Emma Exploring

Without a doubt the thing I was looking forward to doing most in Singapore was visiting Gardens by the Bay. I had been to Singapore once before, in 2011, when the Gardens hadn’t even opened yet. A lot had changed for Singapore in six years! But it was nice to see some familiar places I enjoyed so much the first time as well as having exciting new parts to explore.

Gardens by the Bay is essentially the mother of all nature parks. There are two huge ‘domes’ (modern greenhouses – they even have their own waterfalls!) and an even bigger outside area where the iconic ‘super trees’ are. It’s these trees that give the Gardens their iconic look. They’re giant manmade trees covered in plants and flowers, and each tree is covered with lights that change colour at night. It’s ‘super trees’ that make up the newly iconic skyline of southern Singapore.

Getting to Gardens by the Bay is pretty straight forward but it does involve a ten minute walk because there isn’t direct access by road. (In 2021 there will be a MRT station that stops right by the Gardens!). The easiest way there is to take the MRT to Promenade and then follow the signposts by foot from there. You essentially have to walk along a walkway which cuts through the middle of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. It’s pretty straight forward and all signposted but if you get lost, just follow the crowds.

I have an utterly endless amount of photos from inside the domes, which were my favourite part of Gardens by the Bay. I’ll just insert some of the ‘highlights’ below 🙂

The outside areas of Gardens by the Bay are actually free but you need tickets to access the domes and the ‘Skyway’ treetop walk. I highly recommend you do all three! You can buy separate tickets for each of those three things so you pick whatever you have time for or split your visit over two different days . If possible, I recommend visiting the domes during daylight (not sunset) as it’s easier to see everything. They do have pretty lighting at night but it’s more ‘mood lighting’ so you won’t get many good photos or see the plants as clearly.

Sitting 22 metres up from the ground, the ‘Skyway’ treetop walk is a definite must-do experience! But do be warned that staff up on the walkway will hurry you along which does sadly take away a little from the experience. I kept trying to hang back a little and take photos so I probably spent a little longer up there than most people but it was still not much more than 15 minutes. I understand they need to keep people moving so the walkways from being congested but it was a bit annoying. Still, it was a fun experience and pretty reasonably priced at SG$8. Any time of day would be good to do the Skyway walk but going at sunset was particularly magical. However, the queues for this can be really long, especially just before sunset, so make sure you get there well in advance!

One last tip: if you want to see the light show make sure you’re in the sky tree area for either 7:45pm or 8:45pm. The show lasts about 10 minutes is kind of fun although a little gimmicky. But still, it’s free so can’t complain.

Overall, the Gardens by the Bay was a really great and unique experience! I learnt lots about ecology and planet conservation as well as seeing endless amounts of beautiful flowers and plants. Make sure you check the Gardens out on your next Singapore visit!

Have you been to Gardens by the Bay? Where else is your favourite place to visit in Singapore? Let me know in the comments below!