Gardens by the Bay
滨海湾花园 · Marina Bay, Singapore
A whole tropical rainforest moved into glass domes — the garden city's ultimate declaration
Know before you go
- No picking flowers, trampling the flower beds or entering non-open lawn areas under maintenance
- no eating or drinking inside the conservatories and no drones (without permission)
- no running on the aerial walkway, climbing the railings or leaning your body out over them
This article is Not yet verified. Please check official announcements for prices, opening hours and dates.
Stories & people
Stories & people
History
Stories of Gardens by the Bay
The story of Gardens by the Bay is an upgrade of Singapore's national narrative: in 1963 Lee Kuan Yew planted the first tree and proposed the garden city vision, and over more than half a century this island nation, short of both land and water, made greening a national policy; by the 21st century the goal went one step further — from a city in a garden to letting the city itself sit inside a garden. An international competition in 2006 and six years of construction raised the Supertrees and two glass conservatories on reclaimed shoreline: the Flower Dome recreates a Mediterranean spring, and the Cloud Forest moves an entire tropical montane rainforest indoors. There is no myth or legend here — the core story of this garden is how a city used one generation's engineering will to write a geographical disadvantage into a landmark (the above is construction history, not legend). More than a decade after opening it is still growing, with new zones and memorial spaces being added; the garden's story is not finished yet.
Source: Gardens by the Bay official website; Wikipedia: Gardens by the Bay
History
History of Gardens by the Bay
The Marina Bay area was originally newly reclaimed land. In 2006 Singapore held an international design competition for Gardens by the Bay, won by the British teams Grant Associates and Gustafson Porter; Bay South Garden officially opened in June 2012. The park covers about 101 hectares (Bay South, Bay East and Bay Central gardens); the Flower Dome spans about 1.2 hectares and was once the world's largest glass greenhouse; the Cloud Forest centres on a 35-metre plant-covered Cloud Mountain with an indoor waterfall; the 18 Supertrees stand 25–50 metres tall and double as rainwater collectors, solar generators and heat exhausts for the conservatories, all as vertical gardens. The cooling system is powered by biomass from horticultural waste, a hallmark of its sustainable design.
Source: Gardens by the Bay official website; Wikipedia: Gardens by the Bay
Culture
Culture & customs
Background
Gardens by the Bay is the contemporary expression of Singapore's national identity: an equatorial city uses engineering and horticulture to bring the world's plants into its centre; the Supertrees and conservatories are both an attraction and the green declaration this city-state addresses to the world.
Local customs
- Local families often come at weekends for picnics and the light show
- the Garden Rhapsody light-and-music show on the Supertrees runs twice every evening, a free public programme shared by residents and visitors
- the Flower Dome's permanent floral displays rotate with the festivals of Singapore's many communities — Chinese New Year, cherry-blossom season, Mid-Autumn and more.
Religion & beliefs
- No specific religious affiliation
- the park's displays and festival decorations accommodate the important festivals of Singapore's Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian communities, and it is a secular public cultural space.
Etiquette & taboos
Etiquette & taboos
Don’t DON'T
- No picking flowers, trampling the flower beds or entering non-open lawn areas under maintenance
- no eating or drinking inside the conservatories and no drones (without permission)
- no running on the aerial walkway, climbing the railings or leaning your body out over them
Locals appreciate DO
- Book tickets online in advance for a chosen time slot — at peak flower displays the conservatory entrances can queue for half an hour
- on the aerial walkway observe one-way flow and capacity limits, and don't block the path for photos
- tour the conservatories in the late afternoon and then watch the light show, seeing both the day view and the night view in one visit
Plan your visit
Practical info
Travel tips
- The outdoor gardens are free, but the Flower Dome, Cloud Forest and the aerial walkway are each charged separately, and there are many pass combinations — decide your combination before comparing prices
- The conservatories are kept at about 23–25°C with heavy moisture
- bring a light jacket, and glasses and camera lenses fog up easily on entry
- Floral displays rotate with the seasons (such as cherry blossoms and tulips)
- for a specific display, follow the current announcements on the official website rather than old guides
- The outdoor gardens are usually open 5:00–2:00 the next day
- the two conservatories are usually open 9:00–21:00 (last entry 20:30), with one maintenance closure day per month — follow the official calendar. Non-resident two-conservatory passes are in the range of about SGD 40–60, and the aerial walkway costs a further ten-odd Singapore dollars
- pricing is dynamic, so check the official ticketing page before your trip. The park is walkable from Bayfront MRT station or Gardens by the Bay station. Allow 3–4 hours
- entering in the late afternoon and staying for the light show is the best value.
Eat nearby
What to eat nearby
Must-try
- Satay
- Hainanese chicken rice
- Laksa
- Chilli crab
- Kaya toast with soft-boiled eggs
Satay (charcoal-grilled meat skewers with peanut sauce, the signature of Satay by the Bay); Hainanese chicken rice (Singapore's national dish); Laksa (coconut-curry rice noodles, rich and spicy); Chilli crab (a connoisseur's choice — confirm the market price); Kaya toast with soft-boiled eggs (the classic Nanyang breakfast)
| Where to eat | Satay by the Bay inside the park is the first choice, walkable and open into the evening; for a wider budget range and choice, go to Marina Bay Sands or the Lau Pa Sat hawker centre |
|---|---|
| Dining etiquette | At hawker centres, reserve a seat before ordering — a packet of tissues marking a seat is a local custom, so don't take it away by mistake; satay is ordered by the skewer and the dipping sauce comes as one small shared dish, so state your preferred spice level when ordering |
| Typical price per person | SGD 15–30 per person, about CNY 84–168 (market reference); chilli crab and the like can take it to SGD 60 or more per person |
| Tips | Satay by the Bay only gets lively from the evening on — perfect before or after the light show; food inside the conservatories is pricier, so those on a budget should prioritise hawker centres |
Prices are typical rates as of October 2026, not exact quotes; CNY equivalents are approximate where exchange rates fluctuate.
Photos
Photos
Tim Adams · CC BY 3.0
Basile Morin · CC BY-SA 4.0
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