rates (hotel parking page)
- LTA: Parking Rates (Central, North & North East)
- URA e-Service: Season Parking
- URA: Apply for Season Parking
- RoadKaki: Arab St Parking
- Aliwal Arts Centre venue guide
- SmartSinga: A Guide To Singapore's Haji Lane
- Best in Singapore: Everything You Need to Know about Arab Street