During the Easter break this year, we decided to stop postponing our trip to Singapore and head there instead! One of the places that we really wanted to visit with the kids was the Gardens by the Bay and their Children's Garden and water area and we thank Gardens by the Bay for inviting us to visit and review this stunner!

Singapore had a grand plan back in 2006 to build a City in a Garden. After numerous plan submissions, two UK design winners were announced. After a public exhibition and feedback from visitors, Gardens by the Bay broke ground in late 2007 and was open to the public in late 2011.

Gardens by the Bay is a national garden and premier horticultural attraction for local and international visitors. Gardens by the Bay is a showpiece of horticulture and garden artistry that presents the plant kingdom in a whole new way, entertaining while educating visitors with plants rarely seen in this part of the world, ranging from species in cool, temperate climates to tropical forests and habitats.

After making our way past the Outdoor Heritage Gardens which are very nice too I might add, we headed to pickup a rental pram for our youngest as our eldest was not well that day. We hired a S$2 pram at the Visitor Centre and I must say it was a very comfy pram which was much better than our travel umbrella pram! After all that, we headed to the beautiful Flower Dome where we witnessed the most beautiful flower and plant displays we'd ever seen! It was just stunning and the cool climate in there is so delightful to escape the Singaporean humidity!

Visitors can see an array of garden exhibits, from the Succulent Garden and Baobabs featured just before, to the South African Garden, South American Garden, Californian Garden, Flower field and Australian Garden with our native trees - the Flower Dome has it all!

We visited during the Japanese Garden months however every two months or so the Flower Field at the center of the dome has a new floral display and starting tomorrow 25th May 2018 till end of June 2018, there will be the Begonia Brilliance display. This is free as part of the visit and from this weekend to the 10th June 2018, there will also be a Children's Festival at Supertree Grove.

My favourite garden space in the Flower Dome would have to be the Olive Grove which features a magnificent 1000-year-old Olive Trees. It is such a peaceful part of the garden where you can sit and admire these beautiful trees and the surrounding plants.

We then headed to the Cloud Forest which features the breathtaking Waterfall View as you walk in and is possibly the most instagrammable photo!

The Cloud Forest is just stunning everywhere you look, one cannot even start to imagine how long it took gardeners to plant, grow and maintain such a wonder. Take a walk around the dome via the Tree Top walk and Cloud Walk and you will see the Crystal Mountain, Cloud Forest Gallery and the Lost World area. Both walks are very pram friendly and are elevated so be conscious if you are afraid of heights. There are priority lifts for visitors with prams, children, the elderly and wheelchair visitors to get to the different levels.

Orchid lovers will love the Orchid display which is on now until the end of May 2018.

And as Lego lovers we loved the Lost World which was there when we visited. The Lost World is the highest point of the mountain with flowers and Venus Fly-Catchers made entirely of Lego!

We then made our way to the Supertree Grove area which has free admission and opened from 5am to 2am daily. The tree-like vertical gardens at Supertree Grove are designed with large canopies that provide shade in the day and come alive with an exhilarating display of light and sound at night with each measuring between 25 and 50 metres tall.

For an extra admission fee, you can access the OCBC Skyway where at a height of 22 metres you will be surrounded by panoramic vistas of the Gardens and Marina Bay skyline on the 128-metre-long aerial walkway. The OCBC Skyway can be accessed by a lift and visitors who are scared of heights should be cautious before heading there.

Although the kids loved visiting the Flower Dome, the Cloud Forest Dome and the OCBC Skyway and seeing an array of gardens, plants and flowers, we knew that they would love the Far East Organization Children's Garden the most! It is closed on Mondays but opened public holidays so do check the hours of admission before you go and pack the swimmers for everyone as with the sprinklers onsite you will be sure to get wet!

The water play area features flower inspired water jets and sprinklers for kids 6 to 12 yrs old as well as an area for little ones 0 to 5 yrs old. Note that kids are not allowed to block the water jets or hang on the sprinklers in case they break. An amphitheatre with seating is situated opposite the water play area for parents to sit or used as a area for people to eat and for kids to get changed at.

There's also two playgrounds, one for little ones (1 to 5 yrs old) and the other definetely for older kids (6 to 12 yrs old) as it is setup in a rainforest tree house with nests and slides.

A day spent at the Gardens by the Bay is a day well spent and we loved every bit of it and highly recommend a visit to anyone interested in visiting Singapore in the future!

Our tips:

Gardens by the Bay is located at 18 Marina Gardens Drive, Singapore which is about 15 mins drive from the city.
There are many ways you can get to the Gardens by the Bay, via mrt train, shuttle, bus or drive.
Gardens by the Bay is open daily 9am to 9pm however the Far East Organization Children's Garden and water play area is closed Mondays (or on a Tuesday if preceding Monday public holiday as it opens it public holidays)
is open from 9am to 6pm.
There are toilets located around Gardens by the Bay. Some toilets have change tables at 5 different spots around the Gardens by the Bay.
There are food outlets at the front entrance of Gardens by the Bay and in the Children's Garden near the water play area.
Gardens by the Bay is pram and wheelchair friendly. You can rent a pram for as little as SG $2 with proof of ID
Ticket prices vary but for non Singapore residents and for access to 2 Conservatories Adult tickets are S$28 and Children tickets 3 to 12 yrs are S$15. Buy tickets online before you head there to avoid ticket lines. An extra S$8 per adult and S$5 per child 3 to 12 yrs old will get you access the OCBC Skyway.
Bring snacks, hats, sunscreen, insect repellent for mosquitoes, water bottles, comfy shoes as well as swimmers (tops and bottoms) for both kids & adults, swimming nappies (if needed), a change of clothes and possible rain gear if there is expected rain on the day.
There are shuttles and tours available around Gardens by the Bay, ask the Information centre for more details.

Busy City Kids were invited to the Gardens by the Bay for the purposes of a review. All opinions & feedback are genuine & truthful. Travel, food and fee paying activities and pram were self funded. To read our other Singapore reviews, head here.

For more information on the Gardens by the Bay, plan your visit, check opening times and services or to buy tickets, head to their website.

Gardens by the Bay - Singapore - Review

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