Flower Dome at Gardens By The Bay in Singapore

Everything about Gardens by the Bay amazes me. The architecture, the supertrees, the landscape, the light show at night--wherever you focus your camera it will produce perfect photos, no need for filter! It's like going to the world of Avatar, the Lost World or any futuristic Hollywood movie.

I highly recommend this place as the no. 1 must-visit attraction in Singapore, better than the theme parks. And the best thing about it is that all the garden area is free, there's no admission fee!

There are two humongous domes in Gardens by the Bay, Singapore, measuring more than 1 hectare each: the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest. Let me take you to the Flower Dome first. If you love flowers and amazing architecture, this place is heaven. 

Considered as the world's largest columnless greenhouse, the Flower Dome houses 30,000 plants from over 150,000 species. It's fully air conditioned inside (24/7) to simulate the cool-dry climate of South Africa, California and parts of Spain and Italy. 

It's divided into 9 gardens: 

1. Baobabs and Bottle Trees - African Baobabs, Drunken Tree and Ghost Tree 

2. Succulent Garden - Tree Grape, Wooly Cactus and Century Plant of Maguey 

3. Olive Grove - 1,000 year old Olive Tree, Turkish Fig and Pomegranate tree 

4. Californian Garden - California Lilac and Manzanita 

5. South African Garden - King Sugar Bush, Bird of Paradise and Aloes 

6. Australian Garden - Queensland Bottle Tree, Kangaroo's Paw and Grass Tree 

7. Mediterranean Garden - Stone Pine, Cork Oak and Dragon Tree 

8. South American Garden - Chilean Wine Palm, Chilean Puya and Monkey Puzzle Tree 

9. Flower Field - plants from different corners of the globe

Here are some snap shots to give you an idea on how the Flower Dome looks inside:

At the center of the dome is the Flower Field which reflects different seasons, festivals and themes. This month, I think the theme is "Mid-Autum Festival" with a country feel with the addition of barn animal statues that make the flowers even more postcard-pretty:

I heard the Flower Field will change this August with the theme "National Day and Hari Raya" in celebration of Singapore's 50th anniversary as a nation.

Meanwhile, kids will be delighted to see some familiar scenes from nursery rhymes in one corner of the Flower Field.  Like Mother Goose...

...and Humpty Dumpy.

Here are the flowers that caught my attention:

And here are the plants that I've seen for the first time:

Although Durian is Singapore's national fruit, they give a spotlight on mangoes:

By the way, if you get hungry while strolling inside the dome, there is a cafe in one corner called "Pollen."  It's a little hidden though, so you need to search for it.

And before you leave the Flower Dome, check out the interactive wall to learn more interesting facts about the plants, flowers and trees from around the world.

Awards won by the Flower Dome include World Largest Glass Greenhouse from the Guinness World Records 2015, Award for Outstanding Achievement at the 20th Annual Themed Entertainment Association Awards 2014, Breakthrough Contribution to Tourism at the Singapore Experience Awards 2013 and a recognition at the International Architectural Awards 2013 in Chicago.

BBC calls it "A living wonder in Singapore" while FoxNews.com dubbed it as one of the "10 best indoor gardens in the world."

Standard admission in Flower Dome is S$28 (around PhP 900.00) for adults and S$15 (around PhP 500.00) for children 12 years old and below. It includes entry to the nearby Cloud Forest. Both domes are open from Monday to Sunday at 9:00am to 9:00pm. Last ticket sale at 8:00pm and last admission is at 8:30pm daily.

My hotel offered discounted tickets for S$23 so I was able to save $S5. Be sure to ask your hotel's reception because most of them are offering discounted tickets to most of Singapore attractions like the Night Safari, Universal Studios, Adventure Cove, etc.  

Flower Dome
18 Marina Gardens Drive,
Singapore
Tel. (065) 6420-6844
Email: travelagents@gardensbythebay.com.sg

How to Get There:

Alight at Bayfront MRT Station (CE1/DT16). Take Exit B and follow the underground link way. Exit and cross the Dragonfly Bridge or Meadow Bridge into the Gardens by the Bay.

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