SINGAPORE: My Short Guide on How to Tour Gardens by the Bay
IF YOU HAVE ONLY 1 HOUR: YOU CAN DO THE AUDIO TRAM TOUR OF THE OUTDOOR GARDENS
Cost of this itinerary: 7 SGD (5 SGD for adult tram tour ticket + 2 SGD for the roundtrip shuttle)
WHY DO THE AUDIO TRAM TOUR:
1. The audio tram tour will introduce you to the different areas of Gardens by the Bay and pinpoint the highlights of the place.
2. It's a short 18-minute tour so if you don't have a lot of time to explore Gardens by the bay, you can see the whole layout of the place and the highlights.
HOW TO DO THIS ITINERARY:
FIRST: Use the MRT and alight at Bayfront MRT Station.
SECOND: After alighting at the Bayfront MRT Station, walk towards the exit that goes towards Gardens by the Bay. When you reach the exit, walk towards your left towards the shuttle station to enter Gardens by the Bay.
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| After alighting from the MRT, this is the path going towards Gardens by the Bay. Either you climb up the stairs at the end of the path and to your left or take the lift. |
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| The lift from the Bayfront MRT station |
THIRD: Take the Shuttle. Shuttle fee is SG$ 2.00 for 2 trips. Don't get off the 1st stop, which is the Conservatories Station. Get off at the 2nd stop which is the Visitor Center Station. Buy tickets to the Audio Tram Tour.
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| This is the path going towards the shuttle service. You turn left to reach the shuttle service station |
My tips:
1. It's best to take the shuttle rather than walk because of the heat and humidity in Singapore.
2. You can only use the shuttle from 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM daily so make sure to visit the park around this time to make sure that the shuttle is available.
3. Be prepared to walk to the entrance of Gardens by the Bay when a thunderstorm occurs. They stop the shuttle service when there's a thunderstorm
FOURTH: Do the 18-minute tram tour with commentary that will go around the outdoor gardens.
My tip: You can only do this tour from 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM on weekdays, and 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM on weekends, holidays and eve of holidays. So plan your trip accordingly and find out the Holidays in Singapore.
FIFTH: When you end the tram tour, ride the shuttle in the same area where you get off the tram tour to exit Gardens by the Bay. Since your shuttle fee is for 2 trips, you can use the second ride to get out of Gardens by the Bay. Then walk towards the entrance of the Bayfront MRT station and ride the MRT to your other destination.
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| Shuttle service station at the Visitor Center |
Route of this itinerary:
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| This photo is taken from the Gardens by the Bay website The purple lines show the route of the Tram Tour Check out Gardens by the Bay map |
IF YOU HAVE AT LEAST 4 HOURS: YOU CAN DO THE AUDIO TRAM TOUR AND SEE THE OUTDOOR GARDENS, THEN VISIT THE TWO COOLED CONSERVATORIES: THE CLOUD FOREST AND THE FLOWER GARDEN.
Cost of this itinerary: 30 SGD (28 SGD for tickets for both the flower dome and cloud forest + 2 SGD for the roundtrip shuttle)
HOW TO DO THIS ITINERARY:
DO THE FIRST TO FOURTH INSTRUCTION SHOWN ABOVE, THEN DO THE FOLLOWING:
FIFTH: When you end the tram tour, get off the Conservatories Station instead of the Visitor Center Station so you can visit the cooled conservatories.
SIXTH: Buy tickets for both the Cloud Forest and the Flower Dome. Visit the Cloud Forest First. We spent 1 1/2 hours exploring the Cloud Forest
Why see the Cloud Forest: You see exotic plants that only thrive in high mountains. So if you don't plan to climb a mountain in the near future, this is the only opportunity you may have to see these plants and experience the plants' natural habitat. The Cloud Forest mimics the cold weather conditions of the high mountains
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| The man-made mountain where most of the plants were planted. |
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| The path that people take to go around the mountain |
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| The height that the path reaches |
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| The fog shows how cold the Cloud forest is |
SEVENTH: Enter the Flower Dome. We spent 30 minutes at the Flower Dome.
Why see the Flower Dome: To see exotic plants all over the world. This is the "zoo" version of flowers.
EIGHTH: After exiting the Flower Dome, you can take the shuttle at the Conservatories Station to go to the Bayfront Shuttle Station, which is short walking distance to the Bayfront MRT station.
