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“Colourful lights dancing rhythmically to the beats of music over mighty the Supertrees, with iconic Marina bay sands standing tall in the background. Watching the dazzling Garden Rhapsody show, sitting under the stars was no less than being in a fairytale land” 

Mystique, Magical & Mesmerizing ! Something which can only be experienced and not described in the words. 

Gardens by the Bay, is without any doubts, one of the shinning jewels in Singapore’s never ending list of attractions.Created in 2012 as part of government’s strategy of making Singapore into a “City In A Garden” and to provide clean and green lung space to its residents, Gardens By The Bay is an enormous and incredible futuristic botanical garden. A visit to Gardens by the Bay should surely be a part of your Singapore itinerary. You can also checkout the list of best places to visit in Singapore here  10 Best Family friendly attractions in Singapore – City Guide. In this article I am sharing all the important information you need to know before visiting Gardens by the Bay.  

About Gardens by the Bay 

Sprawling over 101 hectare of reclaimed land right in the heart of the city, Gardens by the Bay is an iconic landmark in Singapore.Located adjacent to Marina reservoir, this unique futuristic nature park consists of 3 parts, Bay South Gardens , Bay East Gardens and Bay Central Gardens.

Bay South is the major action zone, as this is home to the iconic Supertree Grove and the futuristic conservatories, cloud dome and flower dome. Most of the visitors visit this part of the garden.  

Bay East is the second largest area, a green space that offers a beautiful view of the city skyline.

Bay Central serves as a link between Bay South and Bay East, with a 3 km water promenade.

Be it a nature lover, technology enthusiasts, solo traveller or a family, Gardens By the Bay definitely has something to charm everyone alike. 

What to see – Attractions at Gardens by the Bay 

Depending upon the time available, you can stroll through many sections of garden and enjoy beautiful landscapes, sculptures, water bodies and serene view. But there are few major attractions which one should not miss out.

Cloud Forest Dome 

I would say a manmade wonder which is truly awe-inspiring. This cooled conservatory takes you to mystique and misty world of lush green mountains with clouds floating all around. The temperature inside Cloud Forest Dome is between 23 and 25 C, which is same as the tropical highlands between 1500 to 3000 meters above sea level. Right at the entrance, a breathtaking 30 metre tall waterfall welcomes you by sprinkling dew drops on you. This is the worlds tallest indoor waterfall.   

Explore and learn about the diverse vegetation including orchids, pitcher plants and ferns. Many of these are rare and disappearing fast.

Another attraction at the clouds forest is the cloud walk which is a narrow walkway across the mountain “Cloud mountain” and gives an Ariel view of the surroundings. 

Once you walk down the skywalk, it takes you to crystal mountain cave which displays stalactites and stalagmites along with other crystals.

The Cloud forest theatre showcases movie about importance of protecting our environment and conserving nature. 

Opening hours : 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ( Last admission is at 8 pm.)

Flower Dome  

Soak yourself in the beauty of diverse vegetation and vast variety of flowers at Flower dome. This spectacular egg-shaped dome is the largest greenhouse in the world ( best part these domes including the cloud dome are not supported by any pillars) spanning 1300 m2 area.The Flower dome showcases exotic plants from different parts of the world in 9 theme based gardens. Some of the major attractions are 1000 year old olive trees and the unique Baobab trees from Madagascar. 

The temperature inside the dome is 23 to 25 C & humidity 60-80 %, which replicates the cool and dry Mediterranean climate suitable for the growth of plants and floral field displays. 

The floral display inside the dome keeps on changing based on the seasons, festivals etc. 

Opening hours : 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ( Last admission is at 8 pm.)

Admission : Adults: 28 SG $, Child ( 3 -12 years) 15 SG$

Supertree groves  

Looking at Supertree groves glowing in the dark, makes you feel that you have stepped into the world of Avatar. Mysterious and spectacular. 

Supertree groves are the futuristic vertical gardens measuring between 25 metres to 50 metres. 

Out of 18 Supertrees in the Gardens by the bay, 12 are weaved into a Supertree grove. As the night falls , these trees come alive with an enchanting light and sound show called Garden Rhapsody. This mesmerizing show is absolutely not to be missed and you can witness it without paying any additional fee. 

In addition to this, the tallest Supertree also houses a restaurant. 

Garden Rhapsody show timings :  7.45 p.m. and 8.45 p.m. daily

Admission : Free

OCBC Skywalk 

An opportunity to observe the Supertree closely and enjoy the panoramic view of the Gardens by the Bay while floating above the ground. Thats what walking across OCBC skywalk can make you feel.  

22 metre high and 128 metre long Ariel walkway connects 2 Supertrees, and provides a great view of Singapore Vistas, a must experience activity. Unfortunately we could not visit OCBC skywalk due to shortage of time. 

OCBC Walk timings : 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily

Additional Fee : Adults: 8 SG $ ,Child ( 3-12 years ) : 5 SG $

Other Attractions 

Apart from these major attractions, Gardens by the Bay has many other marvels. Some of them are 

Far East Organization Children’s garden  

If you are travelling with kids, then its best to take some time out and explore Far East organization. This fun zone with interactive play, water zone etc will keep the kids occupied and enjoy the lush green surroundings even better. 

Far East Organization Children’s garden timings : 10 a.m to 7 p.m.

Admission : Free 

Explore Sculptures 

Gardens by the Bay displays more than 40 different sculptures from across the world. During our visit we could spot few of them. 

Dragonfly and kingfisher lakes 

Beautiful scenic lake which also houses a diverse aquatic life. It’s nice to walk through or just sit and relax and not to forget its a great photospot.

Dragonfly & Kingfisher lake timings: 5 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Admission : Free

Right time to visit 

Best time to visit Gardens by the Bay is evenings when you can also enjoy the light and sound show. So you should plan your visit in such a way that you can explore domes when there is still sunlight ( for the best photographs) and later enjoy evening lights at Supertree groove. Generally visiting both the domes should take somewhere around 1.5 hours.

However if you are visiting with kids and planning to enjoy all the attractions including children park , it think you should plan for half a day.  

How to reach 

MRT ( train) is the best and economical way to reach Gardens by the Bay. You should take MRT till Bay front station and east exit which directly takes you to Gardens. 

Travelling with Kids , some tips

• It’s best to book tickets online to avoid inconvenience later. 
• You can opt for buggy drop facility by making an additional payment to avoid long walks, specially if travelling with kids. 
• Carry water bottle , you can also buy them at the kiosks.
• If you are planning to visit during the day or early evening, carry Umbrella and sunglasses as most of the area in the park is open space.

Our Experience

Vast green stretches till eyes can see, perfectly landscaped pond with beautiful fountains, gigantic dragonfly sculpture hovering over, bridge over the pond from where you can enjoy an amazing view of the city skyline. 

Gardens by the bay, first seemed like a blissful heavenly garden but landscape changed, the moment we entered the cloud forest dome. It was like another world waiting to be explored . Misty, cool, wet green foliage all around and there comes a mighty waterfall right at the entrance. It’s hard to believe something so incredible exists. Visit to the cloud dome was an enlightening experience, specially walking across the cloud walk, enjoying the bird’s eye view of the mountain..Visit to cloud dome was followed by flower dome and it felt like we have entered a happy and colourful world of plants and flowers. Enormous variety of vegetation and so much to absorb, including many plants which we never saw before. My favourite was the baobab trees. 

However the best part of this entire visit was watching the Garden Rhapsody light and sound show. It was truly something incredible and awe-inspiring. The effect of light and music over spectacular supertrees was surreal. 

Overall Gardens By the Bay is definitely a must visit place for all kinds of travellers. 

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