Gardens By The Bay, Singapore

Gardens By The Bay is a public landscaped garden right opposite Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Casino.  It is accessible from the hotel and casino through an overhead bridge or an underpass.  You can take the subway to Gardens By the Bay.  Take the Circle Line (yellow colour) and get off at Bayfront Station.  There are signs from the subway station to lead you to the garden. 

There are 2 parts to the garden – the free entry parts and the paid-entry parts.  The free parts consists of a series of gardens, such as Chinese Garden, Malay Garden, Colonial Garden and others.  There are also a couple of man-made lakes.  You are also able to walk along the waterfront and admire the city skyline.  Anyone is free to walk around the free parts at any time of the day.  Remember, these parts are unsheltered, so you are exposed to the merciless Singaporean sun or pelting rain.

The paid-entry parts include 2 air-conditioned glass domes called Flower Dome and Cloud Forest and an unsheltered, above-the-trees walk (OCBC Skyway).  The 2 domes and OCBC Skyway are open from 9am to 9pm. 

Within the Flower Dome, there are more themed gardens, for example, Australian Garden, Californian Garden, South American Garden etc. 

I was in luck.  When I went, it was the first day of a new event in the Flower Dome – Tulipmania. 

As the name implies, many tulips were flown in from the Netherlands.   Did I mention the 2 domes are air-conditioned?  Heaven!  Of course, sunlight still filters through the glass, so depending on the weather, you might still need your sunglasses.

You need to exit one dome to enter the other one.  Step into Cloud Forest and you would think you had stepped into the world of Avatar.  In the centre of this dome is a “hill” of 7 storeys high. 

You take a lift up to Level 6 and climb up one flight of stairs to reach Level 7.  From Level 7, you descend slowly along a ramp that goes around the “hill”. 

Remember not to look down when you are on the ramp.  There are man-made waterfalls and mist.  As such, the floor may be wet in certain places.  Bear that in mind if you have older people visiting with you.  Also, remember to protect your electronics from the moisture.  In Cloud Forest, there are also some exhibits on crystals, the biosphere and global warming.

There are restrooms and water coolers inside the 2 domes.  I had stupidly thrown away my plastic water bottle so was not able to fill it up. 

Besides the flora, the 2 domes can be pretty good for photographing architecture, if that interests you.

There are casual and more formal eateries within the garden. 

Groupon often offers deals involving Gardens By The Bay.  These deals may or may not be cheaper than buy tickets from the website or the entrance.   

18 Marina Gardens Drive Singapore 018953.   Tel: 6420 6848.

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