Gardens by the Bay: Supertrees, domes and a cloud forest

Steel trees wrapped in ferns and orchids, two vast glass domes holding the climates of other continents, and a nightly light show you watch lying on your back.

Area

Marina Bay & the river

Start from

Marina Bay

Distance

walking distance from Bayfront MRT

Time needed

half a day, ideally afternoon into evening

Best season

All year; the domes are a refuge on hot or rainy days

Difficulty

Easy

Transport

MRT to Bayfront (Circle and Downtown lines), then a short walk through the underpass

Tickets & rules

Outdoor gardens and Supertree Grove are free; tickets for the Flower Dome, Cloud Forest and OCBC Skyway

Why go

Gardens by the Bay is the place where Singapore shows off, and it does so with real charm. The park spreads over reclaimed land beside the bay, and its centrepiece is the Supertree Grove: tall steel structures, between roughly 25 and 50 metres high, their trunks planted with thousands of ferns, bromeliads and climbers. By day they look like something from a children's illustration of the future; by night they glow and pulse with light.

The two cooled conservatories are the reason to buy a ticket. The Flower Dome is a huge, column-free glasshouse of Mediterranean and dry-climate plants, from ancient olive trees to baobabs and seasonal flower displays that change several times a year. The Cloud Forest next door is the one people remember: a man-made mountain wrapped in mossy plants, with an indoor waterfall of around 30 metres that sends cool mist over everyone as they walk in.

I like to arrive mid-afternoon, do the domes while the sun is fierce, wander the outdoor gardens as the light softens, then find a patch of ground under the Supertrees for the evening show. Lying on the warm paving with the lights rippling overhead and families murmuring all around is one of the gentlest experiences in the city.

The story

The gardens are young. They were built on land reclaimed from the sea and opened in 2012, part of a long-running plan to make Singapore a 'city in a garden'. An international design competition chose the master plan, and engineers set out to make the conservatories as energy-efficient as possible, cooling only the lowest layer of air where visitors walk and using shading sails that open and close with the sun.

The Supertrees are not just decoration. Some carry solar panels, others act as air exhausts for the conservatories, and the tall vertical gardens on their trunks are a practical way of showing just how much greenery can be grown on a wall. Gardeners in harnesses tend them, and there are well over a hundred thousand plants on the grove alone, though it is easy to see it as one great sculpture.

The outdoor gardens are often overlooked and they tell a quieter story. The Heritage Gardens are laid out around the island's main communities, with Chinese, Malay and Indian plants and a colonial garden of spice and cash crops such as rubber, nutmeg and pepper. It is a botanical lesson in how Singapore was made: trade, migration and plants carried from one shore to another.

Look also for the Kingfisher and Dragonfly lakes on the water side, where otters sometimes cruise past and herons stand motionless at the reeds. Singaporeans have an unusual affection for their urban otter families, and a sighting here is treated like a small piece of luck.

Getting there

Take the MRT to Bayfront station and follow the signs for Gardens by the Bay; an underground link and a short walk bring you to the Supertree Grove. From Marina Bay Sands you can also cross the Lions Bridge on foot, which gives a good view of the whole park.

There is a shuttle between the Dragonfly Bridge area and the conservatories for a small fee, useful if it is very hot, but the distances are walkable.

A suggested plan

1. 2:00 pmArrive at Bayfront MRT and head first to the Cloud Forest, while the outdoors is at its hottest.
2. 3:30 pmCross to the Flower Dome for the seasonal display and the old olive trees.
3. 5:00 pmWalk the Heritage Gardens and the lakeside paths as the light softens; watch for otters near the Dragonfly Lake.
4. 6:30 pmClimb onto the OCBC Skyway at dusk for the walk between the Supertrees, if the queue is short.
5. 7:45 pmFind a spot on the ground for the Garden Rhapsody light show; there is usually a second run later in the evening.
6. AfterDinner at the hawker-style food court at Satay by the Bay or back towards Marina Bay.

Where to stay

Anywhere along the Downtown or Circle line works, since Bayfront is a direct ride. Staying around Marina Bay is convenient but expensive; Chinatown, Bugis and Lavender offer better value and are only a few stops away.

Good to know

• Buy dome tickets online in advance on weekends and public holidays.
• The Cloud Forest is properly cool; bring a light layer if you feel the cold.
• The light shows are free; check current times on the official site, as they can change during events.
• The Skyway closes in heavy rain and lightning and can have long queues at dusk.