Gardens by the Bay

Gardens by the Bay is Singapore’s thesis statement: a waterfront park where 50-metre Supertrees breathe for the conservatories at their feet. The outdoor gardens are free, the Cloud Forest’s indoor waterfall earns its ticket, and the nightly Supertree light show costs nothing at all.

• Supertree Grove, the canopy walkway between the trees, and the view down Marina Bay.
• Cloud Forest, a mist-cooled mountain with the world’s tallest indoor waterfall.
• Flower Dome, Mediterranean and desert worlds under one clear roof.
• Garden Rhapsody, the free music-and-lights show in the grove, nightly at 7:45.

Do the conservatories at opening while the tour groups do the grove, then flip. For the light show, lie back on the grove’s ground level rather than the walkway; the view is better and the queue is nonexistent.

Bayfront station connects underground, and the Marina Bay Sands skybridge drops you at the gate. Evening is the garden at its best: cooler air, lit trees, and the skyline switching on across the water.