Happy Hannah was back; out in force to visit another tropical Botanic Garden. In my opinion, Singapore is home to the best Botanic Garden in the world; albeit I haven’t visited all of them so I’ll have to settle on saying – I really can’t see anything beating this INCREDIBLE place.
So, if you’re planning a visit, I’ve got you covered. Having now visited a couple of times, spending countless hours amongst the plants in my happy place, I’ve compiled a complete guide so you can make the most of your trip!
Important Note: Don’t get the Singapore Botanic Gardens confused with Gardens by the Bay. If you’re looking for more detail on them, you can find my post HERE.
How to get to the Singapore Botanic Gardens
The Gardens lie just outside the city centre, and aren’t walkable from the main hotel hotspots. You will therefore need to get transport out to the Botanic Gardens, and there are a number of options.
- Grab Taxi: Book a taxi using the Grab App. From central Singapore the ride will take around 20 minutes and cost around S$20.
- MRT: There are two entrances to the Botanic Gardens, both served by MRT stations
- Tanglin Entrance: Arrive in to Napier MRT Station (Thomason East Cost Line, Brown).
- Bukit Timah Entrance: Arrive in to Botanic Gardens Station (Circle Line, Yellow) or (Downtown Line, Blue).
- Buses: There are a number of buses arriving in to each entrance.
- Tanglin Entrance: 7, 75, 77, 105, 106, 174 and 174E.
- Bukit Timah Entrance: 48, 66, 67, 151, 153, 154,156, 170.
The Botanic Gardens are huge, and there is so much to see and do. You won’t be able to see everything in one visit, but there are a few things you can do to maximise your time.
- Spend at least 3 hours in the gardens, this will allow you to see a decent amount of items on the list
- Prioritise the bits you’re most interested in and plan a route around to cover it – it’s easy to wonder off and get distracted, not seeing what you’d planned to see!
What to see and do at the Singapore Botanic Gardens
The Singapore Botanic Gardens are:
- Open daily from 5am – 12am
- Free to enter
- Other than the National Orchid Garden which is open 8.30am – 7pm daily, and costs S$15 to enter.
There is so much to see and do at the Botanic Gardens that the list might seem overwhelming, but pick to your interests and you can’t go wrong.
National Orchid Garden
The orchid has been the symbol of Singapore since the 1980s, and that means it takes orchids seriously. The orchid garden is made up of a number of absolutely STUNNING sections, including fountains, walkways, displays and even a Cold House (which makes a nice respite from the baking heat)!
It’s easy to spend an hour just in this section, and I highly recommend getting there for opening as it gets really busy. I visited at 8.30am and had it to myself, but my 9.45am when I left the Orchid Garden, the walkways were getting really busy.
Ginger Garden
The Ginger Garden displays several hundred species of gingers and other plants from related families. With a walk behind a waterfall, romantic night lighting and a pool adorned with giant Amazon water lilies, it’s easy to see why it’s so popular amongst visitors. My highlight is definitely the waterfall!
The Bandstand
The octagonal gazebo known as the Bandstand was erected in 1930 and has retained its original form over the years; and it’s now a heritage landmark (and a great place to get some shade)!
Prisoner of War Steps
The Prisoner of War Steps are a set of steps within the Botanic Gardens, which bear the memory of those who were imprisoned during World War II in Singapore under Japanese occupation, and laid the bricks as forced labour in 1942. The bricks are engraved with tiny, uneven arrows, and were constructed by individuals who were incarcerated in Changi Prison (the arrows are a sign of defiance).
Plant House
The Plant House is tucked away from the main trail of the Gardens; that makes it worth a visit in my eyes – and the waterlily pond was beautiful!
Sundial Garden
“What thou seekest is but a shadow”.
It’s rare to be moved by a sundial, but there I was in my feels as I stood there. What a lovely inscription; a reminder to enjoy every moment instead of always seeking more with no guarantee. This sundial has been here since 1929, designed and sculpted by Ursula Holttum (wife to the former Assistant Director of the Gardens, Eric). I decided I quite liked Ursula.
Heritage Garden
At this point, I was happened upon by a giant water monitor lizard! I nearly trod on him!! He was wondering about in the Heritage Garden, a throwback to Colonial times, without a care in the world. Luckily, I’ve met my fair share of monitor lizards on my travels – if this had been the first time I’d seen one, I would have screamed and ran for the hills!
Swan Lake
Swan Lake was formerly also known as the Main Lake or the First Lake. It was constructed in 1866, shortly after the Gardens’ formation and is considered to be the oldest ornamental water-feature in Singapore. It even once had a crocodile living in it! You can hire little row boats and take to the lake now; thankfully it’s croc free!
Symphony Lake & Palm Valley
Connecting the north and south parts of the garden is a long walk way through Palm Valley with views to Symphony Lake – home to a large stage which hosts plays and concerts. It’s a nice peaceful walk through huge open green spaces.
Healing Garden
The Healing Garden showcases over 400 varieties of plants used medicinally. It is laid out thematically relating to component parts of the body. It was quite interesting to learn a bit more about South East Asian medicinal plants.
Foliage Garden
The foliage garden is relatively new, and is an extensive collection of terrestrial and aquatic leafy plants. It aims to showcase that the beauty and diversity of plants does not lie in their flowers alone.
Ethnobotany Garden
The Ethnobotany Garden comprises of over 300 species of plants that are deeply-seated into traditional cultures of Malay Archipelago, Indochina and South Asia; and a Centre for Ethnobotany. Visitors can learn about the various plants in each zone, and how they are used traditionally by indigenous communities of this region; including for building houses, treating illness and making crafts.
Eco Lake & Gardens
The Eco-Garden and Lake is a discovery area of plants of economic and ecological importance through human history. Trees, shrubs and herbs yielding a myriad of products from spices, dyes, resins and fibres to fruits and timbers are laid out and include things like Bamboo groves and Herb gardens.
Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden
There is a large garden area designed for children aged 14 and below. It was full of school groups on my last visit which was lovely to see, though did mean I didn’t go in as I didn’t exactly fit the target demographic!
Trellis Garden
The trellis garden showcases the garden’s collection of climbing plants. Again this garden is a bit off the beaten track, so I sat and had a nice long rest on a bench in the shade. A perfect way to end my visit!
Interested in more gardens in Singapore? Read my full post HERE (coming soon).
Facilities at the Singapore Botanic Gardens
There are lots of facilities on offer across the gardens; and overall I found it to be incredibly well provisioned for a day out!
- Visitor Centre: at the Nassim Gate in the centre of the gardens; offering helpful advice, tips, a gift shop and a Café.
- Toilets: There are at least 10 toilet facilities dotted around the gardens, which is just as well given the distances you can cover!
- Restaurants: There are plenty of places to eat and drink in the gardens, including:
- Au Balcon (12pm – 3m, 6pm-10.30pm, closed Mondays)
- Bee’s Knees (daily 8am – 10pm)
- Fusion Spoon (9am – 9pm, halal certified)
- Halia Restaurant (9am – 9pm, halal certified)
- Halia Pantry & Bakery (12 – 3pm, 5pm-8.30pm)
- Ice Cream Man (9am – 7pm)
- Pangium (Thurs – Sat)
- Prive (8am – 9pm)
- Roia (12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 11pm, closed Mondays & Tuesdays)
- Sprouts Food Place (7.30am – 9.30pm)
- Small Batch (9am – 6pm, closed Mondays)
So there you have it, a comprehensive tour around Singapore Botanic Gardens! Have you been before and seen anything I haven’t covered? Or are you planning to go and have found this guide helpful? Let me know in the comments below!
My garden obsession was really fuelled in Singapore and I completely fell in love with all the greenery! I hope you’re enjoying it too – stay safe and happy travelling!
Saasdia Travel Gid
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